Monday, November 16, 2015
Out-Of-Class #3: Our Topics ...
... include ...
Why do students vote so little?
Choosing majors
Finding time to study
Going in "blind" with a roommate
The stress of facing the future
Tobacco use on campus
Graffiti: expression or vandalism?
Foreign students acclimating to life here
Cultural appropriation
What do people think of CATA?
The life of a student-athlete
Study abroad at MSU
"Hookup" dating culture
... and more!
Now, here's the deadline schedule:
* Your third out-of-class story written version will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30 by email to omars@msu.edu. That included the 700-words-plus story with at leafs three human sources in it. So, you have a ton of time to work on that and get it done.
* Your third out-of-class story multimedia components will be due no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 by email to omars@msu.edu. That includes the 12 tweets, two blog posts with at least two hyperlinks each and a 1-2 minute video with at least two human sources on tape with B-roll. That also means you will have class time that day to use as an open lab to finish your work.
* You will receive the graded version of your third out-of-class written story by the end of the day Dec.2. Then. the rewrite for the third out-of-class story written version will be due no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 by email to omars@msu.edu. That is the last day of class for the semester.
* Your optional fourth out-of-class story written version will also be due no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 by email to omars@msu.edu. You will not have a rewrite opportunity for this story. This is the deadline for all extra credit work as well.
* Your job shadow report will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7 by email to omars@msu.edu. It often takes people 4-6 weeks to get a job shadow found, confirmed and done, so if you haven't started that yet, start today or risk seeing your final grade suffer as a result.
* Don't forget your second multimedia assignment is due no later than 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 by email to omars@msu.edu. That's links to 12 tweets, two blog posts and a 1-2 minute video on all of or an aspect from one of your first two out-of-class stories.
* We have a few more exercises planned for the last few weeks; please stay tuned as they are announced.
Why do students vote so little?
Choosing majors
Finding time to study
Going in "blind" with a roommate
The stress of facing the future
Tobacco use on campus
Graffiti: expression or vandalism?
Foreign students acclimating to life here
Cultural appropriation
What do people think of CATA?
The life of a student-athlete
Study abroad at MSU
"Hookup" dating culture
... and more!
Now, here's the deadline schedule:
* Your third out-of-class story written version will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30 by email to omars@msu.edu. That included the 700-words-plus story with at leafs three human sources in it. So, you have a ton of time to work on that and get it done.
* Your third out-of-class story multimedia components will be due no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 by email to omars@msu.edu. That includes the 12 tweets, two blog posts with at least two hyperlinks each and a 1-2 minute video with at least two human sources on tape with B-roll. That also means you will have class time that day to use as an open lab to finish your work.
* You will receive the graded version of your third out-of-class written story by the end of the day Dec.2. Then. the rewrite for the third out-of-class story written version will be due no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 by email to omars@msu.edu. That is the last day of class for the semester.
* Your optional fourth out-of-class story written version will also be due no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 by email to omars@msu.edu. You will not have a rewrite opportunity for this story. This is the deadline for all extra credit work as well.
* Your job shadow report will be due no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7 by email to omars@msu.edu. It often takes people 4-6 weeks to get a job shadow found, confirmed and done, so if you haven't started that yet, start today or risk seeing your final grade suffer as a result.
* Don't forget your second multimedia assignment is due no later than 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 by email to omars@msu.edu. That's links to 12 tweets, two blog posts and a 1-2 minute video on all of or an aspect from one of your first two out-of-class stories.
* We have a few more exercises planned for the last few weeks; please stay tuned as they are announced.
Job Shadows: What You Saw, Part 1
Here's a sampling of some of the various job shadows done by you all (this will be updated as job shadow reports are turned in, so please check back frequently). Take a look and see what you can learn from everyone's visits. There's a lot of good stuff here to help you decide what you want to do with your lives; what you need to be doing to get there; and what to expect when you do get there.
Please give each one of these a quick read as they come in, will you?
Please give each one of these a quick read as they come in, will you?
*****
On my job
shadow at WXYZ Channel 7 Action News, I was able to meet a large range of
professionals and different occupations in the broadcasting field. I shadowed
Lyle Cifuentes, who is the Executive Producer of Digital Media for Channel 7,
and was able to look at a different area of the news that I wasn’t entirely
familiar with.
Lyle sends news blasts through social media forums, keeps the
website updated and current, and helps investigate breaking news stories in
order to share on the networks media platforms. Lyle edits video content, talks
to readers and solves problems, writes articles, and occasionally will have a
hand in the regular TV broadcasting.
It was very interesting to see Lyle doing
so many jobs under one title, and she really solidified the statement that
journalists have to be able to do it all this day and age. I was there to watch
Lyle handle two breaking news situations, learned how to cut clips for the
website, watched her post to the website, and I was also able to shadow several
other professionals at the news channel for a couple minutes throughout the
day, and they were: Meteorologist Dave Rexroth, Brad Galli with sports,
Carolyn Clifford: 7 Action News anchor, Aaron Liversedge from Creative
Services, and Barry Cutler, a noon TV broadcast producer, and the Assignment
Desk editors.
Lyle’s
advice for me was always seek the truth and stressed the importance of “it’s
not about being first, it’s about being right” when it comes to competing
against other news networks. Lyle explained to me that her job is not the norm,
and it’s not for the weak. There are long hours and sad times and difficult
situations to work through, but when you see her talk about it all, it clear
she is very happy and excited about her line of work, and that is what I want
to get out of journalism as well.
The most valuable thing I gained in my shadow
was gaining a new-found confidence in myself as a young journalist. I
understand I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I now I see
what is at the other end and I am incredibly excited.
Lyle Cifuentes (WXYZ Channel 7)
Executive Producer of Digital Media
Email: lcifuentes@wxyz.com
Phone: 248-376-6911.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Vid #1: Let's Look At Some Videos!
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:
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:
Starria C.: Only 1:05, yet three interviews and a ton of B-roll. We find out a lot in a very short amount of time. Solid work here.
Katie M.: Another solid example mixing interviews and B-roll.
Dimitri B.: We exceeded the time limit here, which was 1-2 minutes. In journalism if you are given a time for a story, you have to hit your time mark, as that is the space in your show that is being saved for you. You can't go over or under.
Plus, if we are going to let a single interview segment go on as long as we do here -- and really, it's too long -- then we need multiple B-roll segments to break up that head shot multiple times. We can't just be locked in on a talking head shot for very long.
Plus, we can go back-and-forth between two interview subjects, instead of just running everything one person has to say, and then everything another person has to say. It can break up long stretches of the same voice talking, and make your vid more conversational in tone.
Cyndi R.: Here, we're missing attribution in the form of captions when we first introduce interview subjects. No; having credits isn't enough at the end (and for news reports we don't do closing credits; that's something we do for movies).
We need to show who is saying what when they are doing the saying, in the same way we attribute quotes in print right with the quote.
Krista W.: Again, we went way over time time limit here. Next time, this will be a fatal.
What we didn't need was offering name attribution past the first reference. Why? Because after the first time we identify a talking head with a caption, we have a cue that tells us who it is from that point on: the person's face.
In print, we need attribution every time because we don't have that cue. But in video, we have it, so only a first attribution is necessary.
Brittany F.: Again, the jumps are a bit rough; we'll get better with practice. Be sure that background music and background noise in general don't blot out source voices; it wasn't a problem here, but it can be.
Gabriella G.: Let's make sure sound levels are consistent, m'kay?
Kayla R.: Lots of varied B-roll here. Even with stories that aren't especially visual in nature, if you're persistent and creative enough you can come up with decent B-roll.
Abby B.: Again, first attribution is all the attribution you need when the viewer has a facial cue to go by after that. I liked the alternative-type lede here, using a mix of B-roll to paint a picture of the class.
Gabby B.: Watch out for background noise overwhelming your interview sound. It happened around the 45-second mark.
PIG BREAK!!!!!!!!
Caitlin D.: To-the-point. Just one minute, and that's fine. You covered the issue; when you're done, you're done.
Jaylyn G.: Again, watch for background noise.
Xin W.: The opening captions go by so fast I feel like I didn't have enough time to read them. Make sure that captions stick for enough reading time to elapse.
Laura B.: Well-organized; good B-roll, but it all starts with good interviews. If we don't have that, all we have is show and no substance.
Jingwen Z.: We don't ever let that "talking head" shot go on for very long. With longer interview segments, we start out with the head and then go to b-roll; then back to the head; then back to the B-roll; back and forth like that. We never linger on any one shot. That's a very good habit to follow.
Will T.: A solid job, all around.
Adam T.: We need to proof captions and text as diligently for video as we do for print. It's Brittany, not BrittAny.
Kameron G.: Nice work here.
Emily L: This vid is a bit short, at 51 seconds. Again, we have to hit our time windows (for video, and length windows for print) in the real world because when they are "stacking" a newscast or laying out a paper, they are counting on you to fill your space in a precise manner, so that the newscast is exactly the right length and stories fit pages perfectly.
MM #2: What You Need To Do
For your second multimedia assignment, we will use all the mediums we used in the first assignment, 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/tweet stream 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 preview, posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at the issue going into your reporting, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text;
... a 100-200-word recap, posted to blogger.com and done in a journalistic style, taking a look at what you discovered about the issue/how it ended OR one side of the issue and another side, with at least two relevant working hyperlinks embedded in the text;
... and a tweet stream on Twitter with at least 12 tweets on the subject, and a unifying hash tag applied to each tweet.
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 student opinions on the issue.
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 this will be 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, via email to omars@msu.edu. Please put ALL your links to your work into a single email, with the subject line of MM2.
If you need any assistance, contact me ASAP. And good luck, everybody!
MM #2: Some Examples
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?
What do students think about CATA?
This one is a good example of varied B-roll with a limited subject. Simply by finding different shooting angles, times of day, etc. we can make B-roll a bit more dymanic.
Getting married when you're young. This one uses a voice-over narration and still pictures and telling numbers as B-roll elements.
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?
What do students think about CATA?
This one is a good example of varied B-roll with a limited subject. Simply by finding different shooting angles, times of day, etc. we can make B-roll a bit more dymanic.
Getting married when you're young. This one uses a voice-over narration and still pictures and telling numbers as B-roll elements.
Road work hassles.
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.
Do these give you any new ideas on how you'd like to do YOUR video, or the best ways to do it?
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.
Do these give you any new ideas on how you'd like to do YOUR video, or the best ways to do it?
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