The Weeks Before & During Podcast Week

Here you will read about my personal process while creating the podcast/microsite. I'll analyze the process and comment on which parts helped me better understand the answer to the core question of the class. Between weeks 7-8, my group and I created a podcast to discuss the core question. This was our first attempt to gather everything we learned since the beginning of the quarter to completely answer the question. It is meant to help us focus in on the question and get a clearer perspective on the answer with the help of our peers. The microsite was created to compliment and display the podcast. We will also be discussing how the podcast helped me progress towards the course objective.

Pre-Production

This is from the model podcast analysis from week 6 where I analyzed the podcast "Cinderella" to give me a new perspective on the film and on the structure of podcast. Listening to the podcast allowed me to be a more engaged reader as I was actively looking for information that would give me insight on the film, so I could incorporate it into the podcast. This discussion from the podcast stood out to me because it connects directly to the course question as it explains Cinderella's dreams in terms of its relation to society's expectation for women. Dreams throughout all Disney films represent desire and the dreams of the Disney princesses are a symbol of what society believes is the dream, the ideal for women.

Rapunzel also becomes the one in charge during the film and even when Flynn tried to scare her by taking her to the Yellow Duck, it was Rapunzel who once again took charge and saved Flynn. By preaching the group to follow their dreams as they go into song: "Find your humanity. Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"(40:52).

This is from an extra credit opportunity where I analyzed scenes from Tangled as my later Disney film. The assignment relates developing openness, one of the habits of the mind, as it made me see a childhood film in a new light through new interpretations of the same scenes. I realized that Rapunzel, although Flynn was suppose to save her, it was she who ultimately save him, physically and mentally.

This is from an assignment in week 2 where we annotated "Disney's Magic Mirror: The Disney Corporation's Impact on the Folk & Fairy Tale Genre" by Haas and Trapedo. In this, I annotated an excerpt talking about gender roles, which helped me become a more engaged reader and form connections between several text. Through careful reading of the text and reflecting on it presently, I can see a connection to Cinderella as the same ideas apply to her.

Podcast &Microsite Production

This is just one of the line I had during the podcast where I helped make a transition between the segments as one of my responsibilities as a co-host. I learned the importance of transitions being the co-host and this would be a helpful skill for my essay to make it flow from one idea to the next. Although the topics are very different, I was able to find a connection between the two segments and make an effective transition. This connects to the course objective as I learned how to use and apply conventions of academic writing, even though this is a podcast.

This is the cover of the microsite page for the podcast where I was the microsite editor. Being the microsite editor, I developed the theme and finalized website. The cover is one of my favorite part of the site because it show Disney as a dream, which is what Disney is: a picture perfect life that younger audience dream of living in. Making the site and developing a theme for the site helped me become more creative and although it was a lot of work because the website gave me a lot of trouble I really like the end result.

In an essay I read by Haas and Trapdeo, they wrote, “Disney transforms Rapunzel from a damsel in distress into an independent young woman who ‘uses her intellect and sense of right and wrong to challenge the notion her mother pushes on her’”, which shows Rapunzel as displaying opposite characteristics of Cinderella. Rapunzel directly challenges Mother Gothel at the end of the film after she realizes the truth, while Cinderella obediently continues to live as a servant despite understanding how unfair her life is. Although both are damsel distress, the key difference is Rapunzel’s ability to do something about her situation. Yes, Flynn saved her, but a lot of the actions she performed were of her own mind, like tying up Flynn and blackmailing him to help her. The power is in her hands and not solely in the man’s.

tangled-rapunzel-stands-up-against-mothe

This is a line from the podcast where I connected my idea to what one of the other speakers said in the beginning of the segment. They mentioned that Cinderella plays the role of the damsel in distress and I used this to show that although some see Rapunzel like this, it isn't necessarily true as she has her own strength to save herself. I learned the importance of connecting ideas in a podcast together, which can be used when writing an essay to stay focused. This connects to the objective of improving communication skills as it demonstrates that I listened and understood their comment enough to expand on it.

Click here to be directed to the microsite.

Looking Ahead

During the podcast, I stumbled a lot on my words, even the words I had written in

front of me. I think a reason why I have trouble speaking is because I speak really

fast, which my group told me I was doing. This is a habit I've developed because

of my fear of public speaking, so it's still something I have to work on. I can learn

to relax because at the end of the day it's just talking to a small group of people.

While doing the podcast, while developing the outline, it was challenging integrating

the last segment into the podcast. With a lot of thought, we were able to work

together to make a sub-topic that didn't seem like it would connect to the topic fit in.

I learned that through collaboration, new perspectives are revealed and they can be

really insightful.

I learned that I can be little bossy. Usually I am really quiet, especially when it comes to strangers, but this project showed me that I can be in charge and delegate responsibilities to the group to make everyone have an even workload. I was able to work with each one of my groupmates individual on parts that we were suppose to collaborate on and work with them as a whole as we discussed what we want the overall podcast to be like. Ultimately, I learned the importance collaboration and how it allows individuals to be better at their role. Most of the roles we assigned ourselves were mainly labels because we often collaborated with one another. This allowed all of us to fix each other's mistakes and strengthen their weaknesses.

While making the script for the podcast, I learned how I wanted to introduce the entire essay. I want to use the Killing Us Softly 4 lecture by Jean Killbourne to support the idea that the media plays a big role in the way we perceive the world around us. I also really liked what one of my group mentioned about how in Cinderella, her goal was essential marriage and childbearing. I could use in my essay and add a quote from the "Cinderella" podcast I listened to support this idea. Additionally, while finding a conclusion for the podcast, I talked about how the change in the way women are portrayed in films are representative on how society is becoming more progressive and expanded on this by adding that the changes themselves tells the audience which characteristics are good and bad. I think this could be added to my essay because it uses what old and new Disney films teaches us collaboratively, not just independently.