Shout Out

I was fortunate enough to sit in between Pitman and Olson this semester in DTC 355. I was able to ask them questions mostly pertaining to html, and css. I was having a hard time grasping the codes and what went where. Pitman showed me (again) where I need to style css. Olson taught me some tricks for styling my buttons on my web page, by making them round and giving them a drop shadow. These things were defiantly important to me, as my website was looking a little "plain Jane". Thanks guys! Betsy and I had a great time talking on Facebook about how much work we had to do for this class, and decided to be stressed out together, as well as, encourage each other. It's nice to feel like your not alone. Thanks Betsy! I enjoyed getting confused with Sours this semester, as this helped me learn her name. I learned from a friend that Sours use to work at a place that I want to work in the future. I'm still trying to pry more information from her about that employer. Nice getting to know you Sours. Overall, this class has kicked my bottom, but I've learned a lot of valuable information, and technology that I can utilize now, and in the future.


I've decided to do more research on documentaries, as we are just now starting to touch on this topic. I searched amazon.com for a text and came across a book titled, The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down and Dirty DV Production by Anthony Q. Artis. This is a book that I would like to read as it lists many different resources to learn film making such as, film books, DVD extras, podcasts, workshops, cable tv, websites, magazines, and crewing. These are some of the many resources available to further learn and expose yourself to film making. This book also suggests many other books to read to further your knowledge, such as, The Guerilla Film Makers Blueprint by Chris Jones, which Artis claims is "one of the practical and comprehensive books I've ever read." Artis also says that he wrote this book "for people that are don e talking about the films they want to make and who are ready to shut up and shoot". Artis also says he got so tired of combing through film making books that seemed made only to confuse him more, that he felt it was important to make a film making book that is "written casually with a healthy doses of humor, lots of pictures, and plain old English (with a little slang thrown in just for fun). In other words this ain't ya mama's film book (amazon.com)." Overall, this seem like a no B.S. kind of a book. Plain and simple terms and examples, which is how I learn best. 






http://www.amazon.com/Shut-Shoot-Documentary-Guide-Production

Blog #7

After reading Hampe, imagine that you need to define documentary. What is
your definition and how would it differ from films that are not documentaries? And what is the most important thing you learned about film from Hampe?

Documentary: Capturing real life events, and conveying your argument with the use of visual images, and/or verbal argument that supports your idea. A documentary should possess strong visual evidence of the argument you are trying to make, so that the viewer hopefully understands the point of your film.

Documentaries are similar to other films in that you can edit both types of films to tell a story/argument. However, the difference between the two is that in a documentary you are able to edit the film BUT you do not add extra details to the film. 

The most important thing I learned about film from Hampe, is that documentaries need to be planned in advance just as any other film. You don't have a story unless you have the visual images first. The visual images are the most important aspect of a film. If one is telling a verbal story, and the visual images just don't line up, then what is the point? Make your argument strong.

Hampe, Barry. Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos. Henry Holt and Company, New York: 1997

A Thinking Alphabet

In the article, An Alphabet That Things, Lanham talks about the concept of looking at and looking through. Looking at is what you notice when you are viewing a particular text, for example, size, color, and font choice. Looking through is the meaning or concept of the written text. Therefore, you are looking through what you are looking at.

Lanham talks about the clarity-brevity-sincerity (C-B-S) model of communication. He describes clarity as a "message you want to send to someone else. It must be clear: you don't want to obscure the stuff" (Lanham 137). For brevity he says "Keep it short. Cut the cackle" (Lanham 141). Finally, for sincerity "You must not, that is, have any designs on anybody, try to persuade them of anything" (Lanham 137). So basically this theory takes all opinion, and rhetorical thinking out of communication.

Lanham goes on to explain that "It is an un-teachable theory (C-B-S model). It argues that all expression should be transparent, not noticed, existing only to showcase the meaning" (Lanham 141). I agree with Lanham that this is an un-teachable theory, as it would take away all elements of design, opinion, and argument. How fun would that be? I think people need self expression in there lives or life would simply be boring.

I think Lanham is right when he talks about changes in media literacy. Printed books has been the standard way of learning for sometime. Lanham explains, "Alphabets that think create texts that mix words, images, and sound in dynamic ways. Such mixtures do not seem, to many people, and especially to scholarly audiences, as "serious" as a fixed printed book" (Lanham 136). I think we need to incorporate "an alphabet that thinks" with printed books, as tools for learning, so that we are able to have the best of both worlds, when it comes to learning.



Lanham, Richard A. The economics of attention: style and substance in the age of information. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. Print.

After reading Burbules, sit and thinks about links for exactly one minute. Then answer this: How do links act to conceal and reveal and why is this important?  Provide two examples that show links behaving as Burbules describes.

Links act to conceal and reveal information in a given text, as the author chooses what additional information he/she wants to provide to the public, while leaving out information he/she feels is unimportant to the subject. This is important, because links provide additional information that can either be related or non-related to the subject at hand. It is up to the reader to understand the authors intention of adding a links in a text. Some information may be credible, and some information may not be credible, what-so-ever. The author may simply be using links to associate other information to his argument. Links can be used in many different ways, according to Burbules.

Burbules states, "I want to show links as rhetorical moves that can be evaluated and questioned for their relevance. They imply choices; they reveal assumptions; they have effects--whether intentionally or inadvertently. Judging links, then, is a crucial part of developing a broader critical orientation to hyperreading: not simply to follow the links laid out for us, but to interpret their meaning and asses their appropriateness (Burbules p. 117).

I believe it is up to the "hyperreaders" to  analyze, and question what message the author is providing, as well as the links, and also analyze what information the author might be withholding. 

I googled a topic on teen sexting, and was reading an article that a grandfather had written (supposedly), and came across a link in the article that said "click here to get it" once I followed the link it lead me to a site promoting "POWERFUL cell-phone monitoring technology!". It asked if I could really trust my husband, employee, or child? Wow! The stories on this site got me thinking about a whole array of other issues besides teen sexting. This company is really trying to make a person paranoid so they'll buy their product. 

teenagesexting.net

mouchette.org is an old website, but has a bunch of links that the author wants the viewer to chose from, in order to navigate to a page of the authors choice.

Capitals & Punctuations

Think like Solomon about capital letters as punctuation. What can capital letters do?  What punctuation mark do you think needs to exist and why?  Are there any other punctuation marks you think should be made?  What kind and for what purpose?

Capital letters are used to represent many things in a sentence. Capital letter always start a sentence, for example: Look at the capital letter at the beginning of this sentence. Capital letters are also used at the beginning of all names, such as, Mary, Luke, Tyler, and Sherry. Capital letters can be used as all caps in a sentence, maybe to portray importance, urgency, anger, or to get the readers attention. However, all caps should be used sparingly, as IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO READ A SENTENCE OR EVEN A PARAGRAPH, IN ALL CAPS (wow, where the heck did that come from?)! All caps should be kept to a minimum of a few words for best results, and so the reader knows the message has importance or an emotional meaning to it. Capital letters is also used in design. For example, it can be used for a logo, magazine cover, or book cover. The use of capital letters, and typography can work together to create a great design. These are only a few examples of how capital letters are used.

In regards to punctuation, I think a punctuation for sarcasm would be awesome. I've heard people say, "I wish there was a font for sarcasm". A punctuation for sarcasm is definitely needed, because it can be tough for a reader to understand a sarcastic statement. Some readers may catch the irony in the statement, while others would simply be lost or maybe think the writer lacks intelligence. A punctuation mark that looks like a small backwards letter "c" would be sufficient. It would simply indicate that the writer is "talking Crap".

Affect Transfer & Presence

The image above is a great example of affect transfer, as we see a child with her head dented in like a vehicle would be, in an auto-accident. As, a parent this visual image makes me think of my own child, and how I would never want anything harmful to happen to her. After observing the image, I immediately read the text, and see that this an advertisement about speeding in town. The image, now tied in with the text, makes me think about possibly hitting a child or injuring my own, because of speeding through town.

This advertisement is a very good example of affect transfer, as the image evokes a fearful emotional response right away. Little verbal information is needed to get the point across.


Presence

An example of rhetorical presence (convincing argument) in my life is when I saw a commercial for the documentary The Cove. I had only seen the commercial/advertisement for the documentary a few times, but it struck a cord in me. It showed images of dolphins being slaughtered, and what looked like a lake of bloody water, and convincing information bout how this "cove" was kept a secret over in Japan. 

I did not rush out and see the documentary in theatres. Actually, over time I had forgotten about it. It was not until I was in my local library, and saw this dvd for rent, that I recalled those scenes of the bloody water, and dolphins dying, and wanted to learn more about this "so called" secret.

I watched the documentary, and it was just as disturbing, as the commercials made it out to be. I then posted an image, and a link to the website for The Cove, on Facebook, and encouraged/convinced others to watch this documentary, as well. I also posted a link to another website, where one could sign the petition to stop the slaughtering of dolphins at this cove, in Japan. Many people on Facebook responded, and had to remembered the commercial for this documentary, and wanted to know which library I rented the documentary from. I feel that I used rhetorical presence (convincing argument) on Facebook, as the commercial/advertisement for The Cove, used rhetorical presence on me.

I worked in the restaurant business, as a server for nearly ten years. Working with the public, in a fast-paced environment, I am bound to have some embarrassing stories right? Right! So here is one of my top five embarrassing stories, and it goes a little something like this...

It was a normal Sunday morning (so I thought) at work. I will go ahead a refer to my place of employment, as Lenny's. So, as I was saying...it was a typical start to my Sunday morning. It was pretty slow, the Lenny's crew, and I were preparing for the "Sunday rush", which is kinda like rush hour traffic, except it takes place inside of the restaurant, once church lets out.

I had just gotten my first big table, a "20 top", which is what we call the number of people at a given table. The crew, and I began pushing a bunch of tables together to prepare for the group. We got the tables together, chairs pushed in, and began setting the table with silverware. Once we had finished setting up, the hostess grabbed the menus, and lead the group to their seats.

I was in the "island", which is a small place where necessities are stored for employees, and customers. I grabbed one of the large trays from beneath the counter, and started putting glasses on them. I chose to use a large food tray, instead of a small water tray, as I did not want to make several trips to the table to deliver waters. I gathered all 20 ice waters onto the large tray, and headed towards the table.

The table was located in the middle of the room. It looked like a really long rectangle, with people gathered around the sides, and the ends of the table. At one end, there was a baby in a car seat, which was set on top of a foldout devise, so that the car seat was the same height, as the table. This made it easier for the parents to attend to their children, while they ate. I started at the far end of the table, away from the baby.

I began to back around the table, slowly and carefully, while setting each persons water on the table. As, I approached the end of the table where the baby was sitting, I made sure I held the tray securely, and started to move slowly around the baby. Before I knew it, waters were flying straight up in the air, and I was laying flat on my back. I watched the water glasses come down on top of me, and as they landed, they made a loud crash, and broke . I laid there perplexed for a second, and the restaurant had a eerie silence. I could feel many eyes upon me. I looked around, and from the "island" where my fellow employees where gathered, I heard a loud outcry of laughter. I too, began to laugh myself.

You see...the parents didn't attach the safety belt around their childs car seat, and it was left dangling on the floor. When I went to back around the table. I stepped back with my left foot first, which pulled the belt tight, then preceded to step back with my right foot, and tripped. Actually, I didn't trip...I fell straight back and smacked my head onto the floor.

Let's just say that was one of my most embarrassing moments, as there were a ton of people in the restaurant that day. At least my best friend who was working with me came over to help. Even though she was laughing, she helped me up, and cleaned the mess of broken glasses from me, and the floor. At least, the baby was not hurt, and I didn't cut my face off.

Lesson I learned that day...

Always walk forward, and watch where you are going.

What is Rhetoric?

Chapter one of, Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric, by Foss, Foss, and Trapp, is an interesting read on the topic of rhetoric, and what their definition is of the subject, as well as it's history. According to Foss, Foss, and Trapp, "rhetoric is the human use of symbols to communicate" (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 1-13). How would I interpret this? Well, I would say based off the reading, and the examples they provide in chapter one, that rhetoric is the ability to communicate efficiently with your intended audience, in an effective and persuasive manner. I do agree with this, as one needs to be able to communicate their ideas well, whether it be writing, speaking, body language, or through other various forms.

As we all know, humans can communicate with one another, in one way, shape, or form, but are we doing this as effectively as we could? I'd say the answer is no. How many misunderstanding do we have with people? How about that text you sent to a friend, which they misconstrued? How about that class presentation you gave, and you didn't know what you where talking about...guess what? Your audience didn't know what you were talking about either. These misunderstandings happen all the time, and with the ever increasing use of multi-media flat forms, in which we use to communicate, I'd say the study of rhetoric is more important than ever. The ability to communicate well, is the ability to reach many.

Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.

A. Richards:  Rhetoric is the study of misunderstandings and their remedies.

"A Few Definitions of Rhetoric." Stanford University. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. 
             <http://www.stanford.edu/dept/english/courses/sites/lunsford/pages/defs.htm>.