Switch It Up!

 

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

 

Like many others around the world, I received a Nintendo Switch for Christmas and have hardly set it down. Upon launch, many thought it wasn’t worth buying because of the lack of games available. Now there are over 100 titles you can play in your living room or on the go. I find myself playing on the couch in the portable mode so that my girlfriend can still watch TV.

Nintendo has always been the one gaming company I could convince my girlfriend to try out. Whether it was Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, or Wii Sports she could almost always find a game she actually enjoyed. The Switch is no different with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Odyssey. The Switch also offers a plethora of indie games anyone can enjoy whether they’re been an avid gamer or not.

I am also a massive soccer fan who has fallen down the rabbit hole that is FIFA and FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT). FIFA on Switch was my biggest selling point. I’ve thrown probably around 50 hours at it. While it does not offer every single game mode as the Xbox and PS4 versions it still is more than enough for a great on-the-go FIFA experience.

Fútbol Through the Ages #2

The second episode has been finished! The second episode was 10 minutes shorter than the 1st, but I attribute that to not having to introduce myself, the podcast, or the sport. This time I chose to talk about the great Manchester United. Now, I mentioned in a previous post here that I reached out to a Manchester United supporter page on Reddit and was overwhelmed by the amount of input they offered. So this time I wanted to really work hard to stay on target and accurately and respectfully tell a story about the club they support.

I chose to tell the story of their rebuilding process in the wake of the Munich Air Tragedy, the terrible plane crash that killed most of the famous Manchester United team in the early 50s. Many people don’t know that Real Madrid (my favorite team) helped United in rebuilding their club and organization. This is what episode 2 talks about.

This was the final installment of the podcast as far as ATEC 3346 goes. I had a lot of fun producing, creating, and editing this podcast. I had never done anything like this before. I think it could be a great hobby to continue. If I do continue the podcast I’ll eventually make it its own site social media accounts.

Fútbol Through the Ages #1

So my first ever podcast episode is finished! I know my previous post was about this specific episode, however, I’d like to provide a little more insight while sharing it here. Link to the podcast audio file. 

First off, I learned a lot through this process. Because of time and certain circumstances, I recorded the audio with an app on my phone. The audio was surprisingly good! The only thing I did notice is that the letter “p” was a bit harsh throughout the recordings, a proper mic and filter could’ve prevented that. I used Premiere Pro to edit the intro clips and the vocal track. I then exported it as an MP3 file. There are no visual components but then again it is a podcast.

I have tried to write about my podcast here on this WordPress to give a kind of different media element. Since this was the very first episode, I thought I should introduce myself, my interest in the topic at hand (soccer,) and just try to establish a connection with the audience. I then had to quickly go over how soccer works in most of Europe while giving a rundown of some of the biggest leagues throughout Europe.

I named Ligue 1 (France,) Bundesliga (Germany,) The Premier League (England,) and La Liga (Spain.) Upon the mention of each league, I tried to name a few teams fro the league that non-soccer fans or very casual fans may have heard to build a connection.

I then dedicated the second half to provide some history on my personal favorite team, Real Madrid. I told the history of the team. Starting with conception, influence on the sport itself, different eras of the team, and today’s current status.

Stay tuned for the next episode which will focus on Manchester United!

Podcast Preview!

I finally recorded my first podcast last night! Today I am putting together a few effects for an intro to the podcast.

The first sound clip I am using is from a recording of my favorite goal ever scored. Some background of the goal; it was from the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted in Brazil. It was the Round of 16 of the tournament where Colombia faced off against Uruguay. The specific audio in the track is from the moments leading up to and following the amazing goal scored by James Rodriguez. That goal changed the career of the young 23-year-old.

Above is footage of the amazing goal.

I am working on finding some kind of song to layer on top of the crowd audio. Right now I’m experimenting with an 8-bit song from Freesound.org. Last night before recording my 1st ever podcast, I decided I needed a title even if it was just for this project. Initially, I wanted to call it “La Banda Izquierda” which means the left wing. It’s a soccer term that refers to the left side of the field. After a quick google search, I sadly found out that it’s already taken. I had no idea what to title until I remembered that in Harry Potter there was a history textbook on Quidditch, the fictional game loosely based on Soccer. The book was called Quidditch, Through the Ages, so I (being a big Harry Potter fan) decided to call it Futbol, Through the Ages. My podcast is about the history of soccer and the crazy stories that have surrounded the sports throughout the years, so I thought it was fitting.

I had no idea how long my podcast should be and was worried about running out of things to talk about after 5 minutes. I surprised myself by speaking almost non-stop for 25 minutes, almost half an hour. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out considering how I had never done anything like this before. I’m excited to finish the project and hope only two editions of the podcast is enough!

YouTube’s “ADpocalypse

We have discussed in class how YouTube is New Media. The consumption of YouTube requires new technology. Whether it’s a computer, a WiFi dependent addition to your TV, or a smartphone. In recent years there have been many individuals who have gotten very famous and made a lot of money on YouTube. People like PewDiePie, Phillip DeFranco, Ethan, and Hila Klein, and Jenna Marbles to name a few. Many of them make their money off of the amount of revenue each video brings in, whether it’s ads or views.

YouTube has introduced a new policy that is vague at best, prompting some to call it the “ADpocalypse.” In a recent article by WIRED, they highlight what exactly is going on. Meanwhile, content creators are being penalized without a real explanation.

If any of the most famous YouTubers decided to up and go, what would that mean for YouTube? What would that mean for New Media? It is possible that many of YouTube’s most successful content creators leave. Could we be seeing the beginning of a brand new New Media platform?

What do you think?

Soccer and I

The Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid

 

As we all know now, I am very much a soccer fan. This is what I’m doing my podcast on and what I watch every weekend. I thought it might be neat to write a little bit about what soccer means to me and try and give off an idea of why I am choosing to discuss it for my final project.

A little background on my ties to soccer. I played soccer from age 5-10 (not much I know.) I am half Colombian so when it comes to international Soccer, I always root for Colombia! My favorite club (team) in the world is Real Madrid. I was extremely fortunate enough to visit their home, El Santiago Bernabéu for both a tour and a game. The game was one of their biggest of every year, El Clasico, against their biggest rivals FC Barcelona. Sadly Barcelona won 4-0 that night, but it was an experience I will never forget! Another tie to soccer in my life is my cousin Diego Garzon. My Cousin is 16 years old and has recently been called up to try out for the U-17 Colombian National team! Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be making him his own site.

 

Project Update

So the final project is officially due in two weeks. As of right now, I do not have much, but I am almost finished in having everything set up. I already know what equipment I need as well as a few different resources I’ll be using to do my research on.

I know that I will need to most likely rent out a Zoom Mic from the ATEC building in order to record my audio. In the absolute worst case scenario I’d resort to using my phone to record audio, (I’ve had to do this when recording interviews for FC Dallas).  I have already downloaded sound editing software in order to ensure clear and crisp sound for my podcast.

I’ve narrowed down my subject matter to two different famous/infamous stories of soccer. I have not yet decided if I should have a guest on my episodes. Ideally, I’d like to but time may not allow it. I’m really looking forward to embarking on recording a podcast, it’s something I’ve never done before.

Research

In an attempt to conduct research for my Final Project Podcast, I went to Reddit to seek answers. I am an avid Redditor and as a soccer fan, I subscribe to /r/soccer and /r/realmadrid. For this part of my research, I also visited /r/reddevils

Real Madrid is my favorite football club but it would be foolish to not mention that another football club from another part of the world is their own global power as well; Manchester United. These are arguably two of the biggest and most successful teams to ever compete, each with their own unique and rich history.

To do a little digging, I wrote an open-ended question on the subreddits of each team. I was delightfully surprised at the number of responses and overall excitement I received. The results of my questions have not only been a great source for potential stories to tell through my project but a motivation to tell these stories both accurately and passionately.

Even though this podcast is only for a school project, football is a passion of mine that I hope will one day catch on in a bigger way here in the United States (where I live) more than it currently has.

My Reddit post in the Manchester United community

My Reddit post in the Real Madrid community

From Synthesia to Multimedia

As I began to read this week’s text, I quickly realized I could not fully understand and grasp the essay without first understanding the title. The definition of the word Synthesia is:

1. A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.
2. A sensation felt in one part of the body because of stimulus applied to another, as in referred pain.
3. The description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another.

This helped to clear things up for me and open my mind before digging into the text. The essay begins by talking about another essay entitled: Cybertext Theory: “What an English Professor Should Know Before Trying.” Punday, the author of this week’s text tries to break down the essence of the Cybertext essay by saying that “According to this description, cybertexts (such as video games) are like some new species recently discovered; any attempt to impose traditional textual categories from other media (literature primarily, but also film) is by definition a misinterpretation of the form.” This opens the question; how do we discuss and define cybertexts and new media? This becomes difficult because when viewing and dissecting cybertexts and new media we can see that traditional and new media can share a lot in common.

The mention of the above essay in Punday’s text sets the tone for the rest of the paper. Punday then goes into the word multimedia and two advantages the word proposes. The 1^st advantage is that it combines all media and the second is that it acknowledges that there are multiple media present even if only one is in use.

One of the next paragraphs discusses paintings as the paradigmatic ‘mirror of reality.’ For my presentation, I have used a movie clip and two iconic pieces of art to show reflections of reality. The clip in question is from the biographical film Straight Out of Compton which tells the story of the famous rap group the N.W.A. The clip is a press conference where they are being questioned on their explicit and violent lyrics, and they respond by saying that their art reflects their reality. The paintings I used were Guernica by Picasso and The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell. Both paintings have strong messages about current events at that time and are each a reflection of those times.

The text also discusses the word multimedia in many different ways. Some multimedia works combine many forms of already-existing media. To illustrate that concept in my powerpoint I use a Marvel Movie Collectors set which features, movies, still image art, and textual media as well.

The essay mentions Star Wars films and games and the media elements shared between the two. The media elements include the film score and the sounds of lightsaber and blasters. In my presentation, I have included clips of the film, the movie based game, and the LEGO franchise.

One thing that stuck out to me was the discourse of remediation. At one point, it says all mediation is remediation. I think there is a very thin line between evolution/expansion and plagiarism/copying. For a visual example, I took a gif of comic book characters transforming into their film counterpart to show how the MCU films are remediation of Marvel’s comic books.

Intermedia is discussed as well and I also found that to be interesting. During the Renaissance, certain art had to stand alone. Paintings were just painted on canvas while a sculpture would never be painted. Today’s art falls between a lot of media. I think of a music CD. When you go out and buy a CD you get the audio files, there is album artwork, and many times a lyric booklet is included.

All in all, this essay opens a lot of room to discuss multimedia and narrative, and it is very interesting to explore all those doors. I hope that my presentation is successful and that the rest of the class can help me understand the concepts I may have not grasped.

Project Proposal

I know I have posted about my final project proposal in the past, but I’ve decided to upload the official proposal that I turned in for class. I’m eager for any suggestions towards the project or your general thoughts!

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Allan Torres
Pro. Royal
ATEC 3346
3/19/2017

Creative Storytelling Proposal

Ever since this project had been announced, I had been very nervous about what I would do. The main reason for my nervousness at the time was in part because at the time we were reading strictly graphic novels and many students seem to have a strong background and familiarity with graphic novels. In class, a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that the storytelling aspect of this assignment/project, did not need to be a work of fiction or a fabricated story. Once that was established I suddenly had many more ideas and became to feel better about the assignment. I have no artistic skill when it comes to drawing and very little experience with storytelling. When we began to discuss as a class all the other mediums that we could use, I began to feel excited.

I have chosen to use the platform of a podcast for my assignment. My decision for this was a pretty easy one; I do not have drawing abilities, I am still in the learning process of video editing, and I prefer to tell an actual story rather than invent one. I mentioned in class the other day that my podcast will be about Soccer and some of the most famous stories within the history of the sport. So, while it will be storytelling, it would be more specific to say it is story retelling, which I think is neat because while some may be familiar with these stories, other will be hearing them for the first time. I also mentioned that I already have a few ideas of what could be some episodes of my podcast. In the 80s and early 90s drug trafficking was taking a major toll on the country of Colombia, I think many are familiar with the stories of Pablo Escobar. However, many people do not know how he and his compatriots used soccer to launder money, and even rigged many games to see their teams win. It took a toll on not only the Colombian league of soccer but on their national teams as well.

Another story is the amazing underdog tale we witnessed just last year, Leicester City winning the British Premier League. Leicester’s team came from the second and third divisions in the U.K and advanced to the top level of the county, the Premier League. Once they climbed to the topmost expected a very low finish on the table of the league if not being relegated again, Leicester however, had other plans. The won the entire competition in a true fairytale upset fashion to become champions of the top division in British soccer.

Lastly, I would like to talk about the famous Busby Babes of Manchester United. Almost everyone worldwide has heard of the team Manchester United. At their peak popularity levels, many would associate them with the famous player David Beckham. But over half a century ago Manchester United suffered a major tragedy, the Munich air disaster. In 1958 the Manchester United team experienced a plane crash that left 23 of 38 passengers dead. In preparation for the telling this story I have reached out to a friend who is a Manchester United fanatic and upon finding out about my intentions with this project, begged me to tell this story. Obviously, I would do my own research to prepare but I would invite my friend Alex to be a part of it.

As far as resources I have my own personal laptop with Audacity installed to edit the recordings and I would be recording my sessions/episodes with a Zoom Mic from here at UTD. I also have a video camera but I have not decided if I would like to record these as well. I know there are many books on the topics I have mentioned in this proposal that I could use for research as well as documentaries and movies.

Since this project is a lot of “retelling” I would not need to worry too much about plots because I would simply be telling things as they happened versus creating my own timeline of events. So while the storytelling is different than a fiction I will still have to make sure to be clear and direct so as to not leave anyone confused while also implementing the use of new media with microphones, computers, and audio software. I have never done a podcast before but I am looking forward to trying my best for this project. My goals are to earn a good grade, have fun, make the podcasts engaging, hopefully, generate interest in a sport I love, and maybe even discover a new hobby along the way.