A Digital Story...it moves and plays music!

For this assignment I used the Animoto.com website to create a digital story using downloaded photos, images and music. This was challenge, but once completed, quite rewarding. I didn't create a masterpiece, but I did create, and when it comes to me and computers, that my friend is quite an accomplishment. I tried to appeal to the masses and convey some humor in my story, although it did have an underlying meaning only known to myself and my professor. Was my story important? It was disguised not to be, but it was important to me as it symbolically portrayed an event in my life. Because this was my first real attempt at a digital story that moved, and with some personal issues going on, this assignment took me a lot longer than expected. I had issues with fitting all my pictures within a 30 second window and have the music match up with the photographs and story that I was trying to tell. I never did accomplish that feat to my satisfaction, but nevertheless I was still relatively happy with what I came up with. As aggravating as this assignment was in the beginning, middle and end, I did have fun with it which is why the next assignment came with a little less aggravation and a little more fun.

Chapter One, Digital Storytelling..here we go

This first assignment we went to Wordle.net and using this program create a brief story by using a group of words graphically. Ever since I was a kid and someone told me that I was really good at art and should become an artist I have felt a kind of pressure to always be creative, interesting, funny, what ever it took to get approval of my work...I decided this one time that I wouldn't worry about what anyone else thought of my work and just create something that was meaningful to me.

I am what you would call technologically declined. I'm not familiar with creating anything on the computer, I always relied on a pencil or paintbrush. So I dove in a hoped the claims were true, that this was a simple program. To my relief it was just that. The words I used to tell a story were issues that I have been dealing with for a while. It turns out that this project was a bit therapeutic in a way. I actually had no intended audience, I did this for myself. Did I want to evoke certain feelings or emotions? No, my intention was to get a handle on the feelings and emotions I already was experiencing.

I feel that this project gave me a kind of awareness as far as being myself, to let go of inhibitions and be myself. It may not make it more interesting but it is definitely more real.

Good or Bad?

When one is presented with the opportunity to talk about any subject or issue that seems to be weighing heavy on their mind, coming up with an interesting topic you feel confident in ranting about can be a bit daunting...so, I decided to start slow and work up to the more intellectual issues....don't worry, I'll never get there...

I am an avid movie goer. I love sitting in a dark theater with a bunch of strangers, a giant bucket of unhealthy movie popcorn and a cup of soda so large that the theater management is so confident that it isn't humanly possible to hold that much liquid that they offer you a free refill. I love the movies..until...3D...seriously, Yogi Bear in 3D? I have been dragged to several 3D films since Avatar's assault on our optical senses. Is 3D really better, or is it just a money making gimmick? Are 2D movies in danger of becoming a thing of the past?..are we destined to wear those plastic monstrosities for every film?..and what about those people with regular corrective lenses?..are 3D glasses as effective when worn over another pair of glasses?..I got to the theater late for the Disney movie Tangled, yes, I watch Disney movies, anyway, I didn't get my middle of the row, 1/3 up from the bottom of the screen seat. Have you ever tried sitting on the far left side of the theater for a 3D movie? I couldn't get anything in focus..I got a stiff neck from finding the one angle the glasses worked best. I dared not take a deep breath for fear of having to refocus...

Has any movie taken advantage of this 3D technology that has been around for about 70 years? I guess Avatar came close, but will movies take the time to get it right? I tend to doubt it. I think studios are going to crank out these 3D debacles as long as the public is fooled by that "in 3D" after the movie title. I think I'll stay home and watch something on TCM in 2D....