DANCE
USC Pre-College Programs
This course explored digital media through critical analysis and hands-on production, connecting the way we understand media with the way we create it
At USC Pre-College, I explored how media shapes the way people receive information and understand the world around them. Through hands-on projects, I worked with different forms of digital media, from interviewing people on the streets of Venice Beach to producing a podcast and a public service announcement.
The program gave me a better understanding of what studying Communication and Media involves. I got to explore both the creative side of media production and the ways media can influence people's thoughts and choices. This experience made me even more certain that I want to study this field in college.
For our four-person podcast project, I served as reporter, interviewer, host, and editor. When I was assigned the reporter role, I felt a little nervous because it was my first time interviewing people in English. At first, I worried that I might not do a good job, but after approaching and interviewing more than ten people at Venice Beach, I gradually got used to the process and became more confident. I also found the experience more fun than I had expected.
I especially enjoyed editing the podcast in Adobe Audition because I like creating things and bringing different ideas together. During the editing process, I discussed different options with my teammates and worked with them to choose the best parts for our final audio. This project gave me a chance to practice interviewing, audio editing, and teamwork while learning how to turn separate recordings into one finished podcast.
In a world obsessed with perfection, women are often expected to be flawless “Barbies,” always smiling and polished. For this project, I reimagined the original Barbie movie poster to explore the pressure of beauty standards and gender stereotypes. Renaming it Stress, I used a cracked mirror, a darker color palette, and fractures across the figure to reveal the emotional toll hidden beneath an idealized appearance. The contrast between the two posters reflects the gap between society's expectations of perfection and the struggles that may remain unseen.
MISLED: The Truth Behind the Ads
For our PSA project, we explored how misleading ads can affect the way people see products and make buying decisions. Some businesses exaggerate their products' effects or make them look better than they really are to attract more customers. This can mislead consumers and spread false information. Our project aimed to raise awareness of this issue and encourage people to think more carefully about the ads they see.
I also worked with Adobe Premiere Pro to create our PSA. Through this project, I learned how images, sound, and video can work together to deliver a message. It also helped me better understand how digital media can shape people's opinions and choices, and how media production can be used to raise awareness of important issues.