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Daniel Anderson, Author

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Edited ePoem: "Alone" by Maya Angelou



Reflection

For our edited ePoem, we were given the option to either turn our improv ePoems into an edited version, or create a new video using a different poem. I was pleased with how my improv ePoem turned out, but I thought editing it would help it reach its full potential. 

I used the editing software in Camtasia to complete this assignment. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience working with Camtasia; while there a lot of tools to work with, I did not find the software overwhelming and actually found it quite simple and user friendly. As I continued to work, I uncovered more tips and tricks that helped enhance my draft and eventually aided me in my revisions as I worked toward the final product (but I'll get into more of that later in my video on Teaching With Sound).

There were a few key things I changed from my improv ePoem to the edited version. I'll list the most important ones here (and will flesh out these ideas in the aforementioned Teaching With Sound video):
  1. The way the text was displayed. Though I did like the Stickies application during the production of my improv ePoem, I ended up favoring the text tool in Camtasia. 
  2. The background song. For the improv ePoem, I didn't put too much thought into my selection -- I just searched "sad background music" into Spotify and used a song I felt meshed well with the rest of my audio collaging. For the edited ePoem, I chose an instrumental version of "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver (because if that song doesn't make you want to cry, what will?)
  3. Getting rid of the extra black and white pictures. In short, it was too much clutter. I wanted my edited ePoem to look more streamlined and have more symbolic meaning -- adding somewhat random pictures did not achieve that goal.
  4. Shortening and manipulating the text of the poem. My improv ePoem contained a few extra verses of "Alone" by Maya Angelou; as I worked with my edited version, I realized that including these detracted from earlier segments of the video so I nixed them. Camtasia's text tool also allowed me to manipulate a few verses so some stayed on screen longer, adding my own personal customization to Angelou's poem.
ePoem First Draft

The only feedback I received from Professor Anderson were minor technical errors, such as getting rid of an advertisement in a video and quickening the pacing a bit between text blurbs. While it would have been easy to turn it in after five minutes of tweaking and leave it at that, I really felt invested in this piece and spent extra time polishing it. I also discovered some new strategies in Camtasia (e.g. colorizing) and employed a few in my final piece that helped solidify the symbolism and tone of the piece.
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