For our group project, going with a video seems ideal. It allows us to get our point across in a dramatic, interesting way. However, having the constraints of sixty seconds to provide a message leads towards a daunting task.
Our group decided to make a video about "Going Green" and the ways college kids can help save the environment and maybe even a little extra money for themselves. We are going to try to make a solid message that leaves the viewer thinking they can make a difference even as one person on this Earth. However, we want it to be viewed in a funny and laid back tone.
The challenges are combining a message, keeping it interesting, and making it funny in a sixty second time frame. In order to do so, we will use good teamwork skills and form many lists and outlines of what is expected and what we want done so the task can be completed quickly and efficiently. If we can all work together, the project will be easy to complete.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Appeal is Everything
A movie producer spends countless months using visual designs to appeal to the viewer for his or her movie. Everything from colors, costumes, design, and even the movie box has to be appealing in order to produce higher sales. Believe it or not, when you write a paper, you add visual effects to appeal to your reader.
The Norton Field Guide to Writing states that when you submit your paper, you add different fonts, sizes, and even colors to add appeal to your paper. For instance, when you walk through a grocery store you are more drawn to the magazine with the big fonts and striking colors than a plain black and white magazine cover. Not only do colors and fonts change the look, but bold headings, phrases, and even the position of the words help to entice the reader.
When I write my papers that don't have any predetermined stipulations, I try to pick a nice font to go with the topic of my paper. I also bold and even color the heading to entice the reader. Not only is having a good quality paper important, but it also needs to look good. You can even add graphs, pictures, or charts to draw the eye towards your paper.
Appeal can make or break the paper. If the paper, article, or even add doesn't have visual appeal, the audience will overlook your paper. That is why it is important to make sure that your paper isn't plain and boring.
The Norton Field Guide to Writing states that when you submit your paper, you add different fonts, sizes, and even colors to add appeal to your paper. For instance, when you walk through a grocery store you are more drawn to the magazine with the big fonts and striking colors than a plain black and white magazine cover. Not only do colors and fonts change the look, but bold headings, phrases, and even the position of the words help to entice the reader.
When I write my papers that don't have any predetermined stipulations, I try to pick a nice font to go with the topic of my paper. I also bold and even color the heading to entice the reader. Not only is having a good quality paper important, but it also needs to look good. You can even add graphs, pictures, or charts to draw the eye towards your paper.
Appeal can make or break the paper. If the paper, article, or even add doesn't have visual appeal, the audience will overlook your paper. That is why it is important to make sure that your paper isn't plain and boring.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
It's all about the Beginning and the End
How do you grab the attention of a reader? Unlike buildings and products, you cannot put flashy pictures and colored lights on your paper to make someone interested. Instead, you bring a reader into your paper by making the beginning as interesting and engaging as possible. There are multiple ways that a writer can bring the reader into the paper such as offering background information, defining key terms, or even connecting the subject to the readers' interests or values. Whatever method you use, it must be engaging enough to make the reader want to read more and continue with your paper.
On a similar note, the end is the same way. It must be interesting and wrap up the story. As stated by the name, the end of your paper is the last thing that your reader will read, so you want to make it interesting and leave a lasting impression.
A good way to make sure the reader is satisfied with what they are reading is to guide them through what they are reading. This can be done by stating topics as questions, narrowing down to your thesis, and even using transitions.
With all the different articles and papers out there, you, as a writer, must make your paper stand out from the others. It needs to be the one with the neon flashing lights that says, "Read Me." If you can successfully pull a reader into your paper, your job is done.
On a similar note, the end is the same way. It must be interesting and wrap up the story. As stated by the name, the end of your paper is the last thing that your reader will read, so you want to make it interesting and leave a lasting impression.
A good way to make sure the reader is satisfied with what they are reading is to guide them through what they are reading. This can be done by stating topics as questions, narrowing down to your thesis, and even using transitions.
With all the different articles and papers out there, you, as a writer, must make your paper stand out from the others. It needs to be the one with the neon flashing lights that says, "Read Me." If you can successfully pull a reader into your paper, your job is done.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
What Caused that Effect?
The Norton Field Guide to Writing states, "Analyzing causes helps us think about why something happened, whereas thinking about effects helps us consider what might happen." This statement couldn't be more true and helps introduce the reader to the many possible ways to write a cause and effect paper. There are some simple steps that, first, involve stating a cause and an effect. Once your cause has been stated, you can begin your paper and argue to show how your cause actually caused your effect. In doing so, there are a few ways to organize your cause and effect. First you can identify the cause, then the effect. You can also switch it around and start with your effect and trace it to what caused it. Lastly, you can start with a cause and continue with a chain of effects.
While writing your cause and effect paper, you will most likely be adding in some comparing and contrasting, which the book also explains. Two ways of comparing and contrasting are the block method, and the point-by-point method. In the block method, the writer simply states all the information about one item and then goes on to compare or contrast it in the next paragraph, which sets it up like a block. The point-by-point method goes on to state it one point at a time. While using these techniques, the writer can easily form a well-written cause and effect paper.
While writing your cause and effect paper, you will most likely be adding in some comparing and contrasting, which the book also explains. Two ways of comparing and contrasting are the block method, and the point-by-point method. In the block method, the writer simply states all the information about one item and then goes on to compare or contrast it in the next paragraph, which sets it up like a block. The point-by-point method goes on to state it one point at a time. While using these techniques, the writer can easily form a well-written cause and effect paper.