Final Project

Well my original plan of creating an html did not work or go as smoothly as I had originally planned so I went with my backup plan and created an EMAZE. I think this turned out awesome! I used my photos from my photo essay I had done previously and incorporated some of my other favorite photos as well and made a kick-ass photo gallery "maze". 

Tech Tutorial

For my final project I am going to use my former "Photo Essay" and make it more interactive by creating a HTML page. To do so I will have to use Notepad on my windows laptop and save it in a HTML file under my Pitt username. I was going to use w3schools to help reference the codes I would need. I would use color, background, image, text, hyperlinks, and possibly sound/audio. I am going to use my original photos and text but add hyperlinks that go to another website to describe/explain the photo in more detail.

I am still learning how to use the code so as a back-up plan I thought about emaze just in case. I have just recently learned about it and it is actually pretty cool. I would have a themed presentation like a photo gallery with the pictures and some text to go with them as well. emaze is more like a digital photo viewer but the person looking at the photo gallery can chose how fast or slow they look at the pictures.  

Final Project Proposal

For my final project I am thinking about using either my photo essay or video to create an interactive, multimedia digital story. I am leaning more towards my photo essay and taking the content I already have for that and adding an interactive aspect to it to get the reader/viewer more involved. I thought about possibly creating a html code that would take you to another website that would give an overview or description of the places that I talked about. I will probably be working alone on this project because it would be hard for someone else to work with another persons photos or projects. I hope what I am thinking turns out to actually be pretty cool and easier to do than I think especially if I decide to do something with the html code. 

Final Video Reflection

I came up with the idea too film a car ride to a place that I knew of , film the walk to the place, and either take some still pictures and incorporate them or do a 360 view. Obviously I edited them to make them shorter so it wouldn't bore the audience. So I originally wanted to do a local spot here in Windber but it just so happened that my boyfriend and I went on an adventure to West Virginia and along the way home I asked if we could stop at Cooper's Rock State Forest along highway 68 so we did and it was totally worth it and my video come out even better.

The songs I chose to use for the background music compliments the video because the first song "All Eyes On Us" goes with the fact that my boyfriend and I like to travel so the "ride or die" is like us since we go on different adventures together. The second song "Take Back Home Girl" also goes with the fact about traveling/riding together to places and these two songs just really fit.

In all honesty I just used the video on my phone and used a voice recording app to record those two songs in a row to play then I downloaded another app to create the video. I selected the video's and photo's that I wanted and made them shorter and added text to the still photo's and also made the duration longer so they would disappear so fast. The hardest part was picking the songs for the background and getting the text to stay on for the entire duration of the photo.

This way of storytelling is unique because the video with the music tells a story without having to have any text, like my video you can see that is an adventure to somewhere unique and one of a kind. Each spot that we go to has its own specific story to tell and I hope that continues until I can't anymore. 

I learned a lot from this creation process actually and it honestly made me what to make more videos of some of the places that we have traveled too and I thought this was the most exciting project of them all and hope my classmates and viewers think so as well.

Storyboard

My storyboard is a brief overview about what my video is going to be on and its a little rough around the edges but it shows us leaving the house, driving on the road to get there, walking on the trial, some wildlife that we see along the way, and then us driving back, and us back where we started. 

This is my storyboard that I created on a free website, the video trailer I have on my Instagram page is definitely a lot better then the storyboard but I am excited for everyone to see the final project and hope you like it.  

Videos

In the poem called "Poems for Rent" the subject of this poem is about real estate and renting. The form of this seems to be pieced together because the photos were taken by someone and some of the photos were re-created with text inserted in. The audio kind of ties the video together so that you are not just looking at pictures and text. I like the fact that they took and used their own photos which worked very well but I am not sure why they go back and fourth with the pictures from the left to right. A tip that I picked up was to use your own material and not "borrow" and photos.

In the poem called "Everything Sleeps but the Night" the subject of this poem is to show that there are still things going on during the night that people don't see. The form of this piece is interesting because it really doesn't have a story it just looking like a video that was put together. The audio kind of ties the video together because there is no text just pictures. I like the fact that they chose something different that is not as common which worked very well but I am curious why they didn't want to include any text. A tip that I picked up was that you don't have to always use text to tie in with the text.






In the poem called "First Grade Activist" the subject of this poem is about someone's friend that is being teased for being a redhead. The form of this piece is interesting because it reminds you of a story with the text on the left and the video playing on the right that goes along. The audio kind of ties the video together because there it is like an audio book/story. I like the fact that they chose  to do a story theme which worked very well but the text does go fast for reader's to read. A tip that I picked up was that you should do a trial run first before you publish so you can see or adjust the text so that the reader has time to read the words.

Imaginary World Video Reflection

The story I chose to write about is called "Lick the Star". The plot was interesting to me because there are four girls that come up with a plan to weaken the boys at their school. The plant they come up with is to poison them slowly through the school lunches.

Kate, the main character, returns to school after being in the hospital for a few days and finds out that Chloe is trying to take her place with Kate's friends and obviously Kate is jealous just like most girls until they talk on the phone and Kate puts Chloe back in her place where she belongs.

I think that in 1998 it is funny how things have changed so much since then and how I remember 7th grade. We all had our specific friends and the different categories but everyone has to put their own thought on things and judge beforehand. I honestly feel bad for when my children go to school because it keeps getting worse and worse.

Podcast

During the process of making or creating this podcast was that I honestly was not a fan of podcasts and I still don't really like them but this is my best shot at creating my own and it is called "Young Adventurers". My inspiration came from my previous post about the three podcasts I listened too to get inspired about telling a traveling story. I came up with this idea when I listened to a podcast talking about Florida, so I decided to talk about Highway 1 in California.

The form and content work together in this podcast because this can help people planning on maybe traveling on Highway 1 and good places to see that we experienced while we were out there. This is also good for a younger couple traveling together, we honestly just bought the flight tickets and everything else was just what we seen we stopped and it ended up having a great time and worked out better than having a specific time schedule.

This process was definitely interesting because I don't like the sound of my own voice and I wasn't sure what voice recording software to use and how it would turn out. The most challenging part about this was trying to edit the recording and adding background music to and completely failed at it.

Podcasts are a unique way about storytelling because it is easy to listen to while driving since we spend majority of our time driving to school, work, vacation, etc. Depending on the content you can get people to want to listen to more of your content whether it be political, personal, documentary, etc. 

Soundtrack's in MY Imaginary World

As we go throughout the weeks we have Instagram posts to do as well and last week I did one on what my imaginary world would sound like. I mostly listen to country music so I listen to Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, Jon Langston, The Chainsmokers, and Carrie Underwood just to name a few of my top favorites.

We all like to listen to music that goes with our mood whether it is a good, sad, stressed or angry mood we have music to turn to or at least that is what I like to do. Most of the country songs now have to deal with good times and relationships (whether good or bad) and I can relate. I would have to say my number one song I like to listen to now is "Heaven" by Kane Brown because to me it is about living in the moment instead of what is going to happen in the future.
   

Podcast Reflections

"Zero to Travel" is the first podcast that I was interested in after listening to an episode called "Start a Travel Event Photography Business". The subject matter in this particular podcast is how a guy

started his own event travel business and has grown since then because he has his own unique way of taking photos and word of mouth travels fast. The information/audio was obtained by a question and answer sit down and the guy basically just told his own personal story like in a studio. This podcast worked well because they were in a quiet studio without any background noise and they start out from the very beginning (amateur). He says that this is a "passion Not work" and "if you love what you do you will never work a day in your life". I like the fact that there is a brief introduction and explains what is going to be talked about.

"Travel to Southern Florida" is the second podcast that I was interested in after listening to an episode called "Miami, The Everglades, The Florida Keys, Key West". The subject matter in this particular podcast is how a guy flew down to Orlando and then drove down to Miami and talked about the shuttle services and restaurants. How you can adopt a bird from the Everglades. The information/ audio was obtained by a question and answer sit down and the guy basically just told his own personal story like in a studio. This podcast worked well because they were in a quiet studio without any background noise and was telling their own personal story about when they went to southern Florida which was cool and I remember some of the places that I went to as well so I can relate. I like the fact that they both use very descriptive details when describing Southern Florida that I can picture that I am there with them.

"Travel Tales" is the third podcast that I was interested in after listening to an episode called "Happy Camper Wives". The subject matter in this particular podcast is how a guy. The information/ audio

was obtained by a question and answer sit down in the guys room on a cruise and the guy asked these women about their stories. So these two women literally sold everything bought a camper and hit the road. This podcast worked well because they were in a quiet studio without any background noise and was telling their own personal story about when they started in California went the whole way East, down South and across and also up into Canada. I like the fact that they weren't afraid and overcame challenges when they basically picked up and went to travel. I would love to work a few years and then travel like they have all across the country and stay in the state parks.

Photo Essay Reflection

“An Adventure Love Story”

I came up with the idea to write about how my boyfriend (Justin) and I ended up meeting and all the small and big adventures that we have had the opportunity to do together which include places in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wyoming, and California. We both love most of the same things which is hard to find. We love to be outdoors as much as we can in the summertime and wintertime. Most of the activities we do is hiking, kayaking, snowboarding, mountain biking, camping, fishing, and just spending time together.  

The form and content work together because it is in a specific order over the period of time that we have been together and the photos that I take show the beauty of the outdoors and how two people can really connect with one another. I chose to do it in this specific order because I wanted to share some of the places that we went to that I personally like the best and are my favorite and show our journey as we continue to explore more and more places together.

Creating this photo essay was fun because it is a way of showing our story together and how much fun we can have together without technology 24/7. Not many people have the opportunity to travel and go different places and I just want to share with those people who may not have the time or resources to do so. The only part I found challenging was which photos to choose to put into my photo essay because I love to take multiple pictures and angles of the landscape or setting so finding that right one is hard. I overcame this challenge by asking Justin’s opinion on which photos he liked the best as well and working together to tell our story and making suggestions.

Some of the artistic choices that I made while constructing this project was most of the photos I took using my phone and used and app called Aviary to edit them and really bring out the colors. I honestly think I take better photos on my phone than my boyfriend’s good Nikon camera, but I haven’t had the time to play with the settings and use any photo editing apps on my laptop. I choose to use Google Slides for my photo essay because I like the layout that makes it look like a picture book with a brief but detailed description and because most of the other technology is used on MAC and I am not familiar enough with it and I personally have windows on my laptop.

This kind of storytelling is unique because a photo can really show or tell someone’s story and you can really connect on a personal level even with a very short description to explain the photo. Most people wouldn’t think of this way to tell a story because it is not the traditional “book” to be published into a story. The advantages this medium does offer is a different way of how images and their relationships can tell a story without typing out a traditional 100+ page “book” like I mentioned earlier. There are many advantages to doing it this way and one is the access that many people online would have to share from person to person whether it be on a Blog, Instagram, or Facebook page.

I learned that there are many ways to create a photo essay that I have never known before and that hopefully my story can be influential to someone else who may not have a boyfriend or girlfriend or someone who doesn’t have the time to enjoy the outdoors. I want people to realize to appreciate the little things no matter how small they are and don’t take that for granted. More and more landmarks and historical places are disappearing because today’s society just doesn’t care anymore. I know many people think graffiti as a bad or negative thing and I do think there is a time and place for it like in the picture of the rocks, that isn’t hurting anything, and it adds color and uniqueness and some of the artwork of the paint is beautiful. Now unless you are doing a mural, painting on buildings and in popular places is where it is a bad thing.  

If you would like to hear more about “our story” about how we first meet and more details about the places mentioned you can click this link to read more and I hope you enjoyed “Our Story”.       

Photos

These photos are just a couple I chose to use for my photo essay that I took that I think have a lot of meaning behind them. I am excited to explain my story more in depth. I love photography and hope you enjoy my photos as well.

Photo Essay Story-line

For my photo essay I am considering doing a nonfiction story about a couple (Justin and I) who meet through some friends who love the outdoors and love to travel. Our love story began at a local ski resort while we were snowboarding and have since traveled all around locally and throughout the United States. Our story is truly one of a kind because not many people can or have an opportunity to do so which we are very grateful.

Another nonfiction story I am considering doing is the "Path of the Johnstown Flood". I chose this as another possible story because this effected a lot of people and I has an interesting story to tell if you have never heard it before and it is about 15 minutes away from where I live. During my day off I learned a lot from exploring the trails on both sides of the dam.

"You are about to Enter..."

"You are about to enter..."my two favorite imaginary world's where anything can happen and where great memories are made. I am a very outdoorsy kind of person and in the summer I love to be outside hiking, biking, kayaking and many more and in the winter I still try to get outside and be in the snow playing with my dog, riding my side by side, or snowboarding. With that said I have been too two places that I absolutely love.

The first place you are about to enter is one of the top 3 beaches in the United States which is Siesta Key Beach in Florida. This beach is so beautiful with clean white sand that is cool to your skins touch and is so soft and fine like powdered sugar. I could walk for hours along the beach looking for seashells and also sand dollars and this place is also unique because it also has sand bars that you can walk out on. The sunsets are just gorgeous with all the colors and the beach setting with the waves.

The second place you are about to enter is one of the top 3 ski resorts in the United States which is Jackson Hole in Wyoming. This mountain is so beautiful and big I honestly can not believe that I had the opportunity to snowboard here. You stand at the bottom of the resort and look up and you can't see to the top because the mountain is so tall. The main tram took us to the very top which is at 10,450ft and we took the longest way down which is 4.5 miles long! Just to be that high up and the beautiful landscape that surrounded us was amazing.
      

Database Profile

Hello, my name is Lexi and I have lived in this area all my life and I am a Senior MultiMedia and Digital Cultures Major. I am going to share some things about me so that you can understand what my interests and likes are to get to know "ME" better.


I love to watch movies especially one based from books that where then turned into movies like: The Lucky One, Safe Haven, Marley & Me, and the Notebook. I have all of these movies basically memorized but I have not had the time to actually read any of the books besides The Lucky One because of my school and work schedule.

Like most people I love to listen to music while I am doing things or driving in the car so some of the artists I like to listen to include: Florida  Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, and The Chainsmokers. I went to see Florida Georgia Line in concert at Hines Stadium in Pittsburgh in 2016. I have seen Jason Aldean twice in concert now once at the Bryce Jordan Center and most recently at the Keybank Pavilion outside of Pittsburgh. Kane Brown I seen this year at the Clearfield County Fair and he was absolutely AMAZING! Luke Combs performed right before Jason Aldean at the Keybank Pavilion. I personally would rather listen to a concert outside as long as it isn't raining.