Module 8

This module was all about video production and how it can be used to analyze literary elements. One of my favorite in class assignments was  completed during this module and that was creating the storyboard of the short story, The Story of an Hour. A rather morbid story, it is filled with extensive detail that make creating visuals quite easy. We were each given a piece of the story to turn into a storyboard, or a sequence of drawings planning the shots for a movie.

I loved this part because I am a very visual person so when I read novels, I imagine everything, even the smallest details in my head. I am the type of person who needs to visualize it to really understand and enjoy it. One of my favorite things in the world is when books I love and have connected with are made into movies because then I get to experience it in an even more intimate way. Bringing my ideas to life and collaborating with fellow classmates to create the final product was challenging, but enjoyable. 

In terms of the project, the video analysis of a literary theme, while brainstorming about ideas, I became a little apprehensive. I do not have a lot of video production experience, but have always been intrigued by cinematography and all of its elements. I am a big movie fanatic who is very aware and appreciative of all of the strenuous work that goes into a movie's production.

For us, the only difficult part we had was picking a novel and then a specific chapter. After meeting a few times, we finally decided on To Kill a Mockingbird as we had all read this book and were aware of its implications and strong elements that would help us recreate it visually. We chose the courtroom scene where Tom Robinson is convicted and Scout and Jem feel the pain of injustice. The collaboration of our ideas were fascinating and we all considered the attention to detail. Our storyboard features specific shots that were planned to emphasize our theme, the existence of social injustice. In the end, the production process was easy and everything really flowed. 

Module 7

When I learned that we would be doing a podcast for this class, I have to admit, I was a little worried. I do not consider myself a hand-waver, but I had never worked with this technology before and knew very little about the world of podcasting. I know it has become relatively big in this day and age, but it was something that had never really grasped my interest.

The assignment would be to record a podcast of us promoting a young adult novel. We could basically do whatever we wanted and, honestly, this overwhelmed me. I am used to receiving very specific instructions with little room for creativity. Frankly, the fact that I was feeling this way made me sad that my past educational experiences have been so inept. 

We read an article in class titled, "The Book Report, Version 2.0: Podcasting on Young Adult Novels" and this definitely helped calm my nerves as it provided more direction to this assignment with analysis and examples. One point that struck me in the article talked about the literary idea of perspective and how podcasting forced students to consider the options. Whether the viewpoint be as outsiders to the story, as the characters themselves, or both, this was important to take into account before recording.

For our podcast we decided to do the Great Gatsby, as it was a book we were all familiar with. We listened to a few podcasts and decided to go with an interview format where the host would ask a book critic questions regarding the plot, themes, and symbolism. Trying to pinpoint the main ideas proved to be challenging as there were many provided in our research, but we did our best to pick ideas that promoted the book. 

Prior to the recording process, Aimee and I were very confident in our script, but as soon as the little red light went on, we could barely speak. Eventually, we got more comfortable and, after a few, tries, successfully recorded the podcast. We all agreed that the research process was a majority of the work, while the recording was fairly simple. Overall, I really enjoyed this unit and it has definitely sparked my interest with podcasting.