Reflection on Post-Production

This week in post-production went surprisingly smoothly. My happiness is amplified since this is the most important project in terms of our grade.

For the most part, I was able to manage my time very well in the past week. I got more done in less time than I ever had in this class, and I think the main reason for that was the fact that I was working with audio, which I find to be pretty fun. It was enlightening to listen to my past conversation and learn more about how I speak (whether good or bad). Technology was friendly to me this week, which is a major plus.

The only thing that really went wrong this week was the fact that I had to cut a significant amount of the podcast to give it a reasonable length. It was a little disheartening having to remove some components of the argument from the podcast, and it still turned out to be fairly lengthy. That being said, the most important elements of the argument remain in the final product.

Next week seems like it'll be pretty lax. This was probably my favorite project in this class for both writing and producing.

I feel good about this project, as I put a lot of effort into making it effectively convey an argument that many would label as subjective. Many good points are brought up, and I believe I accurately followed the directions and allowed for a comfortable listening experience.

Revised Post to Peer Reviewers

The post-production phase was an interesting one. Although there was a lot of work to be done, it was probably the most fun I had editing the project.

My project is a podcast on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and whether it is deserving of the praise it has garnered with such a similar story to the original movie. The audio is in the form of a round-table discussion with two of my friends who are also well-versed in the topic.

As far as weaknesses go, the main thing would definitely be the length. There was a lot of good conversation but it ultimately added up to over thirty minutes of talking. It was slightly painful to cut out some good moments, and even then I was only able to get it down to about twenty. I also hope that I did a decent enough job at editing, and that the cuts aren't extremely noticeable.

I'm proud of my work on this project because I was able to convey an argument that went over all of the required points in a mostly unscripted conversation between three people. I went over some basic ground that I wanted to cover, but ultimately we were able to bring up adequate topics on the spot.

The fine cut of my project can be found here:
https://soundcloud.com/jacob-corbin-6/project-3-public-argument-podcast

Editorial Report 1a

Content Outline

Here is the outline for my upcoming project.

https://docs.google.com/a/email.arizona.edu/document/d/1yEUoR01u7ieP4UXgLwP26f60jYNtRyIZ_7iPs4i9kgw/edit?usp=sharing

Research Report

This Google document details ten helpful sources that I encountered during my research.

https://docs.google.com/a/email.arizona.edu/document/d/1PhHDqxKVDyD9WbOjWjiBQSbZ8PFNEfJu3MFdJdh4RzU/edit?usp=sharing

Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3

My project is going to be a critical dissection of the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in which my colleagues and I will discuss whether or not the film should be considered a rehash of story elements. Considering the appealing topic, that being Star Wars, I have a generally deep knowledge of the subject material.

Here's a rhetorical breakdown of my project, starting with the author.

Rhetorical Situation: Author
I'm currently majoring in Film and Television here at the U of A. Storytelling has been a burning interest of mine since I was very young, and movies have satisfied that interest effectively. I plan to enter the industry professionally as a writer, although I am willing to accept any creative position that leads me there. I'm interested in the progression of film and how the times affect what is presented creatively as well as aesthetically. The Star Wars franchise is a good example of this change. I've been a "fan" of Star Wars since second grade. It was probably my first obsession, and I was fortunate enough to understand at an early age what made some of the movies better than others. In regards to the latest installment, I was extremely hyped since the day the sequel trilogy was announced in 2011. 2015 felt like an era of "Star Wars mania" and by the time TFA was to be released, I was fairly burnt out on all things lightsaber-y and Skywalker-y. I guess a sort of cynical hipsterism came out last year because literally everyone was a Star Wars fan, and I figured most of them didn't know their wampa from their womp rat, and that kind of ticked me off in the grumpy-old-man kind of way. I enjoyed the movie upon my first viewing, but after some thought I saw a lot of similar ground being treaded on and downright copied from the previous films. These prejudices grew from my previous lifelong experience with the franchise.

Rhetorical Situation: Audience
The ideal audience for this project would be Star Wars fans who are curious to hear a more critical analysis of the latest film. Although with a topic of this popularity, there is sure to be some intrinsic prejudice in listeners who may harbor maternal feelings towards the movie. Considering that approximately 89% of viewers enjoyed the film, it is more likely than not that the audience is on the positive side of the spectrum, and some points that emphasize the negatives of the film may be misinterpreted or even dismissed. That being said, each of the show runners of my podcast are equally immersed in Star Wars lore and history, and utilizing this knowledge will increase my credibility. A friend of mine, Andrew Winslow, who previously taught here, definitely falls under the target audience. He has a phD in rhetoric and is a tough nut to crack, but I would increase my credibility by explaining to him my history in delving into the franchise, as well as share my sources and the structure of my argument.

Rhetorical Situation: Purpose
Ideally, I would like the audience to consider what made The Force Awakens successful and whether the story was as progressive as one might expect for a story thirty years in the making. I believe that the structure of the story needs to be explained in-depth, citing the similarities between the new and original movies, and how the rich lore of the franchise takes a step back in favor of appeasing fans. Of course, it may be too early to complete this argument since the story arc has not yet completed, but there is much to argue for at this point in time.

Rhetorical Situation: Context
I will be recording a podcast for this project. Audiences of podcasts expect entertainment and generally don't stand for any dry moments, considering there is no visual aid to satisfy that sense. I have never created a podcast, but I have been a listener for a few years now and am familiar with the conventions of the genre. The most effective conventions, in my opinion, are pacing and casualness. Good pacing creates an attentive listening environment, while a good level of comfort and relatability comes from a casual tone. The movie only released about four months ago, so the idea is still generally fresh in audiences' minds, and future decisions in production have not yet been released to the public.

Here are four links to arguments for and against the familiar story arc:

J.J. Abrams - Collider Interview - The original story is derivative of earlier material
Daily Kos - Analysis - The reuse of plot points is done more effectively than most other examples
Variety - Review - Similar story elements/fan service is used
Chris Stukmann - Video Essay Analysis - Follows Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey