awd reflective portfolio

8/8/2019 AWD Reflective Portfolio

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Kaitlin Quick

English 3301: Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

Unit 1 Final Draft

Rhetorical Analysis of VFX from Inception by Bill Desowitz

Contrary to popular belief, an Animator can land a multitude of jobs that dont

include Disney, anime, or video games. In fact computer graphics is currently one of

the largest growing job sectors in America(Keegan 1). Careers based in Animation can

range from creating 2D cell animation, to 3D commercial motion graphics, to working

on visual effects for small projects and major motion pictures. The visual effects, VFX

for short, world is rapidly expanding as films and television rely more and more

heavily on what some may call CG or computer graphics(Keegan 1). VFX for film

includes everything from explosions, to color correction. VFX artists are in charge of

putting the finishing touches on a sequence to make the directors vision a reality. A

successful film integrates live action and VFX seamlessly.

In VFX from Inception Bill Desowitz uses excerpts from an interview with

Paul Franklin, the VFX supervisor for Double Negative, to shine some light on how

they created the realistic dream-world settings for the film Inception(Desowitz 1).

Desowitz explains that the success, and speediness of the work is all due to the close

relationship between the VFX firm and the director. Most films farm out their effects

work to small boutique companies all over the world, which creates majorcommunication issues, shot-integration problems, and time crunches when it comes to

producing the filmmakers vision. Instead of farming out all of the work, Double

Negative took on the project as a whole(Desowitz 7). Since Christopher Nolan, the

director of Inception, was only working with one FX house, the dialogue between


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director and supervisor was direct and on the spot. Once a mock up of a shot was

done, the director immediately gave his input and sent it back to Double Negative.

There, the various teams would edit their work, and send it right back to the director.

They worked very closely with Nolan while he was shooting the live action aspect of

the film. Franklin elaborates by saying, One of the great advantages of having such

close contact with Chris was that we could move rapidly from discussing an idea to

working up a shot concept on an HD QuickTime supplied from editorial without a lot

of debate and negotiation (Desowitz 4).This speediness made the creative process

much more sinuous, and brought the VFX aspect of film out of the world of post

production, and into the world of production (Desowitz 4). With this as the backbone

of the article, the details include specific technical skills, programs, and methods used

to create the VFX for Inception.

VFX from Inception is an article that can be found on the Animation World

Network website, awn.com. AWN prides itself on being the largest animation-related

publishing group on the Internet, and is a respected source for news, jobs, and

general information in the CG industry (Emmons). The Animation World Network

publishes 2 journals, Animation World Magazine & VFX World Magazine, as well as

articles on their frequently updated website (Emmons). For funding, AWN offers larger

companies the opportunity to pay for ad space, and extra access to the databases as

well as a store tab on their homepage where one can buy subscriptions to their

publications, and other products specific to the field (Emmons). This particular article

is currently a headliner on the AWN home page, as well as an ad banner beside/

embedded into other related articles on the site. VFX from Inception is formated like

most other online magazine/blogs with a simple lay out. The article is spread evenly


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across 5 pages. Each page includes an HD screen shot from the film, and about 4

paragraphs of the article.

The author, Bill Desowitz, is a widely published freelance writer in the

Production industry, as well as the Editor of Animation World Magazine. His work has

appeared in such reputable publications as The New York Times, the LA Times, Wired,

and USA Today (LinkedIn). His reputation, and previous publications afford him

access to the top Production Houses and VFX firms for in depth looks on how they

create such successful work.

The call to write in this instance was the public curiosity from the success of

the film Inception (Trimbur). As in any other field, all VFX professionals can learn from

successes and failures of their peers. In this case, the success owes partial credit to the

level of interaction with the filmmakers(Desowtiz 7). This may seem like an obvious

way to reap better work, but is only now being put into practice. The VFX world, while

quickly growing, is in grave danger due to the way it is operated (Keegan 1). The

production houses and boutique firms are at the mercy of the filmmakers. In order

maintain relationships with studios and filmmakers, VFX houses often have to

promise unattainable timelines, and shoulder the financial loss when they cannot be

met (Keegan 1). While exciting and fast paced, VFX is a lose-lose business under the

current model of production, so successful examples of production organized in this

new fashion could be just what the VFX world needs. If the model changes, the

industry could not only gain respect and clout in the film production field, but also a

monetary incentive to work for the first time in history.

The AWN is a free resource that anyone can sign up to access, although the

information and services it provides are solely beneficial to those in the Animation/


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Production field (Emmons). With that said, very early on in the article Desowitz

neglects to stop and explain the old model or the function of programs like Houdini

and the Squirt fluids system(Desowtiz 2). The language of VFX from Inception

consists of various phrases, and programs that only a professional (or student studying

to become a professional) in the production business would be familiar with. These

omissions and word choices indicate the audience for this article are professionals in

the post-production, production, visual effects, and animation fields. Desowitz does

not showcase this article as a testament to a new model of production, but as an

informational piece on the techniques used to create the beautiful dreamscapes from

the film Inception (Desowitz 2-4). Never the less, by the end of the article Desowitz

strategically uses quotes from Franklin to plant that very message. This augments the

scope of his target audience, for only major VFX firms producers and filmmakers have

the power and/or luxury to actually change the current production model.

Anyone with an interest in animation or visual effects could potentially gain

from this article. It details the various new techniques used to achieve photo-realistic

CG settings, and alternative methods/ways of thinking to solve issues like creating a

dream-like world that doesnt adhere to all of the laws of physics. A major portion of

the article is dedicated to explaining how Double Negative managed to create the

architecture of the limbo state dream setting in the film. This included the process by

which they were able to pin down pictorially what Nolan wanted the scene to look

like, as well as the combination of architectural models and glacial/natural decay. By

the end of description of Double Negatives process, Desowitz boils it all down to the

elimination of postvis, short for post-visualization, which gave Double Negative the


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time and input from Nolan to work out exactly what was needed to create the

scene(Desowitz 7). Or simply put, the success of this new model of work.

Bibliography

Keegan, Rebecca. "Hollywood's VFX Shops: Trouble in Boom Times - TIME."

Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews -

TIME.com. 31 May 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. .

Desowitz, Bill. "VFX from Inception." AWN | Animation World Network. 21 July 2010.

Web. 28 Sept. 2010. .

Emmons, Mark. "Internet Reviews Archives - Animation World Network." Bowdoin

College. 04 May 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. .

Trimbur, John. The Call to Write. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning,

2011. Print.

"Bill Desowitz - LinkedIn." LinkedIn | Relationships Matter. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.

.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-desowitz/0/767/619http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-desowitz/0/767/619http://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.awn.com/articles/article/vfx-inception/page/5,1http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-desowitz/0/767/619http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-desowitz/0/767/619http://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/reviews/issues/may04/awn.htmlhttp://www.awn.com/articles/article/vfx-inception/page/5,1http://www.awn.com/articles/article/vfx-inception/page/5,1http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990803-1,00.html


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Kaitlin Quick134 Mosswood Ct.

Richmond, VA 23236

C 804 9862405

H 804 3202217

[email protected]

October 20, 2010

Russell Pensyl

Chair, Proffessor

Northeastern University Art + Design Dept.

239a Ryder Hall

11 Leon St.

Boston MA, 02115

Dear Chair Pensyl,

As a student of the Art + Design department, I am writing to you on behalf of myself and my

classmates. We respect and appreciate everything you have done for the department thus far,

and anticipate nothing less as time progresses. It is because of your positive impact on the

department, that we write to petition a change in the requirements to qualify for an Art History

minor.

Right now, the department offers ten art history courses. For those outside the

department taking five of the ten courses is necessary to attain a minor, but for those students

in the department four of the ten courses arent eligible to fulfill the requirement due to the

fact that they are requirements for our majors. That leaves six options, one of which is studyabroad. Realistically this leaves five course options, of which an Art + Design student in pursuit

of a minor would have to complete four. Many of these courses arent offered every semester,

creating another barrier for the Art + Design students.

We are aware that a certain number of credit hours are needed for the university to

recognize a minor, but under the current system it is exceptionally convoluted to attain one.

Many students like myself are just one or two credits away from a minor, but due to the lack of

course offerings they either cannot or are not motivated to minor. I have taken five of the ten art

history courses offered, yet I cannot have a minor until I complete nearly every course the

department offers. With our strictly regimented schedules dictated by when studio courses are

offered, its difficult to have an upper level art history course correspond.

After examining other universities' requirements for similar programs and departments,

I realize that some but not all require similar augmented course hours for a minor in art

history. The striking difference is that the courses offered to do so are far more numerous than

those in our course catalogue. The most relevant example is Drexel University, one of the the

other top co-op universities in the country with a similar Art + Design dept. to ours. Drexel

offers upwards of forty art history courses. Three to four are required of their art students

(depending on their program of study), and all of them can count towards the Art History minor

requirement of five courses. There are no differences in the requirements for Art students and


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the rest of the student body. We are not asking you to model our program on theirs. We are

asking you to consider the ratio of courses offered to courses required as well as the fact that at

universities on the same level as ours, use the Art History requirements to benefit their students

and not give them the run around to attain a minor. To me, these glaring differences show that

in order to fairly require that number of courses the school must offer more options to fill

them.

We propose that until the department can offer more course offerings that will satisfythe minor requirement, at least two of the courses required for our major should fulfill the

minor requirements as well. For those in the Digital Art program, all of the basic courses

offered include an intense art history aspect, much of which overlaps with the curriculum of the

art history courses offered. In fact, I had multiple readings overlap on multiple occasions. It is

because of this that I feel the Digital Art students would not be missing out on classroom time

if the minor requirement was altered.

The ultimate goal of our proposal is not to lessen our workload, but to eventually

bolster the size and reputation of the art history sector of our department. We recognize that

this will take time, but do not feel we should be penalized for a lack of course offerings on the

universitys part. We hope that you would agree that this is a serious issue, and will help usattempt to remedy the problem at hand.

Attached are the signatures of those students who support this petition.

On Behalf of the Art + Design Department Student Body,

Kaitlin Quick


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What better way to achieve the stroke of a pen, than the actual stroke of a pen? With the UV mapping tool,photoshop,a scanner, Bump Maps, and traditional fine art materials achieving a hand drawn texture is no hathan any other option.This tutorial uses a book as the object, but these steps and techniques can easily beapplied to any other project. Many Maya tutorials are impossible to follow for those who are below an advanlevel of skill with the program. This tutorial explains the process of UVing an object in simple terms even a bner can grasp.

The first step is to finalize all modeling details on your object. For this book project, the vertices were tweakecreate the look of an aged cover.

Right-click the object and select material attributes. In the channel box click the icon next to the color adjuspop up with different texture options with appear. Select the checkered pattern, and navigate back to your ob(If the checkers dont show up, make sure the checkered sphere in your toolbar is selected. This selection enthat all details in your scenes texturing will be displayed as you work.)


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November 14, 2010

To: Hania MusiolFrom: Kaitlin Quick

RE: Unit 4 Prospectus

I am writing a review of the title sequence for HBOs Boardwalk Empire. I will take into account thecritiques it has already received, but make an argument as to why the flaws the other critics see areactually what make this sequence successful. The company who produced the title sequence, Imaginary

Forces, has produced many critically acclaimed title sequences, and much of the critiques this particular

sequence has been enduring seem to, in my opinion, stem from a preconceived notion that a differentfirm, Digital Kitchen, should have been chosen to produce the titles. Thus, creating a less than welcoming

audience no matter the visual success or failure of the title sequence itself. I plan to attempt to break

through the negative attitude many motion designers and enthusiasts have about this title sequence byaddressing this unspoken prejudice, and presenting a shot by shot breakdown and review what I see as a

successful title sequence. This review will be written, and intended for an industry blog called Art of the

Title. This site posts and celebrates successful title sequences, and often times has interviews or articles

about the sequences that have been publicly praised by others or won awards. I plan to use the otherreviews on this title sequence to enhance my argument about the preconceived notions. I also plan to use

stills from the sequence within my review as visual examples. I will be using the same style of

documentation as the site I would publish this review to. They simply list the sources/credits at the end of

the post.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ulloa, Alexander, and Angel Tagudin.Art of the Title. Web.11 Nov. 2010..

a) This is the website my review would be published on.

b) Art of the Title is a respected industry blog. Its gotten press attention from publications like The

Boston Globe, and is featured as a link on many other industry sites/blogs. This site often offers

interviews with those who created the sequences they showcase, so much of the information isstraight from the source, the creator.

c) Ill use this site as a template for writing my article. Ill format it visually as they do, and not exceed

the length of their longest articles.

Boardwalk Empire. Dir. Karin Fong and Michelle Dougherty. Perf. Steve Buscemi. Http://www.imaginaryforces.com/, 2010. Title Sequence.

a) This is the title sequence I am reviewing. This clip can be found on the website of the company

that created it.

b) This is a copy-written title sequence by an Emmy award winning production company.

c) I will use this clip, and stills from this title sequence in my review.

K A ITL IN Q U IC K MEMO
http://http//www.imaginaryforces.comhttp://http//www.imaginaryforces.comhttp://http//www.imaginaryforces.comhttp://http//www.imaginaryforces.comhttp://www.artofthetitle.com/http://www.artofthetitle.com/


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Lori, Brandon. "Imaginary Forces: Main Title for Boardwalk Empire | Motionographer | Digital

Filmmaking, Animation, Motion Graphics, Design, Film, Visual Effects and Experimental Moving ImageStorytelling." Motionographer | Sharing the Best in Motion Graphics, Design, Animation, Filmmaking

and Visual Effects. 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

a) This article is merely presenting the work of imaginary forces, the Boardwalk Empire title sequence

in particular. Many have commented with their opinions on the sequence.

b) This is an industry blog that only showcases the best work. Everyone in the motion graphics

industry keeps up with Motionographer. Those commenting on the post are people who work in the

industry, or my target audience.

c) I plan to make an argument that Motionographer has strict standards as to what gets posted on

their site, so if this title sequence is really as bad as everyone is making it out to be why would

Motionographer choose to endorse it. I also plan to use the opinions of those who have commentedon the post as examples of my target audience.

Apter, Simon M. "In 'Boardwalk Empire,' An All-Too-Real World." The Nation. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 11Nov. 2010. .

a) This article is a review of the show Boardwalk Empire including a less than glowing review of thetitle sequence.

b) The Nation is the oldest continuously published magazine in the US. Not only is the publication

reputable, but the author is widely and frequently published.

c) I plan to respond to the articles critiques of the title sequence, specifically referring to it as

overindulgent.

Iep, Ralph. "Comaparing Main Titles Sequences Dexter and Boardwalk Empire | Suspended Blog."

Suspended. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .

a) This is a comparison between the title sequences for Dexter and Boardwalk Empire. The author

attempts to highlight the flaws of the later by comparing it to the widely acclaimed title sequence for

the show Dexter.

b) This is simply an opinion piece, but in conjunction with the other opinion pieces on the subject

seems to be a popular opinion.

c) I plan to respond to the articles critiques, by turning them on their head. What he views as cheesyI find to be appropriately over the top.

Gilbert, Matthew. "'Boardwalk' Opener - Viewer Discretion." Boston.com. 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Nov.2010. .

a) This is an article on boston.com that showcases a conflicted review. The author seems to want to

like it, but also regurgitates the same critiques as every other review without question.

b) Boston.com is a reputable source and Gilbert Matthew has been a TV critic for the Globe since1998.

c) I plan to point out Gilberts reluctance to write this title sequence off as bad to support my

argument/review of the sequence.

Poniewozik, James. "Review of Boardwalk Empire, Home - Tuned In - TIME.com." Tuned In - A Blogabout Television by TIMEs TV Critic James Poniewozik. - TIME.com. 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

P A GE 2
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.htmlhttp://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter/http://www.thenation.com/article/155139/boardwalk-empire-all-too-real-worldhttp://www.thenation.com/article/155139/boardwalk-empire-all-too-real-worldhttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/11/01/boardwalk-empire-watch-the-persistence-of-memory/http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/11/01/boardwalk-empire-watch-the-persistence-of-memory/http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.htmlhttp://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter/http://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter/http://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter/http://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter/http://www.thenation.com/article/155139/boardwalk-empire-all-too-real-worldhttp://www.thenation.com/article/155139/boardwalk-empire-all-too-real-worldhttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#commentshttp://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#comments


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a) This is an overall review of the show Boardwalk Empire. It begins with a nod to the title sequence.

He remarks that the comparison to Magritte many have been using as a negative point can actuallybe seen as a positive. He draws direct connections between Magritte and the Surrealist style with

the time period the show is set in

b) This blog is linked with TIME.com, and written by TIMEs TV critic James Poniewozik. Poniewozikhas been writing for TIME since 1999.

c) I will use his logical connections between surrealism and Magritte to the 1920s era to support myargument that the title sequence is in fact successful.

Wymer, Bryce. "Boardwalk Empire Open Titles "Digital Kitchen"" Bryce Wymers Blog. 22 Sept. 2010.

Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

a) This is the concept art Digital Kitchen pitched for the Boardwalk Empire title sequence gig.

b) This blog is written by one of the Creative Directors at Digital Kitchen.

c) I will draw comparisons to this concept art and the title sequence produced by imaginary forces.

P A GE 3
http://brycewymer.blogspot.com/2010/09/boardwalk-empire-digital-kitchen.htmlhttp://brycewymer.blogspot.com/2010/09/boardwalk-empire-digital-kitchen.htmlhttp://brycewymer.blogspot.com/2010/09/boardwalk-empire-digital-kitchen.htmlhttp://brycewymer.blogspot.com/2010/09/boardwalk-empire-digital-kitchen.html


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tly there has been a lot of talk about HBOs new show Boardwalk Empire. Its received mixed reviews for just about every aspect, right down

title sequence. Those who like the show, are hooked. While, those who werent impressed have been very vocal about their discontent. For

n-graphics artists, it seems to be a par ticularly hot topic. Many feel that Imaginary Forces shouldnt have gotten the project. Many have

that Digital Kitchen would have done a better job, and then reference their motion graphics masterpieces, title sequences for Dexter or

ood. I have great admiration for Digital Kitchen. It was their work that inspired me to change my direction from print to motion, and there is

ubt in my mind that their work is exquisite; Imaginary Forces doesnt attempt to emulate Digital Kitchens style in this sequence, and I dont

t should be held against them when reviewing their work, and for that I respect them. Yes, I am aware that in life it is inevitable to haveons made based on comparison, but good decisions only let the comparisons inuence them to a point.

e sequence for Boardwalk Empire opens with a medium shot of the surf lapping up onto the shore. As the water recedes, the rst credit is

ed, Steve Buscemi in what seems to be Helvetica Neu Condensed, or similar condensed sans-serif typeface. The Placement of the text hasriticized as being arbitrary at best , but this opening shot proves otherwise. The text is placed where the image tells it to be placed. A great

er knows that the image chooses the t ype placement, not the designer. With motion, that task becomes a bit harder, because every second

posed of 24 individual frames. The foamy surf pulls back to reveal the main actors credit center screen. That choice seems logical, not

htless. The tide slows as it reveals Steve Buscemis name, which introduces the viewer to the concept of time. Time is an integral part of the

things happen quickly and often simultaneously, but the importance lies in the details. The viewer must keep track of time throughout the

o understand it, and time l apse is a technique of speeding up and slowing down time used in the title sequence.

xt shot is of Buscemi walking towards the ocean, with gloomy threatening looking clouds over head. The next titl e appears just to the right

cemis head, and is nestled between 2 strands of a fading cloud. The white text stands out enough to be legible, and provides a nice contrast

cemis silhouette.

next cut, time speeds back up and another medium shot of the surf reveals the third credit. Once again, the placement of the text seems

priate, not forced or thoughtless. The motion of the water is parallel to the height of the letters, which allows the viewers eye to li nger onxt instead of following the action. After the reveal time slows down again, emphasizing the addition of the text to the frame.


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I began this semester in a different AWD course. The work assigned in that

course had nothing to do with the students individual disciplines, and much of the

writing assignments seemed like busy work. It seemed like a waste of time and money,

and that the learning goals the teacher stressed were impossible to reach under thosecircumstances. Upon switching classes, I realized that not all sections of AWD are

created equal. All of the assignments in this section of AWD could be connected

directly related to my field.

In a sense, I really hadnt ever given much thought to the types of writing in the

Digital Art World. Everything is based on visuals. AWD challenged me to seek out the

different types of writing in my field, and familiarize myself with them. My writing

experiences prior to this course were all fairly formal, and on subjects that had infinite

numbers of reputable or academic sources to research and site. I learned quickly, that

in the Art and Design fields, scholarly articles arent posted in University backed

journals, but on popular industry blogs. I never thought Id ever use a blog post as a

reputable source, but in the information age in a field that is reliant on computers and

technology, a blog is the best way to reach your target audience.

The concept of a target audience, wasnt completely foreign to me prior to this

course. I always gave thought, whether writing or creating something visual, to who I

was creating for. The first project, the Rhetorical Analysis, made me aware of my

sometimes subconscious efforts to target a specific audience. In my visual artwork, I

tend to have a very narrow audience. I like to show the world my point of view, andthose who get it generally appreciate it, while those who dont tend to see it as

strange. In the Rhetorical Analysis assignment, I was made aware of the importance of

having a target audience. A year or two ago, I would have guffawed at the idea of

reading, and enjoying, VFX from Inception; I had no interest in the VFX world

whatsoever, but now that Im delving into the realm of VFX and animation, I found the

article to be interesting and very insightful. I was able to read between the lines and

grasp the subtle critique of the industry since I wasnt spending the entire duration of

the article trying to figure out whatHoudiniwas or whyDouble Negativeswork is soimpressive. When writing my rhetorical analysis, I failed to realize that it was simply

my ability to understand the article and appreciate it that held the key to one of the

main topics of the essay, target audience. I only touched on the target audience, in the

second to last paragraph of the essay by analyzing the publications readers.[1]

Looking back I can see that I only grazed the surface of that subsection. There is much

more that could be said about the levels of understanding within the target audience,


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and how the target audience can be narrowed down when reading an essay by process

of elimination of who clearly wouldnt understand it in its entirety.

I think another shortcoming in my attempt to analyze the rhetoric of the article,

VFX from Inception, was my approach to doing so. I attempted to break down what

exactly to analyze a bit too literally. In the end my essay didnt really analyze therhetoric, but read more like a passionate summary interspersed with tidbits of

analysis, or exemplifications of certain aspects of the article. I now realize that I never

did quite put all the pieces together to create a cohesive rhetorical analysis. I broke

down the article, but never explained or analyzed how the pieces fit together to create

the underlying rhetoric of the author.

For the Unit 2 assignment, I struggled to find my call to write. Instead of

grasping at straws for an applicable application of letter writing within my field, I

decided to write to the chair of our department, petitioning a change in the course

catalogue. This topic is something that Im passionate about, so it didnt take as much

work and revising as the Unit 1 assignment. I feel this was my major flaw in this

assignment. I took for granted that research is necessary even if the author is

passionate about their opinions on the subject, for theyre just that, opinions. The

entire point of my letter was to persuade the department chair to make a major change

in our curriculum, and I shirked my duty to research examples of curriculums to

support my argument. I was relying too heavily on the fact that my being a student

suffering what I see to be a slight injustice would be enough to persuade the chair. I

used only one example of another successful schools curriculum near the end of myletter.[2] I cut the others I had found for fear that the letter would become dense or

wordy with more. I also felt the example I used was the epitome of what I was trying to

propose, and to me it seemed adding more examples of course offerings only devalued

my argument. Had I been thinking more analytically, and stepped back from the issue

I would have realized that I had it all backwards. The other schools curriculum was

necessary because my research into Drexel didnt have any clout as to whether or not,

from a Drexel students point of view, their program was beneficial. Had I found

testimony, or facts about the success of the Drexel art history students to answer thequestion of why I chose Drexel as the example curricula, the other course catalogues

would have been appropriately scratched. Without this key component, my letter

seemed a bit underdeveloped and under researched.

My saving grace on the Unit 2 assignment was my appropriate tone and

effective choice of language used in my letter. All of the feedback I received gleaned

over the fact that I had too little research because they felt the tone and language of


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the letter was so successful. [3] I have always been good at being persuasive, or talking

things out to get what I want. I realize I have a knack for giving an audience the

impression I know what Im talking about, even if I dont have the slightest idea. While

this quality makes for persuasive arguments, and great intelligent discourse among

peers, if one broke down my argument as Hannia did when grading my unit 2 final, itwould become clear that technically speaking, my argument lacks the weight of the

concrete.

Unit 3 and 4, were the assignments that could actually be tailored to my field.

The first and second assignments were like primers to prepare me for the actual

exercises of writing for my field. I excelled in the final two assignments, due to the

heavy emphasis on the visual language used. It was at this point that the concept of my

target audience was solidified, and from there it was simple to write for them.

In design/art courses, students are taught to strictly follow the rules. Once they

have mastered the rules, then and only then, do they have the freedom to break them.

This course seemed to mirror that approach, but using the written language instead of

visual. The first two projects required me to let go of my affinity for the visual and

focus my attention on the substance of the work. After mastering the ability to write

successfully without an overbearing reliance on the visual make up of the work, I was

returned the right to visually please my audience. Immediately my work improved,

because what I had relinquished was the one thing Ive always been confident that Im

actually good at. This confidence spilled over into my writing, for I was back in my

comfort zone. My writing was strong enough at this point that the visuals didnt carrythe writing, or mask imperfections. I was able to orchestrate a synergy between the

writing and the visuals. One enhanced the other, but either could stand alone and

remain successful. It is during these final two projects that I actually exemplified the

learning goals of understanding the audience, and understanding of the uses of

writing in my field. Not only am I more confident in my writing and revision skills, Im

more aware of industry blogs and where to find them, as well as how to determine if a

source is reputable. These successes made it clear in my mind that switching AWD

courses was definitely a fruitful decision.

[1] See Unit 1-Page 6 final paragraphs

[2] See Unit 2- Supporting materials- Peer review

[3] See Unit 2- Supporting materials- graded assignment

awd reflective portfolio

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