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Favorite Commercial

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For people unfamiliar with hockey, The Stanley Cup is the award for the teams who win the best-of-7 championship round that takes place between May and June of every year. It started out as just a silver bowl back in 1918, but it has transformed into a silver tower of bands with careful etchings of names into all the surfaces. This Stanley Cup is not only a trophy…players, coaches, and hockey fans see it as much more. This allows for the NHL to always create content with storytelling by showing the game-winning rituals of the team getting to lift the cup, but one commercial stood out the most.

Their 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff commercial is one of the best commercials I have ever seen. The commercial is titled, “What If There Was No Cup?” It starts out with an announcement of the Tampa Bay Lightning winning two in a row with Captain Steven Stamkos raising the cup above his head. It then fades away from his hands with a dramatic voice saying, “What if there was no cup?” This continues by going back in time to the greatest legends of the NHL raising the cup and also having it diminish from their hands. The audio talks about how hockey would be so different without the cup. Because I love hockey so much, I automatically feel the emotion the commercial was trying to put out. Other than their storyline being fantastic, the visuals are also great. There is a great mix of old footage with new footage, and old announcers with new announcers. It doesn’t feel like just a narrated commercial plugging the NHL. The videos included are put in slowmo with different filters being added to enhance colors. This helped add an artistic effect.

My favorite part of the ad that resonated with me the most is the specific clips they chose to add. They included almost every team, and it’s always exciting being reminded that it could be your favorite team to next lift the cup. It also touched on traditions, which are very important in the NHL. It is known to have champagne drank out of it while also serving as a breakfast bowl for cereal. The players all get their chance to spend the day with it and the commercial highlights the post-celebration uses also.

The commercial told the perfect story. It was only a minute so it did not drag out for too long, its visuals were very eye catching, and its use of tradition and goals in the storytelling made it great.

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Gifs...  g-ifs not j-ifs!

Gifs are a creative and fun way to communicate with others. Some of them are just for laughs, while others can be used to spread information. Gifs are very common on social media platforms, especially Twitter. Since Twitter has a word limit for users, gifs are an easy way to share your thoughts without an overload of information. I also find them useful while I’m scrolling through Twitter threads. Instead of sorting through all the comments to see what people’s opinions are, you can see quick clips or Michelle Tanner giving the thumbs up or The Grinch looking painfully angry.

The article, “It’s not all Pepes and Trollfaces- Memes Can Be A Force For Good,” discusses how memes can give social awareness cues and reality checks to viewers in a light-hearted way. Author Allie Volpe disucces a recent realization by new Tinder-user Jason Donahoe. Donahoe tried to take a different approach on his swiping by following the girls on Instagram and dming from there. He later saw a girl post a meme saying how that was very creepy and he quickly stopped. Gifs are an easy way to show people that what they are doing may make others uncomfortable without sounding too forward. If a girl had directly messaged him calling him a creep, he would have felt extremely awkward. But with memes, everything feels more lighthearted.

Gifs can help ease tension in general. For example, if someone texts me something that is mean, I can respond with the red emotion guy from Inside Out rather than saying that I am angry or upset. It also provides visual appeal. I often send them to my friends on their birthdays rather than just writing “happy birthday.” I think it is also fun catering the gifs you send to different friends based on your interests. I will often send my friend Caroline funny Bruins gifs of the players provided on iMessage. Each player has their own personality that we know, so it makes the gifs even more fun because we can see it with a small backstory. It isn’t always just an image, there can be more behind it. I also think it is funny how common gifs have become. Not only are they all over social media, but people from all ages use them. In my family group chat, my brother and parents will often add texts to funny pictures of us (Yes, they have a meme making app.) It is easily understandable for everyone.

I based my gif off of the way that I regularly use memes and gifs to communicate with others. The clip is Conor McGreagor at a Bruins game getting excited after a puck smashes the glass. I like how there are billions and billions of small clips that are on the internet that can be used. There is never a lack of gifs and there is a constant flow of new ones.

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Stanley Parable

The Stanley Parable is a very well thought out and creative game. It is a game about a man named Stanley who arrives at his regular office job to discover that everybody has disappeared. The narrator chimes in, hinting at the player to start moving around the building. To start, it is a game that takes place in a large setting. It reminded me of a giant escape room. There were many different doors, rooms, and even a portal.

The narrator definitely stole the show in this game. He was helpful, yet not too helpful… he didn’t give away any surprises. Also, he also had a great sense of humor. I find it fascinating how clever the creators were in every scenario. There was always a pun added in with every action. In addition, the script was very long. There were never too many pauses of narration. In Danksy’s article titled, “Introduction to Game Narrative,” he had a long section discussing narrators. Danksy wrote, “Naturally, creating enough pre-scripted (formal narrative) material to cover all situations is an impossible task, and so the game’s development team (which includes the game writer) must pick which elements of feedback to concentrate on to deliver a specific play and/or narrative experience (50)”. Although rare, I thought that all the material covered situations very well. There were even jokes involved. My favorite was when the narrator said something along the lines of asking a friend, and on the screen popped up, “Friends list: none.” They were able to take the narrator's job and put it into texts at certain moments, resulting in no overload of speech but still enough to cover the game.

Another part I liked was when the game jumped into Minecraft. I’m not sure what would happen if he continued to run through the island… whether he could actually play certain aspects of the game or if he would be redirected. Either way, it is a creative way to skip from the office to other platforms. I wish I was able to play the game just to see what else was incorporated into the Minecraft game. The little game with the baby was also interesting. There was no point of it, but it did add in a little extra humor. The narrator's sarcasm brought it together.

The game had a very creative way of storytelling. It was very interactive, it reminded me a little of games like Poptropica. There were some objectives, but they weren’t necessary to have fun with the game. There was plenty to explore. Overall, the narrative helped the game excel in content and interaction.

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Here is the trailer to the documentary Catfish. My favorite documentary ever!

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Blog #7

The most important job of producers creating films is to find an effective and meaningful way to tell the desired story. This goes from documentaries to entertainment films. Although documentaries are informative films that tell a true story, it cannot just be a lecture of facts. Entertainment films have similar requirements. No matter how simple the story is, it has to be arranged in both a simple yet engaging way. Some may think that documentaries are easier to create since there isn’t storyboarding and it can start with a very broad idea and still be successful. This isn’t the case. Documentaries have to weave in the entertainment part into the work for it to even be considered as popular as entertainment films.

Even though I think documentaries are much more complex, there are many similarities in how the stories are told overall. In entertainment films, there has to be an amazing plot. I find that movies that start with a mystery are the most engaging, because I want to keep watching to find out the solution. This also goes for documentaries. There must be a good hook at the start about a topic that will gain attention. This is easier for entertainment movies, for the simple fact that they can create whatever plot they want. In documentaries, although the topic can be chosen, there is a need fir fact checking. This can sometimes fall through, which can create a rocky start to the documentary.

Another similarity is the need for good visuals and audio. I viewed the documentary Speed Cubers on Netflix and found some of the sound effects very helpful in telling the story. The documentary was all about Rubix Cube competitions. The simple clicking of the cubes during competitions created a more intense environment. I noticed something similar to this when watching the Scream TV series. For example, when the producers wanted to make scenes more eerie, they would add leaves crunching or light footsteps in the back. Most people associate this type of visual suspense just with entertainment films, but is very similar to techniques used in documentaries. These simple noises can help enhance stories.

One documentary I always come back to is called Catfish. It used to be on Netflix, but I believe it has since been removed. When talking about documentaries, it is the first thing I bring up. It is about a man who invested in a young girl’s paintings who he believed was very ill. The pieces started to fall out of place and he decided to investigate himself. He ended up driving out of state to the house, confronting the family and catching them in a web of lies. This documentary sticks in my mind because it served both as a factual film and an entertainment film. It was so surprising, that it felt fake. I think this is a very important aspect of documentaries. Viewers want the entertainment factor in them.

As for differences, documentaries require a lot more analysis. Shots can’t just be taken and then arranged to the scenes. The visuals have to be very meaningful to the facts being presented. For example, in the documentary Catfish, there were many scenes of the man and his friends driving through dark backroads to really portray the eeriness of the whole situation. If they showed just small sections of the town standing alone, the message wouldn’t have gotten across.

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Data presented in "The Fallen of WWII"

Japan deaths were separated with different labels to show how different deaths happened. This was a creative way to help show the data to the viewers, rather than just speaking about this.

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Dykes 2016

“When narrative is coupled with data, it helps to explain to your audience what’s happening in the data and why a particular insight is important. Ample context and commentary are often needed to fully appreciate an insight. When visuals are applied to data, they can enlighten the audience to insights that they wouldn’t see without charts or graphs.”

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Blog #6

The narrated video titled, “The Fallen of World War II,” uses incredible techniques to tell the story about fallen soldiers and civilians.. This 18-minute video discusses all the deaths in World War II ranging from country to religion. The video was full of visuals to help enhance the data being highlighted. The motion graphics were quite advanced; There was definitely a lot of thought put in by the editors and coders to see the most effective way of representing their data. I remember watching animated videos in science classes in high school that displayed data, and the visuals were never this impactful.

The most apparent technique that was very effective is their use of data formatting. The whole video has bar graphs, with no varying setup. Having the data displayed in a consistent way helped me follow the narration and understand the numbers presented. The graphs also had bright colors. None of the colors were similar and I could distinguish everything easily. There was no confusion. A last helpful part that involved color was when separating data from the same block, different colors were sometimes used. For example, there were deaths from multiple concentration camps that all fell under the category of Jewish deaths. The bars were separated so each different camp had its own color and label. This technique helped the story stay on a clear and readable path to all viewers.

Another technique that helped me engage in the video was the few pictures presented during the narration. This included images from D-Day and civilians struggling. The data told a good enough story as is, but this just brought everything together. I could see the struggles they were going through outside of the death toll. It helped tell more of a story. The pictures fell right in with the narrative and served as an emotional part of the presentation.

My favorite technique used was the sound effects and representation of people. A basic human drawing was used to represent the death toll. Each figure stood for 1,000 people. It is the simplest way the designers could have gone about this figure choice, and it was very effective. It tied together the graphics being about people, while also keeping it visually appealing. As for the sound effects, the simple clicking noises when the bars were either panned or scrolled upwards helped me realize just how long the deaths went for each country. You didn’t necessarily have to even be looking at the screen, you could just hear the clicking to know when it stopped. It also helped emphasize how many people had died. Some of the noises sounded like they went on forever.

I found all of the techniques including data formatting, pictures, visuals, and sound effects to be very impactful on the user. Visuals help impact how data is interpreted, while the narrative was great at explaining the data. It made a very large set of data easy to comprehend with simple graphics that weren’t overwhelming.

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Interactive Websites

https://www.theguardian.com/interactive

The Guardian has a whole webpage of their best interactive articles. All the designs are amazing! Such a great way to share information.

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Blog #5

Most journalism that I read is definitely “straight-forward information-sharing.” When I’m scrolling through a separate search on Twitter, I often just click on the first article I see. These articles are usually the shortest and most blunt; They just get to the point. This type of article is boring, but it gives the quick information I am looking for. I don’t go out of my way for more fulfilling articles if it isn’t something that I am super interested in. Like when I want to catch up on the latest politics, I click the first link on my search. It definitely isn’t a good technique, especially with politics, but it has always done the trick. New types of journalism have arisen, and one great example is using a narrative structure.

One article that uses a beautiful narrative structure is, “Notre-Dame came far closer to collapsing than people knew. This is how it was saved. It is very thoroughly designed with interactive graphics, large images, moving text boxes, and a running clock. This interactive narrative structure created a long article that wasn’t too much to tackle. The designers were able to grasp emotion while putting down straight facts; The article wasn’t one-sided. This definitely helped me as a reader, because not only was I curious about what came next in the article, but I was excited to see what new design they would use at every scroll. I didn’t feel it was distracting at all. It really helped me put the words to the place. I quickly understood where the fire they talked about was, along with where everyone participating stood.

The minor details brought the article to a new level. For example, when showing paths, a red line was drawn. The red then coordinated to important text in a flying text box. It is such a simple design choice that helped me understand their talking point right away. There were also a few links sprinkled into the text that directed to other articles about the same topic. I found this helpful, as sometimes I don’t know what a section of an article is about. It is nice to have another section to readily refer to.

This is definitely a good quest to follow to inform the public. I am always attracted to the most visual articles I can find. It helps me not get lost in the running black and white text. I think more news platforms should adapt these interactive ideas, but I know it is very complicated to achieve all these interactions through a website. Overall, I think adapting these ideas will also help improve journalist writing in general. These different paragraph set ups will provide more opportunities for creativity. Journalists can create text for floating sections or hover boxes. There are so many options that won’t just lie in the hands of the designer. I think this is a great form of journalism, but that might just be because I am a graphic designer. I can see how some people might see it as an inconvenience or waste of time, but either way, I think it should still be pursued.

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Some beautiful recreates of graphic novel covers. This makes it quite easy to judge a book by it’s cover, in a very good way!

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Great thread on graphic novels.

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Graphic Novels

Graphic novels fall into a highly criticized group of storytelling and it is often seen as less “legitimate.” I think this general assumption comes from the fact that they can be quick and easy reads. Fast reads are often targeted to younger children, while many adults seem to like longer novels that do not include pictures. Although I can see why many have this general opinion, I disagree. Graphic novels bring so much more content. I can’t remember the last time I had read one before “Pride of Baghdad,” but it brought back memories from my childhood. I used to read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” all the time. I never got into the Hollywood film comic books so I am not too well versed in how people view them now, but I think it is something that I should start reading.

All the graphics in “Pride of Baghdad” were insanely great. Subtle changes in the art were able to convey emotion. What stood out to me the most was the eye coloring. The eye colors of the animals changed from a smooth orange to a bright red when they were angry or going into battle. Many books do not do emotions justice, simply because we can only envision the characters. Font changes are also very effective in storytelling. There were a couple instances in “Pride of Baghdad” where the fonts changed from the classic comic writing to a more brutal font. The bear introduced at the end had an aggressive font used in all of his speech bubbles, which helped convey his anger and power more. I felt like I was drawn into the battle scene more.

I went on Twitter and read some tweets about people’s opinions on graphic novels. Most of the tweets were encouraging graphic novel reading. One tweet that stood out to me is from user@/divyaareads. She wrote, “...you don’t just consume the storytelling, you consume the art, the expressions that give life to the character, the colors that represent some symbolism…” Mind visuals cannot compete with the art that is placed in these novels. You not only get a plot and a story out of it, but you get beautiful art to help you dive deeper into what the story is truly about. The mind visuals cannot do this justice. I think graphic novel and comic storytelling have many merits that are overlooked. A main reason this could be is because text novel reading is what students are introduced to in school. The criticisms come out because many are not exposed to graphic novels. They only see it in the cartoon section of the newspaper. Many just have general assumptions due to  the small amount they are exposed to.

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The best podcast channel I have ever listened to!

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Podcasts

Podcasts are one of my favorite things to listen to, but I am very picky on which ones I choose. I only like podcasts that tell an engaging story with emotion and imagery. I do not like bland podcasts. Even if it is a crazy story, if there is no personality from the speakers, I do not get much out of it. “Money Tree” was not as well-executed as I expected it to be. The description seemed interesting, especially because I love crime podcasts, but I was kind of let down. Part of it may be because I have high expectations for crime stories because I’m used to listening to the same channel every week.

Podcasts are much different than radio plays. Radio plays are able to show more imagery and emotion. The speaker can tell long fiction stories which allow their speech to wander. They can take all the time they need to dive into the characters and set the scene. This is much different than the use of podcasts. Most people, including myself, use podcasts as a “background.” They are easy to listen to when grocery shopping, working out, and when driving. They are easy to pay attention to because you don’t need to use as much imagery. Podcast storytelling is also more relevant today, and it seems that many would rather listen to podcasts than radio plays. I see podcasts as very convenient and light.

One specific aspect of “Money Tree” that made me not like the storytelling is the voices. I know the topic is serious, but there still wasn’t much emotion used. One example that uses emotion is Crime Junkies. They are one of the only podcasts I listen to, just because I love the way they tell their stories. The speakers throw in respectful bits of emotion such as gasps, which draw me more into the story. In “Money Tree,” I felt like it was just very bland. The voices were stuck in one boring tone, especially when she revealed that her mother was the one who was stealing identities. I expected more emotions out of both speakers. Without this emotion I wanted, it made it easier for me to drift off into thinking about something totally different. Another fall in the storytelling is the overall style. It jumped between host and interviewee at constant rates. I already felt like I knew what was coming next.

I love listening to podcasts. Although I don’t listen to many channels, I always make sure to get the newest Crime Junkies episodes. I love their storytelling, and the hosts have also made a nice image for themself. They aren’t scared to share some of their personal life, and it makes me feel more drawn in.

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This is a YouTube channel I listen to often. The stories are easy access and don’t require viewing.