#S22E13 Season Finale

Electronic Media Production II has been my most enjoyable class within the broadcasting department here at South Carolina State University. In this course I was able to be as creative as possible by using what I already knew and adding it to what I was learning in class to electronically produce a number of things on the web.This course has taught me the importance of networking, how to creatively and effectively promote myself through my everyday experiences as well as interests and hobbies.

In the beginning of the course the class create blogs by using Blogger that is an online web-hosting site where Google owns the rights to your blog however you have the freedom to do what you would like in terms of creating your own web page. With Blogger I was able to customize my blog the way that I wanted while embedding links and videos to show everything I was learning throughout the course.

 We also used social media outlets to produce content and network as well. I have been using Twitter since 2009 however it was this class where I learned the origins of Twitter such as why only 140 characters are allowed, where they name Twitter came from, and understanding the personality of its creator. My Twitter handle is @itsondraya and it’s been that for about three years now. When I first became introduced to social media I created different usernames for all of them however it was in 2012 that I came up with @itsondraya on Twitter and continued to stick with it as a branding tool. If people are looking for my work online or want to see more of what I do then they can simply stick to using the same handle as my Twitter to find everything about it me in terms of my professional life. On Twitter I follow various local news outlets because I barely have time to watch television. I follow celebrities such as Mara Brock Akil, Debbie Allen, and Shonda Rhimes because I admire their work and love to follow up on their latest projects. I also follow television networks such as BET, TBS, VH1 for possibly career opportunities as well as network giveaways and updates. Twitter is a very quick and easy way to obtain information over the web, however it may not always be credible and may require you to do some additional research.

 What I’m probably most thankful for in this course is being required to make a Linkedin account. I had heard of Linkedin for sometimes now I didn’t really know what it was. The only thing I knew or heard of was that it was a professional social networking site. I never got around to making an account until I got in this course and it was probably the most beneficial part of the class as well as the blog itself. With Linkedin I was able to put everything that I wanted to fit on my one page resume. A digital portfolio, skills, interest, job and volunteer experience, internship experience, free lance work and more. Not only am I able to give all the details about what my skills and interests are I am also able to connect with the companies and businesses who I am interests in working for or who may be looking for the set skills that I have to offer. On Linkedin I follow my classmates to connect with businesses that I may be unaware of, previous managers, co-workers, and mentors as possible references and connections, as well as newly established and local companies who may be looking for what I have to offer.

 Another part of the course I really enjoyed was making my Prezi. I was not new to Prezi however I feel like I was in bit of a beginner’s stage with a bit more to learn as far as operating on Prezi. In this class I did a Prezi on “Ten Artist You Thought Were Black” as I listed ten of those artist I also added their names, genre of music, and a fun fact. While the Prezi played I also used background music to add to the presentation. I believe in the future Prezi will have upgrades and enhancements that will eventually make it easier to use. However I feel as though because you need internet connection in order to do a Prezi and there are a few thing to learn, people will stick to PowerPoint for a while until Prezi becomes a little more user friendly. With that being said I can attest that I like the fact that music and YouTube videos are more easily embedded on Prezi than PowerPoint. Also if you are working as a group or even individually everything saves and you can always continue where you left off.
With the Green Screen “Quick Takes” video I decided to talk about my favorite rap artist, Andre 3000 where I expressed why I thought out of all rappers why he was the best, I gave a brief history and told a few facts about the very popular television show “A Different World” as it has somewhat of an influence on why I decided to come to a HBCU, and I also told a few facts about Kanye West as he is also one of my favorite rappers. I liked the project as well and wish I was able to be a little more creative with it. Working with green-screen is fun but can be challenging at times. This project involved me finding videos online while filming myself doing commentary. I uploaded the online video file onto my editing software (Final Cut Pro X) as well as the video commentary of myself. I then took the commentary video and scaled and transformed it into a different size to fit in the corner of my screen, I had to edit the audio in each video making the commentary louder than the background video. This green screen effect can be used to manipulate the viewer into thinking you are in a different location, add effects, transform you inside of the actual still photo or video clip and more. I think that this project requires a lot of time to be perfected therefore requires that people pick a specific editing software and learn the basics of it first before trying to create a Green Screen video.

 One of the final projects was the Kizoa project. If anyone knows what Windows Movie Maker is then they can get the gist of what Kizoa is. Kizoa is an online photo/video slideshow where the user creates an account and can then add animations, transitions, text, audio, and effects for free to create a slideshow. Kizoa can be used to show of photography skills, videography skills, as a multimedia component in a presentation, or as an electronic display for a business or product. In my Kizoa creation I went with a “College Perception” theme. Through my eyes many of college students are influenced by music, money, sex, and drugs and they lose the main focus of graduation and being successful once their college years are over. I added the graduation cap in one picture as well as many different effects and transitions such as falling money, glitter, love, and hearts to showcase some of the things that college students experience while in school.

 In this course I have not only learned the different type of online mediums to use to produce content, I’ve also learned the history behind them and how to effectively use them to digitally showcase my talent and creativity. Through text, audio, video, and photography I am more confident in my major that I have produced a good bit of content for future employers and I also have a professional platform do display it on. My professor and my classmates have all been helpful in helping me to use my creativity to broadcast my talents for the World Wide Web to see.

#S22E10 The Bulldog Defender Episode

Currently I have taken on the responsibility as the Chief of Staff of Student Media at South Carolina State. While working for Student Media I have also taken on the role as one of the producers of our online web series Inside State for our Bulldog Television channel. Inside State covers live events happening on the campus of SC State while also conducting spotlight interviews with commercials. Personally I have conceptualized many commercial ideas and concepts. Below is an exclusive sneak peek of South Carolina State students expressing how SC State has benefited them academically, socially, and professionally that I filmed and edited using Final Cut Pro. 

#S22E09 The Stepping Stones To Success Episode

Trying to chose a career path can be difficult for some. For me it was a bit challenging until I decided to continue my hobbies of interacting with people across the world through digital media. From the tender age of 11 I began creating my own personal website and playing with different settings and gadgets. Initially it was for my own personal use as I did not have very many visitors on my site
By age 14 I began to delve more into my hobby as I created my own webpage for a very successful television show. Below is a Prezi of my digital portfolio showing some of my works as I have contributed to the mass media world through digital media.  

#S22E03 The Wedding Episode

This weekend I was able to practice my videography skills as I filmed a wedding for a couple in Elloree, S.C.

This was my first time ever being behind the camera beyond school work or personal gain therefore I was very nervous about doing so.

 On Friday my boyfriend and I drove down to Elloree to meet the wedding party and scope out the scene during their rehearsal. While at the rehearsal I was able to have an idea in my head for what shots I would take and how I would go about shooting this magical day.

On the day of the wedding I initially had some issues with the white balance. Simply putting the white balance in "auto" mode was not working and me trying to figure out exactly how to get the scene to look appealing to the eye was a bit frustrating. I was there by myself however my boyfriend did come to help me set up and was there whenever I needed any assistance.

Amidst the camera issues, the sun constantly changing, and the attack of the gnats I was able to capture some pretty good footage of the couples special day. After the wedding I went to record the reception which was held at Elloree Elementary School, and enjoyed a free meal and some delicious cake.

While at the reception I was able to network and met a really nice lady named Ms. Sandra who told me she had her own Christian television show in Summerville, S.C. I was beyond thankful when she asked if I would like to help her with her television show and video editing to gain more experience and add a few bucks in my pocket!

Overall the experience was fun and memorable and came naturally all while giving me even more confidence in my talents and creative mindset. I am enjoying my major even more and hope to continue to do great things in the world of broadcasting and journalism.