e9 Final Reflection

 

4th Quarter Project

I had an exciting year overall in e-comm and this eventful fourth quarter project made the year even more enjoyable. My peers and I were separated in to groups based on the compatibility of our personality types. After we were divided up we were assigned a project that involved making a fictional product and promoting our product through various forms of multimedia. My teammates and I made a commercial, website, 2D animations, 3D animations, a coupon concept, an ad campaign, and a logo. We made all these different projects in separate e9 classes and we spent a little under two weeks in each class. The way our schedule worked out we were in animation first, video second, and graphic design was last. In animation we created our 2D and 3D animations, in video we did our commercial, and in graphic design we did our logo, website, coupon, and ads. This caused some difficulties because I would have preferred doing graphic design first so we could have had a set logo because when making our commercial and animations we had to use a logo that I made on the spot. We were able to persevere through that inconvenience and make a quality commercial and animations. When it was time to make our logo we came up with one that was simple but unique at the same time and it managed to match the laid-back vibe that we were going for. We had an idea for the logo we wanted previously and we thought we would make the color scheme black and gold. Mrs Zimmerli suggested we change up the colors and we made the logo black and integrated turquoise and yellow into our website to make the colors seem fun and care free, while the logo gives off a chill feeling. When preparing for our presentation in the flex theatre we did a good job of dividing out the talking and looking at the audience while we spoke. We messed up the ending a little bit but Josh did a good job of saving the ending and improvising a way to end our presentation that made sense. In fourth quarter on an individual as well as a team level I feel like good work was produced.

Class Time Usage 

Individually I created many different advertisements including ad banners, ad promos, and a 2D animation. I feel like there is always something to improve on in any project and even when something appears to be perfect it is never really without flaw. Due to this I am very open to constructive criticism and when my team wanted me to fix something that I was working on I got it done and when I couldn't figure out how to do something myself I asked for advice from my team and my teachers. Outside of designated class time I have made my own website in attempts to improve my skills. While working on this project I think I took advantage of the time that was given and I did the best job that I could.

Strengths and Weaknesses 

Throughout the year I realized that I am better in some areas while I struggle in others. Video and writing are the two skills used in e-comm that I am good at. I was able to take my time when editing my videos and I felt like I understood how to use adobe premier well. I also liked acting in videos and   while I realize it is a smaller part of e-comm I feel like I improved in the area of presence on camera which could be a helpful attribute if I go into convergence journalism. An area I need to improve in is animation. Drawing and art has never really been a strength for me and that was exposed when I was doing animations this year. I didn't give up though and I went in during power fifty to make sure the I completed animation projects to the best of my ability.

Summary

I really enjoyed e-comm this quarter and it was definitely my favorite class to be in. I liked the fact that I got to work in a team and build some camaraderie amongst some of my fellow e-comm students. If I had to change anything I would have liked to contribute to more ideas. I let my thoughts and opinions take the background on occasion and I feel like if I spoke up more than my team would have liked my ideas and they would've been utilized more. I learned how to work in a team better and I learned when your in a team setting that when your ideas aren't acknowledged as smart, feasible, or seem to be dismissed easily in discussion thats okay because you might end up having a big idea that is central to the project. I have learned many things over the course of the year and I'd like to set a goal of getting 200 endorsement hours next year. I know it is a tough goal to reach but I have never been one to shy away from a challenge. Joining the e-comm program was one of the best things I could have done going into high school and it feels great to be apart of a program where I can express my creativity.