User:AJ94Dubai/sandbox

Arjun Agarwal, ENGW 3304, Dr. Amy Carleton

Week 2: Article Evaluation
Net neutrality in the United States

I chose to take a look at Net neutrality in the United States for my evaluation. I feel that the article is exhaustive and can seem overwhelming but is clearly organised by section as there is a lot of information on the subject. The benefits and downsides are represented in equal measure and the article strikes a neutral tone. It recounts the mercurial nature of net neutrality in America in a clear and concise manner and is the type of article that will undergo more changes as the situation evolves in the future.

Week 4: Reviewing Potential Articles

 * 1) Net neutrality in the United States: The article seemed very well put together and in great detail described the changing nature of net neutrality in America so I didn't feel that I could adequately add to it. Much of what lies ahead is also uncertain so I didn't want to simply insert speculate information.


 * 1) Bitcoin: I started off reading the Cryptocurrency article before taking a look at this one in particular. Again, the research appeared exhaustive and I didn't feel as though I could contribute in a meaningful way.

Breaking Bad
The 10th anniversary was earlier this year and a lot of new information was revealed through interviews with writers and directors regarding their experiences crafting the show. I will be adding to the main Breaking Bad page.

Writers Reunion
Variety held a Q&A with most of the original writing staff to reflect on the show's run, the final season, the writing process and alternate endings. Along with creator Vince Gilligan, fellow writers and producers Peter Gould, Thomas Schnauz, Gennifer Hutchison, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Caitlin and George Mastras joined to discuss memories from the show's humble beginnings, character transformations that concluded in the final season as well surprising developments along the way. For instance, the character of Jesse Pinkman was originally supposed to die halfway through season one in a tragic drug deal gone horribly wrong. The reasoning behind this decision was that Jesse served his purpose "in a meat-and-potatoes, logistical sense. The character would give Walt his entrée into the business" before meeting his demise. However, this was eventually done away with as the story progressed beyond Gilligan's early scripts.

The writers also opened up on their collaborative process and how their form of storytelling evolved with the show. According to writer George Mastras,

"'Screen time was precious, and infusing every moment with the emotion [was the point], not just forming the pieces of the puzzle to tell the story, which is hard enough. If you’re going to take five seconds of screen time, you’d better damn well be sure that there’s an emotion there. It may be very, very subtle, but trust the audiences to pick up on that, because audiences do.'"

The development of certain characters posed challenges. Skyler White became unsympathetic to most viewers in earlier seasons as she was often presented as an obstacle to Walt's ultimate agenda. The writers struggled to change the dynamic and realised that "the only way people were going to like Skyler was if she started going along with what Walt was doing." It was a tricky shift to alter on screen because they didn't want to betray her character so they justified the change by using her past job as a bookkeeper to segue into her helping Walt money launder his cash under the guise of a car wash. Breaking the individual episodes was another form of problem solving for the writers. They stressed the importance of not letting the "master plan" stop them from staying true to the world they created. There came a point where tracking the characters on a moment-by-moment basis proved to be more useful rather than general direction of the story. Peter Gould said they would always start with the last thought in a character's head. “Where’s Jesse’s head at? That was always the prelude to the breakthrough moment, because when you said that, it’s usually because we had gotten attached to some big plan or some big set-piece that we thought had to be there, but the characters didn’t want to do what we wanted them to do."

Rian Johnson's experience on the show
Director Rian Johnson worked on three episodes (Fly, Fifty-One and Ozymandias) and in an interview with IGN shared his memories from behind the camera. He shed some light on the process including the fact that he sat through "tone meetings" with Vince Gilligan. The two of them talked about every dramatic beat in a script, the distinct visual look of the show and how the tonal shift of each scene had to feel natural while serving the main storyline of the particular episode. Johnson also revealed that he learnt so much about working with actors because of his directing of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul describing the experience as a "free masterclass."

When asked about the show's lasting legacy, Johnson offered up his thoughts, "'I think the seriousness and depth with which it took its characters is the thing that really makes it stand apart for me. And that’s where the power of it comes from. Obviously, starting with Walter White, there’s just very few stories that are told on that scale, that have a character who is that deeply considered at the center of it. And I’ve heard people describe it as Shakespearean, and I know that word gets tossed around a lot, but I think in this case it really does apply. And that speaks, not so much to the fact that he goes to a dark place, but the fact that his entire journey is so deeply resonant, because it’s so deeply considered.'"

Week 7: Peer Review
Dear AJ94Dubai, I looked in your sandbox for your new Wikipedia article, and the draft/outline looks good so far! However, the lead section should perhaps be more informative as to what's special about the 10th anniversary and why it's important. Perhaps it can incorporate information from the background section. Assuming that the legacy section is incomplete as it is a draft, maybe you can find if there were more events or promotions around the 10th anniversary. Further details would be helpful as well, such as viewer ratings if available. Although relatively short, it is a good draft. Bandit039 (talk) 01:20, 24 February 2018 (UTC)

I decided to actually incorporate some of the information into the main Breaking Bad page as opposed to creating an entirely new article. I've made sure all of my information is backed up by citations and that the formatting style matches the rest of the article. - AJ94Dubai

Week 8: Moving my work to Wikipedia (Mainspace)
I added an entire section entitled "Retrospective Conversations" to the Breaking Bad page.

Weeks 9 & 10: Improving and Polishing my Article
I've made a few changes to my newly added section and formatted my contributions to match the article's style.

Week 11: Final Article and Reflective Essay
I have finished writing a reflective essay on my Wikipedia contributions and have submitted it on Blackboard.