Make Your Own Media!
Do you ever feel like there is no character in movies, TV shows, comics, or books who you can relate to? That the media’s or arts’ representation of the spectrum of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, class, and income does not do justice to the complications of life, or may be too much of a stereotype?
The arts and media could provide individuals with an important opportunity to be seen and heard and to explore who we truly are, but most often this does not occur. One way to counter act this wrong is to make your own media. With your own media, you can tell your own narrative, discuss your own interests, or talk about changes you want to make. The following are some potential mediums and potential tools and resources when thinking about creating your own media:
Blog
Blogs are personal websites that are filled with informal text entries. They are often written to tell personal stories, give tips, reviews, and provide insights. Often blogs are done on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis so it is good to centre on a larger theme that you could write about for multiple posts over a longer period of time.
To start your blog, ask yourself:
- What do you want your blog to be about?
- Personal stories around a certain theme
- Reviews
- Advice on a subject
- Where do you want to host your blog?
- Free through Tumblr or Blogger?
- Pay for a website using WordPress, Wix, or another platform
- What do your blog to look like?
- How often are you going to update your blog?
Resources:
Podcasting
Podcast are audio stories that people can played or downloaded through their phone or computer. Usually podcasts are hosted by an individual or several people and are usually more journalistic in their nature, usually through interviews.
To start your podcast, ask yourself:
- What do you want your podcast to be about?
- Who do you want to interview for your podcast, or would you rather keep it personal?
- How long do you want each podcast to be?
- Some podcasts are only 10 minutes, some are 2 hours long
- Do I want to spend money on equipment?
- Podcasting can just be done with just a smartphone and a computer
- Audio mixing can be done through the free program, Audacity
- If you want it to sound more professional, you can buy more equipment such as a recorder.
- What is the structure of the podcast?
- Do you want in introduction and conclusion?
- How much to you want to include music and sound effects?
- How will you distribute your podcast?
Resources:
- Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students : NPR
- Beyond the 5 W’s: What should you ask before starting a story? | NPR Training
- How to Start a Podcast: Every Single Step for 2020 (thepodcasthost.com)
YouTube Channel
There are over 31 million YouTube channels, which accounts for a wide variety of content, from explainer videos about different products or events, how-to videos, reviews, comedy videos, and gaming videos. Some channels have millions of subscribers and can lead to channels getting money through ads.
To start your channel, ask yourself:
- What topic do you want to focus on for your channel?
- What will be your niche on the subject?
- What will the name of your channel be?
- Will you have multiple playlists or series?
- Who do you want to watch and subscribe to your channel?
- What video editing software will you use?
- YouTube’s video editing?
- iMovie?
- FileCut Pro?
- How often do you want to give new videos?
- Daily, weekly, monthly?
Resources:
- How to Start a YouTube Channel: 10 Brilliant Tips (vidiq.com)
- How to Make a YouTube Channel (with Pictures) – wikiHow
Zines
Zine are self-published, non-commercial magazine-like printings that often are limited in the number of copies. They can be made by an individual or a group, and often have a “do-it-yourself” style in design, printing, and distributing. Zines are more about self-expression than making a profit. They can cover a range of different topics, from art, politics, recipes, sexuality, personal memoirs, and how-to’s. Because they can be made relatively cheaply, often individuals who have been historically marginalized have specifically used zines as a medium.
To start your zine, ask yourself:
- What do you want your zine to be about?
- A story from your life
- A how-to-guide
- A work of fiction
- Advice on a subject
- What do you want your zine to look like?
- Hand-drawn comics, collage with magazines, computer-designed, just words?
- What type of format?
- One page?
- Stapling or string binding?
- Hot dog or hamburger fold?
- If you want to work with collaborators or not?
- How are you going to distribute the zine?
- Just to friends and family?
- Selling through Camas Books or Etsy?
- Through www.wemakezines.com?
Resources:
