Reflection

At the start of this course, I imagined I’d be inundated with research papers. However I did not expect to be dissecting the very sources I used to conduct research, or even make my own artifact. While it’s always been common knowledge to me that there are many ways of expressing an argument, learning how to identify and dissect many different aspects of it has allowed me to gain more appreciation for the medium as a whole. I also found it interesting learning about the many different genres that can be used to portray an argument, and the many strengths and weaknesses each one can have. With this knowledge under my belt I now know how to convey my own arguments in ways that are effective.

A hardship I’ve faced throughout this course involves the act of conducting research. Especially for projects 1 and 2, finding sources pertaining to my topics of interest was a chore, given the recency of the issues. Streaming only recently took over the industry of film in 2020 when the world was forced to shut down due to Covid-19. Artificial intelligence has also made its recent debut as the technology begins to advance faster and faster. The unveiling of ChatGPT in 2022 and the writers and actors strike that started back in May of this year are all incredibly recent events. This made finding information on these topics (particularly scholarly sources) much harder than anticipated. 

The highlight of this semester was definitely project 3. Being able to create something and get creative with it was very therapeutic. Having learned how to dissect sources really helped in creating my own artifacts. Using the knowledge I had gained from the previous projects, I was able to take advantage of my chosen genre’s to convey my argument more effectively. I created a YouTube thumbnail and an Instagram carousel. I chose those genres because while conducting research for project two, I noticed a lot of the information I found was either on YouTube or on social media platforms. This led me to the conclusion that I’d likely be able to reach my target audience more effectively if I made artifacts for those platforms. I also had fun designing the artifacts, between choosing fonts, colors, movie stills, and pictures I spent hours making sure they were as perfect as they could be.

Overall, this course has helped me understand how to analyze and create my own sources. Now I feel I can look at other artifacts that I may encounter in college or in the workforce with a more critical eye. This will allow me to take a step back before allowing myself to be swayed by one opinion or another and make the most informed opinions and decisions I can. As an aspiring filmmaker I also feel I have a better understanding of the influence an intended audience can have on the outcome of a product and will be taking that more heavily into account. I’m excited to use these tools while writing scripts, pitching ideas, and advertising my films.