Mass Comm: Anti Smoking Contest Info & Ideas

 


All mass communications students please go to the: 84's RESOURCES PAGE  
for facts that you will use in your videos, ideas, and examples from other students.
Make sure your ideas stick within these three categories outlined on the website:
http://www.the84.org/filmshorts2010
In Google docs please start writing your ideas for your 30 second shorts.
You will be presenting your idea to the class on Thursday.


How this project breaks down with grading.


Idea Proposal on Google Docs: 10%
Presentation about idea: 10%
Storyboard of idea: 20%
Shooting/Editing: 30%
Final Video, overall: 30%

This project will be your first semester grade of term 2.
Due, before break on Dec 23rd.

Life

Life.com

I think that this type of blogging is very interesting because it captures the audience in a different way than your typical blog does. I personally don't like to read when its unnecessary so for me to read an article so it's not fun for me to do but looking at pictures is okay. I would much rather look at a bunch of pictures with little captions then read an entire blog to get the same point across.  In this website it shows many different pictures that capture important images and if you find a particular image interesting then you can click on it and some of them will have more written about it or more pictures. When you first go to the website it shows the top images of the week and I find that much more interesting that just one story. The picture on the left is a Chimpanzee that is settling into Sydney's Taronga Zoo temporary Chimpanzee exhibit. The top photo section just has 19 different photos for 19 different topics so that way I can briefly learn about many topics than just one. 

John Daly

The man in the picture to the left is a golfer named John Daly. They show a bunch of different photos of him at different golf outings and the crazy pants he wears. It doesn't talk much about him as a player it mostly just shows his wacky pants. Some of the pants are kinda cool but the majority of them are just weird.

-Ben Sampson

A picture REALLY is worth at thousand words.

I do not care how cliche the above title is, it's completely valid, and has been proven by exploring several blogs this morning. By looking at photography, you can discover so much about people and the environments and cultures they come from, and the experiences they have to endure. 

One blog that really catches my attention is The Big Picture and its "article" on the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster in India. Twenty-five years ago on Dec. 3, 1984, water entered a tank at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India. That water reacted with the methyl isocyanate inside, raising temperature and pressure so high that it began to vent enormous amounts of gas composed of methyl isocyanate, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide and more. The poisonous gas infected neighborhoods near the boundary wall, disrupting residents with burning throats and eyes, killing about 4,000 people only within the first few hours. Over the next few years, the lingering effects increased that toll to about 15,000 dead. 25 years later thousands of people are still struggling with the effects of the world's worst industrial accident and the continued effects of the VERY TOXIC pollution. Union Carbide was bought by Dow Chemical in 2001, and Dow seems to think the legal case was resolved in 1989, with responsibility for continued cleanup now falling to the local state government. Viewing these photographs, it is very obvious that matters are nowhere close to being resolved.
------------------------

Do you ever feel like you were born during the wrong era? Well, I've been thinking that since I listened to my first Jimi Hendrix song, and while feeling so connected to his soulful music, I also felt a little sad that I would never have the opportunity to experience artists like him, Clearance Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, and other 60s psychedelic and folk artists first hand. I know with all of my heart, that if I were alive during the time Woodstock came to be, I would go. However, when I look at various photos of the event, I almost feel as though I was there. I discovered a pretty cool blog that shows some of the performances at Woodstock. Check out these pics!

The Wall Street Journal

Photo Journal

This photojournalism blog  is composed of a variety of pictures expressing a wide range of emotions. From flooded farm land to a captivating picture from space, this journal has many interesting photos from around the world showing different cultures and personalities of people. The pictures in this journal are of a very high quality which is why it caught my attention, photos of art and sports are depicted from strong view points which make this journal different from others. The only reading involved are short captions of the photos which, in my opinion, is better because long blogs about from one individuals opinion can be uninteresting and boring. These pictures allow the viewer to create a mental story to go along with each photo.

Click Here For The Link

Verve Photo

(click above for the link)

This photo blog interest me mainly because of how they describe each picture. Instead of posing a random photo with no indication of where and when it was taken, this website tells where the photo takes place, what the message of the picture is, and even the photographers reason for taking the picture. This blog provides information on the photographers of each picture and describes their experience while taking the picture. For example one picture was taken at a pharmacy in Mexico and the photographer described the situation with people illegally bringing prescription drugs to the U.S. and also about her experience crossing the border and what she learned while there. The description of the photos is what makes this blog stand out among others.

-Eric Dupuis

Photo Journalists Site

The blog JPG is a blog on the New York Times website that sets up "photo challenges" that people can participate in. One challenge that really caught my eye is called "FRIGHTMARE" people have to take pictures of scary things and publish them on this blog. I find this blog cool because you are able to show creativity and organization in the pictures you take. For example, in the "Orange" challenge, the pictures the people posted show a lot of creativity in how they show orange in the picture. You could do any amount of things with the color orange.

Click Here for Link

Another blog that caught my attention is was "The Big Picture." This Blog used giant or close up pictures to show the detail in the picture, that could be for fun, or to put across a message. A lot of these photos are very unique and cool.

"Nazroo, a mahout (elephant driver), poses for a portrait while taking his elephant, Rajan, out for a swim in front of Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands. Rajan is one of the few elephants in Havelock that can swim, so when he is not dragging timber in the forest he is used as a tourist attraction. The relationship between the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives, creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human being. (Photo and caption by Cesare Naldi)"

The National Geographic photoblog is very useful, because instead of focusing on a specific subject, it focuses on many and has different sections. The quality of the pictures is really good and they are usually very moving. The one thing that I do not like about it is that some of the pictures have a long text, basically ruining the idea of a photoblog. When there is too much text, it looks like it is more of an article in a newspaper. The National Geographic photoblog is so culturally diverse that you can almost find any place in the world and find the climate and common life. 

The second photoblog follows the story of one American soldier as he goes through stages of his life, from graduating high school and going to Iraq to coming back to his family. These pictures are very emotional and capture the viewer's attention very easily. One of the best things about the blog is that it is very focused on one subject and it feels as though the viewer  is present at the specific instance. In my opinion, the best way to tell a story is through someone who has actually experienced the horrors of war, especially the war that is going on right now, because the public is virtually uninformed about it. I just wish that there were more blogs like this one and that more people knew about it. Also, I not sure about the person who came up with this idea and whether the money for it is provided by an organization or a specific person.

Visit the American Soldier blog

I do not have a favorite Thanksgiving memory. I do however like Turkey. 

Did you Know: The wild turkey is native to Northern Mexico and the Eastern United States.

Turkeys lived in North America almost ten million years ago .

The turkey was domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.

Adult turkeys can have 3,500 feathers. Most turkey feathers are composted. Feathers are spread out on fields, then plowed under in the spring. The feathers decompose and fertilize the soil.

-Ryan McDermott

In my country we do not celebrate Thanksgiving, and even though I think that it is a good way to get together with your family, I do not agree with the fact that 5.32 million turkeys are killed each year because of Thanksgiving.  Here are some facts about Thanksgiving yo can find on wikipedia and other sites:

Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard."

Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

The first Thanksgiving was not a feast, but rather a time when Native Americans helped Pilgrims by bringing them food and helping them build off the land.

Here are some videos about Thanksgiving:

THANKGIVING!

THANKSGIVING

by Emily Morad

I do not like the actual holiday of Thanksgiving, however I do love the gathering of family. Every year since I can remember, I have been celebrating Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family, and look forward to that time I spend with them every year. I never liked turkey, and now I have an excuse not to eat it, because I'm a vegetarian. However, I enjoy all of the delicious sides like sweet potatoes, and potatoes, and all of those other amazing things.

The reason why I do not like the holiday of Thanksgiving, is because during this time period when the first Thanksgiving came to be,  in 1621, the Pilgrims were destroying the Wampanoags' way of life. They would rape their women, take their goods, and they would try to "domesticate" their "savagely" ways. It was NOT in any way the Native Americans and Pilgrims living happily ever after. On this holiday, we should all take a moment of silence for the Native Americans who died during the destruction of their land. 

On a lighter note, I think that we should thank our friends and family for what they give to us everyday, because without their love and support life would be very difficult. That is what Thanksgiving should celebrate.

One funny memory I have of Thanksgiving, is two years ago, when about 20 of us were all around a huge table, and I reached for something on the table, and as I sat down the chair fell out from under me, and I fell on my butt. It was hilarious.

Here is a Video!

THANKSGIVING!!!!!

I like Thanksgiving because you get to eat a but load of food then watch some football, eat pie then go to bed. I remember one year on Thanksgiving I ate a lot of turkey and other Thanksgiving type foods then I ate some pie watched some football then went to bed. Thanksgiving is fun!!! Did you know that Thanksgiving is on November 26th this year. Also in the United States Thanksgiving is on the 4th Thursday of November and in Canada it's on the 2nd Monday in October

much love

-Ben Sampson

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving for me has always been a time to pig out on some delicious home cooked food from my wonderful mother. I remember one year I ate a good amount of turkey and hen watched some football with my family, that was a good year.

QUICK FACT: 535 million pounds of turkey is consumed in the U.S. every year

  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving

One memories I have from Thanksgiving is going on our trip to Vermont every year.  We'd always leave after the thanksgiving Football game and arrive at my grandmothers house in Vermont around lunch time.  We always ate around 3:00 and watch the Macy's Day parade that they taped for us.  Thanksgiving is a good time to get together with your family and eat good food.

Here is a Video from MADtv :

Did you know:

The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. 

The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land. 

The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817. 

The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's. 

Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States. 

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. 
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. 

In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.

-Julia P

PSA IDEAS AND SCRIPTS

PSA PARTNERS:
Camilla & Dan
Melissa & Vanessa
Oliva & Margy
Jamie & Laura
Joe & Matt

In a GOOGLE doc please have the following
1. An idea and description for your HUMAN RIGHTS PSA
2. An idea and description for your NON-PROFIT PSA
3. SPOOF PSA (if time permits)

* You'll need to do internet research to look up non-profits in Mass and/or the United States--the non-profit must be legit and active.
* Descriptions must be at least a paragraph long--How does it start and end? What are some of the shots/footage that you'll use? TRY TO BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE,
 Go to Youth For Human Rights, if you forgot what some of the Human Right.

BE PREPARE TO PRESENT YOUR IDEAS ON MONDAY AND SHOW ME YOUR SCRIPTS.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!! MS V

PSA's

A PSA, or a Public Service Announcement is a way to get a certain message to the public and give information about the subject. It is used to raise awareness about a certain problem so the community can do something about it. PSA's are broadcasted throughout the internet and television. They are used to communicate with everyone throughout a certain area which means they relate to mass communications.

Here is a funny Spoof PSA I found on the Internet

Caution: Do not watch video if easily offended by 2 swears

A Funny Video that you should watch

- Ryan McDermott

A PSA or, public service announcement, is a short commercial informing the public about an issue, usually about healthcare or safety. Lasting only 30 seconds the purpose is to inform the public and their attention to a specific issue. Many charitable associations post PSA's to inform a mass audience about their cause.

-Eric Dupuis

PSA

Public Service Announcement, or PSA is an advertisement that was made by the government or a non profit organization that is focused on getting the attention of the public for a specific cause. It came into being with the beginning of WWII for the promotion of war effort. Often times this includes health and environment issues like the Red Cross blood donations and weather announcements. In order to diversify and attract a larger audience many PSA's use celebrities who support their cause. For more information follow this link:http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

View some examples of PSA below:

Public Service Announcement

A PSA or public service announcement is an advertisement or announcement on public radio and or television for the general public. You will see many PSA's a day and just not think about it but they are all around you. PSA's are letting people know about a certain issue and it is informing them about it.

click here for a link to PSA, 

and another one 

and another one

much love

-Ben Sampson

What is PSA?

What is a PSA? A PSA (public service announcement) is "a short film or video recording presented by a nonprofit organization which attempts to persuade the audience to take some specific action or adopt a favorable view towards some service, institution, issue, or cause" according to www.itsmarc.com. PSA's are used to get the work out about certain issues or events going on in a certain area.  PSA's are are good example of Mass Communication.  Its also a good way to raise awareness because a lot of people watch TV.

Here is an example of a PSA.

by Julia Patsios

2 Million Minutes

2 Million Minutes is a powerful film that explain how other countries such as China and India are going to beat out the U.S. in education and eventually take the jobs of U.S. Citizens. In China and India Math and Science are a big deal where as in the U.S. we are ranked 24th for how smart students are in theses subjects. If Students in China and India go to school for almost 10 hours a day while in our country, kids go only around 6 hours a day and stop studying after the bell rings. This is a wake up call for people in the U.S. to study harder so their jobs don' get taken from highly educated immigrants. 

 

-Ryan McDermott

2 Million Minutes

The documentary 2 Million Minutes provides insight on the global competition that the U.S faces in science and math related job fields. It shows how hard working countries like China are to become successful engineers while the majority of American students have little interest in achieving the most that they can. Students in India spend most of their free time studying or in school in hope to gain an advantage over the rest of the world when trying to get a job or get into a good college. American students would rather have fun while they can and do enough to get by with average grades than set high goals and achieve them. I think that the U.S is going to be far behind other countries in terms of educated engineers and doctors because we take our education resources for granted. Although it is important to study and get good grades I feel that the amount of work that students in China and India apply is too overwhelming. Teenagers shouldn't be cooped up inside studying all day, they should have time for fun and enjoy themselves because life isn't all about getting a good job and becoming rich, I would rather enjoy my life than do homework and study all day just so I can make more money when I graduate college.

-Eric Dupuis

2 Million Minutes

Watching 2 Million Minutes made me realize that Education in the US is much lower then I had though.  Compared to other countries like India and China education in the US needs to be improved.  People from India and China are coming over to America and applying for Jobs that Americans are applying for, making it a competition.  With the education you get in China and India they have a better chance of getting the jobs.  How are American Children supposed to control what they learn in school?  In the video they say that the US is raked #24 in Mathematics, there for we have a large disadvantage when we graduate College and start looking for jobs.  Because of this the government needs to re look our curriculum and teach us at the same levels that other kids are taught at.  If I was raised in China and went to their schools until my freshman year and came back to the US to finish high school I would know a lot more then the kids in my grade, and would probably be at a 11th grade level as a freshman.  Overall the video was educational and it made me think about why education means to other kids around the world and that most kids in America just take advantage of the education that they are given.  

By Julia Patsios

2 Million Minutes

              "2 Million Minutes" is a documentary that explores education and it's importance to different countries. It is based on the stories of six students coming from China, India, and America. "2 Million Minutes" demonstrates how these kids have different ideals and values for their education. The girl from America said that even though education is important to her, her parents raised her to also be sociable, while the boy from India said that his parents insist that he focus on education. I thought it was interesting that even though they worked much harder, the kids from India and China still did not get into the universities they wanted, whereas the American kids got scholarships at good universities. This might be one of the many reasons why America is so international, because it is viewed as having many opportunities and not as much competition. 

Go to their website on:http://www.2mminutes.com/

UMASS Boston & Boston Globe Media Matters Conference

The event at the university was the "Media Matters" where students from different schools took lectures on journalism. My first one was on Sports and Entertainment Broadcasting. Most of it was on learning to host your own show and being a correct reporter, meaning that intonation and improvisation are a huge part of it. However, I was more interested in my second class that was called Investigative Journalism. I could relate to it more because the lecturer talked not only about theory, but actual investigations. There are many websites that can be used for investigations and these will help your story. In general, it was very interesting and included many students coming from other places.

Reality Show

If you could make a reality show about your life, what would it be about?

Ms V and the Pats!

PLEASE WORK ON YOUR POWERPOINT AND EDUCATION VIDEO!!

The POWER POINT & EDUCATION VIDEO FINAL

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL STUDENTS KNOW THAT IN ORDER FOR THEIR EDUCATION VIDEOS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE NATIONAL COMPETITION THEY MUST BE DONE BY THIS FRIDAY!! SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSING EARLIER THAN I EXPECTED. AHHHHHHHH!

THAT MEANS SOME OF YOU WILL HAVE TO COME TO THE LAB AFTER SCHOOL IF YOU WANT YOUR VIDEOS IN THE COMPETITION IF YOU ARE NOT DONE. YOU CAN ALSO WORK ON IT FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL--I WILL BE THERE TO HELP! 
ALL SUBMISSION MUST BE THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL YOUTUBE ACCOUNT. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE THEN MAKE ONE!



HERE IS THE INFO FOR THE POWER POINT ASSIGNMENT:

* These will be part of your final grade for this quarter so make these good!
STEPS TO MAKING AN AWESOME POWERPOINT: YOU HAVE 3 LAB DAYS TO WORK ON IT!!! CHECK SCHEDULE.
1) Gather information in GOOGLE DOCS (provide links and references otherwise it is plagiarism)
2) Gather Pictures, videos, and Links (hyperlinks for references)
3) Put it all together in your Powerpoint
4) Practice what you will say for your presentation.

TOPICS: MASS COMM I
Ben: Music: Regge Evolution
Eric: Music Rock: Evolution
Ryan: Music: Rap Evoulution
Julia: Social Networking
Emily: Social Networking
Dina: New Journalism vs. Old
SaDaryl: Sports Broadcasting: Radio, TV, and Magazines

TOPICS: MASS COMM II
Matt: Audio Streaming: Pandora Radio
Dan: Video Streaming: Youtube
Laura: Social Networking
Vanessa: Hello Kitty Empire
Margy: History of Radio
Melissa: History of TV
Oliva: History of Filmmaking
Joe: Evolution of social networking

If you need more help making your Powerpoint here are some resources:
GOOGLE: HOW TO MAKE A POWERPOINT
How to make hyperlinks in Powerpoint
How NOT to use Powerpoint

Good Luck! Ms.V

THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENTS

MASS COMM I
Day7: Tues Oct 27th: First Grade Education Video

Day1: Wed Oct 28th: LAB --Start Power Point
Day 2-no class
Day 3: Friday Oct 30 Friday--EducationVideo Re-edits
Day 4: Monday Nov 2 LAB: Continue Working on Power Point
Day 5: Wednesday Nov 4: Final Education Videos-Edit

Day 6: Thurs. Nov 5 LAB: Final Power Points-Send to Ms. V
Day 7: Friday Nov 6:Watch Education Videos ( Final Grade)


MASS COMM II
Day7: Tues Oct 27th: First Grade Education Video 

Day1: Wed Oct 28th: LAB --Start Power Point
Day 2: Thursday Oct 29 LAB--Work on Power Point
Day 3: Friday Oct 30th--Education Video Re-Edits
Day 4-no class

Day 5: Wednesday Nov 4:Re-Edits & Exports

Day 6: Thurs. Nov 5 LAB: Finish Power Points, send to Ms. V
Day 7: Friday Nov 6: Watch all Education Videos (Final Grade)

Power Points will be graded and need to be send to Ms. V on Thursday Nov. 5th e-mail: msventurawhs@gmail.com

I'm Beautiful

It's funny how comedians' jokes always come full circle. A few words in the beginning of the act that are slipped in here and there. Maybe, I dunno, a poem by Langston Hughes. How that no matter what anyone says to us, we're still here. And I think too many people take that for granted. I remember at one point during Dr. Mykee's presentation where we all laughed at Hector being called a taco. That's just as bad as calling him a taco, just like Furious laughed at his buddy Rick's joke. There are Hectors and Keishas out there; people who are the butt of jokes. I think that more than one person was inspired by our assembly today. I know I was.

Educational Video Rubric: Due Oct 27th

ALL VIDEOS ARE DUE TUES OCTOBER 27TH


A: SUPER AWESOME PROJECT:
Good Attendance
Always on time—less then 2 Tardies
Voice over or video
Images correspond to voice over or video
Transitions
Text
Music
Youtube videos
Great Effort

B: Because you are Trying!
Voice over or video
Images correspond to voice over or video
Transitions
Text integration
Music
Youtube
Fair Effort


C: Can’t hurt to try harder
Bad Attendance
Lots of Tardies
Voice over
Images barely correspond
Poor Effort

D: Did you even try?
Everything in C….plus

F: Frankly, you are wasting space.
Terrible Effort
Do you have a pulse?

Pecha Kucha is a presentation format developed by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. This program was created so that young designers could interact, network, and show their work to one another. Their event, called, Pecha Kucha Night, is spread throughout the world, and is in over 170 cities.

What is Petcha Kutcha? Why is it important form of mass communications?

Invisible Children and Mass Media

Mass communications is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. It is usually understood to relate to newspaper and magazine publishing, radio, television and film, as these are used both for disseminating news and for advertising (Wikipedia).




The website for Invisible Children has many techniques through which information is distributed to the viewer. There are many videos, live chats, and constant new uploads and news, which ensure a broad audience. The filmmakers elicit  an emotional response by making their videos full of pity and fear for the Anacholi children who are massacred and abducted in Uganda, and fear over what the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) will do in the future. The combination of these elements gives the audience a sense of urgency, prompting them to sign up with the organization or helping by donating 3 dollars a week,  joining the "Schools for Schools" program, and signing the petition for Joseph Koney's arrest.
In addition, the movie "The Rescue" shows how people in America, New Zealnd, Scotland, and other countries (a total of about a hundred cities) all join to protest Africa's longest lasting war by getting "abducted." The most important idea is that even though most of the people who protested had never been in Africa, the power of mass communication encouraged them to gather and protest a cause. When they were in Unganda the creators of the Invisible Children created videos that were very powerful and later on got attention by creating a movie.
By choosing celebrities to resuse the "abducted" participants is  a very smart way to attract the world news, because they are so high profile. The abducted gathered at Harpo Studios and Oprah responded, thus attracting a huge audience.

In my opinion, one of the most effective ways to protect the children in Uganda is to create a permanent news agency that reports on all the children who are abducted and organize a union of countries in support of the children of Africa. This union can have meetings and the countries' representatives will decide how to improve the current situation.

Matt's Media Midterm

Invisible Children, like other NGOs, would be nothing without support. One of the most efficient and fastest ways to gain this support is through the spread of mass media and communication. Almost half of their website is dedicated to media and news about the organization. The one video on the website that struck me was the Roadie Application video. This message the video sent was  something like "hey you, here's what I'm doing to make a change, and you can do the same thing." The roadie video was an invitation to join the movement to end Joseph Kony's child soldiers, and it was all a piece of the mass of communication coming from Invisible Children.

The amount of media that Invisible Children used in their documentary of "Rescue Me" was also amazing. They branched out to local news stations to spread the word - that in itself is mass media! On top of that, they got moguls from various cities to increase awareness and in the world. They even got Oprah, one of the most influential women in the world, to put in a good word. The traveling buses of Rescue Riders was another form of mass communication, even if media was not directly involved. The coming together of these 100 cities and 100,000 people really demonstrates the power of mass communications through social networking sites.

But as we all know, more can be done to help the cause. Invisible Children is working on a project now, to get a bill passed by Congress, that would end Joseph Kony's reign in Uganda. They need to rally support for this bill so it can be sent through the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to arrive on President Obama's desk. We all have to share our voices through mass communication and media, and together, we can make a difference. Together, we are free.

Mass Comm and Invisible Children

The Invisible Children Organization applies various forms of mass media to raise awareness about the tragedy in Uganda. According to dictionary.com, mass media is defined as "A means of public communication reaching a large audience." This organization uses video, television, websites, public protest, along with other means of communication to get their message out to a wide range of people throughout the world. The members of Invisible Children are experts in how to quickly and effectively get information about their cause available to the world to view.

They use Video, whether it be a movie or clip on YouTube, to capture the attention of viewers around the world to rapidly send information to multiple viewers at once. They travel around to schools and other events showing their movie to large audiences so they can spread their message to people who may not be able to go online and look up the information or to people who have not heard about this cause before. In my own experience I had very little knowledge about what this organization was until representatives showed me and my school the video they had made which made realize what a good cause it was based on first hand footage and facts about what was happening to the children of Uganda. The website is also a form of mass-communications because it provides specific information and facts to anyone who views the website and since the website is available at any time a large audience is able to learn about what the Invisible Children's cause is.

The rally that Invisible Children members came up with called The Rescue is also a form of mass-communication. This event took place in cities around the world where supporters of the Invisible Children organization slept outside in public parks until it was covered by a news station and a well known celebrity or "Mogul" as they called them, publicly spoke on behalf of the organization to help raise awareness. This was a very effective form of mass media because they were able to get Senators and celebrities such as Oprah, to speak publicly and raise awareness on national television, and for the politicians involved, were able to make a bill that went to congress. The Invisible Children organization heavily relies on mass-communications to send their message to the world because it is a non-profit organization and they need to find the most efficient way to contact a large audience.

By: Eric Dupuis

Invisible Children Use Mass Communication to Promote Their Cause

Invisible Children is a non-profit organization created by three young filmmakers who traveled to Africa in search of a story and found a great tragedy. Their mission now is to get the United States government to intervene in Northern Uganda, stop the fighting, and save Joseph Kony's child soldiers. This organization utilizes many different forms of mass communication to get the word out about their mostly unknown cause. They attempt to reach as many people as possible through the use of various forms of multi media, which range from their widely used Twitter Page to the documentary they created.
In addition to spreading the word through their Facebook Group, Invisible Children send representatives to communities and schools across the country. These representatives show parts of the great documentary about the ongoing war in Uganda and what Invisible Children (IC) hopes to do about it. The creators of IC really know how to use movies to inspire people. Their films are professionally made, powerful, moving, funny, well edited and exciting. Also, they sell t-shirts and wrist bands as a way to advertise themselves even further.
IC has an amazing, well organized, and highly graphic intensive web-site that really invites one in and is easy to navigate. It has many videos that are a fun way to learn about how you can get involved in this exciting group. They also have their own music which is on sale on itunes and have formed many strong partnerships such as the one explained in the video below.





The organization also holds many events to raise awareness. One such event was called The Rescue which was held on April 25, 2009. It consisted of "85,000 activists who gathered in 100 cities across 10 countries to “abduct themselves for the abducted” and stand in solidarity with the child soldiers. Participants wrote letters to their elected officials and rallied for a political or cultural figure to come and “RESCUE” them by making a public statement on behalf of the child soldiers. The story was covered by over 40 international media outlets, including CNN International, The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV, E! News, and the Huffington Post. (wikipedia.com)" This event would not have been possible without excellent handling of mass communication. The organizers used twitter, their cell phones, and email to constantly stay in contact and informed on the situation. 
IC does such a good job of using mass communication that I can't think of a whole lot more that they could do. They should definitely try to get more press in things like magazines and more spots on television so that older people who are less inclined to use the internet can still learn of their cause. In addition I think it would be good if some of the schools that IC got involved had their own IC Blog. I am in WHS's Invisible Children Club and have already talked to Mr. Buck about creating our own blog to keep track of our school's individual accomplishments. I think the more there is about this group out on the web, the better. 

Invisible Children Raises the Bar for Mass Media.

Invisible Children is a movement to get the United States government to stop the killing in Northern Uganda 

and the rescue of Joseph Kony's child soldiers. The amazing aspect of this non-profit organization is how they organize

people and rally support for their cause. The first step that Invisible Children (IC for short) takes is to get the message

across of what they everyday people like you and I to do. This is accomplished through groups on Facebook and Twitter

feeds and visits to schools and communities. 

After people are aware of such a cause, they want to know why they should

support it. This is where the powerful footage and narrative of the IC videos come in. The videos such as this one are

excellent ways of conveying the raw emotion and sadness of the situation in Uganda. Once people are on board and

supporting IC, they sport t-shirts, banners and other paraphernalia that promote the IC cause. This is akin to a type of

advertisement for the cause. The viral spread of such a powerful issue is a perfect example of modern mass media. Free

social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter promote such groups further.

Invisible Children could further their cause and fan base by branching out to other forms of media. As of now, IC is

mainly limited to the Internet. If they could get some time on television as an actual program it would get the message out

to more people, mainly older people who don't use social networking as much as younger folk. Obviously you can't get a TV show
overnight, so perhaps they can start with commercials, TV spots, TV spots during big events (football games) and then specials 
on channels such as History, Discovery and others. 
This would be another excellent way to effectively spread information.

I would like to just comment about the IC project as a whole. In the main video, you see how hopeless it seems at

some points. The project looks like a failure when Oprah fails to come out and address their cause. But the team stands strong and

doesn't give up. I feel that this is an important lesson we can all learn from. I can relate this to my experience rowing and

I'm sure everyone else can relate it to something in their life. If you believe in something, you should never back down or

give up until you truly cannot continue. There is always a chance, and as long as the dream is alive and you believe,

anything is possible (for example, the 2008 IRAs where Cornell walks back and beats Yale, I know I couldn't help but have

another rowing reference so forgive me).

Want to learn more? Click here.

Want to see more videos? Click here.

MASS COMM BLOG “TAKE HOME MIDTERM.” DUE TUES, OCT 13

The Mid-term Assignment is to create an original BLOG posting about how the organization Invisible Children uses mass media & communications to raise awareness about their mission. Be sure to include specific examples from the website and in class videos as well as references to how mass communications is define. Include other resources in your blog, but do not forget to cite—otherwise it is plagiarism!
Finally, provide ideas for new & creative ways for the organization to disseminate information to the public.
DO NOT POST, SAVE AS DRAFT. ONLY THE BEST WILL BE POSTED!
Blog must be at least 3 paragraphs.
Due, Tues Oct 13

INVISIBLE CHILDREN WEBSITE

EDUTOPIA

What is EDUTOPIA?
Find a video, blog, or article and blog about it.
Be sure to answer some of these questions:
Why did you pick this article, blog, or video?
What is the objective and purpose of the material?
What is your opinion?
http://www.edutopia.org/video
We will work on this in class.

Reflection.

In my Intro to Media class I am learning alot, in intro to media im learning to interact with others and learn how to use the internet more.The intro to media class is a fun class so far .It gets kinda difficult at times but im learning to try and step up.When we watch videos and blag at the beggining of class that is my favorite part of the class :)
The into to media class is beggining to be a great class.

How is this music video a form of mass communication?

HOW IS VIDEO A FORM OF MASS COMMUNICATION?
YOU CAN WATCH IT MORE THAN ONCE.

DID YOU KNOW?

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST REACTION TO THIS VIDEO?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR FUTURE?

COMMENT !!!!

Although I joined Ms. V's class late I feel I have learned alot. The class is somewhat fast paced but I pick up on things easily so its a fun challenge. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't a fast learner but if you are then you will have a great time in this class. I also think its really fun using the Macs.....THERE HUGE. This class is also fun because it teaches you how to edit a video that can either come from youtube or even a video made by yourself. Its a good class and if your a fast learner I say you try to get into the class next semester.

My Reflection

In Media class, I've learned a few things. One, the wrong way to turn off a computer. Two, don't ask too many questions about something seemingly obvious (lest people become annoyed). Three, how to blog without making a complete fool of myself, a partial fool will do just fine. And four, try to say on topic, which is difficult for me especially.

Besides that, Media is a very fun class that incourages me and others to connect more via internet. Connecting to the internet can always be fun and you can discover many things that you'd never find in a library book.One example that I like is the inspirational things that are shared, such as this little bunny from the picture above, which would never had come into existence without the connections of the internet and the classes that teach people how to use the internet.

Reflection of The Year So Far

So far in Intro to Media, I've learned many new fascinating things. Some of these chosen things were learning different types of education people have all across the world, the world we live in today and how Obama is influencing it, how to blog, new news going around the world(new york times) and recently we've been learning how to make and edit videos. Of course it's only been a couple weeks but I've defiantly have learned and worked a lot. 

Some activities and lessons I'd like to learn is how to edit and add effects to videos since we've recently been working in that area of technology. This class is defiantly improving my tech savvy talent and opened my eyes to the world we're living in. Since every one in this generation is using computers this is defiantly a good class to know whats going on.

A school in Queens New york called Francis Lewis high school has over 4,000 students. Teachers have been forced to look for any space to cram more bodies. Yet Francis Lewis high school is one of the most popular schools in new york city with 13,000 students applying last year alone. When it rains or snows physical education classes are held inside were they run in the halls. Science classes are held in one tiny room with no ventilation. Despite the harsh condition Francis Lewis has the highest graduation rate in the city with 81% of the students finishing high school. The school so far is doing pretty well with the overwhelming amount of students and sometimes a crowded school has an upside and allows you to meet many people and experience different cultures. 

Here is a link to the article.

Reflections so far.

I have mixed feelings from the first few weeks of class. While it is just my opinion, I feel like this class is off to a slow start. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good class and I understand that not everyone is at the same level of computer efficiency. It is just my 2 cents on the matter. Right about now is when I fear that I am coming off as an elitist snob but I am merely giving my opinion on the matter.

I enjoy learning about educations around the world and while learning Final Cut for a second time is tedious, I do need a refresher in that area. I feel far more comfortable with Sony Vegas and I would prefer to edit my movie in the Vegas program (I have included an embedded video of Sony Vegas at the end of this post). If I could experience something more I would have to say that there isn't anything I'd change at the moment. We haven't even completed our first project in this class yet so it is hard to make any judgement calls as far as that goes. Perhaps we spent a little to much time watching the education video but I feel that I learned a fair amount from that video. 

As I stated earlier, I feel like this class is off to a slow start but I believe it will pick up steam shortly and I have high hopes. As for the video, it is quite old and quite long (I believe it's about 44 minutes long). It is also the video I first used to learn how to edit and I feel that while we're not using Vegas, many of the concepts are the same. 

Cutting Classes... And supplies... And teachers

As Principals face less money for their schools, supplies, teachers, and classes are being cut. Extra curricular classes such as sports, arts, and tutoring are disappearing fast, along with the teachers that run them. And it's not just the teachers that are saddened, it's the students as well.

As shown in the New York Times online article, A New Meaning For Cutting Classes, 36% of the cuts principals made where towards supplies for the school. That means that pencils, paper, and equipment was cut back, which can eventually cripple the school that needs it.

The House of Representatives Expands College Aid

This past week the House of Representatives passed a bill in a 253 to 171 vote to expand federal aid to college students while ending federal subsidies to private lenders. Obama says that by changing to direct federal lending this program will eventually save the country money which could go towards grants for low-income students, new investments in community colleges, early-childhood programs, and other educational efforts. This bill is known as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and is now heading to the Senate. Though it is expected to be passed by the senate many republicans are against this new bill. They liken it to the highly controversial new health care plans and call it an "intrusive government takeover that will erode consumer choice." They say it is all about expanding the federal government, will lose jobs, and that it has many hidden costs. Democrats on the other hand are thrilled by the bill which they say will save money while helping our country to become better educated so that we can compete in today's world.

To read the article on which this blog was based click here