Maddie Rehm

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what kinds of special effects were these groups able to use?

how was the audio for the video you watched? Was the video too quiet or too hard to hear?

Thinking to your group’s current project idea, are there any aspects that might be too difficult to create, considering these multimedia constraints?

I watched the Clemson Epic Meal Time video and although I found it mildly entertaining, I think the group could have done a much better job filming and developing the plot. The group really didn't use many special effects, except for the paint insert of the word "college" in the first scene, which was kind of a fail. I don't know if the background music in the actual cooking scene is considered a special effect, but it definitely worked well with the scene and was hyperbolic. In general, the audio was pretty good. I could usually understand what everyone was saying and some of the lines were funny. The background noise was too loud sometimes and the sound varied from being loud to soft. Considering no one in our group has any background in film or video editing I am definitely nervous about us putting together even something like this, which still seems elementary to 

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In your response think about the following questions: Is this game fun? Should it be fun? What actions are you asked to perform and in what order? Did you beat the game? What was your score? Do you feel that you did well? What difficulty level did you accomplish? How else could the same argument have been present?

I played the airport security game. The goal of the game was to stop potential terrorists from boarding the plane with something they weren't supposed to have, while also not pissing off all of the passengers. If too many items were taken away unneccesarily or too many people were stripped down/let through with unwanted items, then you lose the game. As far as I could tell, there wasn't really a way to "beat" the game, you were just presented with a score after a certain point. After a while I felt like I was playing the game pretty well and it then became less tedious and annoying. I think the game was trying to argue that TSA agents don't have the easiest jobs a lot of the time. It is very difficult to make everyone happy while keeping everyone safe. I think this game did a good job of proving this point.

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Is it possible to separate fact from opinion? Will the writer’s “bias” creep into the writing no matter what?

Personally, I do not believe that it is fully possible to separate fact from opinion. The writer's bias will almost always be creep into the writing, subconsciously or not. The podcast explains that bias is present in every aspect of the media. This bias GREATLY influences Americans politically. While our country votes almost 50/50 now, without this media bias some believe that Americans would vote mostly conservative, much like Texas and Kentucky. Clearly, we as Americans rarely recongize this, we go along thinking that we have made our own choice, when in reality we are being subconsciously influenced to vote in a certain way. 

If all media (and actually all language for that matter) is biased, how can we figure out what to believe? How can you, specifically pick credible sources and defend those sources if they are inherently biased? 

A writer has to recognize this bias and interpret the article with that bias in mind. The writer would also have to decide whether the bias is too biased. Obviously, this is not the easiest task, and the writer themselves may be biased in doing this. Quantatative data is one way to access information with little to no bias. From there, the writer should attempt to find works that come to conclusions similar to the unbiased data. 

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Do anti-smoking campaigns actually work? Should we be spending the money used to fund these campaigns in a different way? Like research, school presentations, etc?

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In some states, it is illegal to cheat on a spouse. Should we prosecute cheaters? Is a law that’s not enforced really a law?

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Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame?

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Tom Brady is UGGly

Why did the company film the commercial the way they did? Why did they focus on the shoes for so much of the ad and only reveal the figurehead in the last minute or so?

While there was much hoopla over the use of Tom Brady in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaaZ6E8daVM) UGGs ad, I believe the company did an effective job of marketing UGGs as versatile, durable and cool. I actually liked how they focused on the shoes for the majority of the ad and then revealed Tom Brady as the figurehead near the end. The music, the quick moving feet, and the rapidly changing environments were all very persuasive. Tom Brady appearing in the last minute only added to this. This line of UGGs could be worn to virtually any occasion, or at least Tom Brady apparently thinks so. The styles in the line range from shoes that look like work boots, to Vans-like casual shoes, to leather, professional shoes. I doubt most people watching the ad knew that it was an UGGs commerical until the very end, when their logo pops up on the screen. Generally, UGGs are thought of as the tall, furry boots girls wear in the winter or the homely slippers Dad wears on Christmas morning. Apparently, UGGs is expanding their brand to suit all kinds of men, even men like Tom Brady. Although I really doubt Brady practices in fur-lined shoes, he may very well wear these various shoes in his everyday life. And if their cool enough for Tom Brady they must be cool enough for us too, right? 

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This is an anti-smoking commercial from the widely acclaimed campaign Truth. I have always been an avid fan of these harshly true, but sarcastically hilarious commericals and ads. The first time I saw this commercial it really left an impression on me. I never thought about how stupid tobacco companies look when defending cigarettes, but this commercial really put things in perspective for me. The first thing I noticed was how dry and unconcerned the Shards o' Glass representative was, much like tobacco company CEOs. Then I started thinking about how ridiculous these popsicles are, but realized cigarettes are no better. The most striking parts of the commercial were when the workers were crushing up glass bottles, etc., when the popsicles are zoomed in on and you see the glass glistening, and when the representative for Shards o' Glass states that these popsicles are not for kids. The most disturbing aspect of this commerical is that these freeze pops would in fact appeal to children. If they were a real product they would inevitably end up in the hands of children, like cigarettes have. The speaker acknowledges the health risks of the freeze pops but continues to defend them. The colors in the ad are bright and upbeat, reducing feelings of danger. The factory appears legitimate, making us more trusting. The resemblence to tobacco companies is eerie and that is really frightening considering how obviously insane this commercial is to anyone who sees it. It begs the question "why do we not see cigarettes and those who advocate their use this way?". 

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This is an advertisement for Listerine mouthwash. It is a great ad because it plays on one of everyone's worst fears: having bad breath. There is nothing worse than being able to smell what someone ate for lunch or debating telling that one friend they have chronic bad breath! Because most people (except that one friend) use mouthwash the audience is anyone with a mouth. Therefore, this ad could have been printed in any magazine, newpaper, billboard, etc. The ad itself is memorable and very funny, and thus I would think it would sell well. Listerine is a credible source in oral hygiene that always seems to get the job done!

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This advertisement is for Timotei styling moose. I would guess that this ad has been printed numerous times in women's and beauty magazines. The audience for this ad is anyone who (like me) has a lion's mane pre-straightener. Those with frizzy, curly, or hard to manage hair would most likely go for this product. Obviously, we are used to seeing pictures of male lions with crazy, untamed fur all around their heads, so it is very striking when we see a lion with hair resembling Donald Trump's. Although this ad is clearly exaggerated, if Timotei styling moose has an affect even close to what is depicted, there is no telling what people would spend or do to get it!

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This is an advertisement for Bose noise reduction headphones. Presumably, this ad has been run in magazines, billboards and maybe even on television. Anyone seeking high-quality, noise canceling headphones would be the ideal audience for this ad. However, because the ad is so catchy and humorous the audience may be broader. Bose's great reputation gives the ad credibility, and the fact that these headphones are said to block out the thundering sound of the Niagra Falls makes them highly desirable. The cluelessness of the man in the row boat was terrifying (for a girl with an extreme fear of heights) at first, but it really makes this ad even more hilarious.