Machinima/Screenplay Inspiration

In going through the different machinima videos, I was able to observe what factors were and were not effective in each video. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that too many gestures, hand motions, etc. are not necessarily a good thing; it draws the audience’s attention away from the actual dialogue and focuses it on how much the avatar is moving. Another key thing I noticed was the importance of audio. In some of the videos I watched, the voices of the avatars sounded dry, boring and unexpressive. It is essential that the person recording each voice exaggerates the amount of animation and expression in his or her voice to make the video look more real.

In the screenplays, I noticed that every little detail in the movie is stated in the screenplay. Through my observations, it seems as though the primary objective of the screenplay is to give its reader a clear mental idea of what the movie is going to look like once it is produced. Each action, person and location is always explicitly stated and described.

One idea I have for my Little Brother-inspired machinima is to focus in on Marcus’s Xnet. In the machinima videos on YouTube, I noticed that the number of locations varied from only one to about fifty. For my video, I plan on having only one or two locations and the video will be centered around the dialogue rather than the actions (kind of like the Halo machinima video we watched in class).

Maaaacccchhhhinimaaaa

I had never really been exposed to machinima, so when reading the screenplays as well as watching the videos, I was both shocked and impressed. I was shocked because it never occurred to me how intricate machinima can be – let alone that it existed. I was impressed because it was clear some individual had not only the creativity to make something such as this to be enjoyed for others to watch and read, but that the idea, the inception to realize what they themselves visualize. I grew up watching my brother play many of the games shown, such as Grand Theft Auto and The Sims, so watching it portrayed in a different light for me something that was a lot more deeper, a lot more significant than crashing cars and virtual families. What really took me aback was the eye of the director that made me, the audience, feel engaged. I think they effectively did this through the various angles, wide screen to zoomed shots, sound effects, as well as the vivid images and voice overs. I enjoyed all the machinima as they ultimately showed the range in which machinima can be used and utilized to convey a message – be it comedic, dramatic, mysterious, thrilling, or even one of just pure emotion such as that of the Sims.

The screenplays in reading were all intense. They were not only detailed, but I felt as though they gave me a play by play – a road map that I as the reader could navigate through without the author having to stand over my shoulder explaining what he/she meant by this or that. I feel as though writing a screenplay takes a lot more work as it is in essence, the foundations of what the realization of your visualization will be. I also feel the more detailed the piece, the better it will come out to be. I feel as though once you are able to read a screenplay, and be able to transport your reader to that exact time, place, and event – you have successfully created a screenplay that will not only challenge the audience to watch, but to be engaged.

I honestly don’t really know what my machinima would center around – I do know however, that I would want it to circle around Marcus and/or his friends just because I believe it would be a lot more interesting to start from there and take it to a different level. Hmm…

Machinima and Screenplay Response

The screenplays definitely helped to provide a different aspect on the movie world. Reading the screenplay along side a scene gives a film so much more justice and expression behind what the director and writers attempted to portray. For example, I looked up one of my favorite movies on a screenplay website provided. In the movie Se7en there was a scene that highlighted a crime scene that involved a decayed body surrounded by air fresheners to preserve the smell. The screenplay depicted the scene so vividly that I believe reading it was much stronger compared to watching the scene itself.

“The blond cop enters, gun trained, looks around in confusion.

The room's tables, chairs and floor are covered with hundreds of colorful, plastic air fresheners.

INT. SLUM APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- MORNING Mills and Somerset enter.

Somerset looks at the cops around the bed, then looks at a nearby wall. His mouth drops in horror. On the wall, written in excrement: SLOTH.

SOMERSET Jesus... California kicks the bed, enraged.

CALIFORNIA I said get up, Sleepyhead!

He pulls the sheets off the bed and reveals the shriveled, sore-covered form of a man who is blindfolded and tied to the bed with a thin wire which has been wrapped time and time again around the mattress and bed frame. Tubes runs out from a stained loincloth around the man's waist and snake under the bed”

Clearly, it is very important to have a powerful screenplay that can stand alone without having to show a scene. With a powerful screenplay, you really can find yourself engulfed in a scene. The scripts that were shown all do great jobs of highlighting everything within a scene whether it is large or subtle.

I also was able to look up a lot more about Machinima. Machinima personally has fascinated me since I was younger. There was a television show called Cinematech on G4TV that used Machinima to create amazing explosive montages on TV. One of the links that I ended up getting caught in was Red vs Blue. A lot of my friends followed the episodes and have their merchandise but I was never able to follow. I was an occasional Halo player when I was younger and that entire game has been an interesting video game world. I watched a few more of the Machinima that involved Second Life and there were many great portrayals such as “Architecture in Second Life” and a parody of “The Office”. I also saw many of the recreated music videos using Machinima which in some cases were executed perfectly. The overall idea of remixing will be something fun to dabble with and hopefully I can be as creative with these tools. I think my early love for Machinima will bring back memories and help me out in this project. I really do look forward to working with the Machinima and essentially creating a new world with new people. Hopefully it can involve what is not possible in reality.

Machinima

What struck me the most while watching the various machinima videos and reading the different screenplays was how intricate and well thought out all of them were. I've played The Sims 3 and Grand Theft Auto and I never thought that these games could be utilized in order to portray a deep, emotional story while following the same intricacies (such as camera angles, zooming, sound effects, voice acting) that a normal real live movie would. Machinima, using the mechanics of the game involved, could be used to portray different kinds of movie genre such as comedy, drama, mystery and thriller. I particularly enjoyed watching the "Secret Lives" machinima because I never really thought that a game as silly as The Sims could be used to create a movie that projects a heavy sense of emotion. The screenplay of the Machinima is similar to an actual movie and once again, I never thought that such angles or such level of intricacy could be attributed to the camera angles of The Sims 3.

The screenplays in general were all incredibly detailed. Each scene is vividly written. I like how the mood in every scene is described and that the mannerisms of the characters are also sometimes written down. I enjoyed reading the script of "Jerry Maguire" because as I was reading the screenplay, I could imagine the scene in my mind and the level of detail put in the script elevated the depiction of the scene to an emotional depiction of the scene.

For my Machinima, I am interested in exploring the mysterious character Zeb. I want to write about his life, how he ended up in Treasure Island, what his experiences were while he was in prison, how he escaped and his life after the DHS' surveillance was shut down.

Machinima/Screenplay Inspiration & LB Machinima Idea

After watching a few machinima and reading a few screenplays, on games and movies that I liked/knew well, I realized I had a lot of fun doing so. I'll start with the screenplays since I don't have a whole lot to say about them. The interesting thing about the screenplays was that the script was quite bare bones, yet at the same time, very descriptive. The scenes and backgrounds were portrayed well, yet of course, everything that happens in the movie can't be described in just words. The saying "A picture is worth a million words" comes to mind here. Though the screenplays were descriptive and had almost all the lines the actors said word for word, there was something missing. The actors give the words life, something you can't see in a script. Also, the music in a movie, which is obviously not in the screenplay, has such a huge effect in the experience. However, the screenplay by itself was still very interesting. It inspires me to be able to create something of that level. A whole movie experience (with the exception of missing sound) perfectly packed into a tightly written script. It was amazing to me the amount of detail written in such short paragraphs. I could clearly grasp the scene and feeling that was trying to be conveyed. I wish I could create a screenplay so clear and well-written. I'm inspired now to actually write a script for a movie that has great dialogue and also great and concise descriptions of scenes.

Now onto the machinima. I really, really enjoyed watching these short films. I watched machinima on video games that I love and have played countless times, which is probably the reason why I enjoyed them this much. All the machinima I watched were comedic however. I've never really seen a machinima that was made for drama, or seriousness. So my point of view is just on funny short animations. The one thing that I loved the most were the scripts and the voice actors who did the lines. After watching the films, I'm inspired to create something that's just as funny. The machinima also had good variety of movements and camera angles which helped, but the voice acting and script was what really made it enjoyable. I want to create a piece of work that has that amount of variety and effort. Which means that I'll have to start thinking about ways to create a funny script with funny voice actors who can deliver the lines well. Definitely, the voice actors played a huge part...it kind of inspires me and I wonder if I could ever deliver lines that funnily.

For my Little Brother machinima, I definitely want to try create something comedic. I was thinking maybe using the paranoid and invasion of privacy aspects to create a funny, over-exaggerated situation. Maybe where the main characters are constantly being watched even while they're in the bathroom or doing very private things such as sex, as examples. And when they find out they're being watched, they are shocked/surprised and become overly paranoid but also angry, which ensues some funny dialogue provided by excellent voice actors. Or at least something along those lines. That's my idea for my Little Brother machinima.

Machinima Response

Some of the Machinima using second life I actually enjoyed watching and others I really did not. What was a major decider for me what whether or not the mouth to sound synced up or not. In the case of using second life this does not happen typically. I found it extremely distracting to watch a short film where the mouth was completely different from the voice or sound, it really takes away from the dialogue. Example of second life machinima that did not have this problem were “Addiction” by Meowan Studios, “My Second Life”, and “The Fixer: Fat Men Run”. These films all used a sort of reflecting on the past and retelling a story kind of dialogue. This eliminates the problem with the mouth syncing. When I looked at the screenplays I found that there was an incredible amount of detail in them; they every little detail that the viewed was supposed to see was not there on accident. When you are reading it, due to the detail, you are actually able to clearly picture what is happening. When reading I noticed that the angle of the screen shots changed constantly, always giving a different perspective. I think that aspect will be hard to emulate. For my little brother inspired machinima I would like to try and do something on Daryl. He is kind of a character I would have liked to hear more about, more about his time while the DHS had him. I would like for it to be him telling the story much like “Addiction” or “The Fixer” and reflecting on his time on the island with the DHS. I think that I would be doable.

Is it Too Soon?

By creating a parallel situation to 9/11 does Docktrow dig himself into a hole with American readers by fictionizing 9/11? Privacy is regarded as one of the most fundemental rights in the United States. After the terrorist attacks on the twin towers 9/11, the Patriot Act was passed to increase nation security and the safetly of individuals. Survalence increased substantially in both airports and skyscrappers in an attempt to provide more security. Americans generally do not support the expansion of governemntal powers, especially the reduction of personal protections and civil liberites. However, in times of war, civil liberties should be disregarded. Docktrow's book Little Brother poses a dufferent response, one that implies that not ever should civil liberties be disregarded. This contradicts much of the literature regarding civil liberties and tragedies. Is it too soon to write a book about 9/11? I believe that not only is it too soon to fictionalizing and citicize Americas recent response to a major tragedy but hating on the heightened security measures that are designed to protect us is simply unnecessary. Had there been no response in heightened security the same angry citizens would be just as mad.

Splash Page Draft

Safety Inspections or Illusory Protection?

Cory Doctorow's Little Brother highlights a reality for the reader just as it does for Marcus: terror's effects on security. In Doctorow's novel the response to terror is heightened security in the name of safety. In 2011, ten years later post attack on the Twin Towers, the response is the same. In the midst of a terror-stricken nation, hyper-security has become an illusory protection utilized by the state to shape citizens' feelings and thoughts on terror. Attempting to convince citizens protection is provided by the state with the best intentions in mind, hyper-security in actuality does not facilitate more safety, rather, it provides citizens with an increasing fear of potential spontaneous terror, as well as a placebo effect of eternal refuge - leading to the question: have we safety inspections or illusory protection?

Headlines/Links:

1. Hyper-Security

2. Illusory Protection

3. Increasing Fear

4. Placebo Effect

Influencing Contributions to Society

Influencing Contributions to Society

In Corey Doctorow’s novel teachers play a major role in enhancing or destroying a student’s ability to learn and make unique contributions to society. It is clear that Marcus feels very strongly about seeing an authoritarian teaching approaching in schools. He feels so negatively about this because teachers who should be promoting education are now the reason for, a lack of creative drive and the inability of students to make additions to the public.

Is there a True Link Between Youth and the Potential for Transformative Action?

We may all have dealt with unreasonable expectations to be somehow outstanding. Our parents applaud us for athletic achievements, scientific awards, and participation in a wide range of axtracurricular activites. But do you think the parents of the students of the Free Speech Movement expressed pride in the children's accomplishments? Probably not. Even though the students' actions were later seen as monumentally revolutionary, I am sure their parents expressed deep concern for the childrens' safety and academic standing. These concerns are completely valid. The students put a lot at risk, sometimes endangering their own and others' well-being for a cause they truely believed in. I am equally sure their parents hoped someone else would do the dirty work. This begs the question, if not young, semi-educated adults, who else? This is then to remind us of who were the formative minds of past revolutions: Betty Freidan, Martin Luther King Jr, etc. These people created truely outstanding ideas that could have changed the world for the better, but the group who actually set fire to the revolution were the young people. They, in essence, set the stage for future generations.

Technological Security Measures Inducing More Fear in Citizens?

Since 9/11, fear of terrorism has been counteracted by heightened security measures. This fear of terrorism and the technological ways it is being fought have grown so rapidly and have become so far-reaching that these security measures are now inducing a certain degree of fear in the people which they are supposed to be protecting. As a result of the heightened advancements of technological security measures, citizens are afraid to fully use technology, limiting their expressions and personal growth.

Does Privacy Even Exist?

The World Wide Web has truly become its own world. Like every world, real or virtual, authority reigns supreme. The difference is that there are no police cars standing by waiting for you to make a mistake while you attempt to cruise through the streets of this internet world. The reality is, there are pieces of authority that do patrol these cyber streets but instead of remaining apparent on the side of the street but instead take the form of undercover streetcars.

Too Much Security, Too Little Privacy "Splash Page"

Take a minute and look around. Are you alone? Many will answer yest but the truth of the matter is you are not. Now more than ever citizens are being tracked, watched or recorded. Many people believe that their home is a getaway from surveillance, wrong. Even while safe in your own home citizens of the United States are still being tracked recorded and even taken into account of what they are doing. Technology today has made it so the government and third party companies can monitor United States citizens in their own homes.

Protesting creating Peace?

When people violently or disruptively destroy the normal peace by protesting for what they believe is equality, or freedom, then they are hurting society rather than helping it. Doctorow's answer to this question of "does disrupting normal society by protest benefit society in the end?" is yes, it does. He uses Marcus to become abnormal, protest agaisnt what was "normal" and thus save San Francisco. However, I believe he is wrong to say that abnormalities can "save" the normal people. They just create a hinderance for the majority of society. Doctorow says that the minority or abnormal, when fighting for what they believe in, can save or help all of society. I think that isn't true. If anything, they will only hinder society. The Abnormal Minority The Normal Majority Society is...

The effectiveness of terrorism, and the use of fear (splash page rought draft)

What many believe to be one of the most effective weapons used by militant groups across the world is terrorism. Security is the one thing that is essential to every human being, and terrorism is used to threaten that. However the use of terror has backfired and it has lead to the people who were supposed to be struck in fear feeling even more confident. This brings up the question how effective is terrorism? In the novel Little Brother, Cory Doctrow provides us with some examples that I believe can help show his position on the issue. First it is hard to answer this question without a strong definition of terrorism. For now lets use a vague one of inducing fear in the public mind. In the novel, the terrorist attack on the bay bridge did bring fear to the minds of the public, and caused the DHS to crack down on the city of San Francisco. In this sense the terrorist attack was extremely effective. However this crack down caused an underground group to form of Xnetters, and they were percieved to be a terrorist group of their own.

Splash Page and Headlines

During the War On Terror, the U.S. military has taken the step of detaining suspects accused of involvement with terrorism while bypassing the American justice system, which would have afforded the detainees with access to a lawyer and a trial by jury, among other rights. This has sparked an important question: under what circumstances, if any, is it justifiable to bypass a prisoner's legal right to due process in the name of security? Cory Doctorow would argue that such a practice is not only immoral, but also ineffective at catching actual terrorists. in addition, the consequences of doing this are counterproductive in that they would undermine security even further. In Doctorow's novel, "Little Brother", the main reason that the protagonist, Marcus, decides to actively revolt against the Department of Homeland Security is because he was wrongly imprisoned. While some might argue that public safety would be worth the cost of a few mistaken imprisonments, such a view runs contrary to the design of the American justice system, and may prove to make a more dangerous environment for the public. Headlines The consequences of False imprisonment Is detainment effective? The immorality of false imprisonment

The Legalization of Torture "splash page"

There are two related questions about torture that are being argued all across the globe. The first being the obvious question, is it moral to torture someone if the purpose is moral? The second being, should torture be legalized and if so what do is torture defined as? Cory Doctorow makes an interesting orginal arguement agaisnt the legalization of torture. In his novel "Little Brother", he shows how the inefficiency of the government catching terrorists works against the cause of legalizing torture. Reasons For. Reasons Against. Reaction to Doctorow.

Lit Review

It is universally agreed upon that torture is immoral [4]. However, the definition of torture is not universal [1]. There are forms of punishment and coercive interrogation that many governments deem acceptable that fall under the public’s definition of torture [3]. Should torture be legalized and if so in what terms should it be legalized?
Bekerman, Gross, Hooks, and Shue all agree that there are most definitely forms of torture that should be acceptable [1, 3, 4, 5]. Bekerman and Hooks believe that the issue of whether or not torture should be legalized depends on the definition of torture, specifically the extent of the actions on the victims and the purpose of these actions [1, 4]. If the purpose is moral, meaning your trying to prevent the loss of more lives instead of just seeking revenge as was seen in Abu Ghraid, and the actions are defined measures of coercive interrogation rather than torture then it is acceptable [1, 3, 4]. Shue defines justified torture as the least available evil is done to achieve a moral and necessary outcome [5]. However, Shue believes that no form of torture should be legalized because there are so few cases where torture fits his definition of justified. Shue and Waldron agree that the need to limit unjustified torture far exceeds the need to justify torture [5, 6]. Therefore, keeping the prohibition on torture forces someone who falls under the few cases of justified torture to argue under a court of law why he is justified while putting away the majority of torturers behind bars for unjustified actions.
In his novel Little Brother, Doctorow agrees with the ideas of Shue and Waldron [2]. Marcus explains how the governments process of finding terrorists in unbelievably inefficient. They catch a significantly higher number of innocent people for every terrorist they catch. In his story, hundreds even thousands of innocent people are held captive and tortured by the Department of Homeland Security after a terrorist attack on the Bay Bridge. The DHS is fighting for a just cause of ending terrorist attacks and saving lives. However, they go about achieving this goal by capturing and torturing innocent people. The DHS is neither torturing the right people nor using the least evils to extract information from people. Through this story, Doctorow shows us that torture cannot be legalized because innocent people will fall victim to the supposed moral goal of the torturer [2, 5, 6].

Lit Review Draft

Post September 11 has prompted a slue of new security measures that have affected the nation. From brand new X-ray machines in airports such as LAX in Los Angeles, or JFK in New York, to modified immigration policies, visitor visas, and even local security, one cannot help but ask the question: In the search to stop terror, have the terrorists already won? The following research project will analyze, explicate, and answer the following question via the sources provided through journal articles, books, and magazine articles. In Susan Akram and Kevin Johnson’s journal, they Johnson write painfully truthful in this journal article regarding the post September 11 treatment of Arabs and Muslims as well as an encroachment of civil liberties for all to some degree. From immigration policies, racial profiling, to blatant harrasment, both Akram and Johnson describe a clear shift in both society and policy post 9-11 (1). We also will see the aftermath of September 11 and related events as Giroux discusses the implications and dangerous consequences of September 11 - particularly on the youth of today. Discussing things from poverty, lack of support from government, and the struggle to keep security. Stating how, "New anti-terrorist laws that, in the name of 'homeland security,' make it easier to undermine the basic civil liberties that protect individuals against invasive and potentially repressive government actions", this article provides great insight into the struggle represented in Little Brother (3). In answering our questions, however, we will also look to journals that prvide an alternate view of the post national terror alert as Cather Guisan’ article provides her belief post 9/11 has and can allow "complementary feelings of mourning and enchantment, fostering a broader attachment to the world". I believe this will be a strong parallel to contrast my argument with and believe I can provide examples from Doctorow's novel of how post 9/11 has lead to a more fractured society as opposed to one of "feel-good nationalism" (4). A strong opposition to Guisan;s article can be found in Leow’s article as it talks about the "Summer of 2008" in New York, the authors touch base on the new security measures New Yorkers now live with post September 11 attack. Though they mention how some may find the new measure as reasonable and called for reactions after such a detrimental security breach, they also depict how "others believe that a new dangerous threat is rising...it's the risk that New Yorkers' essential freedoms and liberties are being eroded" (5). In regards to whether or not “catching terrorists” consists or enforcing stricter security, we will look to Sasses as she stresses an importance for government to enforce stricter policies and monitoring as she states, "While socio-economic devastation may not cause terrorism directly, it does promote extreme responses, such as trafficking in people, and can facilitate recruitment of young people for terrorist activity, both random and organized" (6). The following sources will be key in not only confronting our fears and anxieties, but more importantly, answering our question: have the terrorists already won?

lit review

Protection of privacy is one of the corner stones to United States that differentiates it from similar first world countries. When polled 79% of American citizens said they cared immensely about this civil liberties that protect themselves against the government (Kasper and Davis and Silver). Over the course of the 20th century there were many legal cases regarding the right to privacy. In 1927 Omstead v U.S. deemed that “every unjustifiable intrusion by the government…[is] a violation of the 4th amendment” (Kasper). In 1973 the famous court case of Roe v Wade over abortion ruled that it was the woman’s choice whether or not to get an abortion by showing that a law against what someone can do to their body is an intrusion of privacy (Kasper). As technology advanced so did the breadth that privacy covered. In the case of Katz v U.S. (1967) the Supreme Court decided that technologically enhanced eavesdropping is considered an unreasonable search (Kasper). During the 1990s we saw our first major resurgence of interest in information privacy, this is claimed to have arose from declining trust in the government (Milberg, Smith and Burke). This uproar was in response to major corporations openly storing masses of personal information in order to improve the efficiency of marketing (Milberg, Smith and Burke, and Culnan and Armstrong). When the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the second monumental change in privacy occurred. After the attacks, Davis and Silver, studied how Americans view on privacy and security changed and they attempted to generalize that change which was similar across social-economic and racial backgrounds. They found that with a greater sense of threat, the lower support for civil liberties, and that people are willing to trade civil liberties for enhanced security (Davis and Silver). With this data the two researchers were able to make the claim that support of civil liberties is context specific, for example, in other words, Americans were ok with giving up their civil liberties in order to feel safe for terrorists. (Davis and Silver). This information is interestingly very different from that obtained by a yearlong poll conducted by the National Science Foundation. They found that 92% of Americans opposed government investigation of nonviolent protestors, 82% opposed government use of racial profiling, and 77% opposed warrantless searches of suspected terrorists; this is consistent with the importance Americans associate with privacy (Kasper). This information that Kasper gathered conflicts that of Hassrick and Schneider. They looked at the effects of surveillance by parents on teachers. They found that parents have no problem with compromising the privacy of others in this case a teacher. They study showed that one will compromise the privacy of another in order to gain some monetary or social gain, however, when they themselves are exposed they object (Hassrick and Schneider, and Culnan and Armstrong and Kasper). In Cory Doctorow's book Little Brother one of the most prevalent themes was that of the balance between personal and national security and privacy. Doctorow argues that governmental control can be too powerful and can interfere with rights to privacy. Marcus and his friends attempt to stop this by exploiting the DHS. The government in this case has free-reign to survey whatever they please because of the recent terrorist attack on the Bay Bridge and BART. Doctorow believes that personal privacy should never be trumped by national security, that the right to privacy never is disregarded no matter the situation. I agree with Doctorow in the sense that a government can and does become to powerful sometimes. However, I disagree with him in the sense that after a major disaster I think the government needs to crack down in order to protect their country, after all, their duty is to serve the citizens. It is their job to research and monitor all those who act with suspicious. My original research contribution to the knowledge pool of privacy is my original analysis of Doctorow’s stance on privacy through the examination of his book Little Brother.

Glog

http://aldoatienza2.glogster.com/false/

My research focuses on how social media is being used to progress democracy. In this glog, I focus on the vast amount of people that social media caen target and how one individual's voice could possibly be heard by millions and millions of people through the internet. It also talks about how precarious social media is and how technologies such as this (that could potentially cause more good than harm) is used in for politics, oftentimes becoming venues for discourse and dissent. Various forms of social media is presented and the title depicts how social media is both a sign of the progression of democracy and is a game changer in the arena of politics.

Self-Assesment

My use of citation in writing has always been the same as far as time is concerned. However it might tend to differ depending on the assignment. For example, if I am assigned a paper where I just have to talk about a source it is easy to just restate the source but if I have a source....

Skimming the Surface Activity

During highschool I used to definitely patchwrite a lot of my papers, and maybe paraphrase. I hardly summarized but at the same time I made an effort to never just exact copy the information. However, this year in college, I've switched my ways in a sense. My classes ask me to do more paraphrasing, and so I tend to paraphrase now. And while I still do a little patchwriting, its very rare now. At this time though, I don't think I've really truly summarized any writing. For the future, I definitely wish to be able to summarize the majority of the time, if not near all the time. Summarizing seems to be an exceptional skill, and it seems very helpful for me to learn something like that.

Citation History

I think i have developed over time in my citation usage, on how exactly to cite and what's the appropriate way to cite and what is the plagirizing way to cite. I have to recognize that in middle school i was a big fan of copying and pasting and just referencing to the original author. I learned in high school that this was plagiarism so i couldnt be taking exact phrases someone else wrote. In high school i changed to using more of the patch citation where i used most of the ideas and words bu ti just changed some of the words with synonyms. Towards the end of my high school years and now in college i have developes a kind of citation where i just reference a work to develop my own ideas and explain things with my own words.

A year ago in high school i spent most of my time using citations with "patchwriting". I usually changed only a few words from the source, and never tried to do a large amount of work. Now in college i find myself doing mostly paraphrasing in my classes where i am required to cite sources. I find that my citations vary depending on my interest in a class and my willingness to do as best as possible. In the future i beilieve that i will edge more toward the summary side of the spectrum, because i will most likely be writing about things that i am interested in and i will have had more practice writing summaries.

Writing Style

I would say that my current citation practice can be labeled as paraphrasing, with the occasional cross over into summary. However, there are times that I fall back to patchwriting. My citation methods have definitely improved over time, especially since high school. It also helps that my mom is a writer, and would always push me to read my sources. It was easy to be lax in my reading in high school because I went to a large public high school. When I got to college, I had to change my habits because I feel like my grades matter more, and I am more interested in the subjects I am taking. I can see my writing habits improving as I continue my college career, and into my real life. Currently, the main thing that prevents me from writing with a summary citation style is time constraints, but I imagine as I get used to my work load my writing will reach a summary level label.

Personal Citation Usage

When I first started writing papers of a serious nature in high school my citation practices were very cut and paste. I had the belief that I was able to take exactly what the author of my research said and paste it right into my document without citation or quotes. This practice continued with me through high school. Many of my research papers were made up of a lot of smashing and grabbing of info and placing it into my own work and claiming it as my own. This past year, during my senior year my writing style was forced to change. I had to take information from research and write on the documents them self before I was able to begin writing my own paper. During my freshman year of college I have begun to read the research that I am doing and formulate my own opinion or belief based off of that research. In my future I hope to be able to not paraphrase at all and to take only my own opinion from my research.

my writing style

i would say that i am an alright writer. I present ideas in my own works with my own opinions. I would say that most of my work would be described as a mix between summary and paraphrasing. I would say about 70%s/30%p. My work during high school was once more like 40/60 because thats how i was taugh how to write. I assume that in the future my writing with continue to follow the trend and possibly get up to 90/10 but never 100 summary

Skimming The Surface

I feel that the four categories of citation perfectly capture the ways that I have cited various works throughout my academic life. Before realizing the concept of plagiarism, I would always do the "exact copying" type of citation (which is not even a citation at all). As the definitions and repercussions of plagiarism become clearer, however, I start to shift my way of citation to a paraphrasing type of citation. This, however, is insufficient because even though it is not plagiarism, I could still present a clearer and wider understanding of the source material. In saying so, I must discipline myself to adapt the summary type of citation because in doing so, I could present the most quality and the overlying idea of the source material in the shortest length possible.

My Citation Practices

I think that my citations evolved in order for them to be better, but I am overall okay with my citation habits. In high school I would cite the source in order to cite it but I would heavily rely on one or two of the sources while mostly ignoring the rest. I would, however, strive to present an actual summary of the piece, though I can't speak for my classmates. Here at Santa Clara, in my research projects I have worked in order to use my sources more broadly and I have continued to provide actual summaries of the piece. However in my other classes I have not felt really pressured to do so by the classes themselves, but instead by my desire to do the project right. In the future I hope my citation skills will be better but I am not sure how they will evolve exactly.