Vid #1: Let's Look At Some Vids!

Okay, so here's the video recap, in order in which video was turned in. I ask that you please look at EACH video and read my comments for EACH video (not just your own!), so we can learn like we've learned from each other throughout this semester.

Overall, I thought we did very, very well on this assignment, especially considering it was a first-time video in this class. Lots of good B-roll, good story flows, ect. Certainly some things that can be tweaked, but that's to be expected. Really, this was the best one of my classes has ever done on this assignment; congrats to all!

Let's look for what worked and what didn't and what we could borrow for the next time and what we need to avoid doing again.

BTW, unless you received an email from me noting a specific grade, your grade for this exercise was a 4.0, with it equaling a practice story in final grade weight. (Future assignments will be evaluated and graded much more specifically based on execution and will be of higher grade weight, though).

Here we go:

Sami S.: Good use of b-roll, but we could have used more variety of b-roll as opposed to just that one shot me me talking and pacing around. Plus, let's kill background music when people are talking, so that we don't have competing sound.

Melanie B.: Here, we have more of a variety of b-roll. Plus, notice how we go back-and-forth between the interview subjects, unlike the previous video where one person said all they had to say, then we went to the other person exclusively. Back-and-forth is more natural, like a real conversation, right? Plus, note the shakiness: no matter how steady we think we're holding a camera, we're always better off using a tripod or a flat surface off which to shoot.

Aaron S.: We want to make sure we're taking principles from print and applying them to multimedia, like having ledes that go beyond the fact that something is happening and gets to what, exactly, took place. In that sense, the title slide of "JRN 200 Multimedia Project" is insufficient; let's say that the project is, exactly, like, "What did students learn in JRN 200 sofar?" Very nice mix of b-roll, and see the difference a steady shooting surface cam make?

Kelsey B.: Same thing with the title slide here.

Brittanie C.: Let's always be aware of audio and sound conditions. The microphones are a bit distant and the interview space has a bit of an echo, which can be problematic. The best places to do interviews are small rooms with no background noise and low ceilings. And getting a mic as close as possible to a speaker's mouth is always preferred.

Amra D.: I know the b-roll opportunities on this assignment aren't stellar, but see how it helps break up the boring here's-a-face-and-the-face-is-talking shot, while at the same time showing the audience what is being talked about? It's another print concept at work; show me, and don't just tell me.

Hayley J.: Again, let's not play voice and music simultaneously and create competition for the viewer's ears.

Akshita V.: Let's be sure to be following standard attribution rules, which means first and last names on first references. Here, we have a first name and last initial. Video viewers need to know who your sources are as much as print readers. The nice thing with video is we don't need a second attribution at all, since the audience has another cue at that point: the source's face.


Josh T.: For this exercise we're working with very basic equipment and editing programs, so we're gonna have a bit of lack of polish at times that's not our fault. With this vid, instead of the quality of video concentrate on structure, use of sound bytes and b-roll, captioning, etc.

Jessica S.: For this exercise we're working with very basic equipment and editing programs, so we're gonna have a bit of lack of polish at times that's not our fault, like a lack of synchronization between video and audio here. That's okay for now; I'm more concerned whether your structure and intentions were sound, even if the execution (through poor equipment or this being the first time you're doing it) isn't as crisp.

Amber H.: Ideally, we want b-roll for news to be real, and not staged. It's better to get shots of people in an actual class than to set up a class-like re-creation. Still, good structure throughout here.

Alyssa R.: We could use a more specific title slide or narrated lede here. Also, watch your audio (try to keep it steady and consistent), and try to use captions and slides to cut down on having to read questions out loud. Neat trick here: note the use of "dissolves" when switching between shots.

Megan E.: What jumped out to me wasn't your work, which was good; rather, it was the person appearing to be sleeping in one of the b-roll shots. GRRR.

Chelsea E.: Like in print, let's make sure we are adequately proofing our work and looking out for typos. The lede question caption had a typo, and I'm not sure what the closing title slide was supposed to be. Video viewers want accuracy as much as print readers. Also, note how the b-roll in many cases is specific to what exactly is being said at the moment. Plus, watch the audio, right?

Krystyn C.: Again, we have to adhere to fact-checking standards like we do in print. Here, we have a misspelled name: it's Cristi, not Christi. Even with a change in mediums, we still need to check every noun (person, place or thing), every title, every statistical unit, etc. for accuracy, before and after we shoot and edit. Plus, note the "dissolves" used here.

Emily J.: The b-roll is a bit random; we should try to pair b-roll that illustrates what is being talked bout (for example, if someone is talking about how they learned to write better, have b-roll showing them typing on a keyboard). Plus, I'm pretty sure you broke federal law by using a Snoop Dogg tune. Congrats; I'll see you in prison. I did like the creative endig with the note pad; like using hyperlinks to best tell stories online, try to leverage this medium by using animation to help tell stories.

Cristi F.: Here, we had some technical problems the student let me know about; the editing program being used was making it difficult (if not impossible) to insert b-roll inside of interview segments, so she sent what she could. On this first one, that's okay; a big part of this assignment is figuring out what works and does not work in practice. So, let's share what video editing programs worked -- and which ones we should avoid.