Cry Baby

I absolutely love any movie Johnny Depp is in... that was until I watched Cry Baby again today. I own the movie and always thought that it was pretty ridiculous, but I thought that it was just the talent just messing up the lines...but IT'S NOT!!


Since class started at the beginning of the semester, Dr. King told us to start listening to the writing of commercials, tv shows, movies...anything that involves script writers. Well, I've done just that, everything that I watch I think about how the writers must have rewritten almost everything about a million times before it actually made its screen debut. Or how some jokes that they loved weren't accepted well by the audience. There's just so many things that go on in my mind as I watch anything on tv.


I also think that script writing is a very hard thing for others (those non-media comm. people) to grasp because they don't know what all goes through one's mind when writing a story or even a minute commercial. They just see it as entertainment and think that the words just come out perfectly and the real trick is production. Well, I dare them to take both a script writing class AND a production class. Media is hard to be in, it's very competitive as well as time consuming, but I think that we all know in the end...it's worth a job well done!


<3


TTFN (Ta Ta For Now!) ------ Glenda-----

News Writing-1 ...Glenda-0 :'(

I just can't get a handle on the news stories. I like watching the news, but I never really thought about the writers behind it and the structure needed for the hour. Whenever I write anything news related, I honestly write like it's an English paper and use too many verbs or phrases that aren't needed in the Media world.


I look at CNN.com or Foxnews.com and listen/watch all the story packages on there and I'm just in awe. How do they do it?! I mean I've read the chapter in the book and I comprehend it... I just can't get it! :( I feel like I'm failing in this part of the class because of my lack of COMMON knowledge of news structure. Right now I'm just feeling frustrated and ashamed of my writing because to me it's crap.


This blog is short, but I can't think about writing about anything else but my frustration of news writing and me.


-Glenda-

Sioux City, Iowa

I think that everyone in class noticed that both Alex and i haven't been in class this week...and honest to God we haven't been skipping! :) We've been in Sioux City, Iowa... Well, ok TECHNICALLY we're in South Dakota... but only on the tip! This past couple of days have been not only an exciting experience for good field production work, but a good writing practice as well!


Because of this trip, I've got to write packages, do voice overs, get interviews with coaches and players as well as edit my packages! Alex got to do radio updates and video updates. Although it's been frustrating and hard we've had a good run with getting a BUNCH of experience in just a couple of hours. The energy in our little hotel room that we're cramped in with all our computers and gear has helped me understand what I'm in for. I want to do this as a living, I like having a deadline...I like having this type of excitement in the air as I write about games or other stories that may come my way.


Well you guys...that's all I have for now. I'm TIRED AND HUNGRY so Alex and I are going to get some grub! :) Have a great weekend and I'll see everyone back in class on Tuesday!


Glenda

...::MIDTERMS::...and MY AWESOME GROUP MEMBERS!!!! :D

Ok so this semester I've only taken 2 Mid-terms (scriptwriting included) and I can honestly say that I'm very lucky! My freshman year was very difficult because I wasn't really sure what to do with the whole college thing as well as how to study for any of the exams/tests/quizzes or even how to do a presentation correctly! Man.. what a year can do to you! Since being diagnosed, I was suggested to go to a seminar that showed us how to PROPERLY study for all that and how to do well on presentations! :)


For scriptwriting, I found out that the best way, for me at least, is to find all the information that I accumulated in the book as well as my notes, and put them into a word document. After that I put the information into a powerpoint and study them on the computer. After alllllll that gets done, I then print out the slides (6 to a page) then study them on a hard copy and make notes on how to remember them on there! :) It's awesome!


Even though I don't know how I did on today's midterm, I can honestly say that I tried my hardest. I think that the only problem I had was that I can't really write fast as well as think of things to say in a script that fast in the morning...but I tried! :)


I would also like a chance to say that this week was very hard, but it was very good for me. I went through some troubles, not only in school but with family matters, and yet it came out on a good note! (well..so far!) I would like to say that our group project rocked in my eyes, not necessarily because of the production itself or anything like that, but becauseMY GROUP MEMBERS ROCKED!


Seriously, if you guys don't know Alicia or Russ, you really should! Russ may be quiet at times, but he's so creative and knows what he wants to do for the project! He showed me and Alicia this HUGE book that is just of storyboards that he just puts his ideas in! That's true talent in the making ladies and gentlemen! Now Alicia, in class she seems to just sit in the back and talk whenever she feels the need...but she's SO MUCH MORE! She has this eye for what she wants to do, how to do it as well as taking the time to do it! Seriously, I mean she spends most of her time in the edit room just doing stuff for the TV station as well for her family or something else that she's working on! She's very gifted and will go on to do great things! I'm truly blessed to know these people as well as to have worked with them on this great project! <3 you guys so so soooo much!


Well that's all I have to say for now, at least for the scriptwriting part...but I am going to keep posting prayer requests and blessings in this blog as well as through Spring Break! :) Stay safe guys..and HAVE FUN!


<3 Glenda






Prayer Requests


My Dad... he is scheduled to have gallbladder surg. next TUESDAY and he's really nervous and is making my mom a little on the edge.

My Friends and I...as we head to Washington D.C. for SB09


My Cousin, her husband, and their quads...this past week the babies have been sick (like hard core puking) and have had other problems... just pray for them as they continue to grow and pray for my cousin and her husband as they care for these 4 little ones...it's really hard for them especially when her husband is working M-F 7-3/5.

Walk a Mile for the homeless

This saturday was Walk a Mile or the homeless, an event that is through the Rescue Mission of Grant County. Since I work for WIWU-TV51, I work for the show "Crossroads" which has students go out into the community and find events that they could do packages on so they may show it on the show for people in the community to watch and enjoy. Mariam Gonzalez, a senior communication major, asked me and another student to go out with her on Saturday to shoot what was going on as well as getting interviews. It was there that we found many things to include not only in the visual story, but the script as well.

There were so many inspiring shots, and had so many people there to make an impact on the average Indiana Wesleyan college student who doesn't really care about Marion or Grant Co. The people there varied from little kids who were with their parent to people who really were homeless in the past...to Taylor students all the way from Upland. I can't speak for Mariam, but I honestly thought of a couple of good lines as we were shooting... but after I told her some of them, she told me that she'll be writing the script and texting me to come help her. I can honestly say that I'm super excited about working with her on it because not only will I get extra credit.. (haha)... as well as great experience!


<3 Glenda

It's Indiana Wesleyan University not IWU or WU... geesh! :)

OK, so this radio promo for IWU has been kind of making me think about what I was thinking when I was in high school and struggling on where to go to college.


When I was in high school, I got the opportunity to go to OWU (Oklahoma Wesleyan University) and see what their campus was like because they showed interest in recruiting me for volleyball. Now since I was a prof's kid and have seen the campus grow, I knew what a "good university" looked like and I knew what I wanted to study: Spanish and Media Comm (both of which OWU didn't provide...well at least at that time). When I saw the campus and the students there, I was actually kind of shocked because I was used to seeing the HUGE brick buildings and the newest technology on campus...where they were...well...they were a little behind the times!


So when I made the actual decision to come here to the WU, I knew that I was making the right choice by not playing volleyball and by focusing more on my studies. When Dr. King made the assignment to write the radio ad for Indiana Wesleyan, I couldn't help but remember all of the junk mail I got in the mail, through my school, even ANNOYING phone calls!...I wouldn't want to have an annoying radio ad come on just telling me that this school is for me, that this is the best school, that you cant compare us to other schools...


The fact is some schools are perfect for some people, some don't want to go to college, some may even want to go to another school after coming here. It just depends on the person. That's why for my script I wrote my testimony oh why I chose Indiana Wesleyan... it wasn't because both of my parents worked here, or the spiritual atmosphere was really amazing...it was my own personal choice that God just put on my heart.


I think for radio commercials you need to know your demographic really well...meaning you need to know what their thoughts are, their needs/wants as well as their plans for their futures. Though this can be pretty hard, I can't help but wonder if one of our radio commercials would make an influence on a future student's life... could THIS be?!?! Are we being... dare I say it.. "WORLD CHANGERS?!"

Ads, Promos and PSAs...OH MY!!!

Before this class I NEVER knew what went on in a writer's brain when they were planning their scripts out!


Even the simple little catch phrases or jingles that are on the radio and/or tv... there's so much work that the normal person doesn't even get to see or experience! All the planning in preparation for even just a short PSA takes SOOOOOO much work and takes SOOOOOOO much personal creativity and knowledge of communication. Reaching different demographics is very challenging to me, yet I find it very invigorating because I'm able to be in another person's shoes and try to think the way that they would.


Honestly, the hardest part for me is to make sure that my creative thoughts get written on paper the way I envisioned them to be. There are times that I have a really hard time putting my thoughts and personal emotions out of my brain and just start writing for the "client". For example when Dr. King asked us this week to write two sweepers and one thirty second promo for the radio station, I felt pretty uneasy about the whole assignment. I only listen to my iPod/iPhone/iTunes when I'm here on campus and when I'm actually listening to the radio it's usually an oldies station. That and I really don't get into the whole "christian" music scene. I never have and sure I have a select few bands that I like that are considered appropriate by the radio station...but still. Writing for the radio station that I never really listened to...let alone have been active with, was very difficult. But the research that I put into it was pretty thorough. I listened to about 5 straight hours of The Fortress on 94.3. HOLY COW!!! My rear hurt after my "research". :P But it helped me because I was able to actually experience what the "client" was trying to sell and what they wanted to bring out in their promo.


That's all I can think of for now! :)


TTFN!!!! <3 Glenda