Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Why it's great to be a UF College of Journalism and Communications Student



You may be wondering, what does that video have to do with anything? Well, read on to find out!

The College of Journalism and Communications is one of the nation's top journalism programs year after year. Countless successful and well-known journalists have come out of the college, such as Erin Andrews from ESPN. Successful alumni such as Erin and many others have paved the way for current students and soon-to-be graduates to get a leg up in the industry that not many people have. However, having great alumni to network with isn't the only thing that's helping UF Journalism students make it to the top-- it's also constant innovation.

A specific example of this would be the <a href="http://cmir.jou.ufl.edu/">CMIR</a>. More information can be found at the site, but it's basically a tool and a mindset that the university has set in place to constantly keep us (the students) on our toes. Meaning, always trying to find fresh, new ways to tell stories in a way which adapts to and connects with our ever-changing world. The best way to see what the <a href="http://cmir.jou.ufl.edu/">CMIR</a> does is to look at some of the <a href="http://cmir.jou.ufl.edu/projects/">student projects</a>. Recently, the <a href="https://www.jou.ufl.edu/">CJC</a> changed its newsroom's name to the INC, which stands for Innovation News Center, which further exemplifies how UF does its best to make sure the JOU students are constantly changing, adapting, and keeping up with the trends in the journalism world. 

Personally, my favorite thing about the UF CJC is that it enables you to also learn other skills that can translate into other fields that we might want to go into, such as FILM! :)

Remember that film from the beginning of the post? Well, that's a film I was a part of a couple years back. It was made entirely by UF CJC students! This film went onto win many awards and was entered into many film festivals around the nation. The director of the film now attends the prestigious University of Southern California film school and is on his way to becoming Hollywood's next big movie director.

There are many more films that come out of UF that are just as successful. The skills they teach us here are invaluable, and for that I am so grateful. 

The UF Journalism Experience

The College of Journalism and Communications is one of the nation's top journalism programs year after year. Countless successful and well-known journalists have come out of the college, such as Erin Andrews from ESPN. Successful alumni such as Erin and many others have paved the way for current students and soon-to-be graduates to get a leg up in the industry that not many people have. However, having great alumni to network with isn't the only thing that's helping UF Journalism students make it to the top-- it's also constant innovation.

A specific example of this would be the CMIR. More information can be found at the site, but it's basically a tool and a mindset that the university has set in place to constantly keep us (the students) on our toes. Meaning, always trying to find fresh, new ways to tell stories in a way which adapts to and connects with our ever-changing world. The best way to see what the CMIR does is to look at some of the student projects. Recently, the CJC changed its newsroom's name to the INC, which stands for Innovation News Center, which further exemplifies how UF does its best to make sure the JOU students are constantly changing, adapting, and keeping up with the trends in the journalism world.

Personally, my favorite thing about the UF CJC is that it enables you to also learn other skills that can translate into other fields that we might want to go into, such as FILM! :)

Here is an example of a student film I was a part of, done entirely by UF CJC students. La Piedra. This film went onto win many awards and was entered into many film festivals around the nation. There are many more films that come out of UF that are just as successful. The skills they teach us here are invaluable, and for that I am so grateful.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Future of FOX

... and other big news organizations besides Fox I just liked the alliteration.

Anyways! My last post was about students like myself who do not want to work in news. This one, however, is about my peers who do want to work in news. They are the future Matt Lauers, Bill O'Reillys and Katie Courics of my generation. I know, just by seeing them in classes, in the newsroom, and reading their blogs, they will take the world of news by storm. After all, at UF, we do have one of the best Telecommunications programs in the nation, so with that background plus their skill and drive, there is no limit to where they will go. I can't wait to find out!

Leah Harding

Kayla Gaskins

Keilghy Chambers


Below are the links of the comments I posted on some of the blogs:

Rochelle comment


Keighly comment

Kayla comment

Beyond the Scope of News

The most difficult thing I have learned in my 4 years as a Telecommunications news major, is that I don't like news. I don't regularly watch the news-- never have and never will. I respect and understand its importance and role in our society, but it's just isn't for me.

Hence why this blog has nothing to do with news. I think you can study communications in school and learn very valuable lessons that will help you in ANY career you want to enter into. I am also a firm believer in the (cliche) saying: "anything is possible." Just because you studied communications and news in college does not mean you are bound to that profession. At the UF J-School we are equipped with the career and life skills that enable us to succeed in whatever it is our dream job is.

Here are a few of my fellow classmates/Telecom. majors who, like myself, want to veer a little bit off of the hard news track we have been working so long in, and their blogs are about things they are interested in other than news. I'm so excited for them, admire their courage, and can't wait to see all of the places they will go!

Kayla Rumpfeldt

Benjamin Bornstein

Melissa Perez

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Highlights

Last time I posted on here, I linked back to my very first blog entry on here, in which I described myself and my reasons for making this blog. This time, I am going include the link to that post again, along with a new, shorter, more recent bio about me and my life right now.

As you can probably tell, my name is Monica. I am now 21 years old, and a getting ready to graduate from the University of Florida. My degree is in Telecommunications and Theatre, and I want to work in film. I don't have many plans beyond that at the moment, except for that I'm going to pick up and move to LA as soon as I get that diploma, and see where life takes me. That may seem scary to some people, and it is, but the free spirit in me tells me everything will be OK and everything will work out for the best. If you'd like to be a part of my journey, and know anyone who can help me/employ me (ideally), please feel free to view my RESUME.

On a kind of related kind of unrelated note, I found out recently that one of my favorite actors grandparents live in my hometown of Zephyrhills, FL. I wrote about him in one of my blog entries a while back, so I feel like it's fate-- we're getting married. He just doesn't know it yet, that's all. :)

Until next time, friends.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Just in case...

So just in case you were wondering some more about who the heck I am and why I'm doing this blog, this was my first blog post introducing myself, starting out with a photo of me when I visited Hollywood , how appropriate, huh?!

Not too exciting, but just gives a face to a name and a person behind all this writing! Hope you enjoy it!


xo

Russia Knows Best

It's a hot topic in America, and especially now during awards season-- Leonardo DiCaprio STILL hasn't won an Oscar. With credits to his name like Titanic, Inception, and the latest, The Wolf of Wall Street, you would think this man would have some sort of recognition by now! Well, apparently the American Academy doesn't think so, and one country has stepped in and finally said ENOUGH!

Russia.

They may take a bad wrap for their politics, or their non-tolerant way of thinking when it comes to certain issues... but when it comes to movies, they know what they are talking about! They have decidided to send Leo an Oscar of their own to recognize him for all of his outstanding work in the industry, since we (the good ol' U S of A) can't do it ourselves.


Leonardo DiCaprio's honorary Oscar is said to resemble a real Oscar, only, I'm not sure it will carry as much weight.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Australia in Pictures

As I briefly stated before, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia last semester (Fall '13). Below is a video of a few of the photos I captured there up until November. I was there until January, so many more adventures and pictures followed, but this video just gives you a little glimpse of my time there.

It's relevant to this blog because my study abroad experience greatly shaped who I am as a person today. Furthermore, it reinforced my passion for film for a variety of reasons (which can be discussed if you'd like to know, just ask! Don't want to bore you with the details otherwise...) and gave me even more reasons why I love film and HAVE to do it for the rest of my life.

I'll post an better, updated video once classes finish and I have more time to devote to it, but for now, enjoy!

Aussie Aussie Aussie... Oi Oi Oi!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

"Don't Make Me Think" Review

"Don't Make Me Think" was a great read. A lot what the book contained were things that would seem obvious, but can often be important things that are overlooked when making a website. On the same note, the book spoke of certain elements of a good website, and made you (the reader) realize the little things website makers do that you don't even realize are being done purposefully to control, or guide, the way you view their website.

For example, make web pages that are best suitable for scanning-- not reading. Growing up in school, you are always taught to read thoroughly as opposed to just scanning, because you could miss some important parts that you are reading. However, when it comes to web pages, the opposite is encouraged-- Welcome to the 21st century! Now, people on the internet aren't looking to catch up on their daily reading time. Rather, they are looking for the information they want, as quick and as easy as possible.

Another thing we have been taught in grade school and is now changing because of the internet, is short writing. Any time we were given essay assignments there was always a "minimum word count requirement" (500 words, 750 words, 3,000 words) that you had to meet, otherwise you were severely penalized. Once again, the internet has transformed the way we look at writing. Now, instead of writing your heart out until your word-count-processor indicates you that you've met your requirement, you have to collect and compress all your thoughts into a few short phrases and that is all that you can put on your site. Now, this may sound appealing to a person (like myself) who hates writing long, drawn out essays, but in fact you may find that being forced to write only a few short sentences about an important topic with many layers can prove to be even harder than producing thousands of words on the matter.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when it taught that web design arguments are a "waste of time." The book says that people can argue for days about which way is the proper way to design a web page, and even still there may be various different opinions on the subject. So just be yourself, be sure to include the essentials, and go with what you like, because at the end of the day that's all that matter. This is essentially my motto in life, which is why I particularly liked this part of the book.

I really enjoyed "Don't Make Me Think" because of its easiness to read and for its relevant and useful content. I feel completely equipped with all the tools I need to make a professional, clear and enjoyable web site-- skills of which I plan to use in the near future.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Marilyn

This month's Newsweek magazine is dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. The issue, named "Marilyn Monroe: The Lost Scrapbook" takes the reader inside Marilyn's life. It gives the reader a never-before-seen look at the Hollywood starlet's private life, from her secret love notes when she had an affair, to the inspiration behind her acting techniques.

Pick it up on news shelves, available until March 8th.

Tropfest

Hollywood is the Holy Grail of cinema for every aspiring filmmaker all over the world, and one country is doing something groundbreaking that can get their film-maker hopefuls one step closer to getting there.

Sydney, Australia hosts an annual short-film festival that showcases Australia's most talented filmmakers and allows them to compete for a variety of prizes. However, all eyes are on the 1st place prize-- $10,000, a new car, and a trip to Los Angeles to meet with top industry professionals. This is a dream come true for many Aussie film buffs, who would otherwise have to come up with about $3,000 just to get to the city of Angels, and with no promise of meeting any industry professionals.

Over 100,000 people attend Tropfest each year, making it the world's largest short film festival. 16 finalists are chosen from the hundreds of applicants, and the winner is carefully selected by a panel of celebrity judges, who in the past have included Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Sam Worthington, and Russel Crowe.

Click the link to find out more about Tropfest.

Below is a photo from when I went to Tropfest this past December!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

You tell 'em Teller

It's always exciting when we see fresh, new faces on the big screen. One of these fresh faces I have been watching for the past few years is Miles Teller. He is a lesser known actor, not yet a household name, and no Oscars to boast-- but 2014 just might be his big year.

Miles' breakout role was in 2010 when he starred in "Rabbit Hole" alongside Nicole Kidman; However, he started gaining recognition with his role as the reckless, redneck best friend in "Footloose" with Julianne Hough in 2011. Since then he has starred in "Project X," "21 & Over," "The Spectacular Now" (alongside Shailene Woodley), and many others. This year alone, he has four movies coming out, with two in pre-production for 2015.

The next one up, which comes out on January 31st, is "That Awkward Moment," with Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan are his co-stars.

At just 26 years old, Miles is slowly establishing himself as a serious film-actor (although most of his roles are far from serious), and a force to be reckoned with. This will be a big year for Miles and his career, and I am rooting for him all the way.

You go, Miles!

My friend Kayla meeting Miles Teller at a bar in Tampa.

For the love of Scorsese

Jonah Hill recently revealed that he did "Wolf of Wall Street" for only $60,000! Now, to the average person, this may seem like a considerable amount of money. However for an A-list actor like Hill, in Hollywood, where millions are thrown around like candy, 60K is chump change. So, why would he agree to something so bizarre?


Click here to find out!



(Still of Jonah Hill in "Wolf of Wall Street")