JRN 200: Your Homework For Wednesday 11/8

More multimedia work! Here we go:

*** For your second multimedia assignment, we will use video and blog formats like those in our first assignments, but instead of having sorta irrelevant topics, you will take all of or an aspect of one of your first two out-of-class stories, and do a video/online preview/online recap for it.

That would include:

... a 1-2 minute video, uploaded to YouTube, with B-roll and at least two source interviews on-tape;

... a 100-200-word look at one side of the issue, posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at one aspect of the issue, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text;

... and a 100-200-word look at the other side of the issue posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at an aspect of the issue that's complementary (and not copying) the aspect from the first post, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text;

For this exercise, you may re-interview sources from your previous stories or interview new sources. You may also use what you gathered and your notes from your original stories in putting together your new media news products.

Also, when I say you can do the entire comprehensive story or just an aspect of it, this is what I mean: let's say you did a story on the pros and cons of living off-campus vs. on-campus. The video may just look at one aspect, such as opinions on the issue. 

The first online story might look at the experiences of on-campus residents; with the second looking at off-campus viewpoints. Or maybe one post looks at the pros of being on-campus, with the next looking at the cons. Or the first talks to the people who run off- and on-campus housing, and the second talks to the students who live on- and off-campus.

None of the mediums necessarily have to look at the issue as broadly as you did in a traditional text story (though you may do so if you so choose).

*** Your deadline for the second multimedia assignment will be 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 via email to omars@msu.edu. Please put ALL your links to your work into a single email, with the subject line of MM2. 

*** Also, on Friday, Nov. 10 we will NOT have class! Please use the time to work on your upcoming multimedia work. Class will resume Wednsdat, Nov. 15.

If you need any assistance, contact me ASAP. And good luck, everybody!

MM #2: Some Examples From The Past

Below are links to the second video assignment from some JRN 200 classes in the past few years. Now, in looking at these don't focus too much on technical quality. Like you, they were taking their first real journalism class, and like you they were using basic equipment of varying quality.

Instead, look at the principles they're trying to establish: thorough interviews of a broad variety of sources -- everyone from direct participants to neutral experts. Good B-roll that shows what is being talked about. Frequent use of captions and attribution.

Let's take a peek, shall we? 

Here we go:

* Smoking ban video

Simple yet strong B-roll here. It's a story about a smoking ban; we show people smoking in different environments. That's all it has to be.

* Road work video

The video style here is what we call a "stand-up," which is literally that: a reporter stands in front of the camera and narrates the report. But notice the extensive use of B-roll throughout, especially within interview segments where we start with the talking head, then while the head continues to talk we switch the visual to B-roll that shows what the person is talking about, and then we return and finish with the talking head shot. Good story structure here. It's the video equivalent of pairing telling facts and quotes in print.

* Multitasking students video and blog posts:

GREAT variety of B-roll, both in terms of different scenes (working, skating, studying), mediums (video and still pics) and types of shots (wide/medium/tight). THIS is what we should be aiming for, as video is a visual medium.

Blog/Tweets #1: Something New!

Today, we will begin our shift from telling stories in a traditional print medium, to telling stories in new mediums like social media, online media and video.

For our opening assignment in using social media and writing about breaking news, what I will ask you to do is to pick out anything you observe as part of your daily routine for which to write an online breaking news preview story, an online breaking news follow-up story, and a live tweet stream as the event is unfolding.

When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching  your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.

(I want these to be observations, not something you're participating in. For example, you can cover your roommate making breakfast, but not a first-person account of you making breakfast yourself. Just like with a news story, don't use first-person references.) 

The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.

Then, what you will do is cover the activity of your choice, in two ways:

First, via social media, specifically Twitter. You will have to create a tweet stream of at least 12 tweets, each with a consistent unique hash tag, describing the event as it unfolds.

Second, you will have to create two online breaking news blog posts, with one post being a preview and the next being a recap of the event. Each post must be at least 100 words and no more than 200 words, and each should include at least two relevant hyperlinks. 

Okay, Omar, so how the hell am I supposed to do this? you may be asking right about now.

Well, the next few blog posts should spell that out for you.

MM #3: What You Did

Jocelyn T.: social media use video and blog posts: We find a sensible way too split the posts: the first offers general background on the issue, and the second has personal reactions and observations.

Tony B.: club sports video and blog posts: For the blog posts, we need to make sure we still follow basic rules like offering a first and last name and title on first attribution.

Katie K.: campus commuting video and blog posts.

Honda C.: college stress video and blog posts: Very good video structure. The structure isn't in order of source; it's in order of topic, and we hopscotch back-and-forth between sources, like in a real conversation.

Austin G.: school construction video and blog posts.

Alexis G.: bikes video and blog posts: With the blog posts, you can never have too many hyperlinks. Give the audience an array and let them choose whether they want to delve further into your topic, or not.

Alan W.: picking majors video and blog posts.

Mike D.: college sports video and blog posts.

Yujin O.: writing center video and blog posts.

Jingjing N.: safe ride video and blog posts: With the video, we needed the b-roll to be spread out a bit more with the first interview subject; we used all the B-roll early in the head shot and then stayed locked on to that re-establishing shot for too long. Plus, we needed the subject to be front-lit, light-wise. For the blog post, we need to re-establish in the lee what it is we are writing about; don't assume people read the previous post. Write every post as if it is the first post people read.

Allia McD.: sleep deprivation video and blog posts.

Ben C.: therapy dogs video and blog posts: you can never, ever go wrong with pets as B-roll.

Nicole B.: creative rituals video and blog posts.

Mary S.: local pizza video and blog posts.

Riley M.: parking tickets video and blog posts.

Britney V.: art exhibit video and blog posts. We're missing identification caption with the speaker. Instead of panning the camera, we should show a mix of steady wide/medium/tight shots. The story ran long; we were supposed to hit a 1-2 minute window and in the real world we must hit our assigned lengths to the second. The story assignment called for two sources on camera; we have only one.

MM #2: What You Did

Here are some examples of your work. The comments are not being made to pick on anyone (in fact, these are some of the better examples of our work here) and no grades are being shared beyond me and the person whose work it is. 

But I am sharing comments to help us all get a sense of what we did well, and what we can do better, and how to do that.

So please take a look at EACH piece of work via the hyperlinks below, and see what ideas you can get by reviewing EVERYONE'S work to make your next multimedia assignment go as well as possible.

Off we go:

Tony B.: multitasking students video and blog posts: GREAT variety of B-roll, both in terms of different scenes (working, skating, studying), mediums (video and still pics) and types of shots (wide/medium/tight). THIS is what we should be aiming for, as video is a visual medium.

Jocelyn T.: student workers video and blog posts. Watch your audio! The space here was way too echoey to get good sound. Good range of B-roll here.

Kayleigh R.: out-of-state student struggles video and blog posts. No need for the narrated questions; just get straight to the answers. Plus, let's be sure to follow assignment parameters: the minimum number of human sources on tape is two. 

Alexis G.: squirrels video and blog posts: First, we need to make sure when we are shooting an interview subject that they camera is steady, the subject is front-lit (and not backlit) and we are following the rule of thirds. For the B-roll the angle was too repetitive; let's try getting a variety of angles and wide/medium/tight shots to make the visuals a bit more varied. On one of the blog posts we only have one hyperlink; the minimum on this assignment is two.

Allia McD.: dining halls video and blog posts: The first video interview subject took a lot of time; I might have broken it up by starting with the first subject, then going to the second subject and then closing back with the first person. It would make the story flow more conversationally and back-and-forth. A good variety of hyperlinks with the blog posts; two is the assignment minimum, but ideally we should have many more than that.

Michael D.: employed students video and blog posts: For B-roll let's be sure to have some sort of animation; instead of shooting a sign, shoot the sign as somebody walks past it, for example. And let's make sure we have our subjects front-lit, so they are not lost in shadows. The blog posts are intended to be independent stories, so we shouldn't be referring to the video (but it would be okay too hyperlink to it); we should anchor the story on the subject itself.

Mary S.: social media video and blog posts: I think we could have used a greater variety of angles for the B-roll; show hands from one side and then the other; do a tight shot of the person's face and expressions while playing with their phones, etc.

Honda C.: young entrepreneurs video and blog posts:  Watch out for background noise! The blog posts very nicely complement one another; the first is about resources to help entrepreneurs at MSU, and the next are personal stories of MSUers entrepreneuring.

Yujin O.: living alone video and blog posts: Here, we didn't have an opening caption and we didn't need one. The first words out of the interview subjects are something along the lines of, "The pros of living alone ...," which offers the lede. But watch for echoes!

Alan W.: IM East video and blog posts: We could use less panning and more wide/medium/tight shot mixes of the same activities. Show someone lifting weights in those mix of shots; for a basketball game show a wide shot of people playing, a medium shot of a one-on-one matchup; tight shots of the ball going through the net, etc.

Jingjing N.: recycling video and blog posts: For the video, we need more animation, like people walking by the bins (we have one such shot at the end), and putting things in the bins, etc. Plus, let's watch our sound levels and make sure they are even throughout.

Ben C.: sports branding video and blog posts: Make sure your B-roll shots are relevant. When someone is talking about logos they like, a shot of the top of their head or someone taking notes doesn't show what he or she is talking about. Showing the types of logos he's talking about does. Plus, less panning and more mixes of tight shots. The blog is smartly cleaved between a post showing pros and another showing cons.

Austin G.: immigration ban video and blog posts: Interview shots should always have the camera on a steady surface. Look at the shake here. The bigger problem is the lack of B-roll during the interview segments. We could get shots of diverse students in class, with a mix of medium and tight shots; diverse students walking through campus, etc. After all, the story is about fitting in on campus  let;s show them literally doing that. We need to think through the problem and come up with shots, even if shots are not obvious. This is a visual medium; we MUST tell stories visually, and beyond the talking head shot.

Nicole B.: feminism and sexism video and blog posts: The B-roll with the first therapist is good improvisation on a hard-to-shoot topic in that it shows her setting up for what she does. The second was weaker in that regard, because it didn't really go to what she did that she is talking about now. Maybe showing her interacting with male coworkers would have better set the tone. The posts are less complementary and more intertwined, as one sets the main points and the other details them. A better complementary approach that wouldn't just seem like Part 1 and Part 2 would be having one post detail reverse sexism, and the other outright sexism.

Riley M.: state of media video and blog posts. The B-roll is off base here. The story is about perceptions of media, but we're not really showing people engaging media: watching a newscast, discussing news with friends, reading a newspaper, etc. Plus, the B-roll is repetitive; we keep showing the same thing from shots that aren't very varied. We need to shoot wide, medium and tight; we need to shoot facing the person and over the shoulder and such. Mix it up.

Katie K.: student employment video and blog posts.

Blog/Tweets #1: Some Good Examples

First, regarding your grade on this assignment if you did not receive an email back from me with a grade, that means you got a 4.0 on each segment of the assignment, with the tweet stream, the preview post and the recap post each counting as a practice story grade toward your final grade.

Some general observations, first for tweets:

• Don't forget a lede tweet! People need to know what you are about to start streaming, right?
• It's good to use pics and hyperlinks in your tweet stream.
• It's also good to have some quote tweets embedded in your stream.

Now, for blog posts:

• Be sure to lede each post like we would a story, with end result and ultimate outcome.
• Remember blog posts are intended to be read in a stream, so make it complementary to the previous post or posts.
• Then again, remember that when blog readers start reading a blog, they don't go all the way back to the first post ever and then work their way back; they start where they start. So each post has to have just enough background to get people up to speed.
• Don't forget hyperlinks!

Now, some examples of the work that you guys did. Do take a look to see how it compares to what you did:

Katie K.: homework time preview and recap and tweets #msulibrarygrind

Honda C.: high school basketball preview and recap and tweets #breslinboysbasketball

Tony B.: flipping houses preview and recap and tweets #hgtvmsu

Jocelyn T.: workout day preview and recap and tweets #letsworkout

Alexis G.: watching TV preview and recap and tweets #gameofthronessunday

Alan W.: family play time preview and recap and tweets #lamacchiaplaytime

Mary S: dispensary trip preview and recap and tweets #dispenstory

Riley M.: TV show preview and recap and tweets #bbs4finale

Ben C.: card game preview and recap and tweets #primetimeeuchre

Nicole B.: movie night preview and recap and tweets #neighbors2

Kayleigh R.: studying preview and recap and tweets #latenightstudyingritual

Austin G.: video game preview and recap and tweets #325grovemaddenshowdown

Yujin O.: noodle meal preview and recap and tweets #spicybuldakchallenge

Jingjing N.: video shoot preview and recap and tweets #tenureshootingday

Allia McD.: vet visit preview and recap and tweets #jojoandkevatthevet

Michael D.: video game preview and recap and tweets #rainbowsixgamer

Blog/Tweets #1: Something New!

Today, we will begin our shift from telling stories in a traditional print medium, to telling stories in new mediums like social media, online media and video.

For our opening assignment in using social media and writing about breaking news, what I will ask you to do is to pick out anything you observe as part of your daily routine for which to write an online breaking news preview story, an online breaking news follow-up story, and a live tweet stream as the event is unfolding.

When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching  your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.

(I want these to be observations, not something you're participating in. For example, you can cover your roommate making breakfast, but not a first-person account of you making breakfast yourself. Just like with a news story, don't use first-person references.) 

The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.

Then, what you will do is cover the activity of your choice, in two ways:

First, via social media, specifically Twitter. You will have to create a tweet stream of at least 12 tweets, each with a consistent unique hash tag, describing the event as it unfolds.

Second, you will have to create two online breaking news blog posts, with one post being a preview and the next being a recap of the event. Each post must be at least 100 words and no more than 200 words, and each should include at least two relevant hyperlinks. 

Okay, Omar, so how the hell am I supposed to do this? you may be asking right about now.

Well, the next few blog posts should spell that out for you.

MM #2: What You Did

Here are some examples of your work. The comments are not being made to pick on anyone (in fact, these are some of the better examples of our work here) and no grades are being shared beyond me and the person whose work it is. 

But I am sharing comments to help us all get a sense of what we did well, and what we can do better, and how to do that. In my in-person class we'd be reviewing these vids as a group and discussing them, and that's what I'm trying to replicate here. 

So please take a look at EACH piece of work via the hyperlinks below, and see what ideas you can get by reviewing EVERYONE'S work to make your next multimedia assignment go as well as possible.

Off we go:

* Tabinda S.: graduating on time video and blog posts: Good B-roll here, doing what B-roll is supposed to do: show what people are talking about, as the interview subject is talking about it. Use your interviews as cues to what B-roll you need to shoot to illustrate the words of your interview subjects. 

Another thing to emulate here is the pacing. Instead of having one interview subject say everything they have to say and then the next, it goes back-and-forth, not ranked based on who is talking but what the issue is they are talking about. It's much more natural, conversational and structured for ease of viewer engagement.

Plus, let's make sure we stay within time parameters; for this assignment, it was 1-2 minutes; the video goes over 3 minutes. In the real world, you'd be expected to hit your time cue TO THE SECOND as a 30-minute newscast (23 minutes plus commercials) is literally scheduled to the second.

* Cassie B.: technology in theatre video and blog posts: Like noted in the previous post, the B-roll should illustrate what is being talked about. Here, it does not. The B-roll is of an empty theatre (which shows the theatre part but nothing connecting it with tech) and a person reading (which shows neither).

But the blog posts do a wonderful job of hyperlinking to background information. That's what hyperlinks do best; it provides that background in a second dimension so it doesn't clutter the written story for those who are happy with just a summary, but it gives those who want more the ability to get more information without having to go anywhere else. You give them a one-stop shop for subject exploration. Hyperlinks are one big difference between print and online journalism; giving the audience that two-dimensional presentation that allows for shorter stories without sacrificing background.

* Sarah A.: condom use video and blog posts: This was a challenge for B-roll, given the topic. But you worked around the problem and came up with a B-roll angle that worked: guys shopping for condoms. Whatever the topic, we need to think around the problem and get B-roll that matches the story. Video is a visual medium; we must show (in B-roll) the story the interview subject is telling (in his or her words). It can't just be a talking head.

Regarding the blog posts, in one we have links (listing the URLs) but not hyperlinks (having the URL hidden in a link that goes to story text). In another we don't have any links at all (the minimum here is two per post). In online journalism, we do background through hyperlinks; we must use them or it's just us doing print online.

* Nick K.: new restaurant video and blog posts: B-roll doesn't have to be spectacular; just illustrative. Here, in a story about a new restaurant we have a customer eating a sandwich and a counter crew running around behind the counter. And that's it. Just shoot what is being talked about.

* Andrew B.: student section video and blog posts: Another reminder: we need to shoot video with our phones in the horizontal position, so that we end up with a shot that actually fits a TV or computer screen without the black bars on either side of the shot.

The bigger problem is the lack of B-roll. We are telling a story about something animated -- fans at a game -- and yet there's no tailgating or close-ups of fans cheering in the stands or leaving out of boredom or anything like that. Video is a visual medium; we need to show what interview subjects are talking about.

* Whitney P.: student section video and blog posts: This is a similar topic as the previous post, but much more B-roll here showing the stadium and fans and students. But we need to slow down with our panning of shots; it makes what we're looking it a bit of a blur. Really, it's best to have a mix of fixed video shots -- taking two or three angles, each for a few seconds at a time -- than panning at all.

Plus, we need to shoot video with our phones in the horizontal position, so that we end up with a shot that actually fits a TV or computer screen without the black bars on either side of the shot.

* Kiara C.: living on or off-campus video and blog posts: We need to remember the rules we learned in doing print stories in class, that we start with the ending. We didn't do that with the video; the narration at the end would have been a perfect lede for the video. The structural rules from print should transfer over to video.

* Ivy H.: smoking on campus video and blog posts: We need to remember the rules we learned in doing print stories in class, that we use first and last names on first attribution. We didn't do that here. The structural rules for print should transfer over to video.

* Joey E.: protest video and blog posts. Not only are we lacking B-roll here, we appear to be using pictures we did not take. First, we should never be doing that for journalism; second, it also violates federal law. Taking pictures or words produced by someone else who you did not talk to is copyright theft. Even if you cite them, if you don't have their permission you broke the law. That's one big reason why we should ONLY use interviews with people WE interviewed OURSELVES and ONLY video and pictures WE shot OURSELVES.

The editing is also a bit sloppy. We end with a caption reading, TITLE TEXT HERE. That's not professional. Just like with print stories, we need to thoroughly proof our work and make sure it's ready for public presentation.

For the blog, we need to remember to follow the AP style rules we learned doing print stories. That means on second and subsequent attributions, use the last name only and not first names. The structural rules for print should transfer over to video.

* Danan T.: student experience video and blog posts. I'm not gonna harp on the quality of video in our assignments, as we're working with some pretty basic equipment, so let's please look past that. Nice generic B-roll here, but let's get specific. Let's follow around our interview subjects and show them living their student experiences: walking to class, taking notes in class, interacting with students on campus, etc. 

Plus, after we identify an interview subject via caption the first time, we don't have to reuse that caption? Why, when in print we do? Because in video, once we establish someone's idetification we have another cue: their face.

* Patrick K.: student talents video and blog posts: For the video, we are missing a title caption or narration that tells us what the story is about. Without it, it's like writing a print story without a lede: nobody knows right away what this is supposed to be about. Plus, be sure to put your camera on a steady shooting surface so we dong't get the extreme shake we see with the second interview segment. Shaky shots are extremely distracting and need to be avoided.

* Cassi W: out-of-state students video and blog posts: For the video, we are missing a title caption or narration that tells us what the story is about. Without it, it's like writing a print story without a lede: nobody knows right away what this is supposed to be about.

* Charisma T.: students of color video and blog posts: I'm not gonna harp on the quality of video in our assignments, as we're working with some pretty basic equipment. But I will harp on attention to detail like with the first video subject, where instead of getting her attribution we have a caption reading TEXT TITLE HERE. That's not professional. Just like with print stories, we need to thoroughly proof our work and make sure it's ready for public presentation.

Plus, we are almost entirely lacking B-roll, except for the scene-setting B-roll at the start of the vid. We need to show our interview subjects studying and walking to class and interacting with other students. We can't simply leave out B-roll. Video is a visual medium; we must show (in B-roll) the story the interview subject is telling (in his or her words). It can't just be a talking head.

Regarding the blog posts, we only have one hyperlink between the two posts. The minimum for this assignment is two per post. In online journalism, we do background through hyperlinks; we must use them or it's just us doing print online.

* Casey H.: marijuana use video and blog posts: The blog posts do a wonderful job of hyperlinking to background information. That's what hyperlinks do best; it provides that background in a second dimension so it doesn't clutter the written story for those who are happy with just a summary, but it gives those who want more the ability to get more information without having to go anywhere else. You give them a one-stop shop for subject exploration. Hyperlinks are one big difference between print and online journalism; giving the audience that two-dimensional presentation that allows for shorter stories without sacrificing background.

For the video, make sure that you don't have interviewees talking over explanatory captions; if there is something of the viewer to read, let the read it before they have to listen to someone talking, and vice versa.

Blog/Tweets #1: Some Good Examples

First, regarding your grade on this assignment if you did not receive an email back from me with a grade, that means you got a 4.0 on each segment of the assignment, with the tweet stream, the preview post and the recap post each counting as a practice story grade toward your final grade.

Some general observations, first for tweets:

• Don't forget a lede tweet! People need to know what you are about to start streaming, right?
• It's good to use pics and hyperlinks in your tweet stream.
• It's also good to have some quote tweets embedded in your stream.

Now, for blog posts:

• Be sure to lede each post like we would a story, with end result and ultimate outcome.
• Remember blog posts are intended to be read in a stream, so make it complementary to the previous post or posts.
• Then again, remember that when blog readers start reading a blog, they don't go all the way back to the first post ever and then work their way back; they start where they start. So each post has to have just enough background to get people up to speed.
• Don't forget hyperlinks!

Now, some examples of the work that you guys did. Do take a look to see how it compares to what you did:

Cassie B.: Making brunch tweets and blog preview and blog recap #brunchtime

Casey H.: baseball game tweets and blog preview and blog recap #wsforjrn200

Cassi W: costume decisions tweets and blog preview and blog recap #costumedilemma

Whitney A.-P.: student-athelete life tweets and blog preview and blog recap #msustudentathlete

JRN 200: Your Friday 10/21 Homework

First, read the latest blog posts, including those from the latest practice story assignments. Next, we need to read Ch. 12 and 13 (p.253-284) in Reporting For The Media, 11th Edition, by Monday morning.

Also, we need to read two downloads: The Reporters' Guide To Multimedia Proficiency (p. 1-42), and Journalism 2.0 (p. 1-128) by Tuesday morning.

You can get free printable downloads of each right here by clicking on the following links: first, here is The Reporters' Guide To Multimedia Proficiency. Next, here is Journalism 2.0.

Plus, please set up FREE accounts at YouTube.com, blogger.com and twitter.com for use in class by no later than Tuesday morning. You may use personal social media accounts, but please be aware that if you do, I will see your personal content and your friends will see your class content. If this is a problem, please set up class-only accounts as needed.

Also, please make sure these accounts are set so they are open to the public.

And, please make sure that you have some sort of video recording device (for many of you, a recent-model smart phone should suffice) and an editing program on a desktop or laptop (iMovie or some comparable program is A-OK) that is ready to be used as soon as Monday afternoon.

Is something afoot? You bet.

For our practice exercises, we will be moving away from traditional writing for print, and moving toward story-telling by video, via social media and using a more multi-dimensional Web format. So, basically we're done with written practice stories; writing will focus on the out-of-class stories, and we'll move on to practice videos and online stories and social media streams before moving on to out-of-class story versions of those mediums.

I think the change of pace will be fun for this class, so don't worry and do get ready to try some new stuff.

Plus, don't forget your first out-of-class story rewrite is due by 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 to omars@msu.edu. Please see earlier homework blog posts for details.

Have a nice weekend, everybody! 

MM #3: What You Did

Please take a look at these examples and see what ideas you can get for furthering your new media and multimedia story-telling skills:


Samantha: Pet cemetery blog posts and video:

The video had some good B-roll (pets hanging out) and some that made no sense (an exterior shot of a school; what does that have to do with a pet cemetery proposal?). Still, overall good framing of shots and interspersing of B-roll.

Amy: schools blog posts and video:

The video was nicely-structured, but we needed B-roll to break up the talking head segments. What we want to do is start with the talking head shot, then while the talking head keeps talking change the shot to one showing what they are talking about (in this case, classroom video or still pics) and then we return to the head shot before the segment ends. 

That way, people see what the talking head is talking about while they are talking about it, and it breaks up that boring static shot of someone just talking.

Patricia: film festival blog posts and video:

Very nice use of hyperlinks on the blog posts, allowing people to further explore the subject and get background if they wish. If not, you didn't clutter the post with background text.

Here, we use still pics as B-roll, which is fine. The problem is, where did these pics come from? Unless we shot them ourselves or had expressed written permission from the photo owner to do so, it's a violation of federal copyright law to use these pics! You can't just take pics from the Internet and legally use them in your own media.

Even if you would credit where these pics came from, unless you have actual permission from the user to use it, it's still a violation of federal law. Let's work on getting our own B-roll, or at least getting permission and noting it in a caption.

Simone: health care blog posts and video:

We need to be sure to be following AP Style rules with captions; that means first and last names in captions, not just a title and last name. Plus, why no B-roll here? It's not like it would be hard for us to shoot a hospital or clinic; they are everywhere.

Just like with print reporting where we need to do the hard work of going out and actually talking to people (and not just relying on what we find online), for video we need to do the hard work of going out there and shooting what we are reporting on (and not strip stuff from the Web). 

Just watching someone talk is not video journalism, in the same way just getting a transcript of an interview is not print journalism.

Plus, DO NOT SHOOT WITH YOUR PHONE IN THE VERTICAL POSITION! Shoot with your phone in a horizontal position, so that the frame matches that of a TV or laptop screen (and does t result in those black bars on each side of the shot).

And the blog is missing hyperlinks. The whole point of making online text journalism different and better than print journalism is using the second dimension of a hyperlink to give the audience a gateway to more information on your subject, without the post itself becoming cluttered with background text.

If we're not doing hyperlinks, we're not really doing online journalism. We're just doing print journalism on a screen.

Carina: breastfeeding blog posts and video:

If you want to see how helpful hyperlinks can be, look at the posts here.

The video is missing a lede caption or narration; just like with a print story, we need to share the point of the story right from the start, so people know what they are about to start learning about.

Plus, we needed the b-roll of a mom interacting with her kid IN the talking head segment, as noted earlier. We want to show what the person is talking about while they are talking; otherwise, we're just unnecessarily making this video longer than it needs to be.

And again, DO NOT SHOOT WITH YOUR PHONE IN THE VERTICAL POSITION! Shoot with your phone in a horizontal position, so that the frame matches that of a TV or laptop screen (and doesn't result in those black bars on each side of the shot).

Hannah: women's longue blog posts and video:

Again, nice hyperlinks with the blog. And the video is nicely-shot and well-organized, with the talking heads nicely framed tightly within the shots.

Hussein: voting blog posts and video:

For the video, we really need to shoot with tripods or a some sort of steady shooting surface; we need to frame the person's head closely in the frame like we do with the second source; and one more time -- DO NOT SHOOT WITH YOUR PHONE IN THE VERTICAL POSITION! Shoot with your phone in a horizontal position, so that the frame matches that of a TV or laptop screen (and doesn't result in those black bars on each side of the shot).

The blog posts are fine EXCEPT they are missing hyperlinks, which is a big no-no with online journalism.