16. Sustainability campaign
17. Climate change campaign
18. Healthy mindset
19. Life hacks

20. Stoicism
21. Reading benefits
22. A library
23. Dymocks book store
24. Atomic Habits by James Clear
25. Courage is calling by Ryan Holiday

26. The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

27. Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday

28. The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

29. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
30. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris
31. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
32. Waking up by Sam Harris
33. Free Will by Sam Harris
34. Book: Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson

35. How Not To Die by Dr Michael Greger (book)
36. How Not To Die by Dr Michael Greger (cook book)

37. Social media risks

38. Technology risks
39. Wim Hoff’s breathing exercises
40. Yoga benefits
41. Yoga classes
42. Meditation benefits

43. Meditation classes
44. Band: Bag Raiders
45. Band: One Republic
46. Musical Artist: Hauser
47. Journaling
48. Restaurant: The Smiley Vegan
49. Restaurant: Allegra Dining Room
50. Secret bars of Adelaide
51. Anytime Fitness
52. REVL Training
53. The LIFT Movement
54. Personal concierge services
55. Professional concierge app
56. Fairview Lodge
57. Fauna Rescue
58. Animal Welfare League (AWL)
59. Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA)
60. Furever Farm
61. World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
62. Cultural travel experiences

63. Holiday to Asia
64. Holiday to Egypt
65. Holiday to Europe
66. Holiday to Adelaide
67. Holiday to Canada
68. Travel consultant
69. Bucket-list experiences
70. Food as medicine
71. FIRE movement
72. Psychological-based motivation app
73. The Himeji Gardens
74. Veale Gardens

75. Adelaide hills

76. Adelaide tourism
77. Barossa Valley tourism

78. Whole-foods restaurant

79. Whole-foods supermarket

80. Life coaching

81. University of South Australia
82. University of South Australia library

83. Ethical food choices

What do wild ducks eat?

What are the benefits of feeding wild ducks?

What are the risks of feeding wild ducks?

Chapman, R & Jones, DN 2009, 'Just Feeding the Ducks: Quantifying a Common Wildlife-human Interaction', The Sunbird Journal of the Queensland Ornithological Society, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 19–28.
 
In this peer-reviewed article, Chapman and Jones undertake an exploratory study of duck feeding in urban lakes throughout Queensland. Possibly the first study of its kind in Australia, Chapman and Jones suggest approximately 1 in 5 households engage in duck feeding for reasons which include personal pleasure, educational purposes, perceived wildlife benefits and to offset habitat destruction and attract wildlife to private property.
 
The article presents the theory that feeding wild birds may correlate with dependency, behavioural alterations (including aggression), population changes, disease, malnutrition and other negative ramifications. Chapman and Jones state that Pacific Black Ducks consumed 74.3% of all bread distributed, and 44.4% remained unconsumed, allowing for organic phosphorus to contaminate waterways. Thus, dabbling ducks like the Pacific Black Duck and not grazing duck species are most at risk.
 
Consistent with the study's exploratory nature, it offers very little quantifiable data other than that already stated; however, it has provided useful information to guide further research, especially regarding the impact bread has on waterways and the risk for wild-birds, especially dabbling duck species. 

Orams peer-reviewed article states some of the unfavourable influences of wildlife feeding include dependency on humans, habituation, behavioural adaptations and changes to migration and breeding patterns. Wildlife depending on humans as a food source is especially problematic since dependent adults may never teach their offspring to forage for themselves. In contrast, humans experience various psychological, social, and economic benefits for feeding wildlife. Humans possess an innate desire to connect to the natural world, wildlife feeding is a cultural activity, and money provides food.
 
Orams maintains a neutral stance on the risks and rewards of feeding wildlife, widening the scope of my thinking and confirming that my idea to promote 'don't feed ducks bread' is the right one. After reading the negative ramifications discussed in other papers, I wondered if it's more appropriate not to feed ducks at all. However, given Orams points regarding the benefits humans experience by feeding wild birds, I find it unlikely that forbidding the practice will make much difference. While I would prefer humans stopped feeding wildlife entirely, I believe that people don't change; they evolve. Thus, I will take the harm minimisation approach, promoting the health risks bread causes ducks, and suggest healthier alternatives.

Non-Academic References

National Geographic 2021, Stop Feeding Ducks Bread, National Geographic, National Geographic, viewed 1 November 2021, <https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2017/03/27/stop-feeding-ducks-bread/>.
 

National Geographic's blog post provides readers with clear, concise information regarding what ducks eat, why bread is harmful to ducks and presents healthier food options. Alternatives to bread include cabbage, lettuce, kale, pea shoots, cucumber, peas, broccoli, squash, beets, corn, beans, flowers, alfalfa, eggplant, bananas (without the peel), pineapple, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, rice, dry cat/dog food and pomegranate seeds. Many of the points contained in the post are made elsewhere, including that bread is of little nutritional value to ducks, unconsumed bread may attract predators, cause illness and precipitate bacterial and algae growth. However, National Geographic goes one step further by listing other harmful foods to ducks, including onions, alcohol, fizzy drinks, nuts, citrus, popcorn, chocolate, and avocado. Furthermore, the article states that a high-carbohydrate, high-protein diet strongly correlates with 'Angel Wing', a deformity of the final joint on the wing that prevents ducks from flying and is irreversible for adult ducks.
 
A profoundly helpful resource, National Geographic provide all the information necessary to make informed decisions about feeding ducks without overwhelming the reader with excessive details.

Mayntz, M 2021, Why Bread is Bad for Ducks: The Ultimate Junk Food for Birds, The Spruce: Make your best home, Dotdash, viewed 1 November 2021, <https://www.thespruce.com/is-feeding-ducks-bread-bad-386564>. 

 

The Spruce website is primarily concerned with the home, offering advice, tips and tricks on gardening, entertaining and renovating. However, Mayntz article is a seemingly comprehensive resource regarding why bread is harmful to ducks.
 
The Spruce website is primarily concerned with home matters, including gardening, entertaining, decorating and celebrations. However, Mayntz's article is a comprehensive resource explaining why bread is harmful to ducks and suggests healthier alternatives. Some of the issues caused by feeding ducks bread include malnutrition, overcrowding, pollution, diseases, pest attraction and loss of natural behaviour. Mayntz points regarding disease are especially helpful, stating that carbohydrate-rich diets cause ducks to defecate more frequently, which may increase the spread of lethal diseases like avian botulism.

The Spruce article contains very little new information; however, the clarity, conciseness and included practical examples make it a valuable resource for video creation.

PLEASE NOTE: three video sources are included in 'What's been done before?'.

Are vegans predominantly male or female? And, what age group?
Are men or women more assertive (more likely to express their views/values)?

Lastly, I will conduct an observational study at Veale Gardens, a popular location for duck feeding. 

Animal rights activism and veganism may seem distanced from my question 'what demographic is most likely to feed ducks?'. However, I can use this information to ascertain which group is most likely to care for duck's health, change their perception, and hopefully change the views of those outside their group. 

To avoid complicating my research, I will find one source for each question, combine the results with my observational study to ascertain whether my video will target a predominantly male or female audience and which age group. 

Phillips et al. (2010) conducted an international study to conclude whether males or females are more concerned with animal use. The study concluded that females are more concerned with animal welfare, and 78% of all females surveyed were vegetarian or vegan. 

 

Gaarder, E 2011, Women and the Animal Rights Movement, Rutgers University Press, Piscataway.
 

Gaarder's (2011) book is primarily about women, the animal rights movement, politics, and the psychology and philosophy of activists. The results of various included studies overwhelming concluded that the animal rights movement predominantly consists of women, the primary driving force. 

 

Mathison, DL & Tucker, RK 1982, ‘Sex Differences in Assertive Behavior: A Research Extension’, Psychological Reports, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 943-948.
 
Matthison and Tucker (1982) conducted a study to determine the assertive differences between males and female. The study concluded that men are significantly more assertive in public, while women tend to be more assertive in private.

In conclusion, women overwhelming care more for animals than their male counterparts, suggesting they’re more likely to abstain from feeding ducks bread if they’re provided with the information. However, the research suggests men are more assertive, implying they’re more likely to express their views that bread is unhealthy for ducks and sway the opinions of others.
 
Unfortunately, my research did not show which age group I should be targeting. Consequently, I will perform an observational study to define an age group for the video assignment. 

- Males: 7 (Age: 18-29: 4, 30-40: 3)
 - Females: 4 (Age: 1-18: 3, 18-29: 1)

 

Total Males: 17

Total Females: 16
 
Males aged 1-18: 3

Males aged 18-29: 9
Males aged 30-40: 5
 
Females aged 1-18: 8

Females aged 18-29: 6

Females aged 30-40: 2

Total feeders by age range:

1-18: 11

18-29: 15

30-40: 7
 
To conclude, the observational study determined that men are slightly more likely to feed ducks than females, and the 18-29 age group was sighted most often—however, my prior research conflicts with this information.

I noted that most adults feeding ducks on Monday the 1^st of November and Tuesday the 2^nd of November wore professional attire. However, given Veale Gardens is located on the outskirts of Adelaide’s central business district, this is unsurprising. I could use this information to create a promotional video that specifically appeals to this demographic. However, I believe doing so would limit its impact, and I have a responsibility to the animals to make a product that reaches the broadest possible audience.

Therefore, I will take a creative approach to the video assignment and create a video that targets males and females of various professions. Since I’d like to include a voiceover and I am male, suggesting that the video will appeal to males than females, I will include content that will appeal to both sexes in the 18-29 age group. However, I hope the video will appeal to audiences of all ages, occupations, and genders by using comedy and common sense.

 

The film cuts back to the baby seated in the box, pauses seconds later, and white text appears on the screen accompanied by a male voice, ‘You’re not going to grab some fast food and feed a whopper and chips to a child’. 
 
The soundtrack changes to a relaxing tone, and the scene displays a duck seated on the grass, peacefully observing the landscape. White text appears on the screen accompanied by a male voice-over, ‘JUNK FOOD IS BAD FOR BABIES’, ‘BREAD IS BAD FOR DUCKS’. The text disperses, the relaxing music stops, and white text appears, ‘Defend Ducks: Don't Feed Ducks Bread’, accompanied by a male voice and the Psycho Shower Killer sound effect. 
 
The scene cuts to a call to action card showing a duck, the words ‘DON’T FEED DUCKS BREAD’, and a loaf of bread displayed in the same format as prohibition signage. 

In my experience, humans are innately kind and compassionate beings. However, people often believe they love animals even though they consume certain animals (a concept known as ‘Carnism’) and harm others such as ducks through irresponsible feeding practices that have been culturally ingrained in us from a young age. Thus, before seeing the video, I believe my audience will assume that it is ‘yet another example of annoying animal rights activism’, because challenging long-held beliefs (like Carnism) is often met with disdain. However, my video contains the necessary elements to sway audience behaviour by using common sense and a touch of comedy whilst promoting a serious message. 

 

In the next scene, dramatic music plays as a wide-eyed chipmunk turns to face the camera, implying that the 'babysitter' is in a state of shock.
 
The scene cuts to a baby staring aimlessly at the camera, seated in a box on a tiled floor, upbeat music plays in the background and speech bubbles appear from the baby, confirming his confusion and hunger. A male voiceover states that the viewer is a good person, smart, caring and responsible, and asks what they would do in this situation before saying that the scenes that follow contain what someone responsible wouldn't do. Text appears on the screen, confirming the critical points of the voiceover's message. 
 
The next scene shows an apartment building's car park and a car speeding off; the babysitter waves their hand out the driver's window accompanied by a voiceover giving a blow-by-blow account that continues throughout the remaining scenes.
 
The next scene shows a McDonald's drive-through intercom, the menu appears in the frame, and a voiceover states the viewer wouldn't drive to Maccas. Cutting to the next scene displays a McDonald's service window where a young male McDonald's employee hands a bag of food and drink to the driver. Again, a voiceover confirms the viewers wouldn't order the baby a Big Mac meal and wouldn't perform any of the tasks shown up to this point. 
 
The scene cuts to the baby, his face fills the centre of the frame, and the box can be seen on the outskirts. A voiceover confirms that the viewer wouldn't do any of these things because junk food is bad for babies, and a junk food prohibited sign flashes on the screen with the sound of drums. 
 
In the next scene, the camera pans, showing a suburban park, a creek and a tall city-building features in the background; only the chirps of birds and the whistles of wind can be heard in the background. The scene quickly cuts to a view of the park overlooking a creek where two ducks sit on the creek's edge; throughout both scenes a voiceover asks why viewer's would feed duck's bread, implying that feeding duck's bread is equivalent to feeding junk food to babies. Text appears on the screen confirming the key points of the message.
 
The next scene shows lush green grass, a creek in the background and a family of ducks eating food found between blades of grass. A voiceover informs viewer's that bread is junk food for ducks and an image of bread featured within a prohibition sign flashes on the scream with the loud beat of a drum, urging viewer's not to feed duck's bread. 
 
The scene cuts to a larger, almost frenzied group of ducks feeding on the creek's edge, and a voiceover explains that feeding duck's bread can cause disease, pollution and an irreversible wing condition that prevents duck's from flying. Speech bubbles appear from a mother duck stating that bread harms her babies, attempting to incite viewer's emotion and urge them not to feed duck's bread.
 
A loud drum plays as the scene cuts to a black call to action card containing the defend duck's logo and 'Don't Feed Duck's Bread' appears in red lettering.

 

My dear friend Nicole agreed to film her and her 11-month-old nephew Nolan some time ago. In the meantime, I’ve moved house, delaying filming. When I made the proposal (and my video treatment), I was living in a house, and now I’m living in an apartment, so I’ve made adjustments to accommodate my change of environment.
 
Filming will take place tomorrow. Therefore, I’ve typed up a basic synopsis and a separate document containing the scenes I need to shoot and the lines Nicole needs to learn. I’m a tad anxious because I have little experience with children, need quality footage, and do not want to make him uncomfortable.
 
Day 2: Filming.
 
Filming was far more challenging than expected. Nicole advised me previously that Nolan is often uncomfortable around people he doesn’t know, and his need to cling to Nicole throughout the filming process confirmed that fact. Each scene took 4-6 takes, and I’m still not entirely comfortable with the footage. Filming began with Nolan behaving precisely as planned; however, his behaviour often changed halfway through filming, and we’d need to take a short break before making another attempt. Finally, Nicole signed the release forms I’d created and uploaded them to Padlet.
 
In hindsight, I would’ve avoided filming a child and would’ve taken an alternate route. However, what’s done is done. Although I have the footage, I’ll need to be creative with cuts since I don’t have the quality footage I require. 

 
Day 3: Reviewing the footage, importing video, editing.

 

In total, I have 103 video files shot with my iPhone at multiple locations, including my apartment (with Nicole and Nolan), McDonald’s and Veale Gardens. After Airdropping them to my Mac (praise Apple!), I watched each clip from start to finish, organising them according to quality, their fit with the story and length required. 
 
Surprisingly, many clips appeared out of focus when played on my Macbook yet appeared perfectly on my iPhone, resulting in the vast majority being discarded. In total, I have 24 files remaining that could make their way into the final product. However, quality footage of Nolan and the duck’s at Veale Gardens is shorter than I’d like due to behavioural changes outside of my control. 
 
I imported the 24 files to Premiere Pro and began cutting them to an approximate length, placing them in order on the timeline. Starting around 8 am, I took a break at 1 pm. Upon my return, Premiere Pro displayed an error stating that my files were missing and must locate the files. Googling the issue, I discovered the error occurs when files have been imported, then renamed or moved; however, I have not renamed or moved the files. Easily fixed, I selected the files and continued with my work. 

 

When the video plays, sounds are often muffled, too loud, too quiet or contain significant reverb. I made adjustments to the reverb in the second clip (Nicole and Nolan in the hallway); however, the hallway echo is still overpowering. Therefore, I decided to adjust the vocal volume on all clips, increasing or decreasing where necessary, and create a soundtrack later to distract viewers from the hallway reverberation.
 
Once again, Premiere Pro displayed an error message stating that files were missing, even though I hadn’t moved or renamed the files. After Googling the issue to no avail, I decided to restart the project, hoping that it wouldn’t occur again. Restarting the project proved fruitful, as I removed some clips and added others, making for a better storyline.
 
Day 5: video creation/editing, sound insertion/editing, call to action card, text effects.

Frustrated with restarting the video, I began working on the call to action card. Over a few hours, I created six cards and decided on one that would appear in the final product. However, when I imported the card into the video, the colours didn’t seem the same in Premiere Pro as in Photoshop or Illustrator. After fiddling around with the colours, exporting various cards containing different colours and importing them into Premiere Pro, I decided to import my preferred call to action card and adjust the brightness and contrast in Photoshop when the video is complete.

I wrote a transcript for the video’s voiceover and recorded clips for each scene separately. Playing the footage, I found it disjointed due to the silent gaps between voiceovers. So, I recorded a single clip containing the entire transcript, imported it into Premiere Pro, and cut and pasted segments to the timeline; it was much more accessible, more effective, and sounded superior to the previous method. With the voiceover in place, I began implementing text to emphasise specific messages; ensuring the text appeared at precisely the right time proved to be a slow process, especially when Premiere Pro would jolt or skip parts of the video during the first few playbacks. The text worked well; however, since the text only appeared in plain colours from my design palette, it seemed aesthetically unpleasing. So, I watched several YouTube tutorials to learn how to implement text effects and began the process. For example, some text appears in motion, appearing from outside of the frame, while other text appears ‘glitched’, eliciting a stressed or exciting feeling.

Leaving the computer for dinner, I returned to find the same ‘missing files’ error message. Once again, I had not renamed or moved any files. E-mailing Caroline, I fixed the issue by copying all files from individual folders and dropping them directly into the project folder.

Day 6: video editing, text effects, soundtrack creation, image insertion.

 

I completed the text effects and adjusted to video/audio timings; I love the final result. However, the video is near completion and lacks the ‘polish’ I’d prefer. In hindsight, I would’ve liked to reshoot the scenes from different angles, placing more of the environment in the frame suggested earlier in the course content. Perhaps editing the final product in Photoshop will yield results?
 Finding scenes that did not contain text lacked something, I decided to insert speech bubbles that would appear similar to popular memes. Finding a range of images on stock websites, I inserted them into the video with effects so that a speech bubble would appear above two smaller bubbles (reminding me of cartoons I watched as a child) before dispersing. 
 
After watching numerous Garageband tutorials, I began creating a background soundtrack. Inspired by the Rainbow Alliance promotional video, I wanted to create an exciting and adventurous tone for the video. However, I can only download about thirty Garageband soundtracks due to insufficient hard drive space. So, I would download tracks, listen to them, and delete unsuitable ones before downloading others. Unfortunately, the learning curve for Garageband is higher than expected and is taking a significant amount of time, and insufficient hard drive space is only making things worse.
 
Once again, Premiere Pro displayed the missing files error message. However, when I attempt to locate the files in the project folder, Premiere Pro isn’t showing them. Using Finder, I confirmed they had not been moved, but they have changed from MPEG files to Quicktime files. Changing them back proved fruitless. Googling the issue, I discovered a single forum post that suggested it may be caused by insufficient computer memory.

 

With the assignment due later that day, I placed the clips and audio in sequence, implemented the required text and returned to Garageband. Finding that I was running out of time, I decided on a soundtrack that adds something but sounds amateurish and doesn’t project the mood I hoped for.
 
Watching the final product, I felt disappointed. Earlier in the trimester, I foresaw that I would struggle with the video creation process, as I had in previous classes; I did not expect the learning curve to be as great as it was and the number of hours required to be more than three times what I’d scheduled for. However, I have learned a great deal from the process and aspire to attain the skills to create professional, tasteful videos to appear on my blog.
 
Day 8: video embedding/submission, website update, transcript completion. 

 

Printing the notes detailing the production process I’d recorded at the end of each day, I completed this document and uploaded it to Padlet, uploaded the video to YouTube, embedded the video into my website and completed the transcript. I found the transcript process challenging since a traditional transcript contains audio in text format; however, the assignment also asks for a video description. After writing various samples, I decided on an objective yet descriptive style, including all audio in text format.
 
 Day 9: reflection.
 
With most of the assignment complete, I spent some time reflecting on the process and highlighting areas of improvement before inserting the reflection into the website code and making aesthetic adjustments.

-       Present an image that shows a clean selection from another image (no stray pixels), on its own layer.

-       The banner must include two layers and have employed a masking technique.

-       The text must be in a separate layer and include at least one layer style.

-       The text must be legible against the background.

 

-       All four pages must comply with Level A Success criteria on the W3C accessibility guidelines (http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/Overview.php).

-       Pages should be no more than 65 KBS total (except the Video page).

 

-       Participation in-class sessions: all online activities added to Padlet.

-       Padlet must be updated. 

 

Therefore, given that the website and the colours presented are the foundation for the work, I started by playing around with HTML and CSS, using Photoshop to create and insert and remove them as needed. Looking back at my original Design Palette (Video Creation > Design Palette), black, white, and one shade of red appear ordinary. Requiring more colour and contrast than I expected, when I embarked on assignment two, I chose black, white and three shades of red for assignment three. These colours are displayed on the website and both banners. 

 My goal was to pull focus to critical areas (such as the main banner, widget, and navigation bars) while increasing body text readability and maintaining a somewhat unified appearance. For example, the banner is the face of my campaign and the most crucial element on the website.
 
 I chose ‘true red’ (#fd0303) for the text to pull the audience’s attention. Similarly, the navigation bar, widget and video transcript provide essential information; how to navigate the website, information about the author to establish credibility, give users an overview of the video via the transcript. Thus, I chose two contrasting red shades; a vibrant lipstick red (#bd0201) and a darker, luxurious red (#a92121). When displayed alongside the black text, the brighter red offers little contrast, so it draws attention to the navigation bar. However, the darker red pulls attention in a secondary manner to the banner. It provides enough contrast to increase readability while creating an aesthetic appearance when combined with the other colours and shades. Updating the HTML so that the page the navigator resides on appears brighter red increases usability and establishes the person’s presence on any page. 

 

Maintaining black font against a white background seemed to be the best choice since, in my opinion, body text displayed over a coloured background can be challenging to read at the best of times, especially when a computer’s display brightness is low, or night mode is engaged. 

 

Perusing the Google Fonts website, I discovered that ‘Impact’, a font appearing in my Promo Video and the original Design Palette, was unavailable. So, I found the ‘Anton’ font family, which includes ‘Anton’ and ‘Oswald’ fonts. Both fonts are legible, impactful, and easy to read; while Anton is not as bold as the Impact font, it appears in the same design realm. Therefore, Anton is used for headings and subheadings, while Oswald is used for body text and captions. 

 

As is expected with any coding, I endured some frustration when I adjusted some code, only to discover I changed the wrong sequence, resulting in changes that needed to be corrected before locating the proper line. The ‘advanced.css’ file proved especially troublesome; however, after making various adjustments, I found that leaving most of the code as-is resulted in the most aesthetically pleasing website. 

 

Following the tutorial, I created a ghost effect by adding layers and various masks to a few demo images I’d snapped up off Google. Once I saw the dramatic impact ghosting creates, I scoured Google for pictures of duck families, only to find that they were all zoomed out, pixelated, or ducks were turned away from the camera or in awkward positions unsuitable for my banner. Therefore, I chose an assortment of images and removed the backgrounds in Photoshop before inserting them one by one, adjusting their size, and placing them in what appears to be a relatively common duck-family formation with the babies huddled close to their parent and the parent observing in a typical protective manner, occurring over a landscape.

 

Creating the masking effect was quite challenging. Unlike the female appearing in the ghost effect tutorial, ducks have fewer facial elements, thin necks, and a vast body, unlike humans, which makes implementing the right amount of motion blur somewhat troublesome. Like most artistic pursuits, experimenting with different techniques and ratios, I decided on the final result, a mix of motion blur, graininess, brightness and contrast. 

 

Initially, I was sceptical about the landscape chosen since it is a forest; however, by playing with the hue and saturation and creating an entirely black, red and white effect, the white blur stretching the width of the image appears to be a river or creek, and the red creates feelings of urgency. 
 
 In conclusion, I am happy with the final banner, which, alongside the included text, implies that duck’s face immediate death or even extinction if people continue to feed duck’s bread, which, according to my research, isn’t far from the truth.