Author Archives: Daraujo

Revamping the Hills District- Group Project

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The Hills District has been the topic of many of the residents’ conversations as of late.  There is a realization that the area is an unsafe and deprived area of the city.  It is often unsafe for residents of the area to travel within the district after a certain time, and the area has served as a hub for crime in the past couple of years.  However, there are now attempts and measures that have been taken in hopes of revitalizing the Hills District that wish to bring the area back to its former glory.  My group hopes to tackle the issue that deals with the safety of the area.  The Hills District serves as a crime hub for most of downtown Pittsburgh, despite the fact that there exists a police station with the heart of its main street.  My group is devising a plan that would improve the safety of the area for all of the surrounding residents.  We believe that one of the best ways that we could do this is to bring in a form of media that would assist civilians in directly contacting the authorities should something criminalistics take place.  Although our plan is still in its developing stages I remain certain that we will be able to devise a plan that can be implemented in order to better serve the Hills District.  I hope that our solution to the problem will be something that can be brought to the forefront of solutions to the crisis in personal security that is currently occurring within the Hills District.  Our issues have been discussed by residents of Pittsburgh, newspapers, online editorials, social media websites, radio, television, and far more mediums than previously mentioned.  It’s time that change be brought to the Hills District in order to provide a safer life for the residents.

Blog Post #5; Uncle That Works for Nintendo

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When playing The Uncle That Works for Nintendo and Capri Toots I found that they both have individual elements that allow them to be completely different stories although made using the same general tools and formula.

During my play through of The Uncle That Works for Nintendo I will admit that I found myself feeling very uneasy, and even at some points scared while playing the game.  I felt very alone when I was playing the game due to the very effective use of atmospheric tools that the author has employed to provide an eerie aurora that surrounds the game.  I found myself engaging in the story in a way that I found myself invested in the well-being of my character, and at some points I even felt as though I may be the character due to the sounds that accompanied the text.  The use of the imagery and the audio in collaboration with the text assisted in creating an environment that effected myself as a reader and listener of the project in a way that felt very realistic.

However, the same cannot be said in my opinion of Capri Toots.  I found that after playing The Uncle That Works for Nintendo I had very high expectations for what I would experience when playing Capri Toots.  The result was that Capri Toots left me wanting much more in terms of tools used to generate the sense of an environment for the reader.  I didn’t feel as absorbed into the environment as I had found I was when playing The Uncle That Works for Nintendo.  Instead I found myself becoming bored at times.  In addition to the lack of environment that was being created by the story Capri Toots didn’t take advantage of all the tools that it had at its disposal to make the story more enveloping.  This includes the use of audio and imagery.

Tutorial: How to Increase Bass in Audacity

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Step 1: First of all import the audio file that you wish to work with.Beginnning

Step 2: Now select the portion of the audio that you want to work with within the file.  Do this by using the selection tool.  Click at the beginning of the part you wish to work with then drag to the end point that you want.Selection

Step 3: Then go the drop down menu labeled “Effects” and select Bass and Treble.Bass Selection

Step 4:  A pop-up box will show up.  Type in the amount of Bass you want to add to the selection that you picked by adjusting the dB amount of Bass using the slider or typing in the amount.  You can preview the change by clicking preview.  Then click okay when you are happy with the change.Bass Level

Step 5:  After you click “OK” the change will take place.  You can undo the change by pressing “Ctrl+Z” or by clicking the “Edit” drop down menu and selecting “Undo Bass and Treble”.  Congratulations you’ve adjusted the Bass!  You should see the change in the selections waveform.Ending

Audio Preview Post

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My audio project is going to be made in a “podcast-like” kind of format.  I will be telling a story in my audio project, but will be using audio as another element to add another dimension to my project.  The preview included with this post is non-linear.  Meaning that what you hear is not the order that they will appear in the project.  Instead the preview is just a mix of the various sounds that you will hear throughout the project.  This preview is non-comprehensive as there are many elements of the story that I could not fit in a 30 second clip.

The music soundtrack that is being played at some points is from Kevin MacLeod’s collection.  This will serve to set an atmosphere throughout the podcast that will assist in the telling of the story.  This soundtrack will also be working with sounds that I create, and from the library of sounds created by those in the class.  This will hopefully give the listener an idea of what they might have heard had they been with me when the events of the story occurred.

I expect that the hardest part of this project will be trying to find a balance between the use of the music and the sound effects that I create.  In addition to this I expect that trying to find a balance between the loudness of the various layers of audio will be difficult as well.  I don’t want the transitions between the audio to be harsh, so that will also be another thing that I will want to carefully address.  Other than these minor obstacles I’m excited for the final product of my project.  Even though doing a podcast means I have to listen to a recording of my own voice.  Which I’m not happy about.

Blog #4 – Soundscape; Mailbox Sound

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It’s early morning in the suburbs.  The sound of birds chirping outside can be heard as the sweet smell of the morning air rushes into your nostrils.  The gurgling of the coffee brewing can be heard coming from the kitchen, as well as the sound of the morning traffic rushing down the street in front of the house.  In front of you is the local newscaster lulling on about the events of the day before and what the world has planned for the day ahead of you.  However, like most people, your only concern is what the weather is going to be like throughout the day.

 

You hear a vehicle stop in front of your house, pause for a moment, then drive away.  This signals your favorite time of the day.  It’s time to check the mail.  It’s like a miniature Christmas holiday every day for you.  You never quite know what might show up in your mailbox.  As you slip on the first pair of shoes you can find you begin to wonder what might have shown up today.  The creaky front door moans as its bulky frame swings open allowing the crisp air to blow in and fill your home.  You make your way outside as the door thuds shut behind you.  You get to the mailbox and as you open it it makes the familiar tin-like whine that it always makes when you open it.  You then shut it as it makes a quiet noise that pales in comparison to that made by the door.  As you turn to walk inside you see that your neighbor is going about the same routine as you.  He waves hello and shouts, “How are you this morning?”, his rusty voice hinting at his old age.  You respond and ask the same then turn to walk back inside.  While the symphony of the morning continues on behind you.

Motivational Video Propsal

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Motivation is something that we all seek in order to give us the mentality to do something, or to accomplish our goals. In order to assist people in finding the motivation to complete tasks and reach their goals I will be taking footage and audio from athletes, scholars, and other individuals that many esteem to be like. I will obtain my footage from places like the following:
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScQ-ad9gR9M
-http://www.learnoutloud.com/content/blog/archives/2009/01/to_give_you_a_b.php

I would like to alter the footage in such a way so that the viewer feels empowered and confident after watching the finished product. I will arrange the footage and audio, so that there is some interplay between the speeches. In this I mean that the content of the speeches may run together in order to make them seem seamless and almost like it is one speech that is being read by many individuals. This audio will overlay footage of some great accomplishments that have been achieved over the course of time.

The reaction that I am looking to evoke from my audience is a sense of hopefulness and accomplishment. I’m hoping that every individual that views this remix will see it as an opportunity to better themselves and succeed in every facet of there lives.

In terms of video editing techniques I plan to use various transitions and filter on the footage in order to engage the viewer in an exciting and emotional manner. At the same time I plan to use audio as a very significant source of empowerment to compliment the theme of the overall production. I’ve have employed these techniques in my previous work in video editing and see no obstacle in path aside from learning the overall interface of Adobe Premier Pro in a Macintosh Operating System. I look forward to empowering individuals with my production.

“Dare to Believe” by Boyce Avenue

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“Dare to Believe” by Boyce Avenue can be considered a remix in the sense that it is an original composition that uses video taken from various news networks, and stitches them together to create a music video.

The video footage taken from the news networks are from various tragedies or disasters that have occurred.  The video doesn’t essentially change the meaning of the remixed content, but rather strengthens it to intensify the feeling that the viewer may have felt seeing the original footage unaltered.  However, at the same time it is possible that the original content that is laid over the original footage could instill a sense of hope rather than a feeling of desperation.

The footage is cut out at various points in length.  This is done to show the vast amount of tragedy that has occurred in such a short amount of time.  In addition to being cut out in length the content is missing audio at certain points throughout the video so that the creator can overlay their own message over the footage.  The creator does incorporate the original audio from the footage into the newly made music video.  This works well with the message that both creations are trying to instill in the viewer.

The remix of the footage does introduce the original content to a new demographic and audience than may have been originally intended.  Where as the news network footage may have been intended for middle-aged and older audiences the new content created from the footage seems to be aimed more towards young adult and teenage populous.

Though many may look at this creation as just another song it is easy to see that there is an underlying message that is intended to be understood by the viewer.  This is remix is done well in both the addition of new content laid over top the original footage.