JRN 203
Professer Steele
4/27/26
Alexandra Gibson
Looking back at my work this semester, across the photo essay, audio podcast, video story
package, and information graphics project, I can see very clear growth in both my technical
skills and my approach to storytelling.
One thing I'm especially proud of is the ability to tell a cohesive story across different
formats that I have gained. In my video story and audio podcast, I focused on making sure
the information flowed logically and kept the audience engaged. I learned how to structure
information in a way that feels more natural, and I think that shows how my projects come
together as complete pieces rather than just collections of clops or ideas. I am also proud
of the visual awareness I gained, especially in my photo essay and video work. I became
more intentional with framing, composition, and choosing shots that support the story
instead of just filling space.
Another thing that I am proud of is how much more comfortable I've gotten working with
editing tools like adobe,capcut, and iMovie. I have also gotten more comfortable with
media production overall. At the beginning of the semester, I was less confident in putting
everything together, but by the time I completed all the projects, I felt much more confident
in the process. That said, there are definitely areas I wish I had approached differently. One
is planning. In several projects, especially the video story, I think I would have benefited
from more detailed pre-production, like shot lists or clearer storyboarding, I think creating
the script after filming just was not helpful. I also wish i had taken more risk with camera
angles and visual variety. A lot of my work is solid, but sometimes i took the safer route.
Lastly, I could improve how I incorporate natural sound and more dynamic audio
elements, especially in my podcast and video work.
The skulls I've develioped like storytelling, editing, visual composition, and organizing
information are all things I can use in future classes and professionally, no matter the
direct field i go into, knowing how to tell information clearly and creativily is a big
advantage. Moving foward, I want to focus on improving my visual storytelling by making
my work more dynamic and intentional. Specifically, I want to push myself to experiment
more with shot variety, sequencing, and stronger narrative structure. I chose this area
because I think it’s the difference between something that’s just “good” and something
that really stands out and feels professional.
