I listened to a story called blind parenting on transom.org. It was about how blind parents raised their children. The interesting I found was that some of their children were blind and some of them weren’t. 

The piece was put together very well. I thought the commentary from the children was really interesting. The parents were encouraged against having children because they would pass on their blindness to their children. Their children seem perfectly happy and don’t really know too much about how being blind makes them different. Since they were young the children were cute to listen to.

I also  like how honest the parents were with their fears. Hearing people talk about how they feel made the piece very real and relatable. The parents feared that their children would eventually hate them. It reminded me about the piece we read earlier about how media is trying to be real and simulate real life. What made it good was that is was real.

transom.org is an interesting sight but I don’t quite understand how it’s navigation works because they don’t seem to have a lot of stories I want to  listen to.

Also in listening to the radio over break. I feel like I heard a lot of commercials.

Vox pop

valentine’s day response

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proposal for DATING

Sound! I started using Audacity and it took me a while to figure out what did what and how it works. For my vox pop I think I recorded my answers in a noisy place which caused the audio to become crazy. I also used Soundcloud to record my audio which was very odd because I would click record and about every 4th time I clicked record it would actually record. Now that I have figure more on how Audacity works I think I can record sound better. I also think I should choose locations more carefully rather than allowing all ambiant noise to be heard.  I also thought I cut certain portions out of the audio but when I exported the audio the portions I cut were still there. 

In conclusion technology hates me

#DifficultAudio #StruggleBus

Well for my contribution to the radio show I was thinking about using long distance dating as my basis for discussion and do something similar to the vox pop about talking with a couple different people about their view on long distance dating. I was thinking maybe a pro con or just an opinion/discussion on their experiences, ending with a do you think it’s a good or bad idea. That or I might tell the story of a date I went on. That could be fun too. 

I really like “This American Life: Valentine’s Day 2013.” This is partially due to the fact that Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday.

I personally like it because it reminds people to be nice to those that they like, be it romantic or friends. Valentine’s Day is for thanking those who bring happiness to your life. At least this is what I think of the holiday and why I like it. 

Now onward to the radio. Overall This American Life knows how to create a dynamic and interesting piece that you are willing to listen to from beginning to end. Sometimes broadcasts I’ve heard become flat as they go on and give the reaction to change the channel as quickly as possible. They mix audio and keep the stories moving forward at a consistent pace so that the story doesn’t start to lag. I really like the first and last stories.

The first one one stuck with me not so much with the story, but the conclusion that Ira Glass gave at the end. After hearing the story I kept thinking about what he said. That the idea that people might not know what to do next and the result of moving forward might not be the result that they want, but sometimes you have to push yourself forward and hope for the best. What we should do next is not clear it is only when something becomes the past does the situation really become “clear.” So I thought the first story was effective in that long after I heard it I was still thinking about it.

The last piece I found really interesting. I felt it was a story people could relate to or at least understand  Everyone was young once and  sometimes people like that someone likes them but don’t actually like that person. Everyone has either experienced this or knows someone who has decided themselves. What I really like about this section is that despite the whole situation being kind of awkward and sad, we don’t feel sad after listening. We are amused because the delivery is given with humor. What I also really like was that it reminded me of one of my favorite comedians, Simon Amstell. I like laughing  so that’s how this piece was effective for me.

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Blog post listening is zen

I don’t think I’ll like this audio unit very much. 

1. I am partially tone deaf

2. I am completely unfamiliar with a lot of the elements of audio by itself. I know how to layer audio on movies, but I don’t know how to make just audio files.

3 I hate the sound of my own voice

So let’s see how this goes. I can only improve from here.

I thought the Zen of Listening was very interesting. There is a certain amount of attention we pay to hearing and listening but it is one of the few things we can do while doing something else. If we are watching something we are both watching and listening to it keeping us somewhat immobile but we can listen to something and do something, without losing part of what is happening. 

I sometimes use listening to music or something else to help me focus when I’m reading or driving. Silence can be oppressive when I drive and can make me sleepy. 

The idea that shared media is what helps decide a cultural idea is also interesting. I think it could be related in a smaller way to classes. Despite not meeting everyone who will take Digital Storytelling we have a shared media of readings and experiences that  create a community of people who can identify as being part of this “culture.”

Music is a large portion of culture and can help connect people through popularity. There are certain thing people are “culturally compelled” to know about. They don’t have to like it, but they will know about it.

Overall I think radio and listening to things won’t die out because it is a very strong medium. It has just changed a lot from it’s origins, but people won’t abandon it. 

My final video! Huzzah!

I made my final video a combination of stop motion and video. I wanted to do this as a way to revisit some of the things in my other two videos and re executing what I learned.The stop motion portion went much faster than the first time and I was better able to gauge how much movement to put between each picture instead of having to cut out several pictures. 

Putting together the different pictures and segments was much faster than previously. This is due to the fact that I was more familiar with how to do what I wanted in Imovie rather than having to guess and play around. 

The thing that made this video more interesting to me was that I tried to give it a bit of a narrative by using text. My other two videos play more like music videos. Using the text created a little more of a “point” to the video rather than just watch. 

Of course copyright law of music problems. Youtube wouldn’t let my original video play due to the music I chose to be background. Instead of fighting with the video to make it play I just swapped out the background music. I like both songs and the change wasn’t difficult to make. 

All done! Time for audio.

Second video is done with written review.

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So I like my second squirrel video that was fun. I’ve got a couple ideas for my last video which I need to choose and execute asap but I’m not too worried just need to do it. My PSA ending video is done for beardfish! Hope it turns out well.

Squirrels. The Ann Arbor Squirrel. I thought it would be fun to make a music video using video of Ann Arbor Squirrels. Collecting the video was rather time consuming as I had to wait for nice days when the squirrels would be out. The interesting part of this was simply always carrying a camera on me so that if I spotted a squirrel I could capture it. Getting video of animals in their natural habitat is rather difficult. Unlike making the stop motion which was rather controlled, I had no control over how my subjects were going to move or what they were going to do. 

I capture the video of the squirrels over several days. Uploading them to my computer and using Imovie was pretty quick. It was interesting manipulating actual video clips in imovie which I haven’t done until now. Imovie gets some getting used to since the effects I was looking for weren’t where I though they would be put if figured it out.

The overall reasoning for this video was to manipulate video instead of having stills. I like how it turned out also soundtrack is awesome. Squirrels + Mulan is a good idea.

Lastly, youtube and I have a love hate relationship. I discovered that my second video was automatically set to private which I hadn’t realized until today so I switched it to public. Minor technical difficulties, but this is nothing new. Had fun!

Bearded Man going crazy overzealous

Of course you got arrested! Of course you’re going to jail and going to have giant financial debt. YOU STOLE. Infringing on copyright is STEALING. It isn’t “no big deal”. It’s a very big deal. You are going to jail for STEALING!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Serious end note

While we took copyright law in a light manner in this video we would like to remind you that copyright infringement is a very serious subject. When prosecuted there can be very serious repercussions including fines and jail time. So be smart with what you upload and download. Cite your sources, use creative commons or create original works. This has been your public service announcement. 

My first Stop motion Video!

response to first video

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“copy that gold leader” in which I wanted to see what type of Green Screen effects were possible on the computer.

reading response The art of film

Overall, I like my first video. Now I’m looking for inspiration of my next one. I tried out some green screen effects, but have decided that I probably won’t use them. I’m thinking a baby documentary on the Ann Arbor squirrel. I’ll have to see if I can get enough footage in the right orientation to do it. I was also thinking about weiring something related to a fandom (probably Doctor Who) and recording the responses I get to it throughout the day. Looking for inspiration!

My first video was a stop motion which I always wanted to try out. 

I used my Ipad as my camera and set it up on the stairs and used hammond as my subject for the movement. I really like the quality of the pictures and in general the photos were consistent enough to piece together a stop motion video.

I actually felt I took to many pictures and the beginning of the video actually consists of every other photo that I took. 

One thing to be noted about stop motion was that my Ipad automatically focuses for each picture which means some of the lighting changed or the follow photos looked a little off compared to the others.

I also ran into some trouble transferring photos but once I got them onto my computer via photo stream it became easy to manipulate them in imovie. Imovie took a little playing around with to know where all the controls were but that is due to the fact I’d never used it before.

I rather like the jumping around of the final half of my movie I think it’s more interesting than the first half.

Lastly, I like the film and it’s baned from being played in Germany due to copyright restrictions. 

Otherwise known as the day that heyStorytellers became one of my 8 most visited websites according to google chrome.

Now onward to reading movies! Oddly enough last semester for my Art of Film class we read Understanding movies. I would have to agree with the evaluation that most spaces and placement on a screen have a common connotation. It is not to say that the “rules” of screen placement can’t broken it is simply a polite and effective way to convey stories that most people can understand. Breaking the rules on purpose can add something to a scene.  

One example of a rule is the 180 degree rule. Which simply means that the way an area is filmed means the camera does not cross an imaginary line and show things on the oposite side. This “rule” exists simply because crossing that line creates visual confusion. Now it’s not to say you can’t break it, it’s just helpful not to.

Now like most art forms movies have their own language that once you know what words mean and how they are constructed it demystifies certain aspects of movies (like learning a magician’s secret) but also allows you to better talk about and understand movies.

I personally am a big fan of fantasy. It’s otherworldliness and make believe stories are fascinating and captivating. I also think scripted shows though they never happen draw on people and matter. People don’t go to midnight premiers of Harry Potter because its silly and has no draw on their lives, they go because the characters mean something important to them. 

Reality television though it is based on the interactions of real people being themselves their is a certain amount of what is show is not true to real life. In real life people go to the bathroom and eat food and sleep. Reality shows use only specific and interesting footage where the 8 or so hours a person sleeps is left out. 

It seems that reality shows are interesting to people for some of the same reasons that scripted shows are. There is some sort of climax or “big reveal.” They follow a certain story line and leave people with some sort of after feeling being that was really stupid, she looks so pretty, or I wish they hadn’t voted my favorite person off the island. People make connections with the people they see. There are certain reality shows I find interesting. Overall I find reality shows to be uninteresting or the people participating in them to be bothersome. 

Perhaps the reason is some what based in the idea that most reality shows aren’t meant to teach or comment on something like scripted shows. Most episodes have some sort of direct purpose or statement it is trying to make where as much of reality shows are meant to be watched as a spectacle. 

Here is my very favorite  reality show. 

Response to reading

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So far I like the video segment, but I am having some technical difficulties. I don’t have a tripod so making my stop motion is throwing me off. I think I’ll need to either employ the help of another person or find something similar to a tripod to help keep my pictures consistent. Still need to find some inspiration for my other videos. I still have time! For now….

Some Things I like 

I thought the shift in how “geeky” fans are treated is interesting. The article The Syncher, Not the Song pointed this out. The difference between how the light saber kid and the Numa Numa kid were thought of were very different. People made fun of the kid practicing with the light saber, but “people wanted to be the Numa Numa guy.” 

This shift has reminded me of how I’ve noticed that recently our culture has embraced things that used to be considered very nerdy or embarrassing to like. Comic book plots and characters for instance have become common knowledge with the recently release block buster movies of Marvel’s iconic heros. Looking through the list of top grossing movies of all time a lot of them have a very strong nerdy or geeky origin. Star Wars, The Avengers, Harry Potter, and The Lord of The Rings are all present on this list. 

Portions of Geek culture and interests have obviously come to be a part of normal culture.This difference certainly makes it easier fro people to love the things they love, but I do think there is a limit before someone is started to be considered “weird.”

In general I think people like being excited about things but are often to afraid to show it because of ridicule. Writer and Vloger John Green has an excellent quote about nerd culture. 

“…because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff… Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’.” John Green

I would like to try making a stop motion. I fell like it could be really tedious but sort of interesting. I would like to know how to cut out the background of a picture. Essentially is it possible to do a green screen type thing without having a green...

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Branding reading response

Michigan Radio

I registered for DS106 (I think.) So for my response I tried to use photos to represent the branding argument. I thought it would be a fun way to help respond to the writing. I rather like the way the response looks and might try to do more in the future. 

I really like how Michigan Radio is organized. Its stories make for very interactive reading. Most of its stories link back to any information that is claimed or may be relevant. I also like that it has a listening function to most of its stories because it’s from a radio show. I also like how the areas of interest are clearly labeled on the homepage as well as in tabs so that way people can sort by interest easily. The website creates a sort of short version of their entire show but segments it up into specific areas of interest.

Hammond is trying to decide what drink he wants.

His friend Sheep recommends Starbucks because it is really good.

Hammond decided  he likes Starbucks too and now drinks it all the time and knows all about its products.

What I found most interesting about the Branding article was the idea that the thing that is most important to selling a product isn’t something that can be bought but a loyalty that is earned. The thing that moves products is word of mouth not traditional marketing. I think this oversite comes from a disconnect between manufacturers and consumers. People when marketing seem to forget that people are people not numbers and they react better to social environments  People are social animals they like sharing and talking with people, not being talked at. 

Notice Starbucks’ clever marketing has “Coffee makes friendships grow just a little warmer” bonding people to their products and engaging customers in sharing and advocacy behavior.

Today's special is a lovely croissant made with only best butter, finest flour, and soul of a frenchman. Baked to golden perfection and served fresh. To accompany it we have a perfectly mixed drink of half ice tea and half lemonade. The tea brewed to p...