Considering Genre

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In this blog post I will be covering which genre I will be using in order to complete my first project. I will cover the general conventions of the genre that I will need to take into consideration as well as what problems and worries I expect to have as I begin the creation phase of my project.

1. What Genre? Why?

For this first project I will be creating a Quick Reference Guide (QRG). Many of the articles I have read have been organized similarly to the QRG examples provided to us on d2l. I believe that a QRG will be the best format to present both sides of an argument and I will easily be able to highlight important quotes and phrases.

2. What genre conventions do you intend on developing over the next week? How will you use the conventions to suit the purpose of the assignment?

The first thing I plan on tackling is formatting. Without proper formatting a QRG is really just a short essay type article. I plan on figuring out how to format my QRG and then I will go about outlining the most important information so as to actually keep my QRG quick. 

For anyone who reads this here's a link I found on formatting

3. How are you feeling as you begin production? What challenges do you anticipate?

I'm feeling fairly confident as we go into production week. I am excited to try out a new genre on a topic I genuinely care about but I am worried about major hick-ups as I have other school work in other classes this week too. I anticipate have a little trouble making all of my ideas "quick" and I also anticipate a bit of trouble with formatting. However I feel confident on my knowledge of my subject and I believe that only minor things (maybe a little more info on production companies) will need to be adjusted as I begin to actually create my QRG.

Cluster of Stakeholders

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The stake holders in this situation can be overall quite broad: all Hollywood actors, actresses, and production companies. The main stakeholders, for the purpose of this assignment will be Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, Maryl Streep, Patricia Arquette, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner. The men have very little to lose aside from maybe a million dollars or 2 per film so women co-stars can make equal what the men do. The women have a bit more to lose. As they fight for more money they may lose roles they would have previously obtained with ease. 

My Cluster

Evaluation of General Sources

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 I will be doing my first assignment loosely around the topic of business. On top of being a business major I am also an art major and I would consider myself to be a pretty serious feminist so this topic is dear to my heart as it spans all three. I will be doing my project on the wage gap between men an women in Hollywood and specializing in the commentary that Jennifer Lawrence has had on the issue since the 2015 Oscars.

Source 1: thegaurdian.com

URL: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/13/jennifer-lawrence-hollywood-gender-pay-gap

Author: Nigel M. Smith; "Nigel M Smith the Guardian's entertainment writer, based in Los Angeles. Formerly managing editor of Indiewire, he has also written about film and culture for USA Today, Bullet Magazine and MTV"

Last Updated: October 13th, 2015, all (hyper)links are still functional

Purpose: This particular article was written for the Guardian Newspaper and is meant to be an entertainment/informational piece as opposed to an Opp Ed or persuasive article. I am particularly interested in this article as the author is male writing on a feminist topic.

Graphics: The only Graphic is a photograph of Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars. Pertinent simply because she is the main character of the article.

Position on Subject: The author does not seem to take a position but instead relays the story through strings of direct quotes and paraphrases from the actress herself. The text can easily be backed up by audio from interviews and other news stories that recorded the same quotes.

Links: The article supplies 4 hyperlinks. All 4 are in perfect working condition and link to sites that backup the info stated in the article. One link goes to an essay that Jennifer Lawrence has taken crdit for writing, another links to a list of salary and pay figures for actors and actresses, the third links to Lawrence's Forbes profile, and the 4th and final link goes to a different article regarding Lawrence's pay versus co-star Chris Pratt.

Source 2: Variety.com

URL: http://variety.com/2015/film/news/hollywood-gender-pay-gap-inequality-1201636553/

Author: Ramin Setoohed; no background info is stated on the Variety website

Last Updated: October 13th, 2015; all links are still in working condition

Purpose: This article was written for Variety U.S., a tabloid-esque magazine. The purpose is obviously first to entertain as tabloids often strive to do. The story is legitimate but seems embellished in comparison to other news sources I have read.

Graphics: The article contains 3 graphics that I can only imagine are pictures that were used for the print magazine itself. One graphic appears to be the cover of the magazine and the other two follow the same general color and content scheme. The photos indicate the idea of a woman sticking it to the man in the form of Voodoo Dolls.

Position on Subject: The article seems to be a bit biased on the side of the actresses making the entire story seem a bit more dramatic than necessary. However, despite a bit of embellishing the article is verified by a series of hyperlinks that lead to webpages and direct interviews from Lawrence herself.

Links: The article contains 5 hyperlinks. 3 of which link to actresses online profiles within the Variety website: Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, and Kathy Griffin). One link goes to the profile of a male actor, and the fifth link, in total tabloid style, links to a page that is purely pictures of celebrity hair.

Reddit & What I Found There

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I have, personally, never used Reddit so I was unsure of what to expect when looking at the website. This blog post includes details of two forums I read and explains the arguments and differences of opinion that are housed within each forum. 

Reddit Forum 1: Marketing and stuff

Is Twitter a viable acquisition Channel for me?

In this form a young business man who is new to the marketing world explains the month-long experiment he held in order to determine if Twitter is indeed a good source for business related followers to reach out. In his experiment he discovered no but many of the comments disagree. Some agree saying that following 3000 twitter users but only gaining 7 email subscribers is not worth any effort at all while others disagree saying that using a bot to do your following and unfollowing has no affect on you, the business man, and therefore is worth it to gain any number of business supporters.

Because I had never used or looked at Reddit before I did not really know what to expect. Because of that I had a lot of trouble finding forums that seemed as if they would contain a disagreement. In this forum the author disagrees with himself as he hypothesized that Twitter would work but doesn't. The main argument, however, lies in the comments, something I was not expecting.

Reddit Forum 2: Marketing and stuff

Torn about job offer.

When scrolling through marketing forums that are all about advertising and how the job works I was surprised to see this forum. This forum is genuinely a woman asking for advice on whether to stick with her current marketing job or switch over to a new job of which she has been offered. 

Once again the debate was not in the forum post (although there is a pros-cons list) but instead is in the comments. The subject of changing jobs, especially in a case where young children, pay changes, and moving states is applicable, is often a very sticky one. The commentators did not take that into consideration when giving advice but instead said what they would do if it was them. The forum author responded to many of the comments but seemed to be frustrated as each comment left out an important aspect of taking this new job. 

Overall, reading each forum gave me a bit of hope. These people are so interested in their jobs, and others jobs, that they are willing to use their free time talking about and advising on it. 

Evaluation of News Magazine Stories

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In this blog post I will be exploring two different magazines that specialize in very different fields. The articles discussed in this post will both pertain to one or both of my two majors, art and business, and each will contain some form of debate or disagreement.

Magazine 1: Forbes

“Health Incentives Don't Motivate Workers To Lose Weight, Study Finds”

1. What is the Debate?

The debate in this story is whether or not it is effective to offer incentives for weight loss in the work place. Businesses often offer incentives to encourage their employees to lose weight in order to lower the cost of medical insurance in the work place. However, after looking into the matter, studies show that prolonged incentives, such as bonuses or reduced health insurance rates do not cause employees to lose more weight. 

2. Who is the most sympathetic character?

In this case I do not think there is a particularly sympathetic character. The characters in this article are the businesses and the researchers who did the study. The businesses would be the sympathetic characters but they do not have an active voice in this particular article

3. Who is the least sympathetic character?

The least sympathetic characters are the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. The researchers believe that because they have held an experiment and their data seems to be conclusive they are undoubtedly correct. With that being said they are slightly opposed by researchers at the Mayo clinic who claim that incentives that are given immediately (weekly/monthly) when a goal is reached will show drastically improved weight loss rates.

Magazine 2: Vanity Fair

“Who Would Win In a Trump-Clinton Election”

1. What is the Debate?

The debate is quite plainly stated: Who would win if Trump and Clinton were the final two presidential candidates for their respective political parties. The author argues that the race for presidency really could come down to these two seemingly unlikely candidates because of their ability to speak in ways that, while ignorant at times, is understandable and believable.

2. Who is the most sympathetic character?

In this article Hillary Clinton seems to the be the sympathetic character. As Trump trudges on insulting every other candidate as he goes Hillary has taken no part in the whole thing. She has continued on in the race as polls fluctuate and as rumors and allegations fly but she seems un-phased and strong.

3. Who is the least sympathetic character?

Trump. Are we really surprised? Trump has shown no sympathy in the presidential race so far. No sympathy towards women, minorities, or Rosie O’ Donald so it seems fitting that he would show no sympathy with Hillary, or any other candidate. Trump has stayed firm in his ideas and believes and, though skewed, has had good ideas that make him a strong competitor. 

Twitter & What I Found There

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I have had a twitter for years but I have never used it for anything academic or career related. This post will chronical my first time looking at twitter on the business side of things and will detail what information I found that pertains to my future career and current majors.

Twitter Page 1: Bloomberg Business 

The first twitter page I looked at was Bloomberg Business (@business). The page’s bio reads, “The first word in business” and the page seems to act as a headline page. As you scroll through the twitter page all you see are pictures with pertinent, short headlines. Each tweet contains a link to a full length article on bloomberg.com. This twitter page is not necessarily insightful on its own but instead acts like a magazine cover. All the viewer can see is headlines and large pictures unless they are enticed enough to clink on the link and read the entire article. The twitter page contains recent news stories as a tweet can be sent out easily whenever a new article is published.

Twitter Page 2: National Geographic

Surprisingly the @NatGeo twitter page doesn’t contain any photographs but instead is comprised of headlines and links just as the Bloomberg business page was. However, these headlines are much shorter and considerably more vague. They almost don’t seem like headlines but instead interesting statements which makes me much more interested in clicking the link and actually reading about it. One interesting article on the Nat Geo Twitter page is “59 in 52” a piece where a couple heads out in a small silver airstream on a mission to see 59 state parks in 52 weeks (1 year). The piece has both photos and text about their adventure through the parks but it the tweet that got me to click the link: “Photographer Jonathan Irish is traveling to 59 parks in one year. Follow his journey”, it is hard to say no when someone invites you to follow them as the visit all the places you’ve wanted to see.

Evaluation of New York Times Stories

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This blog post presents an examination of two New York times articles. The two articles come from two entirely different sections of the times and cover the topics that I will be studying as I pursue a double major.

Article 1: Business

The First article I looked at was the headlining article from the Business section of the New York Times titled “Takata’s Faulty Airbags Still Exact Toll as Recalls Lag”. The article examines the rising death and injury tool that the Japanese company, Takata, is responsible for and why no mass recall has been enacted.

1. Main Character?

In this news article there does not seem to be a main character or protagonist other than the auto part company, Takata. The entire article is centered around the airbags that the company creates and vends to auto makers throughout the U.S. Because the entire article is centered around the products and actions of the company it seems to be easily deemed the main character but there are many supporting roles played by automotive dealers, such as Honda, that help to make the point that Takata is not a reliable company. Joel Knight, a victim who died due to his airbag deploying after a minor accident and launching shrapnel into his neck, plays a supporting role as a victim to the company’s faulty airbags. 

2. Setting?

There is no specific setting. The victims and the car companies are all in very different locations throughout the article. The company, Takata, is in Japan, and the victims and car companies span from South Carolina to Malaysia. The lack of real setting allows for a sense of nationalism. When reading the article, because there is not direct tie to any location, the reader feels that what is happening to others in minor accidents could truly happen to them as well.

3. Disagreement or debate?

In this article there is no debate presented but there are questions that cause the reader to think about and internally debate the issues presented. For instance, the article does not present the recall information in an argumentative way but the reader does begin to ponder what is just in terms of a product wide recall. Because the car companies did not make the Takala airbag they do not want to stomach the costs that will be associated with recalling and replacing every faulty airbag but Takata does not feel they are responsible for replacing all faulty parts in the cars that they have not produced. Because of this dilemma nothing is being done about the issue and people are continuing to get injured.

Article 2: Art

The second article I read centered around the recent works of ballet choreographer and dancer Justin Peck. The article, “Justin Peck Calmly Creates a Kingdom at City Ballet”, discusses Justin’s recent works and how he is coping with the pressure as he becomes a high profile choreographer and artist. 

1. Main Character?

Justin Peck, referred to as Mr. Peck in the article, is a ballet dancer turned choreographer for City Ballet. The article is about Mr. Peck’s rise to fame in the recent years as he has begun choreographing ballets with no experience or training other than his classic practice in ballet. Peck, as the main character of the article, is showcased throughout the entire article. Because the article is centered around Peck and not his specific ballet or his dance company the reader is able to gain an insightful eye about Mr. Peck as both a dancer and a choreographer.

2. Setting?

In this article there is no real setting. Because it is not an interview but instead is an informative piece there is no location. The ballet’s that are referenced take place in Ney York and Peck’s Ballet company, City Ballet, is also located in New York so there is a sense of place but it is not particularly strong or relevant.

3. Disagreement or Debate?

The article is really made to inform and educate the reader about the works, success, and potential that Mr. Peck has created. Because it is to be informative there is no clear debate or disagreement of any kind. Peck is successful both by standards of ticket sales and pleasant reviews from critiques making an argument difficult. The article really focuses on the issues that Mr. peck will face as he climbs the ladder as a new choreographer with no training and a busy ballet dancer. The article makes up for its lack of an interesting debate with interesting facts about the life Mr. Peck has lead so far.

Course Projects

1. What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four major projects?

As someone who has never made, edited or presented a video I think I am most nervous about learning and using new technology in a timely manner. I know that I can write a convincing paper but I do not know if I can make a substantial video essay as well. I believe that ultimately my struggles will lie in the hands of time. I do trust that I can learn to record and edit videos and podcasts but I am concerned that I will not be able to do so with the time I feel I can dedicate to this class while also keeping up with the weekly modules and assignments. Ultimately my worry rests with both time management and the usage of new technology.

2. What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?

Ignoring my reservations towards new technology I am actually very excited to be taking an English class that has been tailored to fit the twenty-first century. All my life I have been writing papers but not once have I been assigned a literary project that actually seemed applicable to a technologically advancing world. I am excited to find and explore effective literary genres that could potentially apply to my fields of study.

3. Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?

For me the most major element, aside from general time management and planning, is making sure I have all the materials I need when I need them. Be it a film editing program or a recording device of some kind I know that I will have to be planning ahead and getting my materials early so I don’t run into an issue where I don’t have the materials I need or the time I need either. I am a generally organized student. I keep a planner that includes classes, homework, and extracurricular activities but this semester will be pushing my time management to the limit. The four outlined projects, while interesting, are obviously not made to be easy. They all require a different, time consuming element. I believe my discipline regarding sticking to my outlined schedule will be the challenged the most this semester.

4. How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?

Quite honestly, I am not sure if my past English experiences have prepared me for this course. I took all AP classes in high school but I have never taken and English course where straight forward reading and writing was not the most major content. I am prepared in the sense that I am used to and AP student workload and therefore know who to make a schedule and can survive on little sleep and lots of coffee and still produce quality work, but I do not feel as though I am particularly prepared for the genres of this classes projects.

5. Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?

After watching and listening to the examples all I really wonder is how am I supposed to know how to do that? Will there be any form of guidance on how to produce each genre or will that be another element for which we should factor in some time?

Reflection

After reading others posts I feel more confident. We all seem to be a bit concerned and worried about our time management and work load but also excited to try new things. We also all seem to see eye-to-eye as honors students who worked hard in high school. We may not feel prepared for the new genres but we do understand how to do quality work in limited time.

Tim Wils
Jacob Cabrejas

Investigating Genres

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1. What purpose(s) does this genre usually serve?

The way I see it most literary genres serve one of two purposes: to entertain or inform. While many works of any genre are able to achieve both they all seem to have one of the two purposes in mind. In the case of video essays I believe they are made to inform the viewer of issues that the author finds interesting and note-worthy. These essays are presented in a way that compels and interests the viewer. The means of presentation is entertaining but I believe that the entertainment is used as a vessel for the information the author wishes to construe.

2. Where, how, or in what context do readers usually find this genre?

Video essays, overall, are found online. They can be posted on social media sites, video servers, or included in the body of an online article. Anyone with a computer and a camera can easily produce one of these works. Often times these articles are made to inform the viewer of information that is best presented with a large amount of context. The video essays which I have viewed all use specific media examples to give their essays context and purpose. Without the examples, (movie clips, music, commercials, etc.), the video essays would feel less like essays and more like random rants.

3. Who is the typical audience for this genre?

This genre interests me because it is truly made to appeal to those who are a bit lazy. Often these video essays are included as a part of a larger written article, an article that could be read and understood within twenty-minutes. However, these videos are only about ten-minutes long and take no effort to watch; you just have to press play. Due to the fact that video essays are watched and listened to and not read means that anyone who understands the language that is being spoken can consume the information that is being presented. The audience is expected to be intelligent as the authors do not speak in short, simple sentences, and do not limit themselves to small words. The authors also often talk about interesting and controversial topics that the uninformed person most likely would not know about or understand. The audience for video essays is best explained as being informed people of the spoken language who have access to technology and hold an interest in the topic that is being covered but do not have the time or will to read the entire article.

4. What are some of the key features or characteristics that are unique to this genre, distinguishing it from other texts?

Video essays are entirely unique as they provide information that has previously only been available in written form in a form that is both auditory and visual. I believe the feature that makes this genre to unique is the ability the author has to add in other media. In a printed paper the author does not have the ability to add a video or music to add context to the work but a video author does. A video essay is definitely based in the author’s own thoughts and ideas but is easily supported and structured by the use of examples from any other genre. Video essays are unique because a single work can include any other work from any other genre.

5. Based on your answers to the questions above, come up for a definition in your own words for this genre.

I would define a video essay as a creative genre that is used to explore an idea that is best discovered by a mix of first hand concepts and the use of supporting works.

Reflection

After reading a few of my peers posts the importance of the internet is very obvious to me. I did mention that the audience would be tech savvy people but I did not take into consideration how easily spread a video essay is. This genre can be used academically, professionally, and for recreation as it can be spread and posted all over the web in seconds. I also now see the importance of an intriguing opening. Even with movies I find myself uninterested if the first few minutes do not draw me in and the same goes for these video essays.

Katy Johnson
Mike Duffek

Coping with Writer's Block

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1. What type(s) of writer do you consider yourself to be?

I’ve always thought of myself as a fairly good writer. With that being said, however, I’m often subject to writer’s block. Ideas come to me in waves and bursts so sticking to a plan when writing is hard for me. Because I often find myself having to write in bursts I would consider myself to be a heavy reviser. I write what I’m thinking as I think about it. I will jot down loose notes on paper but for the most part I just wing it. Because of this approach I often make lots of grammatical errors and sometimes repeat or skip important words. My writing, though often creative, is always in serious need of revising and editing making me a classic heavy reviser.

2. Does your writing process include several approaches? If so which ones?

My writing process is fairly straight forward: write until the relevant ideas run out and then revise them. Sometimes however I hit my stride and can crank out multiple ideas on multiple related topics and create an outline. I write best when I have an outline. An outline, even a vague one, makes it easier for me to come up with ideas that are both applicable and articulate. When I am able to come up with an outline I can show characteristics of a heavy planner. I will edit less as I feel more confident in my writing from a content stand point.

3. Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach?

My writing process does the job. I always get papers done and turned in on time. I am, more often than not, satisfied with my work. Assignments that I am interested in or find to be fascinating I always feel more confident about writing. Topics that interest me are much easier to outline and always result much better papers. The strengths of my process lie in the creative ideas I am able to produce. Just sitting and thinking allows me to come up with ideas that one who sticks strictly to an outline may not be able to conjure. The weaknesses however are simply that writing takes me a great amount of time. I hit a wall almost every time I write and get very frustrated with both myself and the assignment.

4. Do you think it might be beneficial for you to try a different approach? Why or why not?

I think it would be very beneficial to try a different approach. I am not entirely satisfied with my writing experiences in the past and no one likes to be frustrated with themselves as they write a long paper. Trying something new would not only allow me an added perspective on what writing style really works best for me but might also show me that the issues I run into as a writer are entirely normal. I believe that trying a new approach would be beneficial for not only myself but anyone else who is not entirely satisfied with past writing experiences.