What Makes A Good Remix

Elements of a good remix include the following characteristics:

• Specific and focused–not too long or too broad
• Utilizes at least 3 out of the 5 modes of communications in your storytelling
• Use a story that you are very familiar with, so it is easier for you to convert and make your readers understand your remix
• You take risks!!! Think outside the box
• Good visuals! It’s eye-catching and visually stimulating
• Strong content–the writing is interesting and the author chooses the best information to include
• Based on real life content (Time Magazine, a newspaper, a Facebook page, a newscast, etc.)

What Makes A Good Digital Story

Out of all 12 project examples, my favorite by far was the The Hunger Games, Time Magazine Edition. I thought it was very creative how the author structured the project just like Time Magazine. Not only did they include quotes and facts from the story, but also images and head shots of the characters. This project was similar to another example I looked at, The Once Upon a Times, which was a project that designed a newspaper based on a fairy tale and Esmerelda. While the newspaper was more focused on the writing and the content, The Time Magazine design was definitely visionally stronger, which made the project look strong and more appealing for viewers. Additionally, the Time Magazine design used FlipHTML5, which created the virtual magazine look as you flipped through the pages, and the Once Upon a Times was just a simple PDF. Comparing the two, it made me realize that for a stronger project, I should try to use a format that is more interactive and eye-catching for readers, not just a simple PDF page. Combining the two designs, the in-depth content and writing from the newspaper and the layout and design from the Time Magazine project, one could create a very powerful project. Also, I liked how the Time Magazine just summarized the main points of The Hunger Games, and it did not try to tell the entire story. The author picked the best information, and focus on that.

Stories I am Considering

1. Toy Story: There’s a lot of different ways you could remix Toy Story. From talking about Buzz Lightyear making an unexpected Earth landing from outer space to join the other toys, to Woody going missing, or Andy growing up and all the toys focusing on life after Andy. This is definitely my top choice for a story to remix, mainly because there are so many different things I could do with it.
2. Peter Pan: This is my favorite story and Disney movie of all time. Similar to Toy Story, I think there are a lot of different directions you could go with a remix. The first idea that I thought of was to have Peter Pan as a public speaker, sharing his life views and philosophy on “Never Growing Up.”
3. The Tortoise and the Hare: I think the Tortoise and the Hare is a simple story that could be easily remixed. It would be interesting to remix the story into modern times, possibly using different types of sports cars vs. hybrid/electric cars. The focus could be shifted to looking at the environmental effects of the cars.
4. The Three Little Pigs: The three little pigs is one of my favorite fairy tales, and I have seen multiple remixes of this story. I just think it might be cool to challenge myself to remix the story in another completely new way that has not been done before.