Creating a movie/narrative with your story
-To do this you will first want to pick an audience so that you will know what type of situation you want to present and pick what type of tool you are wanting to use.
1. Think of a way to create a story within your story
-Pick an audience!!
2. Play with tools such as XtraNormal, Zimmer Twins and Movie Maker from our class blog to figure out what type of tool you may want to use to tell your story.
3. Pick a tool
-When picking a tool you will want to:
a. pick your audience
b. brainstorm to figure out what story you want to tell or what situation you want to present
4. Start adapting your story into narrative form by creating a map to layout your story
-You may use templates or drawings
-You may want to lay out as much as you can so you will know what you're adapting
5. Small group showing
-Bring a rough draft to your small group and get feedback to help you finish your story/ narrative
6. REVISE, FINISH draft
7. Final Rough Draft is created to bring in front of peers
-Get feedback from your classmates
8. REVISE, REVISE, REVISE!!!!
9. FINAL DRAFT COMPLETE
Thursday, October 21, 2010
FINAL NARRATIVE VIDEO
The tool I used does not have an embedding code, so I posted the link below and I will include my username and password so you can view it. The movie is titled "Two Moms: Final Cut"
"Two Moms: Final Cut" on Zimmer Twins
Username:bmcguir1
Password: 3038
Enjoy :)
"Two Moms: Final Cut" on Zimmer Twins
Username:bmcguir1
Password: 3038
Enjoy :)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Unit 3: Reading Response
When reading this particular reading take note of two things:
Key components for writing in a narrative tool & new ideas to incorporate into your story.
These two concepts will shape your story into a great narrative piece. One thing that stuck with me that you may want to look for is the concept of using a SCRIPT to portray my narrative piece.
A SCRIPT will do two things for you:
Help you organize your story so that you can see what's going on & lay out your new ideas in front of you to better construct your story.
I also took from this reading that it is important to keep the audience interested. This is important because without an interested audience you do not have an effective story. You want to know two things and be able to differentiate between them: what your audience "sees" and what your audience "hears". This leads me to my favorite section in the reading, "What Makes A Good Story". This section gives us several ideas and concepts used to keep the audience interested such as: CONFLICT, FEELINGS, and EMOTIONS.
These concepts allow your audience to connect with your piece rather than just watching it. Feelings and emotions are key to having an effective story and keeping an audience interested. You want your audience to FEEL something when they watch it. You also want them to connect with the EMOTION of the conflict and with their own EMOTIONS. The last component CONFLICT, brings forth issues in the narrative. The conflict is the argument you are making oppose to something else.
Key components for writing in a narrative tool & new ideas to incorporate into your story.
These two concepts will shape your story into a great narrative piece. One thing that stuck with me that you may want to look for is the concept of using a SCRIPT to portray my narrative piece.
A SCRIPT will do two things for you:
Help you organize your story so that you can see what's going on & lay out your new ideas in front of you to better construct your story.
I also took from this reading that it is important to keep the audience interested. This is important because without an interested audience you do not have an effective story. You want to know two things and be able to differentiate between them: what your audience "sees" and what your audience "hears". This leads me to my favorite section in the reading, "What Makes A Good Story". This section gives us several ideas and concepts used to keep the audience interested such as: CONFLICT, FEELINGS, and EMOTIONS.
These concepts allow your audience to connect with your piece rather than just watching it. Feelings and emotions are key to having an effective story and keeping an audience interested. You want your audience to FEEL something when they watch it. You also want them to connect with the EMOTION of the conflict and with their own EMOTIONS. The last component CONFLICT, brings forth issues in the narrative. The conflict is the argument you are making oppose to something else.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Playing with Narrative Tools: Xtra Normal and Zimmertwins
While looking for narration tools to use for our next project I came across Xtra Normal movie maker and Zimmertwins movie maker. I like these two the best out of all of the narration tools because I feel it adds a bit of personality and action to our stories. Both of these are similar because they are both very simple to use and basically turn your text into a movie while you pick the characters and action. I feel that using these tools that allow you to pick your characters and voices add to the voice of your story. I played with both of these tools over the weekend and the one I liked the most was Xtra Normal.
Xtra Normal allowed me to pick my characters from a series of situations and simply type in the dialogue that I wanted in my story. This tool allows you to write the dialogue, make the expressions and choose the voices of your characters allowing you to portray them how you want to in a movie form of your story. Xtra Normal is simple to use, but can get a little complex when it comes to the expressions and the publishing of the actual movie. I played around with it for several minutes before I could figure anything out. The pros of using this tool is that it makes a pretty complex way to tell your story and being able to point, use expressions and change voices adds to your story and will portray a better understanding to your audience. The cons of using this tool is that it gets a little complex while trying to publish your story.
Zimmertwins is very simple and would probably be the easier way to tell my story if I am picking between the tool. The characters are more cartoon than real life and it is a bit easier to navigate around the site. I would spend less time trying to figure out how to publish and more time perfecting this narration of my story. The cons of using this is that my project is on gay rights and if I were wanting to use two females or two males, I cant. The actions are limited to the ones you can choose such as hug. It is the simpler of the two I am considering, but it does bother me that you have to have female/ male character situations, but I could always make it work.
I think using the narration tools will be more fun than the previous units, but will require us to be more creative and complex with telling our stories. We will get the chance to have actual cartoons, animals, stick people, etc actually tell our story other than a bunch of words and reading.
Xtra Normal allowed me to pick my characters from a series of situations and simply type in the dialogue that I wanted in my story. This tool allows you to write the dialogue, make the expressions and choose the voices of your characters allowing you to portray them how you want to in a movie form of your story. Xtra Normal is simple to use, but can get a little complex when it comes to the expressions and the publishing of the actual movie. I played around with it for several minutes before I could figure anything out. The pros of using this tool is that it makes a pretty complex way to tell your story and being able to point, use expressions and change voices adds to your story and will portray a better understanding to your audience. The cons of using this tool is that it gets a little complex while trying to publish your story.
Zimmertwins is very simple and would probably be the easier way to tell my story if I am picking between the tool. The characters are more cartoon than real life and it is a bit easier to navigate around the site. I would spend less time trying to figure out how to publish and more time perfecting this narration of my story. The cons of using this is that my project is on gay rights and if I were wanting to use two females or two males, I cant. The actions are limited to the ones you can choose such as hug. It is the simpler of the two I am considering, but it does bother me that you have to have female/ male character situations, but I could always make it work.
I think using the narration tools will be more fun than the previous units, but will require us to be more creative and complex with telling our stories. We will get the chance to have actual cartoons, animals, stick people, etc actually tell our story other than a bunch of words and reading.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Gay Marriage and Equal Rights take several different media forms
Web Presence: GLAAD and GLAAD BLOG
-These particular websites are a good source for adults who are advocates for Gay Rights and Equal Rights.
-I liked this particular website because it has a blog within the website.
-GLAAD is a great source for news, calendars, events.
Social Media
Twitter is a great way to reach the mass amounts of people across the world and allow them to get involved!
Humor: Lizzy The Lezzy Cartoons One and Two
- These cartoons are a humorous take on equal rights. It takes a large, serious issue and makes light of it while still getting the importance of equal rights out. This is a great way for people who like to be humorous, but still take the issue seriously to maybe share these with others who also enjoy humor.
Celebrity Influence in Multimedia
-NOH8 is one of the biggest Gay Rights/ Equal Rights campaigns in the United States. It is a silent protest with a lot of familiar faces.
-Celebrities have a huge influence on the world because they can reach a mass amount of people.
-GIVE A DAMN is a celebrity web presence filled with multimedia videos such as public service announcements that try to bring everyone together to take a stand for equal rights.
-These particular websites are a good source for adults who are advocates for Gay Rights and Equal Rights.
-I liked this particular website because it has a blog within the website.
-GLAAD is a great source for news, calendars, events.
Social Media
Twitter is a great way to reach the mass amounts of people across the world and allow them to get involved!
Humor: Lizzy The Lezzy Cartoons One and Two
- These cartoons are a humorous take on equal rights. It takes a large, serious issue and makes light of it while still getting the importance of equal rights out. This is a great way for people who like to be humorous, but still take the issue seriously to maybe share these with others who also enjoy humor.
Celebrity Influence in Multimedia
-NOH8 is one of the biggest Gay Rights/ Equal Rights campaigns in the United States. It is a silent protest with a lot of familiar faces.
-Celebrities have a huge influence on the world because they can reach a mass amount of people.
-GIVE A DAMN is a celebrity web presence filled with multimedia videos such as public service announcements that try to bring everyone together to take a stand for equal rights.
Tutorial: Unit 2
Tutorial Unit 2: How to take your story to your audience via a presentation tool
Step 1: Play with different presentation tools, get a feel for what works for your story
-Prezi
-PowerPoint
Step 2: Pick a tool that best tells your story
-What is easiest/ most effective way to tell your story
-What works best for your story?
Step 3: Start creating your story in the form of the presentation tool you choose
Step 4: Present a draft to your peers in your group for help/feedback.
Step 5: REVISE, REVISE, REVISE! Grow and add plenty of pictures
-Be sure to have at least 18 to 20 slides, but it is likely you will need more than that for your story.
-Be sure to have 10 or more multimedia pieces such as pictures, charts, videos..etc
WAIT! Before you turn in your final draft make sure your story has:
1. Narrative Coherence:
-Does your story move effectively? Flow smoothly? Nicely organized?
2. Communal Relevance
-Is this interesting to your audience? Can your audience members relate? Does it make them want to do something?
3.Authentic Voice
-Do you have your own voice? Is it different from those of your class members? Does your audience know it is you?
4. Proximity
-Is your presentation grouped together into appropriate sections?
5. Alignment
-Are your screens organized? Are your pictures and words aligned?
6. Repetition
- Does your question, them hold throughout? Repetition of a question or action?
7. Contrast
-Do colors of screens and fonts stand out?
Step 6: Final for now presentation to class for more feedback
Step 7: Turn in :)
Have fun!
Step 1: Play with different presentation tools, get a feel for what works for your story
-Prezi
-PowerPoint
Step 2: Pick a tool that best tells your story
-What is easiest/ most effective way to tell your story
-What works best for your story?
Step 3: Start creating your story in the form of the presentation tool you choose
Step 4: Present a draft to your peers in your group for help/feedback.
Step 5: REVISE, REVISE, REVISE! Grow and add plenty of pictures
-Be sure to have at least 18 to 20 slides, but it is likely you will need more than that for your story.
-Be sure to have 10 or more multimedia pieces such as pictures, charts, videos..etc
WAIT! Before you turn in your final draft make sure your story has:
1. Narrative Coherence:
-Does your story move effectively? Flow smoothly? Nicely organized?
2. Communal Relevance
-Is this interesting to your audience? Can your audience members relate? Does it make them want to do something?
3.Authentic Voice
-Do you have your own voice? Is it different from those of your class members? Does your audience know it is you?
4. Proximity
-Is your presentation grouped together into appropriate sections?
5. Alignment
-Are your screens organized? Are your pictures and words aligned?
6. Repetition
- Does your question, them hold throughout? Repetition of a question or action?
7. Contrast
-Do colors of screens and fonts stand out?
Step 6: Final for now presentation to class for more feedback
Step 7: Turn in :)
Have fun!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Narrow Streets, Narrow Minds
Taylor and Alexis live in a small town of roughly 1,000 people. The town can be driven in one mile and has a railroad that is parallel to the road you travel on. The town's people are just as narrow-minded as the street that guides you through it. Taylor and Alexis both come from big families and hope to have one of their own someday. They share a loft above the local market that Taylor's father happens to own. Their home smells of fresh fruit because they are given free produce from the market before it goes bad. They both have full time jobs, like most successful young couples who are saving for a life together. They both hold jobs serving their state and community. Taylor is a high school English teacher who volunteers at every school dance, fundraiser and meeting. Alexis is a supervisor in the Traffic Engineering Department of the local state office.
They both are members of their local Baptist church and attend every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. They walk into church from the back, down the isle to the corner on the right where they sit every visit. Eyes meet them each and every time they walk in as if they're walking down the isle in marriage, which they will never be able to do. The room goes from quiet to a room filled with mumbles and whispers like clockwork until they reach their seats. Sitting in the front they feel the eyes of the people that glare at them from behind as they feel out of place, like new comers in town. Through the laughs and the whispers and stares they think to themselves, "This is church and they say only God can judge, right?" Alexis and Taylor are both females who are not able to marry in the very church they pray in each Sunday. They volunteer their time at church plays and events, but do so separately because it is frowned upon they be together. They are members of the community and do more for it than the ones who make them feel unwanted. They are never invited to community or church activities. They are denied the right to marry, but also denied the comfort and safety of their community.
They are just like every other couple; better in some ways. They've started a college fund for their children that they may not be able to adopt and most children of male/female relationships do not even have college funds. Their house is paid off and they donate money to the church that can do nothing for them in return.
How can you be so unwanted in a town that you do so much for? How would you feel if you couldn't go to church or the grocery store without being stared at and talked about by your neighbors? How would you feel if you were denied the right to marry because your partner wasn't of the opposite sex?
How can you treat people differently because of who they choose to love? How would you feel if every single day was a fight for what you wanted? How would you feel if the easiest feeling in the world, to love, was challenged simply because of who you choose to be with?
Imagine...
-not being able to be yourself with your family because you are scared they may not accept who you are.
-being afraid to go to school or work everyday because your co-workers or other students treat you badly.
-being kicked out of your home because of the person you choose to love.
-being judged by others, not by your character, but by your sexuality.
-being fired from a job or kicked out of a team or group because they do not accept you.
-thinking you have no one to turn to
-being alone in a world that is against you.
They both are members of their local Baptist church and attend every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. They walk into church from the back, down the isle to the corner on the right where they sit every visit. Eyes meet them each and every time they walk in as if they're walking down the isle in marriage, which they will never be able to do. The room goes from quiet to a room filled with mumbles and whispers like clockwork until they reach their seats. Sitting in the front they feel the eyes of the people that glare at them from behind as they feel out of place, like new comers in town. Through the laughs and the whispers and stares they think to themselves, "This is church and they say only God can judge, right?" Alexis and Taylor are both females who are not able to marry in the very church they pray in each Sunday. They volunteer their time at church plays and events, but do so separately because it is frowned upon they be together. They are members of the community and do more for it than the ones who make them feel unwanted. They are never invited to community or church activities. They are denied the right to marry, but also denied the comfort and safety of their community.
They are just like every other couple; better in some ways. They've started a college fund for their children that they may not be able to adopt and most children of male/female relationships do not even have college funds. Their house is paid off and they donate money to the church that can do nothing for them in return.
How can you be so unwanted in a town that you do so much for? How would you feel if you couldn't go to church or the grocery store without being stared at and talked about by your neighbors? How would you feel if you were denied the right to marry because your partner wasn't of the opposite sex?
How can you treat people differently because of who they choose to love? How would you feel if every single day was a fight for what you wanted? How would you feel if the easiest feeling in the world, to love, was challenged simply because of who you choose to be with?
Imagine...
-not being able to be yourself with your family because you are scared they may not accept who you are.
-being afraid to go to school or work everyday because your co-workers or other students treat you badly.
-being kicked out of your home because of the person you choose to love.
-being judged by others, not by your character, but by your sexuality.
-being fired from a job or kicked out of a team or group because they do not accept you.
-thinking you have no one to turn to
-being alone in a world that is against you.
What Can I Do?
What can you do? There are plenty of organizations out there, local and national, that stand up for equal rights and you can make a difference.
1. Give A Damn Campaign
2. NOH8 Campaign
3. West Virginia University BiGLTM
1. Give A Damn Campaign
2. NOH8 Campaign
3. West Virginia University BiGLTM
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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