Final Project: Personal Essay Sound Slide

I apologize that it's hard to understand because of my pronunciation =(

Script:

Everyone is helped by someone since birth. We cannot live without help; we need someone’s suggestions, kindness, and smiles. We need help when having troubles, being sad, alone, and homesick, and don’t know what to do for future or life. These things are always around us, and need help

People usually think helping is hard and don’t know how, but your help doesn’t have to solve problems. Helping people is not hard, only saying “are you okay?” makes people feel better because people want others to notice what happened. It doesn’t have to be a word, giving a hug opens the door of heart. When your friend is homesick, sad or crying, give a hug. It says that “you are not alone,” “It will be fine,” “Don’t worry,” a person who is hugged notice that you care about that person.

Giving suggestions help people to solve their problems. When your friend is stuck with some problem, give a suggestion of what you are thinking. It might open the path to solve the problem. When you see a person who is from another country being alone, communicate with body gestures or drawing images of what you want to say. Even if that person didn’t understand, there will be friendship and that person will have courage to communicate with others.

Helping people gives happiness and success. “Thank you” is a powerful word. Hearing that word makes people stronger, have pleasure, and feel accomplishment. Although you think whatever you did was not help, when you hear “thank you” from the other that means it helped. Seeing smile after helping makes us smile too, and by seeing a smile helps you being happy.

Helping is a give and take situation. A person who is helped by you gives you pleasure and success. Think about a person is happy and able to solve problems because of your help, and that person may help you back when you need help. Help doesn’t matter about wrong or right, it is about giving a hand or not.


Rationale:

For our final project was Personal Essay Sound Slide. Basically, I had to use the programs that I already learned and used in the class. First, I had no idea what my passion is; however, one of my friend's suggestion helped me. My passion is "Helping people." However, I shouldn't talk about myself but it still describes myself; therefore, I tried to not using "I" and talked about what kind of helps there are. Through the process to create this project I used the Edirol, Audacity, SoundSlides, and Filezilla programs.
While I was working on this project, there were many troubles were in front of me:

1) I used the Edirol to record my voice, and it was really helpful because it recorded my voice really clearly. While recording my voice, I had been stuck to say my script so I recorded over 30 times because I made mistakes to say the words, and trying to say the sentences perfectly made my mouth not working well. After 30th time, I realized to record each paragraphs separately. (I know it was really late to realize...)

2) It was hard to find the music. Although, I already knew to pick soft music, there are many soft musics but finally could choose the music. I chose "A Day Without Rain" by Enya; why I chose this music because the title also means "a sunshine day" which we need/want in our life, and helping people is a break from the rainy day. The title of music and my passion relate each other. I used the Audacity to combine recorded voice and music, following the sheet the professor gave us helped a lot; however, it took almost forever. Selecting 29seconds from the music and looping to make up 2 minutes. I didn't put the sounds because there was no sounds relates to my topic.

3) Using SoundSlides took me a long time to make the images and the words together; when it was better time to put the images with the words. I kept listening to the narrative and the words with moving the images, testing, fixing it again, testing, and fixing again. Since my topic was not place nor thing, I took pictures of people. I asked my friends to be models, acting being sad, hugging, smiling, helping, etc. I combined colored and black and white images; taking by black and white for negative images such as sad faces, alone, cheering up the other person, etc, and taking by colored for positive images such as smile faces, hugging, and helping. My first image on the slide is not taken by me because it was impossible to take a picture of baby and mother.

4) Posting the slide on the blog and using Filezilla was easy because there was the orders how to make the slide on the blog that was really helpful.

I am very proud of myself to accomplish this work, but especially arranging the images to put with narrative. I took pictures with thinking about what kind of images would represent with the words and sentences. Also, I did well with script because my script describes myself AND it will teach the audiences about the basic small helps that make people happier.

Through this project, I was enjoying to create this sound slide even it took very, very long time. I felt accomplishment and happy. I have learned that how much time to create the digital storyboard, and the programs that I learned from the class are very important. This project gave me a necessary experience because if I know these programs, I can help others how to do them and to create another one for my family and friends one day.

If I had more time, I would take better pictures, using Photo Shop program to make the images creative, and record my voice well. Also, if this project was between the break I would go back to Japan to take many pictures with the different passion.

BiBi Card: QuarkXpress & InDesign

Above: BiBi Card by QuarkXpress

For this assignment, I created the two exactly same cards by two different program; QuarkXpress and InDesign.


I had been using QuarkXpress for the other assignments so I was working hard to make as exact as possible. Although, I am familiar with QuarkXpress, making the exactly same ones took time to create them. I was challenging with finding the same fonts and size because the card on the screen was not the same size. I kept trying to change different fonts and size each words, it was not that hard but it took long time to finish. However, I made the most stupid mistake ever!! I measured the size of card with the screen so it came out bigger after printed; therefore, I had to remake it. I measured perfect this time and copied and pasted from the old one; however, even the font and color were the same, the size was different so I changed all sizes. It took me extra time but it was not hard to remake it so I finished with a good one =)

Above: BiBi Card by InDesign

For InDesign, I was struggling from the beginning. I have used InDesign from another class, and I created the schedule pamphlet. However; that time I used only few tools so it took time to figure out which tool is which. First, I couldn't place the image; however, reading the book calls "How-Tos" for InDesign helped me to figured it out. For making the new colors, I used the book too. Although, the book is helpful, I was clicking tools to figure out how those tools work. Therefore, I could finish it quicker than I thought. I think playing or clicking around with tools is the best way to figure out how to use the programs.

I had the most trouble with making back of the card, the many tiny lines. All lines must be the same length and straight so I really did pay attention with drawing lines and moving them carefully otherwise the lines would not be straight and not same spaces between lines.

Through this assignment, I found out that both programs have similar tools such as moving, typing texts, fonts and sizes, making words wider or narrower, and creating colors. However, InDesign is more complicated than QuarkXpress, QuarkXpress has less tools and simpler to use. But I like InDesign better because it has many tools to play around, enable to create better, and enable to create more detail. I also feel like I am professional graphic designer when I use InDesign.

I was enjoying how exactly I could make the cards and actually I did pretty well so I am proud of my hard-works and strong attentions. I am also proud of how quickly I leaned how to use InDesign, I was surprised of myself.

If I had more time, I would choose better image and using Photo Shop to change to better quality. I would also choose more exact fonts and draw the perfect lines. (Both programs)

Website Brochure

Creating website?! I have never used and heard about Dreamweaver before. I was very worried and nervous about this assignment. I wanted to achieve to make the website work because it would not be website if it did not work.

My most challenge was to put the image in the website, I had tried many times but it did not work at all. I checked the book to figure it out but still did not work. Therefore, I gave up, this is my first time to give up for this class. I was really upset giving up.

I enjoyed to make this website because this website is for my mom's business. Although this website is in English, I have learned how to create the website so I can make it in Japanese. I was proud that I tried to put the image on the web till the last time. I could not figure it out was sad thing but at least I tried, there is no regret.

If I had more time, I would figure out how to put the images.

Here is my website

QuarkXPress Brochure

Since I had enjoyed using QuarkXPress to create poster before, I was excited to do this project. I was hoping to achieve to show my skill that I have learned in class. I decided to create the brochure of my mother’s shop because I haven’t seen her for over a year and I wanted to give something to her. Therefore, when this assignment came up, making her shop’s brochure is the best present for my mother. Also, her business is a small, but her food dressings are really tasty so I want others to know about her homemade dressings. In addition, I want her to proud of my work since she does not know about any my classes.
I also decided not use background color because I wanted the food photos to show up clearly and dynamic, and since making the "Order form" inside the brochure, it should be white.

One of the challenges was inside and outside part; however, the professor O’Connell taught us which number would be inside or outside briefly I could understand it quickly. The second challenge was gathering the photos. My mother has only few pictures of her products so it was tough to arrange the brochure; however, using the photos of foods showed how to use the product with. The third challenge was making spaces between panels. Because I had to hold it after print it out, there should be equal spaces and I did not know how to measure, but using the box made measuring was easier. The last challenge was creating the stamp exactly, and I could not figure it out last minute. Also, the other students could not figure it out; therefore, we did it together in class. Copy and Paste the picture of stamp in the picture box, and click "fit in the box."

I really enjoyed this project since I already used QuarkXPress. I enjoyed how to arrange the whole brochure, I showed the other people to ask that it is clear to read, catch the audiences eyes, and using colors, and then I fix it again and again. I am really proud of arranging, using the colors, and lines. If I had more time, I would us the PhotoShop to make the pictures more clearly


I hope my mother will like it!!!

SoundSlide

QuarkXPress Poster

QuarkXPress... Oh my god... I had never heard and used this program before. When we started to using this program, my mouth was opened and I did not know what all tools for. Therefore, I was hoping to achieve to play with all tools to figure out what those could do with my poster.

My challenge was getting used to with this program so I had been playing around with most of tools what they do. Therefore, I found out that every single time to move pictures and text boxes, I have to click moving button. I was struggle with clicking moving button every thing time. I had been undo, undo, and undo because when I created one box and didn't like it, I undo. When I made mistakes, I undo. However, I could figure out tools quickly since I was playing around with tools. So I have learned that "Don't be afraid playing around tools. When you make mistake, all you have to do undo."

I enjoyed playing around tools and how cool QuarkXpress is!!! I was proud of my poster and figuring out by myself. If I had more time, I would playing around with tools more and would figure out what else tools I can find.