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I chose Netflix because I am on it a lot, but also I have noticed over time that they change their website design quite often. Their current website is definitely more visual based, trying to let the shows/movies speak for themselves. Netflix emphasizes their logo at the top in red letters over black, the big image featured in that viewing, and of course (because it is a business) their Netflix originals by making them appear first and the biggest. Then shows and movies are sorted into categories that all are separated by a small white header and then a horizontal line of different images. In each row of each category, all title images of the show/movie are all the same size and all lined up perfectly in a row. No image (except the Netflix originals) are bigger than that one size. Even the category headings aren't that big because the page is more important the images, but those titles do still stand out because they are aligned on the left side of the page and are written in white capital letters over a black background. All the colors on the page are very vibrant and glossy. Netflix keeps their website design simple so that we spend most of our energy looking at the movie titles and images instead, which each have their own individual ways of trying to catch our attention. To keep from the page looking cluttered, you have to click on each show/movie for more information about it. read more

As we discussed in class, something that the aural medium does better than the visual/written is that it adds tone of voice. Especially in a technology based world now where we often communicate through text instead of voice, we sometimes worry that our tone will be lost. Emojis have helped us hint at tone of voice, like if you add a laughing emoji after it then it won't be taken as seriously if he didn't have that indication. So when I listened to "Future Ex Buys Pajamas" it gave the piece a tone of voice. I think most of us were surprised at the tone (which was achieved through tone of voice as well as the music that went along with it). But it also made me realize that it is an uncommon occurrence to have the opportunity to hear the author's tone while reading the piece. read more

For the pictures I added to our gallery, I picked images from three movies (Killer's Kiss (1955) by Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Stanley Kubrick, and Black Swan (2010) by Darren Aronofsky). I think I understand the general ideas of the Fair Use rules, so I will explain my reasoning for why it is ok to use those images for a school project. (1) The purpose if using it for a digital media project would be to transform the images in some way to add a new meaning to it. (2) The movies are published works, but they are fictional which could potentially lead to trouble. (3) I would only be using one image out of movies that contain multiple hours worth of images. However, especially the image from 2001, is a very famous image, so that one is a little trickier, but not a big deal for a school project. and (4) It is just a school project that I use for educational purposes, and I have no intention to try to sell it. I think if I were to print the images out unaltered and put them up in a gallery and made them for sale, I would run into some issues. But if I collage the images together in an interesting way for school, I think it is ok, but giving credit to the directors would not hurt. read more

As a writer, I am very familiar with the idea of revision. Over the years I have learned the absolute necessity of revision in the writing process. I now know that I would not be the writer I am today if I hadn't sat through many workshops of my work. But when I was younger, I thought that revision meant the same thing as editing. I thought it was changing some commas and deleting or adding a sentence or two. It wasn't until I started taking writing classes that I learned that revision is a lot more than just making a few changes; it is challenging yourself to push your work to greater heights. Revision is accepting the fact that everything we create can become better and better with more time, effort, and an open-mind to suggestions/criticism. Of course, part of the revision process may also lead to some failures and wrong choices along the way, so that is why it is very important to keep records of all drafts and changes that you (or someone else) makes to a piece of creative work. read more

Hi there, I'm Jill Tyburski. I am a junior and a double major in English Writing (fiction track) and Film Studies. Apparently like many of you, I also am working towards the Digital Media Certificate! I think that experience with digital media is important to almost any career field. Plus digital media is fun and creative, and I think everyone else in the class would agree with me on that (which is why we are all in this class I think). read more

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