Top Ten Electronic Media Revelations!

1. Capture the attention of your audience!

My first observation is when Hilliard comments on writing for the mass audience in chapter one on page 2. He discusses that everything from the dialogue to the picture to the content must capture an audience’s attention. Although I’m not a fisher-woman, this knowledge made me think of a difficult fish to catch. The audience can be considered to be fishes in the vast ocean that is mass media. As a writer, you must hook the audience, then reel it in as soon as you can so you can capture and hold on to it. In class, we discussed how writers might capture an audience’s attention through the four set of power tools. For example, a writer can capture the attention of their audience by appealing to the reptilian’s brain instinct of sex.

The photos to the right and above illustrates how a writer might use it in the form of an advertisement to catch an audience’s attention and make them tune in to their show. Another example Dr. Rob showed us of how to capture an audience attention can be seen in the K-fee commercial. The writers of this commercial effectively engaged, shocked, and entertain the audience of this commercial. (Still gets me every time!) (Images of Gossip Girl posters courtesy of Zimbio)

This pertains to my future career in public relations because I will have to write create PR campaigns. When creating PR campaigns I have to think of strategies to capture audience attention to accomplish whatever the objective is. Many times this will include writing press releases or creating promotions and events. To get the most number of impressions I will have to know how to write to capture my audience's attention and achieve my goal.

2. Spark your IMAGINATION- My next reflection from this semester can be found on page 381. On this page, Hilliard discusses that when writing and preparing for a children's program imagination is key. When you are a child your imagination can take you anywhere, but as we grow up it becomes restricted. This closely ties into our class discussion concerning creativity. For two of my media meditations I went to the movies which sparked my imagination. I love going to a movie and being taken away into a different world. Through my meditations I was able to reflect my thoughts on the film and how they triggered my imagination.

This pertains to my future career in PR because I have to use my imagination to stand out in the field. I know others will have the same degree and credentials that I do, but my imagination is what will help my creative process shine through.

3. The Documentary- In chapter six on page 194, I learned that a well written and produced documentary can have a substantial impact on social, political or economic developments in an area. It fascinated me to think that something as simple as a documentary could majorly influence society. An example that I thought of was the documentary Super Size Me. This documentary was about a man who ate McDonald’s fast food, every meal, for one month. After the month was over, his health deteriorated significantly. The response to this documentary was huge. McDonalds received a great deal of backlash that the corporation actually took the Supersize option off of the menu, and began to offer healthier options. The value message of this documentary: FAST FOOD IS AWFUL FOR YOU! (Movie poster courtesy of Movie Banter)

This pertains to my future career because of reputation management. It makes me think of what I would do if I were McDonald’s public relation specialist. Here is a video of the opening of the documentary:

4. Tweet your heart out! During the semester we were required to create a Twitter account. Initially, I resented this assignment so much. I absolutely hated Twitter and thought it was a pointless application. Dr. Rob emphasized how useful Twitter is as a social media tool and slowly turned me to the dark side. Businesses and organizations use Twitter to stay connected to their customers, partners, and employees. It can also be used to build relationships with perspective consumers. Although Hilliard did not discuss Twitter in our text, he did cover writing for the Internet. With Twitter you can only write 140 characters or less, so you must know what you want to say and word it wisely! (Image courtesy of Twitter)

This pertains to my future career because Twitter is a very useful social media tool. Twitter is used in PR for:

- Communicating
- Campaigning
- Reputation management
- Customer and Employee Relations
- Monitoring
- Crises management

5. Media Conglomerates- At the beginning of the semester we were introduced to media conglomerates. Hilliard discusses on page 17, that giant corporations represent the "status quo" of a majority of businesses and industries, as well as political and social thought/power. The media is controlled by what is called "the big ten." These corporate giants can control everything we hear and see. Media conglomerates tie along to the basic principle of ownership that is found in our seven basic principles of media. It is important to ask yourself who owns this media? It can be very frightening that only a few large corporations own so much of the media because they can filter what information we receive and what information that we don't!

This pertains to my future career because one day I might be working for one of these conglomerates or for a company they own!!

6. Key to success- Through our reading we learned that the key to success is being a well rounded individual. Hilliard discusses on page 463,

that in order to become successful media writers that we need to be well rounded individuals. The

courses we take in college are necessary to help us master basic techniques to write for many different forms of media. Hilliard expressed that in order to become a well rounded individual, we have to take courses that don't necessarily have anything to do with the focus of our major. I feel at Champlain College, there is a large emphasis on taking many different courses to create a well rounded student. These classes are known as our CORE classes. Although I often question at times why I am taking classes that do not pertain to my major, in the end I know it will help me succeed in the real world. After reading Hilliard’s take on a well rounded individual I feel much better about the CORE curriculum. (Image courtesy of Imagine Being Free website)

This pertains to my future career field because PR requires you to be able to write in many different formats. The classes I have taken so far have taught me to write for print publications, electronic media formats, and even news releases. In PR you must be prepared for anything that may be thrown at you. Although knowing basic writing techniques will make me a better writer, it will only take me so far. In the end, employers want individuals with a lot of experience and knowledge in different topics. Taking various classes outside of my major will give me an edge against my competition.

7. THE FOUR TOOL SETS- I was introduced to the four tool sets during my freshman year in Mass Media. It was not until this semester that I feel like I really got a grasp on how useful they are. The tool sets included the Three Triune Brains, the Eight Shifts, the Seven Basic Principles of Media, and finally Persuasive Techniques. Throughout this course I used them in all of my media meditations. Although Hilliard did not directly use the four tool sets in his book, he did mention many of the same ideas. For instance, on page 82 he discusses emotional appeals which can be related to the basic principle of emotional transfer. The four tool sets will help me throughout college and my career. In my reflection, I realize that these four tool sets were probably the most important things I learned in this course. (Brain Triune image from Aisha Music)

In my future career field all of these sets will help me develop successful PR campaigns. I have already used the tool sets in my Principles of Public Relations course when designing a publicity campaign for a chocolate company. My teacher was very impressed!

8. The Interview- My next reflection is on the interview. The interview is extremely important in PR and I was very excited to read this chapter. In PR I will have to do interviews myself, and advise clients on how to answer tough interviews to maintain their desired image. This semester we learned that the writer’s phrasing of the questions is key for getting the interviewee to make a statement that gets the idea across. On page 282, Hilliard discusses that if you do not phrase a question properly then you will not receive a full response. Hilliard also discusses that research and preparation are two vital aspects needed in a good interview. My favorite part about this chapter was on page 270 when Hilliard discussed Barbara Walters and how she formulates her questions to get emotions out of her interviewees. Below is a video that features Barbara Walters interviewing singer, Lady Gaga in an unscripted interview. In this video you can see how prepared Ms. Walters is, and how eloquently she delivers her questions. (Cartoon is owned by Cartoon Stock)

In my future career field knowing how properly ask questions in an interview will be very important in PR. As said previously, I may have to conduct interviews myself, or teach my clients how to properly respond to tough interview questions during crisis management or publicity tours.

9. The Commercial- My next reflection has to do with the format of scripting a commercial. This semester it was really interesting to see how much work can go into a 30 to 60 second commercial. In class, we deconstructed and scripted a 30 second Super Bowl commercial for www.GoDaddy.com using the 2 column method that we learned on pages 52-55 of Hilliard’s book. The 2 column method includes a Video and an Audio column. After we did the 2 column method we then transferred it into the one column mash method. This process was very difficult at first to learn, but it was helpful for the production of our Sustain Champlain video commercials. Here is an example of the script used for GoDaddy’s commercial that I wrote earlier in the semester in the final one column mash method:

SCENE #1: ESTABLISHING SHOT - OUTSIDE LOLA'S MANSION - DANICA, LOLA, FANCY CAR.
Cheesy keyboard music.
Danica: (Presenting Lola) Meet Lola.
Lola: (Twirling hands) Mmmm. Hmmm.

SCENE #2: CLOSEUP SHOT - ON LOLA'S FOOTBALL PORTRAIT.
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: The day he retired from football...

SCENE #3: CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT.
Crowd cheering.
Danica: Lola started chasing his biggest dream

Follow the video with the sample of the script that I posted!

This pertains to my future career because I will take part in developing ideas to promote the organization that I might work for. PR is key in publicity and often helps advertisers and marketers during the creative process.

10. BLEEEP! CENSORSHIP-

The last thing that stuck with me most this semester was censorship. Hilliard discusses that the history of censorship of controversial material in broadcasting and mass media is very long. Censorship is the government control over free expression. I learned that writers have to understand how to censor themselves and their subject matter while producing quality work. This chapter raised many questions for me regarding censorship and suppressing freedom of expression. On page 15, Hilliard discussed that freedom of expression is endangered because many media executives fear controversy. Although I believe that in broadcasting material should be regulated and censored because we do not children being exposed to inappropriate material. In saying that, I feel parental controls should be used more so that we do not harm our democratic right to the exchange of ideas. An example of censorship controversy we discussed in class is the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake Super bowl performance. The discussion was very interesting to reflect on. (Image courtesy of Thought Theater). Talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, has a feature on his show called "Unnecessary Censorship," in which he makes fun of things that were censored. Here is a clip, enjoy!

This pertains to my future career because I must be aware of censorship as a PR specialist. Writers and PR specialists must clearly understand censorship and the First Amendment to avoid legal implications. PR professionals write a great deal of content that must be appropriate for the public to view. In regards to publicity in PR an example can be: if a client is a musician it is important to understand censorship to properly manage their reputation and career.