Gilgenbach 1

Eric Gilgenbach
Professor McLaughlin
Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric
11 December 2015
Portfolio Reflection
The project that I am most proud of in this portfolio is my video satire. Not only did I
receive the best grade on it, but I also feel that it is the one that I worked the hardest on. Being
with a group really made me accountable for my role in the assignment. I truly feel that I became
a better writer because of the work that I did. It was nice to interact with others and get their take
on the proper way to write. From the satirical video, I improved my process. Typically, I have
always been someone that writes the script after the video is made, because I like coming up with
things on the spot. So originally, I was not too excited when we had to have a storyboard and
script done before the filming. However, by planning and writing beforehand, it was easier to
focus on what important points we were going to include, how we were going to include them,
and what role would it play on the audience. In other words, we were able to improve our
strategic inclusion of rhetoric. My takeaway from this is that planning any kind of rhetorical
piece out prior to writing or filming is incredibly helpful.
During the semester, our class goals included learning about humor, argumentation, and
the media. The major assignments were the personal narrative, the rhetorical analysis, the video
satire, the research paper, and the Ted Talk. The purpose of the personal narrative was to
demonstrate our gained knowledge on humor. Through our readings in class, we learned why
people laugh. This can depend on the situation, our social needs, or the types of humor that are
used. In the audio narrative, we focused on using our dialect and deliver to create a humor. The

Gilgenbach 2
point of the rhetorical analysis was to improve our abilities on argumentation, continue with our
study of humor, and look at a form of media. Our readings for this portion of the course revolved
around rhetoric and why authors, artists, and producers do things in certain ways. We analyzed
the satirical film Dear White People on the producers use of rhetoric. Specifically, I analyzed
the use of camera work and music as rhetoric. The entire movie itself demonstrates the use of
media to influence people. The purpose of the satirical video was along the same lines of the
rhetorical analysis. It dealt with humor, argumentation, and media. We watched some examples
of video satires in class and learned the difference between the two types of satire: Horatian and
Juvenalian. The goal of this assignment was to improve our grasp of argumentation and rooting
our claims in evidence. The satirical part of it dealt with a specific type of humor, and by using
rhetoric, we were able to add humor while getting a specific message across. Furthermore, using
a public service announcement as our assignment helped us understand the rhetoric that goes into
this type of media. The last two assignments go hand in hand. They were the research paper and
the Ted Talk. The paper itself demonstrated our continued knowledge with argumentation based
on evidence, ethos, pathos, and logos. We used the Internet as media to help find our information
for the paper. The Ted talk built off of the paper. The two of these primarily dealt with the
argumentation and media aspects of class, not so much the humor portion. Each of these
assignments overlaps one another. Beginning with narrative, we had to demonstrate our
knowledge of humor and use multimedia to submit our product. The rhetorical analysis and
satirical video both corresponded to humor, argumentation, and the media. Lastly, the research
paper and Ted Talk dealt with argumentation and the media. Regarding the narrative assignment,
I demonstrated my knowledge of course goals by adjusting my delivery to one that correlates
with humor. With the rhetorical analysis, my investigation of the rhetoric of camera work and

Gilgenbach 3
music demonstrated my understanding that all rhetoric is planned and strategic. The video satire
furthermore demonstrated this knowledge of this. In order for my satire to be successful, there
had to be planned rhetoric on which humor builds itself. My research paper demonstrated my
new grasp on using ethos, pathos, and logos as means of persuasion. I also improved my
researching ability through the readings. Finally, the Ted Talk circled back to focusing on my
delivery during a speech.
Through this course, I have grasped an understanding of writing as a process. This
understanding can be seen through my blog posts and my writing process evaluations on some of
the pages. During my personal narrative assignment, I began with a free write. I struggled with it
for a while until I came across a great idea that I had written down. With the rhetorical analysis,
I originally took notes on the film. I looked for reoccurring themes and certain intended camera
angles and music. From there, I took away the message on identity that I wanted to analyze.
Before I started writing, I made an outline of the essay, organizing the paper and establishing the
points I wanted to make. Lastly, I began to write the analysis. Moving onto the video satire, I
began by discussing some controversies on campus with my group. Once we figured out the
controversy that we wanted to satirize (the social hierarchy at Notre Dame) we discussed how
the PSA would look. We thought of some really good points that we wanted to make and
strategically placed them in our storyboard. After finishing the storyboard, we developed a draft
of our script. From there, we began to film and create one of the greatest satires of all time. The
research paper came next on the list. Like the narrative at the beginning of the semester, I began
this project with a free write, jotting down ideas until a good one came up. Once I had my idea, I
developed some research questions that I would investigate. During my research process, I
wrote an exploratory draft, a research proposal, and an annotated bibliography. All of these

Gilgenbach 4
things graphed out the importance of my research and the usefulness of my resources. After a
long research process, I drafted an outline of my paper. From there, I was able to use this outline
along with all of my other assignments to create my essay. The essay was a breeze once I had
everything to build it on. Lastly was the Ted Talk. The assignment was primarily just taking all of
the work that I had done for the research paper and translating it to a multimedia presentation.
Overall, I learned that it is not common for someone to just sit down at their computer and type
away. There is a process that creates a successful finished product. My understanding of this is
demonstrated through my outlines in my blog, my script in my video satire, my narrative
reflection, and all of the assignments for my research paper.
This portfolio demonstrates my understanding of rhetoric and argumentation through my
rhetorical analysis, my video satire, and my research paper. The research paper and rhetorical
analysis are purely evidence based. I have gained an understanding of using ethos, pathos, and
logos as means of efficient argumentation and that they are used as a form of rhetoric. With the
rhetorical analysis, I got to look at the use of camera angles and music in film as means of
rhetoric and how they are strategically planned. Although the video satire is not factually based,
it still demonstrates the use of rhetoric for the purpose of persuasion.
My research paper is a prime example of my critical research, reading, and thinking
skills. It is not so much the paper itself as it is the work that went into writing it. My annotated
bibliography demonstrates these three things because it shows that I analyzed what the purpose
of the source was, whom it was intended for, and how it would be helpful to my paper. With my
exploratory draft and my research proposal, I demonstrated the critical thought that went into my
research. I was not just searching for information blindly. I had research questions that were
leading me. The role that critical reading and research had on me this semester was that it helped

Gilgenbach 5
me to understand that I need to look deeper into things. I should look at the intended audience
and purpose of writing or media. It also taught me that planning things out helps with research
tremendously because then all you have to do is follow the line in front of your feet.
Along the lines of my reading skills, multimedia has increased them by informing me of
the benefits of looking deeper into the reading. It becomes apparent that there are intended
audiences and plenty of examples of rhetoric in film and writing. With my writing, I have learned
of the different ways to appeal to readers depending on the medium. Furthermore, I have been
opened up to the rhetoric of film. I did not know how prominent it was in movies and television.
Aspects such as sound, frames, and character development are all ways through which rhetoric
can be used. I improved my research skills because I was able to analyze sources other than print
ones. For my research paper, I had to look at dozens of commercials, and with my newfound
understanding of rhetoric, I was able to succeed with my research. The multimedia projects I
composed were the video satire, the Ted Talk, and the personal narrative. Some of the course
content we discussed dealt with delivery, and the Ted Talk and personal narrative heavily related
to that. The video satire dealt with our discussion of the rhetoric of the frame.