Zachary Wheeler @zachewheeler-blog - Tumblr Blog

Campfires and spooky sounds

1/24/18

In my Narrative Arc class, I created a fictional story including the prompts of a tent, a campfire, and eerie sounds. I then had to describe the story arc.

It was a chilly September afternoon. The frigid air encased Thomas as he and his friends set up their campsite. After setting up his tent, Thomas let out a long sigh, causing a fog to flow out from his mouth, then dissipate. He had hoped it wouldn’t rain tonight, but now he was wishing snow wouldn’t fall. His attention was caught by cheering and a faint orange glow where his friends were standing. After 4 broken matches and 5 attempts, they finally had a wispy campfire appear before them. The pile of sticks laying next to the blaze dwindled as the orange glow increased.

As the night grew colder, Thomas and his companions slowly crept closer to their growing fire. As the night grew later, the sounds of the forest seemed to stop. All at once, the group snapped their heads to look in the same direction, a small break in the trees about 5 feet away from their campfire. There was a faint humming and laughter drifting in the wind from the gap, just barely noticeable. The group quickly procured their flashlights, and all at once shone their beams at the eerie sounds. Their light was greeted by nothing, but the humming stopped entirely. They doused their fire and crawled into their tents. Thomas tried to sleep away their terror, but every time he shut his eyes, a faint humming drifted towards him.

Beginning: Thomas and his friends are setting up their campsite, it is somewhat cold.

Middle: The campfire is started and slowly growing in size and warmth. As it gets darker and colder, the campfire is their only source of heat. They then begin to hear spooky sounds.

Climax: They shine their flashlights at the sounds, but don’t see anything unusual.

End: The group goes to bed but still hear the spooky sounds when they try to sleep.

This was a fun little experience and I always enjoy making short stories. I’m looking forward to learning more about story arcs in this class!

Storycorps - The Nature of War

1/22/18

For my Narrative Arc class, we took another look at StoryCorps, a website dedicated to giving out people’s life stories to the internet. I was tasked to find a story on the site, and post an analysis of a 4-point narrative arc in the story. The story I chose was titled The Nature of War. The story is about a US National Guard Specialist deployed in Baghdad. The soldier befriends two local boys, and talk about how they affected his life.

Obstacle - One of the boys died after a suicide bombing.

Context - A US soldier in Baghdad meets two young children. They all play together and have fun, despite not being able to communicate.

Obstacle Attacked - The soldier and other child sit down and weep next to each other, despite being entirely different.

Insight - The children he met influenced his life in ways he never expected.

Going down in history

1/22/18

In my Narrative Arc class, we discussed the story arc and the hero’s journey, two topics that are similar, but focus on different things.

To help show this, I watched Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964), and listed out some main points.

Story Arc:

What is the setting? - Springtime in the North Pole

What are the names of the characters? - Sam, Mr. and Mrs. Clause, Rudolph, Abominable Snowman, Hermey, Yukon

What is the beginning? - Rudolph is born with a shiny nose, Hermey is making toys.

What is the middle? - Rudolph and the gang land on the Island of Misfit toys.

What is the end? - Rudolph leads Santa’s sleigh during the snowstorm, saving Christmas.

Plot point 1: Rudolph’s shiny nose separates him from the rest of the reindeer.

Plot point 2: The Abominable Snowman causes the group to leave the mainland on a slab of ice.

Plot point 3: Rudolph matures and heads back home to confront his fellow reindeer, encounters the Snowman attacking his family and love interest.

What are the surprise(s) or turning point(s) of the story? - The Abominable Snowman attacks Rudolph, Hermey, and Yukon. Rudolph leaves his new friends on the Island of Misfit Toys to head back home. Yukon appears to die, comes back soon after.

Hero’s Journey:

1.) Call to Adventure - Rudolph being picked on for of his nose leads him to leave home without a proper goal in mind.

2.) Crossing of the First Threshold - Rudolph and Hermey are aimlessly walking around until they encounter Yukon, who helps them survive the Abominable Snowman attack.

3.) Tests - Rudolph begins to understand that his shiny nose continues to lead danger to his friends, and he decides that he needs to go on his journey alone from them.

4.) The Road Back - While growing up in the wilderness, Rudolph matures and decides to head back home to confront his peers.

5.) The Return - After coming back home, everybody realizes how unreasonably tough they were on Rudolph and welcome him back. The snowstorm now gives Rudolph a helpful purpose and he takes the place as lead reindeer.

DMC Introduction 2

Hello! My name is Zachary Wheeler, a student at Villa Maria College. As I start my second semester, I was asked to reintroduce myself for my new classes this Spring. This semester I join the Narrative Arc, Public Relations, and Beat Reporting classes.

In Narrative Arc, I hope to gain a better understanding of story structure and how stories impact people’s emotions. I enjoy reading stories by Michael Crichton, the author who wrote Jurassic Park.

In Public Relations, I hope to learn more about how businesses or groups connect with the general public, and maybe how to do a little bit of marketing.

In Beat Reporting, I wish to create unique stories about the Villa Maria campus and share them with fellow students.

I hope you all enjoy what content I bring out this semester!

#DMC

450 Point Update

This is the final plan for earning 450 points this semester for Intro to Digital Media and Communications.

150 points - Reggie Witherspoon

150 points - Adam Grabowski

75 points - Class Discussion on Chapter 12

75 points - Perfect Attendence

75 points - Presentation of Musical Set list

#DMC101

Out of control comedy

10/19/17

On Monday, Oct. 19 2017, Adam Grabowski came to Villa Maria College to give students and faculty an hour long comedy event. The event was hosted in the auditorium of Villa.

Adam Grabowski is extremely zany, in a good way. His highly energetic comedy sessions not only entertain, but also gives a deeper message of our ideals.

Going into the event, I had no idea who Adam was, or how this comedy session would go. I was pleasantly surprised to end up laughing almost the entire hour. While some of his political jokes didn’t really get me going, he had a bit about the irony of relationships between men and women that had me in tears.

“Say it anyway” is one of Adams favorite things to say. The meaning behind that phrase is to say whatever is on your mind. By this quote, one can probably assume Adam loves free speech. During the comedy event, Adam definitely displayed his love of this with a few risqué jokes about sexual topics, to which he was “glad the Sisters weren’t here” (Referring to the Felician Sisters).

Adam has a very unique take on comedy, and how entertaining people can also be used to give messages. Sometimes, after Adam would finish a string of jokes, he would sit down and start talking with us about a real life issue that connected with the jokes he just made.

Going to see Adam Grabowksi feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event. I highly recommend it to everyone to go see him if they have the chance. I just have to warn them to watch out for some mature humor.

#DMC101

Pictures in the place of words

10/19/17

For my Introduction to Editing class, an updated photo essay was assigned. These are my pictures for the photo essay, featuring Adam Grabowski, a stand up comedian.

#DMC102

The old ways

10/12/17

Chapter 5 of the Digital Storytelling Cookbook was about digitizing story elements. The chapter describes some tools you can use to bring objects onto a digital space, such as a flatbed scanner. A main issue with the chapter is that the software they use in the tutorials are very dated. It describes cameras as having a “Firewire” cable, which I never even heard of until I read this. A good aspect of the chapter is that it gives an explanation of how to record a voiceover. The software they use for the recording is, again, dated, but some of the explanations are still usable, such as a brief lessons about audio levels. Unfortunately, this is pretty much all the chapter has to offer in current times.

#DMC102

Photographic Shots

10/5/17

In my Editing and Multimedia class, we were asked to take 10 photographs that tell a ‘story’ to present at the next class. I took photos of the Service Learning fair happening during Villa Maria College’s campus hour (11 A.M. - 12 A.M.) While my photos don’t necessarily tell a narrative, I thought these were interesting enough to shoot and show.

#DMC102

Music to my ears

10/5/17

My Introduction to Digital Media class gave me my most difficult challenge yet: creating a playlist of five songs to describe my life. This made me re-look at my musical interests and how they’ve evolved over time. When I started listening to music at a young age, I listened to rock exclusively. Now I can listen to any genre, from classical to heavy metal.

I had to think about this topic for a long time, but I believe I have it down now. I formatted this in a fairly accurate chronological order.

I hope you enjoy my life soundtrack.

#1 Treble Charger - American Psycho

Treble charger is the band I grew up with. My father introduced my sister and I to them, and I still haven’t gotten away from listening to them. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia that keeps me tuned in, or the fact that they sounds so good. Either way, I’m going to keep on listening.

#2 Five Finger Death Punch - Meet the Monster

My middle school years were not pretty. I was angry at everything, didn’t do my school work, and it is a pretty cringe-worthy experience looking back on it. My friend introduced me to Five Finger Death Punch through Meet the Monster, and I was instantly hooked.

#3 Justin Timberlake - Suit and Tie

Justin Timberlake was really my first emergence into pop music. I vaguely recall this being towards the end of middle school, when my cringe-worthy phase died down. I did listen to pop music before on the radio, but I never took the initiative to look it up during my free time. Then again, Justin Timberlake is pretty fantastic.

#4 Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata in B Flat Major d.960 i. Molto Moderato

During high school, my musical interests greatly broadened. I decided to listen to some piano music while working on homework, and found this absolute masterpiece. I frequently listen to this song, even though it’s so lengthy. I highly recommend this to everybody.

#5 Zen - I Only Think of You at 4 AM

The genre of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) doesn’t fit well into my chronological order, because I can’t remember exactly when I got into it. I chose this track because I always end up listening to it at least once a week. EDM is simply just a genre I like listening to a lot, it’s very ‘feel good’ music to me.

#DMC101

On air: the origins of radio

10/5/17

In my Introduction to Digital Media class, I read chapter 5 of our online textbook, "Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting.” As you may have guessed, this is all about radio. Here are the highlights:

Despite what your first thought might be, radio is actually evolving to keep up with the digital age. Internet-only radio stations, such as Pandora and Spotify, have become big competitors in the radio industry. One limitation though, is that internet-only radio stations can’t transmit by broadcasting, like a local radio station would. This means that if the listener doesn't have internet access, they won’t be able to listen. Internet-only radio also doesn't have local radio stations. If somebodies city or town has a big local radio presence, they won’t be able to listen to it on Pandora.

#DMC101

Photo essay plan

10/3/17

The latest project in my DMC editing class is a photo essay, telling a story with a series of photographs.

I plan to shoot at my job, John’s Corner Store, to show people the making of sandwiches, salads and sausages and how happiness can come of it.

I plan to take pictures of John Braymiller, Matt P. -- I can’t remember his last name at the moment! -- and some customers who are willing. I’ll take shots of the back room, where the food is cooked on a stove, then out front behind the deli case. I want wide angles of the back of cook with stove in front of him; close up of smiling faces, either in the back room or behind the deli counter; extreme close ups of food or spatulas, the slicer or knife chopping onions.

#DMC102

Visit Original Link

10/3/17

This is the finished piece of the story about my great grandfather’s smoking and fire he started in his chair in the living room. I thought my Grandma, Patricia Kiley, was the perfect person to interview for a good story. I was correct. Enjoy her wacky story about how seeing those flames surround her father at 4 stayed with her for the rest of her life.

#DMC102

Smoking and sleeping

For my Digital Editing class, we had to record an interview with somebody, then find a story “nugget,” or a complete anecdote that stands by itself as a story, from the interview audio. I found one when I interviewed my grandmother last month. This is the script of the edits I put together for the story.

Introduction:

My name is Zachary Wheeler. On Monday, September 18th 2017, I interviewed my Grandma, Patricia Kiley. For as long as I’ve known her, my grandma has told my family exciting and wacky stories about her life. While we were talking, she began telling me about why she dislikes fire, what happened that convinced her to rarely have an open flame, like a candle, in her home, and about a set of chairs that she would refuse to sit in.

Story:

Patricia Kiley:

“I was about four years old, I still remember like it happened yesterday, involving my grandparents on my mother’s side, Clarence and Edna Kershaw.

My grandmother used to take one of us girls, she’d choose one of us, and about every week, we would go downtown, on the bus to Hangers, she’d buy us stuff and we’d have lunch and everything, and my grandfather was head of the safety division at Bethlehem Steel at the time of this incident.

So anyway, they lived in an apartment house on Union Street in Hamburg, New York, and my grandmother and I had gotten off the bus and we were going up the stairs and there was smoke coming out of underneath the entry door.

My grandmother said something like, ‘Oh Clarence, he’s smoking again.’ When she opened the door, you could see past the kitchen into the living room, in the chair my grandfather always sat in, and he was holding the little armrests up and they were on fire, and was burning and his shirt was on fire. My grandmother was like, ‘Clarence I can’t believe that you were smoking again when I wasn’t home, you know you always fall asleep.’

She grabbed the mayonnaise jar that was always on the kitchen sink, filled it with water, went into the living room, and poured the water onto my grandfather, came back for another mayonnaise jar of water, yelling at him the whole time about how, ‘He knows that he’s not supposed to smoke when she’s not home, when he gets first home from work, because he always falls asleep.’

My grandmother had the chairs reupholstered, and they were in the apartment, and they lived there for quite a few more years. I would go in their house, but I would never sit on those chairs because I never knew which one my grandfather started on fire in.

Years later they moved down to Sherman, New York, and my mother ended up with that set of chairs. She put them in her basement for us to-, because we used to do laundry down there, a place for us to sit and if she was ironing we could come and talk to her, but I couldn’t sit on those chairs, I was grabbed one of those little step-stools and sat on the stool.

Just in the past few years, I relayed this story to my mother at one of the big ‘junk’ days, and said ‘I was never so happy as when you got rid of those chairs because I never knew which one grandpa started in fire on, and I couldn’t sit on them so I was really happy when you decided to get rid of them.’”

#DMC102

The music that defines me

In my Intro to Digital Media class, I was tasked to choose a defining piece of music in my life. This topic was difficult to me, as music is a huge part of my life. Although it was difficult, I narrowed it down to one specific event.

I was going on a Boy Scout camping trip, sitting in the backseat of my friend’s truck as his dad drove. My friend was on the wrestling team at school and he wanted to show me what song he chose as his opener. (Every wrestler got to play a song before matches.)

He handed me his iPod and earbuds and the song playing was “Meet the Monster” by Five Finger Death Punch. This was the first time I had ever heard of them, much less anything from the metal genre.

This helped broaden my music spectrum to where it is today. I can listen to pretty much any musical genre.

Sept. 25 2017

#DMC101

Multimedia stills

http://mediastorm.com/train/product/online-training-videos

MediaStorm offers excellent video tutorials on capturing and editing multimedia. For my Digital Editing class I watched the video on still photographs in multimedia.

As explained by Brian Storm, still photographs can have a powerful impact in storytelling. Still photographs capture specific events as if they were frozen in time.

The video showed us different techniques to make photographs appealing in a multimedia format. Including rack focuses between two photographs to shift focus. “Flipbook animation” is another style using multiple photographs taken in rapid succession. Adding them to a video timeline and switching through the photos shows progression almost like a video, yet it stays distinctly photographic.

The most helpful tip MediaStorm offered was to take a lot of photographs. Hundreds even, depending on the length of the video. An example they used included showing a photograph reel for a minute. If each photo was shown for three seconds, that would mean 20 photographs for just a minute. That is a lot of photographs to shoot, especially good photographs. They said to, “put a lot of time into your multimedia projects.”

When shooting your photographs, remember to shoot “more like a cinematographer.” This means using wide, medium, and close up shots to fill the video space as well as focusing on certain elements in the picture.

I found these tips helpful. I’m definitely going to be using them. Hopefully somebody else will find these helpful as well.

#DMC102

Music and what it means

This week’s chapter was based on the music industry. It is an interesting topic because it is relevant to most people and is constantly evolving.

The chapter talks about the different people behind the music process, such as the producers and engineers. Generally, a producer will handle non-musical elements, such as booking recording studio space and hiring workers. On the other hand, session engineers handle all the technical aspects, such as equipment or audio technicians.

The chapter explained the beginnings of ‘pop’ music. Pop really just stands for popular. This means that there is no defining ‘sound’ to pop music, as over the years the most popular sound changes. Quite contrasting to todays ‘pop’ sound of Justin Timberlake, Frank Sinatra’s music was considered ‘pop’ in it’s day.

One final observation, which didn't necessarily surprise me, was that a number of Billboard charting songs weren't written by the people who sung them. This includes Britney Spears’s “...Baby One More Time” and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.” Instead, they were created by a man named Max Martin. He is a Swedish musician who wants to stay as a background figure, yet chooses other artists voices for his creations.

#DMC101

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