Rhetorical Analysis Video Essay

            The construction of a persuasive video first and foremost needs a foundation of creators who believe in its cause, and who therefore apply themselves whole hearted into its creation.  It needs to set the mood, project a certain level of credibility, and get the message across, all the while leaving the viewer with as much information and little doubt as possible on the validity of the issue presented.  This video intended to persuade the audience with facts, interviews, and news footage to show that reform concerning student tuition rates needs to take place. 

            It was very important to begin the video with an image that shows compassion and a deep founded belief that children are our future.  The image was followed by a set of facts that were taken from The Miami Herald and fl.gov to accurately portray the problem and give a clear clue as to what the video was about.  These facts were presented with an all black background, which commanded attention and set a serious tone. Throughout the beginning of the video and leading up to the first interviews, the song “We are the world” by Michael Jackson (Instrumental) was playing in the background at a lower volume.  This song is known throughout the world and resonates with many people; it went hand in hand with the facts and pictures.  The video then dives directly into the main theme, which was the story of five college students suing the Florida Dept of Education claiming that their rights as citizens had been denied.  News footage from Univision, a reputable Latin American TV station, was used as a valuable source of information as well as adding emotional appeal by showing the plaintiff in a struggling fashion.  At this point in the video, we felt the problem had been stated, and that it had been done so in an empethatic manner.  The video essay then transitioned (the same type of transition thought process that we learned with writing) into the interview phase. 

            At this phase, the music stopped, and a series of pictures were presented in silence until a voiceover stated with an implied voice the problems fellow students from South Florida were facing.  It was crucial to get the point of view from the students at FIU.  Although we had wanted to interview actual students with this problem or the plaintiff’s themselves, neither of the two were available; with the plaintiffs not being allowed by their attornies to speak on the matter.  Each of the students interviewed brought different emotions and different takes on this issue.  Robby Caballes gave facts and circumstances while Carlos Chirino brought out his emotions, both adding answers that were full of life, not monotone, and definitely not dry.  The type and style that was used in each of these interviews to state the name of person interviewd was made to resemble a real news source.  These are little things that can add to a video essay which are not difficult to do.  The last interviews were news footage clips by Univision in which the Provost at Miami-Dade Community College and a lawyer with the Southern Poverty Law Center were asked about the case concerning the five college students; one can argue that the interview with the Provost at Miami-Dade was the climax of the film.  While it would be very difficult to lock an interview with the Provost being a college student, using these interviews were of great help when creating this video essay.  With the main point having been stated, the climax of the video shown, the conclusion of the video was created with the help of the outline Professor Lauren gave in class which asked.  In specific, what were the solutions to the problem?  That question would serve as the final phase of the film, on how to fix the problem. 

            This last segment begins with a purple/blue screen shot with more facts.  The color was chosen because it still lends a serious touch while keeping a hopeful outlook on the situation.  The screen shots included some solutions to the problem of tuition reform.  It was stated in a way that was not confusing, and to the point.  The final picture of the hats in the air, were there to represent the DREAM of graduating one day.   

            This short video essay mainly dealt in the political to philosophical genre category.  Its goal was to present a major problem, allow voices and viewpoints to be shared, and finally to provide a solution.  

To be

I finally saw the light today in class.  Thank God I dont have too many to be words. Great tool

Stiltsville

Coordinates: 25° 39' 02" N,  80° 09' 36" W, Biscayne Channel

Average Depth: 1-3 Ft.

Remaining Houses: 7

                                                         -Biscayne Bay sunrise at Stiltsville

“The first time I saw the houses, it was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had out on the water," proclaimed a native Miami fisherman.  This feeling is experienced by thousands of people every year when they visit Stiltsville.  These houses lie half a mile southwest of the lighthouse in Bill Baggs State Park, Key Biscayne, Fl.  They represent a time in the history of South Florida that embodied the years prior to and after World War II.  It gave rise to famous nightclubs, hosted luxurious members-only houses, and catered to the worlds elite for many years.   The houses have been a symbol of Miami’s past for almost three quarters of a century, and the struggle to keep them afloat continues.

                  A few historians believe that there may have been up to 12 houses in Stiltsville as early as 1922.  Most natives however believe it began with a local fisherman named “Crawfish” Eddie Walker.  As a fisherman, he sold bait and beer from his shack and was privy to what would soon become a floating paradise.  He was later joined by friends whom themselves became stilt house owners and added to the already colorful ensemble of residents of this unique water world.  World famous clubs like the Calvert and Quarterback Club took residence amongst the stilt houses after World War II.  These clubs would serve as gambling establishments and would cater to the wealthy and privileged socialites who explored the flats of Biscayne Bay.  The clubs were raided throughout the years but nothing was ever found.  In addition to gambling and after-hours bars, many were fishing and boating clubs.  And to this day, the Miami Springs Power Boat Club continues to be the most famous club in Stiltsville.  

                                                        -Miami Springs PowerBoat Club

                  The Biscayne Channel also hosted the Bikini Club.  A 150-foot yacht named the Jeff that was grounded by a man named Harry Churchville, a.k.a. “Pierre.” For a one dollar membership, he would offer alcoholic beverages to his patrons, free drinks to bikini clad women, and staterooms at no cost.  Three years after the social club began, it was abruptly closed down by the state beverage department for operating without a liquor license, and having over 40 out of season and undersized crawfish.  Just a few months after being closed, Hurricane Betsy came through on Labor Day of 1965 and ravaged most of the houses in Stiltsville, and damaging the Bikini Club beyond repair (tilting 20 degrees to port).

                                                                    -The Bikini Club

                 

To be continued… (waiting on interview source if he ever calls back, thinking about either doing some more info on other famous events and people that were involved in Stiltsville or more on factual things such as price, directions, etc.  Let me know what you think I should include in the rest of it.

           

           

Inside Stiltsville

Stiltsville Research

Clary, Mike. "National Perspective; COMMUNITY; Once a Free-Spirited Outpost, Stiltsville Now on its Last Legs; Time and Tide have Taken a Toll. Now, the U.S. Says Leaseholders must Vacate." Los Angeles Times Oct 03 2000: 5. Los Angeles Times. PROQUESTMS. 3 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/421726945?accountid=10901>.


"Exclusive Community Perches Off Miami." New York Times (1923-Current file) Aug 06 1971: 35. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007). PROQUESTMS. 3 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/119264686?accountid=10901>.


Davies, Frank. "Rescue Plan for Stiltsville Gets Attention of Congress." Miami Herald Jul 06 2000: 00001. Ethnic NewsWatch. PROQUESTMS. 3 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/293707688?accountid=10901>.


www.stiltsville.org


www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/info?call=WRHC&service=AM


www.miamism.com/stiltsville-a-miami-landmark/

Are those houses in the middle of the channel?

-Just half a mile SW of the Lighthouse in Key Biscayne, Fl.

Taking a New Route

        The custodians came through the door and made a beeline directly to our teacher’s desk.  They came into the classroom with three huge boxes of new books.  The books were titled “A Wrinkle in Time”.  It seemed a bit larger than what I was used to at the time, and I couldn’t help but feel anxious about when we were to begin reading it.  At nine years old, a book with over a hundred pages could do some serious damage to a child’s confidence.  Interestingly enough, I would have never thought that this book, which concerned traveling through dimensions to save a brilliant scientist, would forever influence my outlook on reading.  Hence, it helped me realize how great it felt to take a journey while reading a book.  Just the simple thought of traveling through dimensions to other worlds would get my mind running at a hundred miles per hour.  Amazingly, it kept me interested with each new word that came.  The pages kept flipping as if they were on cruise control, and the journey was effortless; “book-time” couldn’t have come any quicker.

Sophomore year, Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High, 1995 - What had happened?  I couldn’t remember the last time I had read a book.  At this point in my life, I was moving fast and a huge book just seemed like too much.  I was going mach speed through school and reading a book from cover to cover wasn’t happening.  “Footnotes” & “Sparknotes” had taken over when it came to study time.  They gave me the information, raw and uncut.   I remember reading Clifford Footnotes the night before a test and smoking it the next day.  Those books made my life easier, and with their help, I graduated high school with a mediocre grade point average.  While I never claimed to be Einstein, I held my own.   

             Not reading the real thing usually handicaps you.  I would soon find out that it wasn’t my grades losing in this deal, it was me.  And truth be told, I’m about to graduate, and for the few classes that require reading novels, I use Footnotes or Sparknotes as my one and only resource.  A feeling of embarrassment and stupidity comes over me when I reflect on the past judgments I’ve made about reading.  All the imagination that combines with a great story makes an awesome experience, and I was missing out.

Twenty-nine Palms, CA, 21 yrs old- I deployed to the war in Iraq in 03’ as a US Marine.   During our tour, we stayed in an abandoned hotel turned Base of Operations.  In our hotel, the word was that a really good book was circulating around…a love story.  Not paying much thought to it, and certainly not looking for a romance novel, it magically appeared on my cot as I returned from patrol.   And after a month of old fishing magazines, “The Kiss” by Danielle Steele seemed worth the while to begin reading….  And Ta’ Da’, just as “A Wrinkle in Time” amazed me as a child; “The Kiss” took over every waking moment.  It was such a great book that I became one of its staunchest supporters at the firm base.  This book kick-started a yearlong relationship I had with Danielle Steele.  Who would have thought I’d love a good romance novel?

My years after the corps were spent hitting the pavement hard on my 18-wheeler.  Driving my semi up and down the east coast, visiting cities from Key West to Manhattan.  And in all the years I spent on the road, not a single book did I open.  The closest I got to an actual book was a Rand McNally Map book.  It’s the kind of book that anyone would mistake for an encyclopedia.   There were no books in my truck.

June 2008 - The president gave an announcement about a new GI Bill plan being offered to veterans as I drove down an interstate.  A plan that pays you to go to school is what they were talking about.  I knew that if I wanted to go back to school, this would be my time, and I’d have to become better at reading and writing.  The question was how would I do that since I’ve pushed to the side almost every book that has come my way for more than 20 years?  

FIU • Fall 2000-  Being unfamiliar with the registration process, I mistakenly enrolled in an upper level English course.  You can tell I was in the wrong class because everyone in there knew each other, they were all English majors.  When speaking to the professor after class, I can still remember her asking me if I thought I could handle it, since I had never taken a real English course before.  I’ve learned a few things in life.   I learned that if someone else can do it, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to do it as well.  And I wanted to be in this class.  I eventually learned that I loved reading novels and stories of the ocean.  Ironically, what helped me realize that I liked reading was a book.  It was the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.

Knowledge is Power.  It took me over 30 years to realize this.

Literacy Experience

        The custodians came through the door and made a beeline directly to our teacher’s desk.  They had come in with three huge boxes of new paperback books, of the story, “A Wrinkle in Time”.  The book seemed a bit larger than what I was used to at the time, and I couldn’t help but feel anxious about when we were to begin reading it.  At nine years old, a book with over a hundred pages could do some serious damage to a child’s academic confidence.  Interestingly enough, I would have never thought that this book, which concerned traveling through dimensions to save a brilliant scientist, would forever influence my outlook on reading.  Hence, it helped me realize how great it felt to take a journey while reading a book.  Just the simple thought of traveling through dimensions to other worlds would get my mind running at a hundred miles per hour.  Amazingly, it kept me interested with each new word that came.  The pages kept flipping as if they were on cruise control, and the journey was effortless; “book-time” couldn’t have come any quicker.

Sophomore year, Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High, 1995 - What had happened?  I couldn’t remember the last time I had read a book.  At this point in my life, I was moving fast and a huge book just seemed like too much.  I was going mach speed through school and reading a book from cover to cover wasn’t happening.  “Footnotes” & “Sparknotes” had taken over when it came to study time.  They gave me the information, raw and uncut.   I remember reading Clifford Footnotes the night before a test and smoking it the next day.  Those books made my life easier, and with their help, I graduated high school with a mediocre grade point average.  While I never claimed to be Einstein, I held my own.   

             Not reading the real thing usually handicaps you.  I would soon find out that it wasn’t my grades losing in this deal, it was me.  And truth be told, I’m about to graduate, and for the few classes that require reading novels, I use Footnotes or Sparknotes as my one and only resource.  A feeling of embarrassment and stupidity comes over me when I reflect on the past judgments I’ve made about reading.  All the imagination that combines with a great story makes an awesome experience, and I was missing out.

Twenty-nine Palms, CA, 21 yrs old- I deployed to the war in Iraq in 03’ as a US Marine.   During our tour, we stayed in an abandoned hotel turned Base of Operations.  In our hotel, the word was that a really good book was circulating around…a love story.  Not paying much thought to it, and certainly not looking for a romance novel, it magically appeared on my cot as I returned from patrol.   And after a month of old fishing magazines, “The Kiss” by Danielle Steele seemed worth the while to begin reading….  And Ta’ Da’, just as “A Wrinkle in Time” amazed me as a child; “The Kiss” took over every waking moment.  It was such a great book that I became one of its staunchest supporters at the firm base.  This book kick-started a yearlong relationship I had with Danielle Steele.  Who would have thought I’d love a good romance novel?

My years after the corps were spent hitting the pavement hard on my 18-wheeler.  Driving my semi up and down the east coast, visiting cities from Key West to Manhattan.  And in all the years I spent on the road, not a single book did I open.  The closest I got to an actual book was a Rand McNally Map book.  It’s the kind of book that anyone would mistake for an encyclopedia.   There were no books in my truck.

June 2008 - The president gave an announcement about a new GI Bill plan being offered to veterans as I drove down an interstate.  A plan that pays you to go to school is what they were talking about.  I knew that if I wanted to go back to school, this would be my time, and I’d have to become better at reading and writing.  The question was how would I do that since I’ve pushed to the side almost every book that has come my way for more than 20 years?  

FIU • Fall 2008.  Being unfamiliar with the registration process, I mistakenly enrolled in an upper level English course.  You can tell I was in the wrong class because everyone in there knew each other, they were all English majors.  When speaking to the professor after class, I can still remember her asking me if I thought I could handle it, since I had never taken a real English course before.  I’ve learned a few things in life.   I learned that if someone else can do it, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to do it as well.  And I wanted to be in this class.  I eventually learned that I loved reading novels and stories of the ocean.  Ironically, what helped me realize that I liked reading was a book.  It was the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.

Knowledge is Power.  It almost took me 30 years to realize this.

Literacy Narrative Podcast

Podcast updated on 8/30/11
http://www.4shared.com/audio/trW7BsPB/Podcast1.html

Needs & Expectations of College Students

So everything is moving so fast and you want the info "NOW".  Whatever a student wants, you definately know they want it fast.  I immediately start to think "Wi-Fi".  Then you start seeing extremely fast tablets and macbook pro's all around you, and you start to think that we already have everything we want.  I want it all on my phone.  I want to be able to pay for things, turn my car on, and enter my home with my phone. Of course we would need some security device that allows it to work only when my hands hold it.   And Trust me, the technology exists.  But as far as the student goes, he just wants his computer to help him with his classes.  It could be from increasing a search engine database, to supplying him  with old tests!  The info's out there, you just need to find it.

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3...

The hardest workout in the world has to be running.  When was the last time you actually ran a mile?