Lauren's blog

1. My favorite project was definitely the logo project. I really like to draw, so I felt that this project utilized those skills the most. I literally stayed up until like 4am on a night it wasn’t even due because I wanted to make sure the apple looked just right before I went to bed. I definitely put way too much effort into it, but I was actually really proud of the product.
2. I learned a TON from this course this semester. I actually think this was the most helpful class to my major that I’ve taken. I feel like our world is heading in a very digital direction, and I was super uncomfortable with the thought of computer programs like the ones we used in class. I learned that if you take enough time, you can get the hang of any program. I liked how the class included four very different programs so it pertained to a range of students’ interests.
3. My major is journalism and minoring in political science. I’m not really sure what I want to be, but I know that I really like writing, reading, and speaking. I love public speaking or just talking to people in general, so being a talk show host would be nice. But more realistically, I’m also really interesting in politics so I would love to be a political writer of some sorts (or a cartoonist, maybe), or an anchor for CNN would be an absolute dream. I honestly am going into my future with an open mind, trying my best, and seeing where the wind blows me. This class was really helpful for my major because I will definitely be working with media of some sorts, and it will more than likely be digitally, so knowing even just an introductory level about these programs makes me feel a bit relieved and like I can definitely do it in the future if my job needs it.
4. I honestly don’t think there’s anything that I wished I learned this semester, I mean obviously the programs have a lot of depth to learn about, but I felt like the work load was already a lot. I think if a student is interested in a program, they have every resource after this class to learn what they want to know.
5. I use youtube a lot in addition to the tutorials, just if I needed more clarification on a function or my project needed something the tutorials didn’t cover. The tutorials were actually really helpful in learning the material, but especially the videos. The first tutorial I didn’t see the video so I just read the instructions and tried to follow along, but I was literally in tears of frustration because none of it made sense. Once I found the video and followed along that, my life improved exponentially.

I pretty much completely changed my video from my draft, which I’m happy I did because I’m much happier with my final product! As for my design process, I kind of went with the flow and filmed when I was inspired to film. The beginning scene is really significant to me because I had just gotten done with an eight mile run, and just felt super accomplished. Sometimes, when I’m having body image issues, I like to remember all of the things my body is capable of; I can walk, run, skip, dance! How could you hate something that can do all that? That’s what I wanted my video to start as, so I filmed the treadmills after I was finished. I edited the beginning scene in Premiere, and added the text and sound through that. A lot of my critiques said to add music/make the intro better, so that’s what I tried to do!

For my first video draft, I talked more about fitness, running, and my routine. It was right after a run, so I was really sweaty, which I thought would add to the authenticity, but really it was just kinda gross. And I was a little bit flustered. So I thought, “what advice would I give myself if I was starting again?” And realized that my current habits have become so engrained because I made such small, easy changes over time that became really sustainable. So I made my video somewhat “youtubey” style and made my video about a few easy and quick tips, picking my personal most important ones to stay under the time limit. I like how the video turned out, I wish I put away my laundry first, but every time I refilmed it I didn’t like it as much, maybe because it wasn’t as natural.

I embedded audio through Premiere, and edited out some film and audio that was unnecessary. I added a bit of slow-mo effect at the beginning just for fun, and I’ve seen people do that before and always wanted to know how to do it (it actually took me a long time).I found Premiere to be the difficult at first but after the tutorials I knew the basic functions enough to complete the project. The only thing I don’t like is the filter I applied on the first scene, but that is really easy to fix, so I might do that because it really bothers me.

Storyboard: Healthy livin’

Storyboard: Healthy livin’

For my final audio story, I wanted to make a mock interview with someone who was really involved with fitness and health. I think there are a lot of bad stereotypes about people who enjoy fitness, and my audio story is kind of poking fun at those people. In my interview, “Kyler” was a health-nut who takes thirty minute showers. He goes on to talk about the insane practices he does in his day-to-day routine to “stay fit”, when really it all sounds excessive.

The idea behind this concept is to show that you don’t have to be insane about fitness to be fit. I think a lot of people get discouraged when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle because they feel that they need to do all or nothing, when really a little goes a long way.

For the design process, my friend Kyle and I started by looking at youtube videos of popular fitness gurus, and watched a lot of “morning routines” to get inspiration for the script. We wanted to make “Kyler” as cringey as possible, so we wrote down everything that made us cringe. Then, we practiced using improve methods to get the ball rolling, and then refined the script from there. I used the erase tool in Audition to cut the audio into more precise pieces, and edited out a lot of pauses and “um’s” to make it flow more. I recorded on my phone using the voice memo feature, and then recorded my introduction on Audition, where I used the scrubber tool to cut out pauses and help with the pacing.

I ran into most of my troubles when it came to adjusting the pacing and making it sound like one flowing piece, but rerecording some spots or redoing a section eventually made it come together better.

Here is my audio rough draft!

In my audio story, I think I want to do an interview with someone who is really fit or healthy or a guru of any sort.