This audio reflects on the quiet companionship between a child and their beloved stuffed teddy bear, narrating how both evolve with time. As the child grows and the bear becomes worn with love, their bond endures—an intimate reminder of the constant comfort found in a trusted childhood friend

Video: The Morning Ritual

Step into my morning ritual! This video takes you through the quiet and slow moments that set the tone for my day, from my first cup of coffee to the little routines that help me feel focused and ready. It’s a glimpse into how I start each morning before the day unfolds.

Social Media Edit: The Morning Ritual

Step into my morning ritual, social media style! This vertical edit captures the small, meaningful moments of my routine, giving a quick glimpse of how I ease into the day.

Final Reflection

Over the course of the semester, this class has provided me with the opportunity to improve as a creator, learning to combine technical skills with storytelling in ways I hadn’t before. At the beginning of the semester, I had little to no knowledge of basic media and production skills, such as photography using a DSLR camera, audio editing, and video production, and I didn’t feel confident utilizing these tools or translating my ideas into a cohesive piece of media. Now, through in-class activities and assignments, I have developed an extensive skill set and feel much more confident using media and production skills to bring my creative ideas to life.

Looking back on the assignments from this class, I feel I’ve most improved in my video editing skills, becoming more familiar with Premiere Pro and its editing features. For example, my portfolio includes a video of my “Morning Ritual” demonstrating how I learned to edit separate video clips seamlessly, adjust the pacing of certain clips, adjust the volume, and add sound effects such as music or voiceovers to create a smooth, cohesive story. Throughout the process, I cut and arranged clips more intentionally, balanced the audio levels for certain clips, and adjusted background music so it became louder when I wasn’t speaking and quieter during voiceovers. My favourite part of the process was collaborating with my peers during the lab activities, where we could explore creative ideas together and come up with fun or interesting pieces, such as the social media video lab. This also helped prepare me for upcoming assignments and allowed me to improve on specific skills. My least favourite part was trying to navigate all the DSLR settings to get the perfect exposure and lighting, especially getting used to adjusting things such as aperture, shutter speed, and iso, which felt confusing at first.

The most significant thing I learned was how every technical choice–camera angles, lighting, cuts–can completely shape the meaning and impact of a story. Realizing the extent to which these elements influence the viewer’s experience helped me understand the importance of media production on a deeper level. As a creator, I’ve realized that even though I usually start with a strict plan, I often end up falling deeper into the creative process. Instead of sticking rigidly to my original ideas, I found myself experiencing more and letting my ideas change and grow. One of the biggest challenges I faced when creating my media content was making sure I adhered to all the technical guidelines. For example, while working on my photo story, I struggled with applying leading lines effectively, and for video, it was challenging for me to include all the required shot types—like close-ups, medium shots, medium wides, and wide shots—within a three-minute video. The project I am most proud of is my YSL Libre photo story because it required combining creativity with technical skill, which gave me the opportunity to improve and become familiar with the DSLR camera. It also gave me the opportunity to bring something I’m passionate about–marketing and developing creative ideas for campaigns–to life.

I plan to apply the skills I’ve learned in this class directly to my future career in digital and social media marketing. Understanding how to create compelling visuals, use camera techniques, and edit both photo and video content will be crucial for creating ad campaigns, engaging social media posts, and other promotional materials that catch audiences’ attention quickly and effectively. Based on my experience throughout the course, I want to explore aspects of photography and video production, especially for application to advertising and social media. The social media vertical edit was particularly useful, as it reflects the type of content I will create in a digital marketing career–such as promotional reels, campaign posts, and other engaging visuals.

Overall, this class provided me with essential skills that will help me succeed in my future career. Learning the different aspects of media production has given me a deeper understanding of how media influences audiences and highlighted the importance of high-quality production in capturing and engaging viewers.