Leigh Brown

Writing 101

Nicole Williams

October 1, 2010

My Own Creative Way

I chose to do my visual literacy narrative on my experiences with softball. I started

playing when I was nine and I have learned so much from the game and from being a part of a

team. Softball always gives me joy and I am very passionate about it. I learned how to work with

others, I developed leadership skills, and I became more athletic as time went on. I wanted my

presentation to be interesting and tell my story the best possible way. My rhetorical choices have

made my presentation just the way I want it to be.

Firstly, I chose to make a movie using Windows Live Movie Maker. This was a new

experience for me and I was excited to learn how to use the program. I could have shown my

project through a power point or a poster. I mainly chose to use Movie Maker because it was

something I had never done before. I think a movie is much better than a power point because

you can just sit back and enjoy the show. It seems to be annoying to constantly click the spacebar

during a power point to make the next bit of information appear. I would much rather watch a

movie then look at a poster, and I knew that my classmates would be viewing my work. I hope

that they like to watch movies too and that I have made the best decision for my story.

Next, I chose to use pictures from when I first started to get involved in softball, up until

last year. It was good that I went home over the weekend and was able to find all of my

childhood softball memories. Scanning them onto the computer was a fantastic idea because I

think it really brings my story to life. I am not just telling you about how much I loved softball
when I was younger; I am actually showing the pictures I have to prove it. As the photos proceed

throughout the show, one can see me grow and evolve into a devoted softball player. I did not

stick strictly on becoming good at softball. I added some personal information, like meeting my

best friend, in order to make it more detailed. My pictures go in chronological order to show how

the years went by and how I grew up.

Thirdly, I chose to keep my transaction from picture to picture as simple as possible. I did

not want too many affects taking away from my story. The only pictures that have a different

affect are the first and last pictures. This is to emphasize the beginning and the end of my visual

literacy narrative. All of the texts are in black and white. The colorful font is to show important

times during my softball career. These include, meeting my best friend, becoming a captain, and

being happy on the field. These three slides also have different fonts. I kept all of the other text

the same to use this as background information and for minor points of the story. The main

points definitely stand out because of their texts and font colors.

I chose to use three different songs throughout my movie. Each song has a meaning and

is significant in the part that it is in. The presentation starts out with Jay Sean’s song, “Do You

Remember.” This is during all of the pictures that show me as a young girl and beginning to

enjoy softball. During the next section the song, “You’ve got a Friend in Me” plays. It

emphasizes how close Erica and I are and how we will always be there for each other. If it was

not for softball I would not have met such a great person or shared as many laughs as we have

over the years. Lastly, I chose the song, “I Gotta Feeling,” by the Black Eyed Peas. This song

plays during my sophomore, junior, and senior years as a softball player at Weymouth High

School. The season was always about having a good time with friends, and of course, winning.

The song is upbeat and happy. This was an awesome time in my life and “I Gotta Feeling”
absolutely represents the occasion. I enjoyed putting music in my movie the best because it was

fun to match the lyrics up with my pictures. This is important because it gives the pictures more

background information. The viewer can get a sense of what the image is communicating, not

only through what they are seeing but through what they are hearing also.

Softball is an amazing sport. It requires speed, strength, hand-eye coordination,

and intelligence. I have my dad to thank for introducing me to the game. I was shocked that the

class was able to tell a story through a project instead of writing a paper. I am extremely happy

that I get to show my visual literacy narrative in my own creative way.