Most Difficult Assignment-Caroline Barnes

           I think the most difficult assignment I have ever been assigned was for an American History class my Junior year of high school. This was a Dual Credit class through St. Louis University, so it was a college level class.
           For the assignment, we had to pick a time period or movement that created great change and then write a research paper, at minimum ten pages in length, and also create a ten-minute documentary on the topic and your findings. The length of the video and the paper did not make the assignment difficult, but it was all the planning and preparation we had to put into the assignment that made it hard. I choose The Suffrage Movement in the U.S. because this topic really interested me and I have always been very passionate about women’s rights, which made it enjoyable to research about.
          What made this project difficult was not only all the planning I had to put into it but it was also that we had to create a professional looking documentary. I had a little experience with video making software but I was still not fully comfortable with it at the time. At least half of the time I put into this assignment was spent learning how to use Windows Movie Maker and edit videos. I also had to learn how to insert and edit voice recordings for the narration of the video.
          To manage the difficulty of the project, I had to ask for help many times and look up how to do certain things with videos, but once I finally understood what I was doing it became easy and actually fun. I also had to get over the fear of having my voice recorded and put into a project, which I know sounds weird but I have always hated the sound of my own voice. I was able to conquer this fear because we had to present our video projects to our class and serval other classes and over time it became much easier.
           From this assignment, I learned most importantly to ask for help. I usually do not seek for help because I am incredibly stubborn and like to figure things out on my own. Looking back if I did not seek help I would not have been as successful. I also learned that preparation for a project is a very pivotal point of assignments and the better planning you do your project will turn out better.

Video PACT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1asq06rh2qo
Purpose: This video serves the purpose of entertaining the audience through retrospectively dissecting the 2007 film The Mist in an informative manner. Youtube film enthusiasts Mike and Jay discuss the plot elements of the film, the background on the film's inception and development, and the various techniques and stylistic choices the director Frank Darabont made to portray his vision of Stephen King's novel of the same name, all layered with insightful commentary and touches of humor. The pair aim both to inform the audience of said external and internal details of the film and their opinions on it in a casual format so as to not lose the audience's interest.
Audience: The audience of the video is generally anyone who comes upon the video, however it is likely targeted towards individuals more deeply invested in film and media rather than a layman, as there are several points of discussion and references that require extensive knowledge on other films and film genres. The age demographic is likely comprised of teens to adults considering the points previously mentioned and the presence of swearing and relatively subdued humor.
Context: The Mist is a 2007 science fiction horror film directed by Frank Darabont that adapts Stephen King's 1980 novel of the same name. The film takes place in a grocery store during an anomalous event where a strange heavy mist falls over the city, bringing horrifying creatures with it. The protagonist David Drayton struggles to negotiate with the others trapped in the grocery store as they grow increasingly unstable as the situation escalates. The video was released around the time the then-upcoming films It and The Dark Tower, other Stephen King film adaptations, gained traction, perhaps to capitalize on the buzz of the films and spark discussion on older Stephen King film adaptations.
Text: There is little-to-no text the video. Jay and Mike presents their video through back-and-forth dialogue, occasionally displaying pictures and playing clips of films in-between to add context to points of discussion.

Sportscenter Ticker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsVA0u6dBuQ

I want to highlight the ticker on the bottom of the frame from this clip of ESPN's Sportscenter program.

Purpose: This ticker shows scores of past games, while showing off the news of the day while the highlights played above. In some instances, the sound of a TV is off in a bar or restaurant. In those instances, ESPN scrolls the biggest stories sorted by sport to relay the information in a subtle yet effective manner. Also, it alerts viewers the chronological order the news will appear on the screen if they had a specific game with a vested interest.

Audience: Most folks would say this ticker is for all sports fans watching ESPN throughout the day. If you wanted to diverge the population, some people using the ticker could be deaf and trying to understand the stories of the day without the use of closed caption commentary of the anchors. I believe there is a third subset that is rather small, yet significant enough to comment on, which is people trying to catch a score but don't have time to watch the entirety of Sportscenter. Under those demands, the person watches the ticker then ducks out of the room when he sees the result and perhaps additional stats depending on the sport.

Context: ESPN is a multifaceted sports media conglomerate across the entire spectrum of sports, entertainment, and culture. They hope to wear many hats, but at their core, they are a news network, trying to dissect the actions of players, coaches, executives, and fans across the sporting world. This ticker allows them to funnel their entire mission into a small strip of rolling words across the bottom of the television. The ticker will continue to be a useful tool for ESPN for years to come.

Susan Cain PACT Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4

Purpose: Susan Cain’s TED Talk on introversion serves various purposes aside from a simple change in attitude as you delve into the video’s meaning. On the one hand, she is addressing the general populous and asking for acceptance of a quieter and more introspective way of being, rather than the raucous and outgoing lifestyle that people tend to value in Western culture. However, Cain also seeks to see change in important institutions such as schools and offices that can not only accommodate for better environments for thought and learning, but for better collaborative spaces and overall growth for people. Overall, Cain’s talk is a call for people to be themselves and live their lives in a way that is conducive to their personalities, whether they lean towards introversion or extraversion.

Audience: The audience that Cain wishes to communicate with is wide and far reaching. In the concrete sense, she is speaking in front of a literal audience, filled with academics and teachers and people who had purchased tickets to come and hear her speak. But because the TED organization has uploaded her content onto YouTube, the audience that Cain speaks to becomes exponentially larger than the literal audience she spoke to in 2012. However, whilst talking, Cain goes so far as to say that the world itself needs to accommodate an introverted way of thinking and existing more, which holds implications that Cain’s audience encompasses our over-arcing society that holds extraversion to such a high esteem.

  

Context: The context of this TED Talk that Cain gives is entrenched in the culture of Western society. Cain gives some historical context to her information, citing the industrial revolution of the twentieth century, as well as speaking of her own experiences growing up in the United States as an introvert. The Western world often caters to people who are more outspoken and charismatic, rather than those who are quiet and reserved. This can be seen from things ranging to the way desk pods are set up in schools almost forcing people to interact with one another, to stereotypes such as the “prototypical” college student who goes out on the weekend and is partying and connects with others almost instantly. Our society caters to and heavily favors a life of extraversion, which is what has driven Cain to do research, publish it, and give this talk to call for a change in the way we think about solitude and quiet.

Text: Cain presents as if she were giving a lecture, as most people who perform TED Talks do. However, this lecture starts off with Cain telling a story from her childhood before giving concrete examples, and then launching into a discussion on various factoids, historical examples, and theories of research about extraversion and introversion.  She ends her lecture once again with a different story from her childhood, before igniting the crowd with a call to action and discussing ways to bring about change.

Why Do We Fall - Motivational Video

link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmVOuLgFB0

Purpose: The purpose of this video is to motivate people to be the greatest people they can be. This video could help many people that may be struggling in their life right now and need some insight on all of the possibilities that they have the ability to utilize. It is used to show people that they are really capable of anything that they set their mind to.

Audience: The audience for this video has a very wide range. I believe that the audience range would vary from a pre-teen to adult. This video can be utilized in various different ways so I believe that the audience varies for the use of this video. This video can be used in classroom settings, simple for people to view, or to show to a wide range of people in a setting in which things may be difficult.

Context: The title of this video gives the illusion that the video will hold the answer to the question of why we fall. If someone is looking for a short motivational video, this video is one of the first to pop up. The video starts off very melancholy and pessimistic. It then takes a turn and becomes a very strong and optimistic video. This video has over fifty-four million views. Because of the gradual and strategically planned climax of the video, it has been shown to be powerful and useful resulting in the high number of views.  

Text: This video is entirely made up of text that intertwines perfectly with the video clips shown. The text is compiled of motivational sayings. There are also many clips in which famous people give a word of advice. The famous people shown are very successful so it gives the audience a sense of hope that if successful people can struggle they can too.

Doritos and Mountain Dew Super Bowl Advertisement

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eKYR_iL5eU

Purpose: In this Super Bowl ad for Doritos and Mountain Dew, the purpose is to capture the viewer with dramatic visual effects and to make them want to purchase the products. They purposefully include fire and heat visuals for the “Blaze” Doritos to help the viewer understand how spicy and fierce the flavors are. They then juxtapose this, with the icy and refreshing imagery when promoting the “Ice” Mountain Dew. Both products coincide to form the perfect “fire and ice” combination. All working together to make the viewer want to purchase the products.  They also use songs and character to make each of the products personas more significant.  Peter Dinklage lip syncs a song by Tupac, both fiery characters.  While Morgan Freeman lip syncs a song by Missy Elliot, both of which personify the Ice Mountain Dew well.

Audience: The intended audience are the people who will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, as well as any viewers on YouTube and social media.

Context: This ad is in context to the consumer as a whole. If one eats something as spicy as “Blaze” Doritos, then they will need something refreshing to go with it. Therefore, they should purchase both products to have the full experience.

Text: While visuals are the focus point of this advertisement, text is used in order to ascertain that the viewer knows what they are watching an ad about, and possibly what to look for in the store. In this way, the advertisement has close ups of both products with the name in clear view. As well as at the end they provide a dedicated close up of the product with a hashtag. The hashtag provides a way for the product to reach social media and reach a larger audience.

Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony Acceptance Speech 2016

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jehrbUGdlE&t=118s (start at 1:46)

Purpose: Lin-Manuel Miranda's speech has various, yet interconnected purposes and are separated by sections of his sonnet he wrote. Like most acceptance speeches, his purpose at the start is to recognize those who have had a positive impact on his life and his work, more specifically his wife and son. His speech continues and the purpose shifts to how not only he, but we (the audience), work passionately for our goals to be accomplished because life is short. This point is then emphasized by the fact that people often don't realize how short life is until something tragic occurs, which often leads to a shaken confidence in humanity. However, Lin wants to remind that even though tragedies often times seems like the end of the world, history always proves that life and love continues but we never forget, and confidence and love needs to be spread. In conclusion, Lin uses purpose to indirectly address the incident of Pulse Night Club shooting in Orlando from the morning before and thematic ideas from his works to communicate that light always outshines dark, and that light should be spread as a positive change so it is not taken for granted. He wrote the sonnet to thank people for their support of him and in return supports and has hope for society, especially the LGBT community.

Audience: The audience that Lin communicates with is on a broader spectrum. He reads for the people in the audience at the Tony Awards, especially his family members and coworkers, and to the people that are watching him on television or on the internet. Because he is referencing to the Orlando shooting incident, he is also indirectly speaking to the LGBT audience and trying to send his message of support to them and anyone affected by the tragedy.

Context: The context of the speech can be broadly interpreted because there were many messages and circumstances for giving the speech. Context of this speech includes that Lin won a Tony Award and this is his acceptance speech, his Broadway musical "Hamilton" thematically emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and love defying hate, and the incident of the Pulse  Night Club shooting in Orlando the morning before the awards ceremony as an act of hate against the LGBT community. Without knowing this context, the sonnet could have and still can be interpreted many different ways.

Text: Lin presents his speech or text as a sonnet. He communicates meaning through the emotion and emphasis at certain parts of the poem he feels especially emotional towards. He puts a lot of emphasis and emotion on "love is love", which is a phrase or quotation that can be openly interpreted. It is also a phrase emphasized by the LGBT community, referencing the Orlando shooting. The popular phrase means that it doesn't matter what the genders are between two people in love, only how they feel.

Speech/Sonnet:

"My wife's the reason anything gets done

She nudges me towards promise by degrees

She is a perfect symphony of one

Our son is her most beautiful reprise.

We chase the melodies that seem to find us

Until they're finished songs and start to play

When senseless acts of tragedy remind us

That nothing here is promised, not one day.

This show is proof that history remembers

We lived through times when hate and fear seemed stronger;

We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer

And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love and cannot be killed or swept aside.

I sing Vanessa's symphony, Eliza tells her story,

Now fill the world with music, love and pride."

Giant Carrot Cake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibD2llg0TSo

Purpose: The purpose of this video is to demonstrate how to make a giant carrot out of carrot cake. The video begins with several carrot cakes already made and then proceeds with the long process of putting all of the cakes together. The video is meant to inspire and teach people about the fun of baking while also providing entertainment. Yolanda, the baker, narrates along the way and cracks a few jokes while talking to the crew behind the scenes.

Audience: The audience of the "How To Cake It" videos is somewhat diverse. Some of the people watching are qualified amateur bakers while others simply want to see an entertaining video of a baker "playing" with food. Many of the viewers tend to be just the average person who is curious about how to use cake and decorating techniques to design a uniquely shaped cake.

Context: "How To Cake It" makes videos every week showcasing a new cake. The cake recipes themselves are not usually unique nor are they the main point of the video in any way. The big attention-grabber of the video is the end-result. As seen in the thumbnail for the video, Yolanda assembles the cake into a very non-cake-like shape. Most of the time, the cakes, covered in fondant, are in the shape of another food. The account also tends to make cakes that tie into the season or the time of the year. For instance, this carrot cake video was created around the time of Easter, and Yolanda also made an Easter Bunny Cake filled with Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Text: Generally, the text in the video was used to emphasize where a link was located on the screen or to restate one of Yolanda's points. Overall, the editors of the video incorporated very little text. This was definitely purposeful on their part because too much text would be distracting from the main purpose of the video and would be aesthetically displeasing.

Dairy-Free Fettuccine Alfredo Video by Tasty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2TM2Ub4aRE

Purpose: The purpose of this video is to educate people how to make a dairy-free version of one of our favorite Italian meals: fettuccine alfredo. This video is only about a minute long, so one could assume another purpose of this video is to keep the audience's attention by keeping things short, simple, and to the point. This way, people don't get bored and click out of the video, but instead find themselves in an endless blackhole of Tasty videos, 3 hours later asking ourselves how many of these recipes we are actually going to make.
Audience: At first glance, the title of the video suggests that it's geared towards a dairy-free audience. However, I am someone who can eat all the dairy in the world, but because I love fettuccine Alfredo I still stumbled upon this video and watched the entire thing. Therefore, we can expand the audience to all people who enjoy Italian cuisine, and who possibly want to make the recipe in a new style.
Context: The context of this video includes a kitchen setting, a video recipe instead of a printed recipe, and it is a recipe that's featured on a very popular cooking channel. The kitchen setting in the background establishes credibility because the channel is in fact famous for the satisfyingly-entertaining cooking videos. Taking this recipe from a printed version and turning it into a colorful, attention-grabbing video allows for more viewers, and therefore a larger audience.
Text: The text in this clip is very important because it is where the printed version of the recipe comes to life in the visual aspect of the video. If someone were to take the text out of this video, it would lose almost all of its purpose because no one would know what the contents of the recipe were, or how much of each to put in. Lastly, in every tasty video, the "tasty" logo is attached to the ending of each video that's uploaded. This indicates that the video was in fact created and produced by the tasty channel. Since this is a highly viewed channel, maybe one of the most in the cooking industry, this simple logo adds a great deal of credibility to the video.