Media Revelation #10

My final media revelation is a result of the script writing we did in class. Until this class, I'd never done any script writing. Though I didn't exactly enjoy the process, it was interesting. I'd never considered how detailed scripts had to be and how much work truly went into them. It must be even more of a process when the script is something original, rather than just an adaptation of something previously made. Commercial scripting was a long enough process; I can't imagine scripting an entire play or movie. However, commercial scripting is an excellent skill to add to my repertoire.

Media Revelation #9

Another of my media revelations comes from chapter 4: Commercials and Announcements. I've recently become very interested in the advertising business so this chapter intrigued me. Though many people are critical of advertising, it is integral to our capitalist economy. I found the advice of Robert Levenson, creative director of DDB, that Hilliard includes in this chapter to be very pertinent. Levenson tells us that effective commercials are ones that make the product interesting rather than the commercial itself. I think this statement should be true of advertising since it's goal is to sell products.

An example of what's been considered the best ad of all time:

Media Revelation #8

My eighth media revelation comes from chapter 3, in which Hilliard discusses how important it is for media writers to keep their writing simple and direct, a point which was also heavily stressed in my print journalism class. From these two classes, I've learned that in today's fast paced world, few people have the time, interest, or investment to sit down and process information that is too difficult or complicated for them to understand. Keeping your writing short, simple, and to the point is the best and most effective way to retain an audience's attention and interest.

Media Revelation #7

My seventh revelation comes from one of Hilliard's statements that we discussed in class. In the final chapter of our book, Hilliard says that creativity is not something that can be learned. When we discussed this statement in class, I was surprised to hear that many people agree with this statement. Though I do believe that creativity can be an elusive trait to many, myself included, I also believe that with the right inspiration and motivation, it can be found, in some form or another, in anyone and be produced into a marketable skill.

Media Revelation #6

My sixth media revelation comes from Hilliard's discussion of radio in chapter 1: Mass Media. Hilliard mentions many times that the only limits to radio are those of the listener's imagination. Until reading this, I'd always thought of radio as a very limited medium. Now, however, I realize that radio has endless amounts of creative freedom with very little restrictions, assuming that your audience is as creative and imaginative as you are. However, because there is no visual image, it is important for the radio writer to make certain that their message is not lost in translation.

Media Revelation #5

My fifth revelation came about as a result of watching another of Michael Wesch's videos, A Vision of Students Today. Watching this video made me feel overwhelmed as a college student, but it also made me realize that in today's 21st century media culture, we have to adapt to the constant technological changes that are going on around us. As someone mentioned in class, we're all but forced to use Twitter, Facebook, etc. If we don't, we get left behind professionally and socially. As a student in the video tells us, we're multitaskers not because we choose to be, but because we have to be.

Media Revelation #4

The fourth of my media revelations comes from the term "hypertext" which Hilliard uses in chapter 2 on page 46. Hilliard tells us that hypertext is a term used to refer to writing material for the Internet. Hilliard goes on to say that hypertext is closer to the way we think with various thoughts, ideas, and viewpoints rushing through our heads all at once. He argues that writing for the Internet gives us this ability, whereas writing for paper only allows us to write in a logical, linear fashion. Maybe it's because I have only minimal experience writing for the Internet, or because for almost every piece of writing I do, I do a pencil and paper draft first, but I find writing for the Internet just as logical and linear as any other type of writing. Though I can understand the concept of hypertext, especially after watching Michael Wesch's video Web 2.0: The Machine is Using Us, I still feel that any writing must be done in a logical order so that it makes sense to the reader, as well as to the writer.