Spring 2016 Coming to a Close

Blog 11

 

 Well guys...senior capstone has come and gone!! My capstone has been an amazing learning experience that helped push me out of my comfort zone. My capstone project began by venturing to my church in Shepherdstown, WV, St. Agnes Catholic Church. Kate DiServio, St. Agnes event coordinator, introduced me to a potential upcoming concert event featuring well-known Christian Music Artist, Matt Maher. St James was in need of effective public relations campaigning at The Roman Catholic Parish of St. James the Greater. In time, we collectively decided on the name Mountain Spring Concert. The idea behind this name is having a fresh welcome of spring in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia with a music celebration. Understanding that my client was in need of promotional skills, I chose to use the best of my public relations abilities to promote this concert. In promoting, I created an informational survey to gain knowledge of current St James' members involvement with Christian music and awareness of Matt Maher. I developed an editorial calendar of all social media posts that would occur during the time of the campaign. These social media platforms included Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. To extend my reach of audience I formed a cover letter and press release for local news papers, which would inform the surrounding community of the church. Lastly, I created fliers to be added into church bulletins to provide details and information of ticket purchasing for members of the church. Overall, I had a very rewarding senior capstone experience, and I truly cannot believe it is completed. Capstone is a project that has been in the back of my mind since I entered the communications department at Shepherd University, and is one that I was slightly worried and nervous about taking on. After completing capstone, I understand that the project itself is a learning experience and is one that has given me a preview into my future profession.

Editorial Calendar Ex.

14-Feb	Facebook	Happy Valentine's Day, "Mountain Springers"! Love is in the air! If you're still in need of a Valentine's gift, fear not! The Mountain Spring Concert tickets are still available for purchase at eventbrite.com/stjames_mattmaher at $10 a ticket! We cannot wait to share our love of God and music with all of you at the Mountain Spring Concert on May 19!
14-Feb	Twitter, Instagram	Give the gift of music this Valentine's Days! eventbrite.com/stjames_mattmaher #MSC
18-Feb	Facebook	SHARE THIS POST TO WIN: Matt Mahers new albulm, SAINTS AND SINNERS!!! Five lucky people will win Matt Maher's new albulm by either sharing on Facebook or retweeting this post on our Twitter page! **Winners will be announced March 18, must be present at Concert to recieve CD (new names will be drawn if no show) Mountain Spring Concert, Thursday May 19, 7-9pm
18-Feb	Twitter	RETWEET THIS TO WIN Maher's new albulm, SAINTS AND SINNERS!! #MSC #rt #winner3/18

Flier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survey Ex. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cover Letter & Press Release

Late Night In the Zone- Spring Break

Cultural Blog 5

 I actually didn't attend another event...

APRIL FOOLS, on April 1 I attended the final Late Night in the Zone of the semester and this month's theme was "Spring Break". The event included a mechanical bull (which was suppose to be a mechanical shark), mocktails/ food, bingo, a DJ, glow-in-the-dark tie painting, black light putt-putt, and a photo booth! The photo booth was probably my favorite part (hence the picture to the right with my friend Lauren). The event was well decorated and had plenty to do, however this Late Night was one of the least attended Late Night In the Zone's of the semester. The mechanical bull company, Phantom Shadow accidentally brought their mechanical bull rather than mechanical shark which somewhat confused the theme, but still did the job. Also, by the middle of the night bingo actually turned into karaoke and was much more entertaining than hearing "B42, anyone have B42". Subs were served at the event, and Rockstar mocktails were made as well, which were actually really tasty and made people pretty hyper. I had a good time at the event, I do however wish that more people attended. A con of the event is that many people cleared out by midnight, and the event lasted until 1 a.m.

Shepherd Baseball vs Wheeling Jesuit

Cultural Blog 4

 

On Saturday, April 16 my friend, Emilee and I attended the Shepherd University baseball game versus Wheeling Jesuit University at Fairfax field. It was the warmest Saturday we've yet to have reaching nearly 80 degrees. I decided to bring my pups along, and we plopped down on the right field side and watched the game in the grass. We attending the first game of the evening, and chose not to stay for the second, because of the heat getting to both of us and the dog. Both teams made the game very interesting, because the final score was very close. On offense, Shepherd had hit after hit but tended to hit the ball directly to or near a fielder. Finally, Shepherd had gained momentum in the fifth inning when a batter hit a two-run single that got through the infielders and ultimately lead Shepherd to win the first game 2-1. We had a great time catching a little sun and watching the game, and I did learn that I probably will not be bringing my extremely hyper pups back to a game...

The Most Important Phenom in Animation: According to Me

Lets rewind to four months go...sometime in January. I didn't know the first thing about animation. Granted I'm no expert, but I have learned a few things over the past couple of months! During a little trial and error in creating animation my self, I truly believe the most important phenomenon in animation is squash and stretch. Squash and stretch is a principle used in animation to make an object or character's movements appear real. In reality, our bodies remain at one length all times, however in certain situations our bodies must compress or extend to their possible limits. For example, if a body bends down, in animation this would be considered "squashing". Squashing would also be when a ball drops to the ground and compresses as gravity pulls the ball to the earth. "Stretching" for our bodies is exactly what is sounds like. If you were to take a large leap to jump from point A to point B, your body would be in it's full extension to do so. As for the ball, it would be bouncing up toward the sky in its maximum stretching capacity. If you wanted to recreate this look in animation, squash and stretch is absolutely necessary to complete that task. When Walt Disney and his crew were sifting through good and bad animators, the first test was to see if they could animated a bouncing ball, so this principle has been a vital rule in animation for years. Squash and stretch is without a doubt the most important phenomenon/ principle in the creation of any animation.
 

Detheux Part 2

Jean Detheux discusses how animation has strayed from being an art form to a "manufactured" production. Detheux strongly expresses that today's common animation is one that has simply been overplay and unfortunately has lost its title of being an art form. You see, Detheux explains in part two that today's animation viewers are those that are easily touched or moved by a storyline. But, isn't this the exact thing that Walt Disney has strived for since the beginning? It's an interesting point that she makes saying, the audience does not even need a compelling story to be invested in the characters. In fact, instantly seeing today's animated characters and watching them move is enough for people to be invested today. Where has the story in a storyline gone? Detheux explains that if the entire character or entire story is already developed before writing, than animator is simply "stuck in their ways". Knowingly writing the entirety of a story tells you that you've become a hibitual writer, meaning that a writer is stuck writing the same beginning, middle and end as the storylines created previously. Detheux continues to push for a more artistic approach to animation, however as explained in my part one blog, as long as the audience attaches to "manufactured" animation, it will remain for years to come.

Batman vs. Superman: My Movie Viewing Experience

Cultural Blog 3

On March 24, I hopped in the Shepherd University vans and headed to Berkeley Plaza to see Batman vs Superman. Now keep in mind, I'm not a superhero fanatic, however I can absolutely appreciate a good movie when I see one. This one however, I was not overly impressed with. I do think the movie lasted longer than it needed. Yet, after taking an animation class this semester, I can really appreciate the work that went into making this movie look as good as it did. I won't spoil the movie for you, but it did get a bit cheesy at times...that's just my opinion. If you can't decide whether you want to go see the movie tomorrow in theaters or watch within the comfort of your home, I say save your money. Grab it for $1.50 at your local Redbox in a few months and let your followers know what you think!

Career Fest!

Cultural Blog 1& 2- Attending this event counts for two blogs!

 On March 10, 2016 Shepherd University hosted it's annual Career Fest. I attended the event with a few of my classmates, Lauren and Emilee, and even spoke with Lauren's mother about Brethren Mutual Insurance, the company where she manages the communication's department. I spoke with a few more employers briefly, and I genuinely thought that Career Fest was a great experience. Though I did not find the perfect fitting job for myself, I did gain the experience of speaking with employers and gaining knowledge of the kind of work they perform. I regret not attending Career Fest in previous years, because I spoke with several employers who were in search of summer interns. I would recommend to all students attending Shepherd University that they attend next years Career Fest as they may land their dream job, or at least gain experience in speaking with professionals.