Shapiro+K+Wk+14


 * Explanation of Rhetorical Theory in Prezi**


 * Audience**: College age students, would work best for freshman/those struggling with identity/those who consider music a large part of their lives.


 * Argument**: //Music is something we passively interact with everyday, however music becomes something that can act when we use it as a tool to define who we are. More than we use music to create our identities, music acts on us by presenting a variety of different readymades we can choose to adopt.//

I arranged these pictures I took as into a grid as an attempt to reach my audience by presenting portraits of faces anonymous to them. By placing them in the grid pattern I was trying to equalize the photos and make their individual identities less important, thereby allowing the audience to imagine themselves as filling in the missing piece where the text is. The text was also trying to ensure this interpretation; by saying we all do this, I was trying to imply that you as an audience member do as well.
 * Image 1 (faces)**

These 3 examples are supposed to contextualize my argument and constrain what aspects of music interaction I am talking about at first. In order to make my argument, the audience must begin by thinking about music in a passive way that is more basic. This is a reference to Ramage’s idea of act and motion. Here I am trying to address that when we interact with music and it is not the focus of our attention, there is no real action going on; we are simply going through the motions.
 * Photos 2-4**

These images I pulled off the internet. In doing so I tried to ensure that they would be relevant to my audience by selecting figures seemingly our age.

Here I wanted to introduce the main visual metaphor I am using to get across my argument. By arranging the following section using the cut out clothing as frames, I am visually representing the ease with which one can put on and take off an identity. The paper doll is simultaneously restrictive; while you can dress it up however you like, you are limited to what options are readily available. Also, only certain combinations of the clothing available makes for a cohesive outfit. In terms of my argument this suggests that there must likewise be specific ways that one can successfully embody and express each musical identity.
 * Image 5 (blank cut out doll)**

The text that this is referencing of course is Ramage’s dimensions of identity, specifically the readymade and the constructed. My argument hinges on the idea of the readymade identity-- something we adopt that others create and market to us.

These 2 images are where I begin trying to go deeper into my real argument by presenting two different ways we interact with music that don’t really involve actually listening to the music. To do this I borrowed some tools from the Shields article about the apple ad. He quotes S Paige Baty’s idea that “Icons are culturally resonant units that convey a familiar set of ‘original’ meanings and images.” by using celebrities that would be relevant and easily recognizable to my audience, I have more control in constraining the associations and interpretations the audience will make about my VSP. Both men are examples of things we associate with certain types of music. They are both extreme in context of their headings: Benji Madden from Good Charlotte has an extreme image, and Bob Marley had very controversial ideals. By using these extremes, I was trying to reference Ramage’s idea of terministic screens. When we embody a musical identity, we create terministic screens on ourselves and constrain how people interpret our identities. This happens through Ramage’s idea of denoted and connotated messages. The denoted messages are the ways we express our musical identity to others (Benji Madden’s “image”), and the connotated messages are the attributes other associate with those expressions (Bob Marley’s “ideals”.)
 * Photo 6 & 7**

Here I really wanted to get my point across strongly so I chose to use the word brand as a little play on words. I was hoping that the audience would interpret it both ways; brand as in specific company and brand as in cattle branding. Both interpretations work for my argument in trying to defamiliarize music to the audience from something passively enjoy into something that acts on us beneath our noses.
 * Image 8 (shoes)**

With these I was trying to advance the ideas I just presented a little further by presenting a real life scenario of how this identity creation plays out for more relatable individuals. I was trying to create the idea a heterotopian site, where music is the “liminal [space] of possibility and revision connected with and in resistance to existing institutions of power.” I was hoping that by using two of the people from the beginning grid, while keeping consistent with the same readymade identities presented earlier with the celebs (the punk and the hippie), I will have made a strong enough connection that the reader can see how the interpretation of identity has now changed through the addition of expressing a musical identity.
 * Photos 9, 10, & 11**

This last portion of my VSP is ties my argument together. I show how we use patterns to understand and create these identities, though we have some flexibility within it to add our own flair. This relates to Barthe’s discussion of syntagms, or empty structures. Musical identity creation is similar to sentence construction in that the different parts of speech must be arranged in certain ways to express a specific and grammatically correct message. There are many different ways to get the same message across; for example a verb could be replaced with another that is more colorful and more specific without losing meaning; however, the structure still places restrictions on how far these tweaks can go. I try and show this by zooming through the different text, anchoring the meaning and giving necessary context through the text I added in. Ultimately I ask the reader if this is enough to make it ours or if it is someone elses identity. On the last note I literally flip the orientation of the prezi. While I got lucky that the text appeared in the image in this way, I think the flip does a nice job at stressing the defamiliarization that is necessary to think about the musical identity in this way. Ultimately, I leave the conclusion up to the audience by including a question mark.
 * Image 12 (the Deadmilkmen paper doll)**


 * VSP Presentation Responses Monday**
 * VSP Presentation Responses Monday**

I liked that you told us a lot about your project before you went into it. I think that really helps us interpret the VSP in the way that you wanted.
 * Elizabeth Stone**

The text was difficult to read from the back of the room. Especially in the end where there was a lot of text it was a little difficult to understand from farther away. I wish you had used the prezi zoom features to kind of combat this problem.

I liked that you did take the risk of using personal photos that the audience could potentially not understand. I think you did a really effective job of contextualizing the images so that they did make sense to us as an audience.
 * Lorin Weaver**

Cant think of any suggestions great job

I liked your organization with the line running through the entire presentation. I also liked how you incorporated the quotes.
 * Benjamin Miller**

I wish that you had more pictures, or more obvious differences in the 2 path images. Some of the right hand side images when he 'didn't take the drink' were unclear as to what the action he is doing is which makes it a little confusing.

I liked that you addressed something so important and relevant to us. I think you did a good job of understanding your audience and our interests/needs.
 * Brandon Lalli**

I wish you had used more text within your images. The beginning half made sense with minimal text, however the second half didn't.

I liked that you used the different colors in the text. It worked really well because you were so consistent with which words you were altering and it added meaning.
 * Chandler Wilson**

In some places there was a lot of text and it became hard to read. When captions were above images they were the most difficult to read since they were not zoomed on.

Your prezi was very clear in getting the message across. I like the images you chose to portray your message, they were very effective, and your reasoning/theory behind the prezi was very thorough and worked well with your message
 * Danica Cantrell**

Can't think of any suggestions, good job!

I liked what you did with the black and white images. It really sets an appropriate mood. Also I liked your topic, you did a good job assessing us as an audience and understanding what our lives are like.
 * Seth Eckman**

Some of your images were slightly difficult to understand how they fit in the story. I think adding some text could have alleviated this confusion.