Personal Digital Story - Week #1

I really enjoyed creating the personal digital story this week. The first two days were very frustrating, however. It took me a long time to decide what to write. I started by looking through all dad's pictures to find ideas. I had a lot of pictures, but none of them fit one particular story of my life. I didn't start using a digital camera until this past spring when I went on vacation, so I didn't have many pictures of myself or my life activities. Instead I found that I had a bunch of pictures of the animals we have owned over the past fifteen years. I am definitely a dog-lover, and my animals have consistently brought me love and joy throughout my life. One dog in particular, Tia, has been a great companion. I knew I had to focus my efforts on telling a story that embodied her character and attitude.

I started by talking to my online partner and my family about my story. I then identified a group of pictures that I wanted to use. As I looked at each picture, I thought of an idea and wrote it down. Eventually I put the pictures and the story into a logical order, and I finalized my script.

I must have spent two hours re-recording the narration to get the timing and voice just right. The first couple of times, the audio sounded distorted, so I plugged in the microphone from my guitar hero game. The audio was much improved after that.

I experimented with adding music, but I didn't like how the sound covered up the narration, so I took that out.

I am pleased with the final product. Maybe other people who don't know Tia won't find it emotionally moving, but it makes me laugh and cry at the same time. It is an honest reflection and a good tribute to this dog that I love so much.