Critical Reflection

        Animals have been around for over 500 million years and ever since our coexistence with them, humans have learned to work and thrive together in various ways. Long ago, we used animals as food or travel; however, this evolved in the mid-1900s to use animals for comfort and security, including therapy and search-and-rescue dogs. The recent utilization of K9 dogs and normal dogs has significantly enhanced public safety and well-being through their vital contribution to society.

        To create my documentary about the role of K9 dogs in the lives of humans, I had to research certain other documentaries to be able to understand the typical conventions. Through my research, I learned more about how these non-fiction storytelling pieces are made to inform and entertain the viewers through real-life events. A very large difference between documentaries and other genres is B-roll and interviews. This is because the interviews allow for a sincere-sounding story and real-life experiences. Although I did use interviews and B-roll to convey my message about animals, I didn't use any staged B-roll. All of my B-roll came from videoing events that were already happening to be able to express the sincerity and reality of the job the dogs play.

        'Abstract: The Art of Design' is one of my references for my project because of the largely artistic and un-storylike feeling to it. Unlike the other two documentaries I watched, this one didn't follow a direct storyline; instead, it created a main focus and laid examples and mini-stories around that main idea. For instance, I learned a lot from the costume-designing episode, featuring Ruth Carter, because of how many new techniques and conventions I learned. This episode not only broadened my perspective but also demonstrated the vitality of B-roll in documentaries.

        Apart from the documentary I watched, I also researched online the topic of coloring. A large part of my brand is the color schemes that I've picked and stuck to for my 3 components, but I will talk more about that later. I researched different pet shows and movies to see the kind of approaches each one took with coloring. During this research, I saw a pattern of warmer colors. This inspired me to theme my own project similarly.

        The branding of my portfolio project consists of three components all connected by a warm and calming color scheme. Within my brand, I constantly express the main message: the importance of taking care of animals and showing them love. These two characteristics make up a large part of how I plan to connect to my target audience of females aged 15-25 who want or have pets (more info about my target audience here). The print component uses my interview to express the idea of equal treatment and care for all animals. The digital component uses quotes, pet holidays, and archived footage to highlight cruelty and hatred towards animals. Lastly, the video component allows the subjects to express their true feelings about animals, bringing to light the sympatric relationship between humans and animals. That is why the mutual bond between our humans and animals should be respected greatly.

        I established that my target audience is mainly females aged 15-25 who want or have pets in a past blog. So, apart from the already attractive colors, I have also used many cute or eye-catching thumbnails and posts in my Instagram account and my magazine spread. For example, in my print component, I use colorful yet calming pictures that show variation from my documentary. The large quote I added also draws attention. I meticulously picked this quote from within my piece to make my readers want to learn more about this piece and what it has to offer. This would also engage people to want to read the rest of the magazine.

        On the other hand, I used interactive content on my Instagram page, along with cute and engaging thumbnails of postings, to connect further with my audience. These included both an animal of the week posting and a Q&A of the documentary before it was released. Another large thing I do within my postings on Instagram is add long captions that alert the readers to "stay tuned" or "keep an eye out" for something. This makes my audience want to stay and learn more about what this documentary really means. Lastly, I also use joyful yet calming tunes in my video component to add a more comforting mood.

        The main issue my documentary tries to present is animal abuse or neglect. As I mentioned earlier, all of my components have a combined secret message of 'all animals should be respected and cared for.' One way I expose this message is through some of my Instagram posts. So far, I have made two postings about actual stray animals and I've explained in the caption the importance of at least respecting these animals.

        Something else I did a week ago, was post a picture with a long caption for 'National Pet First Aid Awareness Month.' In this caption, seen below, I obviously talk about the first aid information; however, I also mention and stress the importance of taking care of your animals and pets as much as they take care of us.

        The last way that I clearly state my stance on this social issue, is within my print component. In my interview, I make sure to portray the idea that all animals should be thought highly of, not only the ones with specific jobs in the world. However, I would have liked to have included more representation within my actual video component. Since all of the talking and narration over the B-roll is done by the subjects, I didn't want to tell them what they should or should not say about this tough and important topic. Therefore, many of their responses didn't cover the topic of care for animals themselves. Overall, though, I think I accomplished my objective of bringing attention to this social issue within the three components of this project,