Final Words

As a student having taken Media Production II, I feel that my skills have improved exponentially in every aspect of communication.

I am now comfortable with putting Final Cut Pro on my resume, as well as several other programs we used. After the first Final Cut Pro tutorial, I was overwhelmed with all the steps it takes to start a new project, let alone edit a few seconds of audio. Later I knew without referring back to the first tutorial, which is purposefully the only one that mentions scratch disks, I had to reset them before starting the project.

I can see the quality in my work on my WordPress site, and I am confident in my ability to reproduce it effectively in the future. My collection of works on WordPress is something I’ve grown to be proud of and I find myself wanting to further improve after looking at them. I feel prepared for the real world with my online portfolio to present to employers as future projects I can do for them. Especially with the Day in the Life project which I can present to a variety of employers as something viable for any organization looking to present a personal image of their website.

After working with editing audio, I have developed techniques to get exceptional interview quotes by practicing opportune social skills. Some techniques I have learned in terms of interviewing came after much practice. Spending hours editing a twenty-minute interview into a two-minute piece was unnecessary stress. I began thinking ahead about the editing process, which brought the right questions and thus an easier piece to edit. I also reminded myself to get a solid ending quote and if possible, an emotional quote.

Any communication related skill I possessed before this media production course has been strengthened.

Scene on Campus: Guided Through Oyster Bake

Angelica Portillo and her husband Gerardo Valles are guided through Oyster Bake at St. Mary’s University. They are instructed by myself, Jessica Valles, to spend their tickets on what the best that the festival has to offer.

Angelica Portillo and Gerardo Valles kiss at Oyster Bake

Mother Picks Toys Over Books

Dr. Camille Langston, associate professor at St.Mary’s University, is also the mother of two young boys. Nicholas is 12 and likes to keep to himself, but William is four and likes to play all day. Dr. Langston talks about an average day at home with her boys and how she enjoys her job as a mom over a professor.

Soundslides Tutorial

Michelle Braces For Evening Post Work

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Snapping to Perfection

A student known for her skills in graphic design and work at The Rattler Newspaper, Amanda Cano, describes her transition to photography during her last year at St. Mary’s University in hopes to perfect her media skills on a wider scale.

Shooting for ESPN

William Gilbert, a student currently studying communication arts, talks about his experience as a videographer. Gilbert describes how the military led to his studies, how he enjoys recording his family and that he aspires to one day work with ESPN.

Class

Pardo, Breanne R., Diaz, Alejandra, Soto, Bianca J.,

Zepeda, Richard, Gilbert, William W., Bell, Bria T.,

Nicholson, Zachary T., Valles, Jessica,

Canedo, Nicholas R., Navarro, Steven A.

Produce Media that Sticks

After this semester I have one more year left before I earn my bachelor’s degree and am looking forward to applying for graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. I feel accomplished in having steady grades throughout my college career with my GPA never being under a 3.5. I also planned my classes in a way that allows me to graduate on time with a minor in philosophy along with a major bachelor’s degree in English communication arts.

I am excited to further my knowledge of programs like Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, especially the audio and video aspects. I recently started a WordPress account for a previous class and I look forward to expanding it with assignments this semester.

I expect to be challenged with time management, which I plan to overcome by eliminating things like television and recreational reading from my daily schedule. I also have been challenged creatively in the past by trying to achieve something that is out of my reach because I have a hard time keeping my work simple. I hope to find an effective medium between creativity and simplicity in this class. My intended career is in film, which is directly related to audio and video editing, which we’ll be covering in class. I want to be the next Kathryn Bigelow. I hope to end the semester with additions to my portfolio that will showcase my new skills in media production. I want to feel confident in my skills to produce similar projects in the future.