TCF 444 Jason and Brandon Final Project from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.
So, I was never 100% sure on what the class was actually going to be about or what we were going to be doing beforehand, all I knew was that Dr. R was teaching it so I was gonna take it. TCF 444 evolved into a class focused on storytelling through the digital age we live in. I would venture to say my technical skills with camera equipment and editing were about the same as they are now, thanks to previous TCF classes that focused on that but my ability to tell stories is what really blossomed. As much as I tried to fight participating in the story circles (only half way serious, of course) it was a valuable learning opportuninty and place where ideas become tangible and the freedback from fellow classmates was extremely valuable. So, I would say my ability to tell stories, as well as the desire to tell stories, has been greatly enhanced through this class and I will be able to move forward into my career with these leasons learned as a powerful tool in my media repetoire.
As far as my own work goes, I am pleased with my projects and their ability to "tell a story". Obviously, knowing what I know now, I would go back and make some changes or apporoach it differently but the experience of actually making it was the best part. I really enjoyed the audio story because it gave me the opportunity to use humor and create a fictional story that was more enjoyable than anything I wanted to do that was serious or non-fiction. My mash-up is my least favorite of my projects only because I dont think I told a story very well and there wasnt much point to the whole thing but I enjoeyed the aspect of rehashing someone elses work into a uniquely original work by myself.
I really think my gift as a storyteller comes from being 'behind-the-camera' as oppose to other areas. I feel as though I have the ability to capture something truly important or meaningful through visual representation and then in turn share it with others in hopes of expressing a story or idea. Media praxis is something that has become more clear as the semester has progressed. It is very important to have a strong grasp of media theory and practice to successful in digital storytelling, which includes media theory and the actual act of producing your product. I have also found that collaboration can be very useful when trying to tell a story because you can bounce ideas off of each other and really help one another with the entire creative process.
New advances in the media age have made it possible for multiple storytelling formats and modes of distribution. New, smaller, inexpennsive gear is available for people to experiment with and blogs and websites like vimeo and youtube are great mediums for the sharing of your story. What I will take from this class is the desire and drive to go out and make stories to share with the world. This class, and Dr. R, have proven that there is a need and want for people to tell and promote stories... all you gotta do is get out and do it. So, my goal with the aid of this class is to go out into my profession as an inspiring young media maker and do things that tell a story and benefit others just by sharing it with them. That is the plan for now atleast, we shall see what the future holds.
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