Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Kris Weber
Kris, this is definitely the most creative and unique podcast I got to see. Although I did not see all of the classes podcastsm I can't imagine any of the others being quite like yours! You variety of clips,videos, pictures and narration were very effective. When I first opened your podcast and was suprised by a collection of crazy, spontaneous music&dancing, I was instantly intrigued and curious as to where the chaos and fun was leading to. Of course, I also thought to myself, what the heck does this have to do with JK Rowling`s writing techniques! I really enjoyed the change in the style of your podcast in comparison to the others. Many other people had great narration, interesting voice effects and bacnground music, however, instead of only watching pictures change and rotate out of context, it was interesting to watch and listen to the person instead of only listen. This made the narration much more animated because it was not a lifeless sounding voice. It is difficult, as many people have probably experienced, to sound enthusiastic and lively throughout the entire podcast while recording voice clips. With the videos of yourself and Dylan, the podcast had a completely different liveliness to it and made for an interesting 15 minutes. Your musical elements with Dylan playing guitar added a lot of character to this podcast, and your spin on JK Rowling was unexpected and original. Although the podcast to most was based on straight facts about the author you chose, you decided to include a subtle, nonetheless very clear opinion on the author you chose. Adding your own opinion was an effectiveb addition. I thoroughly enjoyed your podcast, you did a great job!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Kris' Podcast - J.K. Rowling
While I have to say that some of the production value was more questionable, the creativity and humour used were great!
From the very beginning he lured us in with a little bit of fun, him and dylan dancing and wearing funny costumes to entertain us. From that point on Kris creatively used video clips of himself and of J.K. Rowling to comedic effect. (There's nothing wrong with adults writing kids books though! Who else is going to write them? :P) Through also using music in effective ways in the background and during his original piece he really made an interesting media college to represent J.K. Rowling and her work. The sheer uniqueness of this podcast is what really set it apart from the rest of the podcast in terms of enjoyability.
He also used honesty in that he wasn't sure how effective certain parts of his podcast were, however I felt most of his techniques were effective despite his uncertainty.
I also enjoyed the ending as it was a cute way to finish things off with a well known video of the 'Potter Puppet Pals'. Very cute!!
Overall this video was just a lot of fun to watch, and seemed like it must've been just as enjoyable to tape with a friend. Good job Kris!
From the very beginning he lured us in with a little bit of fun, him and dylan dancing and wearing funny costumes to entertain us. From that point on Kris creatively used video clips of himself and of J.K. Rowling to comedic effect. (There's nothing wrong with adults writing kids books though! Who else is going to write them? :P) Through also using music in effective ways in the background and during his original piece he really made an interesting media college to represent J.K. Rowling and her work. The sheer uniqueness of this podcast is what really set it apart from the rest of the podcast in terms of enjoyability.
He also used honesty in that he wasn't sure how effective certain parts of his podcast were, however I felt most of his techniques were effective despite his uncertainty.
I also enjoyed the ending as it was a cute way to finish things off with a well known video of the 'Potter Puppet Pals'. Very cute!!
Overall this video was just a lot of fun to watch, and seemed like it must've been just as enjoyable to tape with a friend. Good job Kris!
random. :)
i dont think i've ever appreciated the art of photojournalism (courtesy of the new york times) as much as i do now in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Haiti.
check out the photo gallery at www.nytimes.com
these pictures, while horrifying, are of such better quality than it seems we see in our own local paper. just an observation.
check out the photo gallery at www.nytimes.com
these pictures, while horrifying, are of such better quality than it seems we see in our own local paper. just an observation.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Dylan's Podcast - Stephen King
Dylan's Podcast was very effective. The eerie tone of Stephen King was established immediately. As a project that is heavily reliant on voice, Dylan definitely used his voice to capture the interest of the viewer. It was clear and concise, which allowed the listener to easily follow what was being said. The influences and stylistic elements were clearly addressed. Dylan also had a good flow to his speaking - which, mixed with humor and a dramatic tone - contributed to a very entertaining Podcast. This tone was also enforced with the use of music, quietly playing in the background.
This contrast between Dylan's humour and Stephen's dark and eeriness worked surprisingly well together. The interest of the viewer was easily maintained. Accompanying the audio was the effective use of visuals. These images enforced what was being said. (And as a side note, Stephen King is kind of a creeper).
The only thing I can think of to criticise is the fact that 'Stephen kept his rejection slips,' was repeated multiple times throughout the Podcast. However, this repetition also enforces the idea, and its importance to King's writing.
Lastly, I have to address the original piece. It was presented very creatively. It was also clearly introduced, so that the reader could easily follow what was going on. Dylan clearly stated just how his original piece was an effective imitation of King's writing. He also incorporated images, sound effects and music that enforced the creepy tone. The use of voice was again put into play, as each character was given a different voice.
And to those who have seen the Podcast understand how I will now never look at Kermit the Frog the same way again.
All in all, the Podcast was very effective at conveying the appropriate information and maintaining the viewer's interest.
Tori's Podcast - C.S. Lewis
Tori tackled a very well known author in a different, quirky sort of way. The name ‘Lit Ninja’ and the flash animations were fun and kept my attention. Although as a real podcast those kind of effects would not be possible, as a videocast it was adorable and entertaining. The animated creations accompanied the text perfectly and didn’t take away from the text, never overpowering it. However, while she was reading her story the characters moved very little and seemed frozen in time. Something else should have been put in there as it seemed like Tori ran out of time.
Another unique concept was that she offered information not only through the words she was speaking, but through the animation and text on the screen. She told us through her voice that C.S. Lewis was sent to a catholic boarding school, and used the text / character on screen to provide us with the little tidbit of information ‘We weren’t even catholic!’
By having a little ninja represent the characters and C.S. Lewis himself Tori managed to keep our attention and visually represent Lewis’ life.
The use of humour throughout Tori’s piece was also very effective as it made things funny and light, keeping the tone enjoyable and not overpowering.
I was a little unsure about Tori’s original piece at first, as I knew I had seen her write better, more engaging works. However, when she went through and explained the techniques in C.S. Lewis’ work, and how she mirrored them, it made sense why she did things the way she did. This made me enjoy her original piece more.
It was cute and fun, and for those reasons I enjoyed Tori’s podcast. Woo!
Another unique concept was that she offered information not only through the words she was speaking, but through the animation and text on the screen. She told us through her voice that C.S. Lewis was sent to a catholic boarding school, and used the text / character on screen to provide us with the little tidbit of information ‘We weren’t even catholic!’
By having a little ninja represent the characters and C.S. Lewis himself Tori managed to keep our attention and visually represent Lewis’ life.
The use of humour throughout Tori’s piece was also very effective as it made things funny and light, keeping the tone enjoyable and not overpowering.
I was a little unsure about Tori’s original piece at first, as I knew I had seen her write better, more engaging works. However, when she went through and explained the techniques in C.S. Lewis’ work, and how she mirrored them, it made sense why she did things the way she did. This made me enjoy her original piece more.
It was cute and fun, and for those reasons I enjoyed Tori’s podcast. Woo!
Cassie's Podcast - Dorothy Allison
Cassie's Podcast was very effective. She used her voice very effectively. It was clear and concise, which allowed the viewer to easily follow what was being said. Cassie spoke slowly and clearly, allowing the viewer to absorb each of the influences and stylistic elements.
Contributing to this good flow was also the use of visuals. Cassie incorporated quotes, which allowed the viewer to see exactly what she was trying to convey. She also used visuals that supported what was being said. No image was left on the screen too long - which also kept the interest of the viewer. Another thing Cassie did effectively was incorporating a video clip that was based off of Dorothy Allison's novel "Bastard out of Carolina." This video was very powerful and certainly grabbed the viewer's attention. It was both disturbing and eye-opening, and established a strong tone that really emphasized Dorothy's life experiences and how they come through in her writing.
The original piece was also presented very effectively. I like how Cassie gave each character their own voice - this really brought the characters to life for the viewer. I also liked the analysis of the original piece. Instead of just reading through her original piece, Cassie broke it up and read sections that applied to each individual stylistic element she was addressing. This allowed the viewer to see precisely how Dorothy uses stylistic elements and how Cassie incorporated these elements, side by side.
I don't know what else I can say about Cassie's Podcast. It was done very well. All information was relevant and presented in an interesting and easy to follow manner.
Contributing to this good flow was also the use of visuals. Cassie incorporated quotes, which allowed the viewer to see exactly what she was trying to convey. She also used visuals that supported what was being said. No image was left on the screen too long - which also kept the interest of the viewer. Another thing Cassie did effectively was incorporating a video clip that was based off of Dorothy Allison's novel "Bastard out of Carolina." This video was very powerful and certainly grabbed the viewer's attention. It was both disturbing and eye-opening, and established a strong tone that really emphasized Dorothy's life experiences and how they come through in her writing.
The original piece was also presented very effectively. I like how Cassie gave each character their own voice - this really brought the characters to life for the viewer. I also liked the analysis of the original piece. Instead of just reading through her original piece, Cassie broke it up and read sections that applied to each individual stylistic element she was addressing. This allowed the viewer to see precisely how Dorothy uses stylistic elements and how Cassie incorporated these elements, side by side.
I don't know what else I can say about Cassie's Podcast. It was done very well. All information was relevant and presented in an interesting and easy to follow manner.
MADALINA BELOIA-CHERES!
(Roald Dahl)
Something that really stood out to me in Maddie's podcast were this images. While I admit that watching all of these podcasts (and the obnoxious amount of pictures used in each) made me want to gouge my eyes out, I honestly really enjoyed the pictures Maddie used. While describing a bit of Roald Dahl's background, she included many pictures of the man at various stages of his life. I think the reason these images struck a chord with me is that Roald Dajl has always been, to me, an author of children's literature, and therefore more a character of imagination himself. He had never really seemed real. But being introduced to Roald Dahl as a person, I found myself interested in how life had treated him and what his experiences were.
Another aspect of this podcast was Maddie's focus on using titles and book covers to accompany what she was saying. You see, for each of his books, there is a particular, characteristic illustration that many of us have grown up with. I always associate 'The Twits' with the grotesque sketch of a older, clearly maniacal character. I completely enjoyed looking at the various illustrations. For this reason, perhaps this reason alone, i was captivated by what maddie was saying.
She also added in a bit of humourous narration during the reading of her original piece. With the help of a friend, she purposefully changed her tone and the voice used to narrate or give dialogue.
***funny, cheesy, LAME ENDING MADDIE.
that is all. :)
Something that really stood out to me in Maddie's podcast were this images. While I admit that watching all of these podcasts (and the obnoxious amount of pictures used in each) made me want to gouge my eyes out, I honestly really enjoyed the pictures Maddie used. While describing a bit of Roald Dahl's background, she included many pictures of the man at various stages of his life. I think the reason these images struck a chord with me is that Roald Dajl has always been, to me, an author of children's literature, and therefore more a character of imagination himself. He had never really seemed real. But being introduced to Roald Dahl as a person, I found myself interested in how life had treated him and what his experiences were.
Another aspect of this podcast was Maddie's focus on using titles and book covers to accompany what she was saying. You see, for each of his books, there is a particular, characteristic illustration that many of us have grown up with. I always associate 'The Twits' with the grotesque sketch of a older, clearly maniacal character. I completely enjoyed looking at the various illustrations. For this reason, perhaps this reason alone, i was captivated by what maddie was saying.
She also added in a bit of humourous narration during the reading of her original piece. With the help of a friend, she purposefully changed her tone and the voice used to narrate or give dialogue.
***funny, cheesy, LAME ENDING MADDIE.
that is all. :)
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