In all seriousness, my expectations for these presentations were blown away. It seemed like every video had something to offer and many told such compelling, timely stories and made use of great video, audio and stills. I remember thinking during the first flight of presentations that if anyone in our class wanted to pursue a career centered around multimedia that he or she would have no problem making a name for themselves.
Perhaps the things that struck me the most were the photos. There were too many to mention, but two that really stuck out were Melanie's black and white shot of a brewer standing over a steaming kettle and Meg Power's shot of the dance instructor leaning against the railing of the studio.
Also, the opening segment of Jennesa's video, which relied on the power of her stills and b-roll audio to give the audience a sense of place was one of the most effective uses of multimedia I can recall.
A hardy pat on the back for everyone in the class. Save for the technical difficulties I really enjoyed this class, it gave me an appreciation for new mediums and expanded the way I think about storytelling.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Playing with Sound
It was refreshing to have Tom Snyder, audio-guru and the creator of Comedy Central's Dr. Katz, in class last week. Tom is not journalist, rather he's a comedian - and he's made his living (at least the part he discussed in detail with us) capturing and editing audio.
I think it's important to have people like Tom, who comes from a non-journalism background, assist both students of journalism and those already in the field. If we are going to save the news (which needs saving) and mediums like multimedia are going to be tools to do this then we (as journalists) can't look inward for help.
Sure, there are experts on multimedia and components of it within the field of journalism, we had two guest speakers that meet this description already. But, they are not the only experts who need be consulted; surely there are experts with skills and insights to assist journalists outside of the field. Especially since audio and video editing aren't the bread and butter of the news industry.
In addition to the advice Tom gave us about editing I think it was important to have someone from a comedic background in class. While our primary role is to tell the news and to tell it factually we always must keep in mind that we need to be entertainers as well. And one of the strategies we can employ to entertain, or draw-in, readers (or viewers) is comedy.
That said, keeping in mind the NEWS aspect of our jobs, I had a few questions about ethics after Tom's presentation. For instance: to what degree can manipulate audio? Is it okay to move entire sentences in to different locations? We do this with text. Can we move parts of sentences? Words? Can we edit audio endlessly so long as the truth is still conveyed and the interviewees words are presented as he or she intended (not misused)?
These are questions for class today.
I think it's important to have people like Tom, who comes from a non-journalism background, assist both students of journalism and those already in the field. If we are going to save the news (which needs saving) and mediums like multimedia are going to be tools to do this then we (as journalists) can't look inward for help.
Sure, there are experts on multimedia and components of it within the field of journalism, we had two guest speakers that meet this description already. But, they are not the only experts who need be consulted; surely there are experts with skills and insights to assist journalists outside of the field. Especially since audio and video editing aren't the bread and butter of the news industry.
In addition to the advice Tom gave us about editing I think it was important to have someone from a comedic background in class. While our primary role is to tell the news and to tell it factually we always must keep in mind that we need to be entertainers as well. And one of the strategies we can employ to entertain, or draw-in, readers (or viewers) is comedy.
That said, keeping in mind the NEWS aspect of our jobs, I had a few questions about ethics after Tom's presentation. For instance: to what degree can manipulate audio? Is it okay to move entire sentences in to different locations? We do this with text. Can we move parts of sentences? Words? Can we edit audio endlessly so long as the truth is still conveyed and the interviewees words are presented as he or she intended (not misused)?
These are questions for class today.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Thoughts on Fishing and Storytelling
I am a fisherman.
I like bass fishing, but I love fly fishing – and I’ll tell you why.
As I’ve spent time trying to become a better angler, I’ve developed an opinion about what is required to become more successful in either sport.
Bass fishing is like multimedia. To fish, all you need is a cheap rod and reel, a few plastic stick baits, and canoe. To make a slideshow or a movie, all you need is a point-and-shoot camera, a relatively cheap audio-recorder, some free software, and a computer.
While you can become proficient with these tools in either endeavor, it’s still disheartening to know that someone else can upstage you simply for having greater means.
A dozen rods and reels of different combinations, a treasure chest of lures, and a $30,000 boat will make you a more successful bass fisherman. Similarly, a digital SLR camera, professional sound equipment, and a (powerful) computer stocked with expensive software will make you a more successful multimedia designer.
Granted, expensive equipment in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use it is useless. Still, great success in both bass fishing and multimedia require not only skill but (expensive) tools.
Then there’s also the struggle with that expensive equipment. To bass fish with expensive equipment you need to clean your boat, load it up, hitch it up, drop it in the water, organize your stuff…on and on. Our speaker two classes ago mentioned how he didn’t like to carry around all his equipment because it made him not want to bother fiddling with all of it just to get a shot. So much of the time spent in both pursuits is not directly related to end goal of catching fish or storytelling.
Fly fishing, like writing, is different. Becoming a great fly fisherman requires only the simplest of tools and the dedication of time. Of course, you can spend an absurd amount of money on an Orvis fly rod, waders and a fancy vest. But, on the river, it’s the skills that matter most: the meter and rhythm of the cast between ten and two, and the perfect release that allows the fly land naturally in the current. The difference between a cheap fly rod and expensive one is like difference between a wooden pencil and a mechanical one.
Writing is the same. If you have a pen, a pad of paper and time, there’s nothing aside from god-given ability, or lack there of, to keep you from becoming Shakespeare.
This is why I love fly fishing and writing. Perfection comes with practice and time dedicated in the pursuit of the skill. To become a better fly fisherman you need only to fish – and to become writer you need only to write. And if you love these things, as I do, then it’s not work, but rather time well spent.
Now, I never said I hate bass fishing, it’s just a lesser hobby; and I still don’t hate multimedia, it’s just something I need to continue learning to love.
However, this is frustrating. I chose to become a journalist because I want to tell stories, and at the end of the day a journalist is simply a story teller. Now, telling a story with a pencil and paper is easy if you can write – but, trying to tell a story with a massive amount of alien equipment and software (and LIMITED hardware) is very difficult.
Spending two hours in class last Thursday trying to tell the story of how I cooked dinner the other night only to have my student account refuse to save anything really put me in a terrible mood.
I spent a few more hours on the same project on Sunday and I really like how it came out. And that’s just it – it’s nice to be that bass fisherman sometimes, on your powerful boat, relaxed, dry and comfortable. But is it worth all the effort, struggling with all the equipment?
Well, my future employer probably thinks so.
I like bass fishing, but I love fly fishing – and I’ll tell you why.
As I’ve spent time trying to become a better angler, I’ve developed an opinion about what is required to become more successful in either sport.
Bass fishing is like multimedia. To fish, all you need is a cheap rod and reel, a few plastic stick baits, and canoe. To make a slideshow or a movie, all you need is a point-and-shoot camera, a relatively cheap audio-recorder, some free software, and a computer.
While you can become proficient with these tools in either endeavor, it’s still disheartening to know that someone else can upstage you simply for having greater means.
A dozen rods and reels of different combinations, a treasure chest of lures, and a $30,000 boat will make you a more successful bass fisherman. Similarly, a digital SLR camera, professional sound equipment, and a (powerful) computer stocked with expensive software will make you a more successful multimedia designer.
Granted, expensive equipment in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use it is useless. Still, great success in both bass fishing and multimedia require not only skill but (expensive) tools.
Then there’s also the struggle with that expensive equipment. To bass fish with expensive equipment you need to clean your boat, load it up, hitch it up, drop it in the water, organize your stuff…on and on. Our speaker two classes ago mentioned how he didn’t like to carry around all his equipment because it made him not want to bother fiddling with all of it just to get a shot. So much of the time spent in both pursuits is not directly related to end goal of catching fish or storytelling.
Fly fishing, like writing, is different. Becoming a great fly fisherman requires only the simplest of tools and the dedication of time. Of course, you can spend an absurd amount of money on an Orvis fly rod, waders and a fancy vest. But, on the river, it’s the skills that matter most: the meter and rhythm of the cast between ten and two, and the perfect release that allows the fly land naturally in the current. The difference between a cheap fly rod and expensive one is like difference between a wooden pencil and a mechanical one.
Writing is the same. If you have a pen, a pad of paper and time, there’s nothing aside from god-given ability, or lack there of, to keep you from becoming Shakespeare.
This is why I love fly fishing and writing. Perfection comes with practice and time dedicated in the pursuit of the skill. To become a better fly fisherman you need only to fish – and to become writer you need only to write. And if you love these things, as I do, then it’s not work, but rather time well spent.
Now, I never said I hate bass fishing, it’s just a lesser hobby; and I still don’t hate multimedia, it’s just something I need to continue learning to love.
However, this is frustrating. I chose to become a journalist because I want to tell stories, and at the end of the day a journalist is simply a story teller. Now, telling a story with a pencil and paper is easy if you can write – but, trying to tell a story with a massive amount of alien equipment and software (and LIMITED hardware) is very difficult.
Spending two hours in class last Thursday trying to tell the story of how I cooked dinner the other night only to have my student account refuse to save anything really put me in a terrible mood.
I spent a few more hours on the same project on Sunday and I really like how it came out. And that’s just it – it’s nice to be that bass fisherman sometimes, on your powerful boat, relaxed, dry and comfortable. But is it worth all the effort, struggling with all the equipment?
Well, my future employer probably thinks so.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Photographic Expedition
The long-delayed adventure into photographing people has begun.
I've been taking landscape and macro photographs with my digital camera for a couple of years now, but I've never seriously taken photographs of people before.
The first time I really got the urge to photograph people was in China. I went out alone on several occasions to take photos of Beijing; I walked down streets crowded with vendors and ventured into Hutongs, the classic one story living quarters that divide parts of central Beijing in to small alleys.
The people that I ran into along the way fascinated me: vendors, the elderly and children playing. However, I only took pictures from a distance and avoided being seen doing so. My mandarin is good enough to ask someone if I can take their picture - but it's not good enough to give a greater explanation why I would want to. So, because I lacked the ability to communicate my intent, and I didn't want to come off as some stupid, lost tourist, I didn't take all the photographs I might have liked to.
I regret it to a degree now, as I did then - but, I promised myself that when I got back home to the United States, where no language barrier would exist, that I would start to take photographs of people.
This assignment forced me to finally take the plunge.
Asking people if I could photograph them felt uncomfortable, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time I interviewed a stranger. I took photographs in a few places: outside of Holloway Commons, in Hamilton Smith's foyer, the lawn in front of Thompson Hall, and the courtyard in front of the Library.
The photographs I took in Hamilton Smith and in front of HoCo were not really intended to be of any certain student. I sort of just set-up and started shooting. I wanted the photographs to capture the hurried and crowded feelings associated with student life.
I took the photograph in Hamilton Smith in between classes when I knew a huge number of students would be funneling through the main doors. I set up on the balcony two flights up and took shots looking down into the foyer. I set my exposure for 1 second so the students hurriedly rushing in and out the doors would be blurry - showing motion.
Thankfully, when I ventured out onto the lawn to take photographs of specific people the first person I ran into was a friend (he's the one seen sitting on the cement wall that wraps around the flag pole). He was reviewing for a test with two of his friends and was more than willing to let me take pictures while they were talking. So, that was sort of a nice way to ease myself into asking people to take their pictures.
Finally, I found the Organic Farming Club's food-stand, and a couple playing with their dog. The couple was nice and obliged, but the dog got tired after three Frisbee throws and lied down in the shade.
I'm happy with the photographs I took. There were some potentially great ones that I botched, like this one:
But, overall, I'm just happy to have simply started taking photographs of people at all.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Portraits
Last class, Sandy (our professor) dispensed point-and-shoot digital cameras and instructed us to begin taking amazing portraits of one another. This photo of Megan is the fruit of my several-minutes labor.
We didn't have very much time so I had Megan run up the stairs in Hamilton Smith and pose behind the railing while I took shots from the landing below. I like stair railings, and objects like them, which offer repetitive geometric shapes that form a pattern. I think these geometric patterns make a nice contrast to the very organic human subject, and I feel that the classic design of the stair railing gives the portrait an academic feeling.
We didn't have very much time so I had Megan run up the stairs in Hamilton Smith and pose behind the railing while I took shots from the landing below. I like stair railings, and objects like them, which offer repetitive geometric shapes that form a pattern. I think these geometric patterns make a nice contrast to the very organic human subject, and I feel that the classic design of the stair railing gives the portrait an academic feeling.
Monday, September 15, 2008
'Saving the Stone Church'
The multimedia story I have begun working on is the selling of the music club known as "The Stone Church." Located in Newmarket, New Hampshire, The Stone Church has been a premier small music venue in the area since it opened in the late 1960s. However, as a result of the worsening economy and a substantial debt incurred during renovations in 2004, The Stone Church's former owners, Chris Hislop, John Pasquale and Paul Nessel, we're forced to sell the building at auction on September 12, 2008.
The new owners, Adam Schroadter, Art Murphy and Scott Orlosk, bid on the property with the intention of keeping the facility a music venue. Murphy, who has been in the music industry for a number of years with a production company called Thumbprint Productions, told me the news that The Stone Church was being sold at auction was "like a call to arms" to save the venue.
Orlosk also told SeacoastOnline.com that "saving the music was the mission."
As for the name of the venue it looks as if Orlosk and his partners intend to keep it the same, but the details haven't been finalized yet.
This story absolutely lends itself to multimedia reporting - it's about a music club after all. I intend to craft the story around the reopening; this event being the hard-news story that justifies the larger multimedia component.
My vision for the project looks like this: there's a standard news story about the reopening (in my blog) posted the morning after the first show. Attached to this story is the multimedia component. This is a picture slide show of The Stone Church's 40-plus-year history, recent difficult times, the exchanging of owners, and reopening. The slide show will feature audio including: music, interviews and pertinent noises (ie: construction or background noises for images of renovation, moving, etc.).
As of right now I've only spoken with Murphy and he's asked that I keep in touch with him over the next few weeks as he and his partners finalize the purchase and begin the reopening. That said, I do not know a tentative reopening date yet (nor do the owners).
This is a bit of a mixed blessing. On one hand, it means I'll have plenty of time to contact the old owners, conduct interviews, and search for old pictures and audio. On the other hand, it may mean that I will need to identify more immediate stories, or that I will not be able to do the story at all (if the reopening doesn't happen before the end of the semester).
The new owners, Adam Schroadter, Art Murphy and Scott Orlosk, bid on the property with the intention of keeping the facility a music venue. Murphy, who has been in the music industry for a number of years with a production company called Thumbprint Productions, told me the news that The Stone Church was being sold at auction was "like a call to arms" to save the venue.
Orlosk also told SeacoastOnline.com that "saving the music was the mission."
As for the name of the venue it looks as if Orlosk and his partners intend to keep it the same, but the details haven't been finalized yet.
This story absolutely lends itself to multimedia reporting - it's about a music club after all. I intend to craft the story around the reopening; this event being the hard-news story that justifies the larger multimedia component.
My vision for the project looks like this: there's a standard news story about the reopening (in my blog) posted the morning after the first show. Attached to this story is the multimedia component. This is a picture slide show of The Stone Church's 40-plus-year history, recent difficult times, the exchanging of owners, and reopening. The slide show will feature audio including: music, interviews and pertinent noises (ie: construction or background noises for images of renovation, moving, etc.).
As of right now I've only spoken with Murphy and he's asked that I keep in touch with him over the next few weeks as he and his partners finalize the purchase and begin the reopening. That said, I do not know a tentative reopening date yet (nor do the owners).
This is a bit of a mixed blessing. On one hand, it means I'll have plenty of time to contact the old owners, conduct interviews, and search for old pictures and audio. On the other hand, it may mean that I will need to identify more immediate stories, or that I will not be able to do the story at all (if the reopening doesn't happen before the end of the semester).
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Exploring Multimedia
A week after beginning multimedia class I've done my fair share of exploring on the internet and what I've encountered from various multimedia websites has been nothing short of breathtaking. For a medium that is, relatively speaking, still in its infancy there certainly seems to be a sizable community of writers and artists creating impressive and moving pieces of media.
Today, 9/11, is a particularly interesting day to explore and think about multimedia. There's a small scandal occurring today in the newspaper industry. While most major papers around the country feature at least one 9/11 story on their front page; The New York Times, the most renowned and recognizable paper from the city, has nothing more than a teaser on its front cover.
However, The New York Times has not done its readers or the New York community a disservice - its website (nytimes.com) features several new pieces on the anniversary, an archive of stories, and a substantial assortment of fresh multimedia.
Perhaps it was still not the best decision to print the paper sans a front cover 9/11 story, however, the multimedia features on nytimes.com pay tribute to the event in ways that story after story over the past seven years can't.
The following are three interesting multimedia features from nytimes.com:
This is a screen shot of an interactive feature on nytimes.com. It's a 360-degree view of a warehouse where pieces of the World Trade Center are being stored for exhibits and other purposes. By clicking and dragging you can look in any direction in the warehouse while an audio recording explains the warehouse's purpose.
This is screen shot is a collage of different windows from a single article on nytimes.com. The article discusses the three images, each is composed of two still images taken from the same vantage point at different times - the obvious different being the lack of the World Trade Center's twin towers in the more recent photographs. This could have been a print article, however, I think it works best as an online feature where the images can be manipulated by the user.
This final screen shot is taken from an animated slideshow featuring pictures of a 9/11 survivor. While the slideshow progresses an audio interview with the survivor plays in the background
So, while The New York Times didn't put a 9/11 story on their cover today they certainly did an admirable job providing resources on their website. While I'm sure their are still 9/11 stories to be told in print, many have been already. Nytimes.com does a great job using a new medium to tell stories about an event we're all familiar with.
Anyways... while this post about my exploration of multimedia was taken over to a large degree by nytimes.com, my final conclusion about my this adventure is this: multimedia is an awesome new tool for reporters to use. It allows old stories to be told in new ways, and new stories that require more than plain text, or plain video to be told for the first time.
I can't wait to start creating.
Today, 9/11, is a particularly interesting day to explore and think about multimedia. There's a small scandal occurring today in the newspaper industry. While most major papers around the country feature at least one 9/11 story on their front page; The New York Times, the most renowned and recognizable paper from the city, has nothing more than a teaser on its front cover.
However, The New York Times has not done its readers or the New York community a disservice - its website (nytimes.com) features several new pieces on the anniversary, an archive of stories, and a substantial assortment of fresh multimedia.
Perhaps it was still not the best decision to print the paper sans a front cover 9/11 story, however, the multimedia features on nytimes.com pay tribute to the event in ways that story after story over the past seven years can't.
The following are three interesting multimedia features from nytimes.com:
This is a screen shot of an interactive feature on nytimes.com. It's a 360-degree view of a warehouse where pieces of the World Trade Center are being stored for exhibits and other purposes. By clicking and dragging you can look in any direction in the warehouse while an audio recording explains the warehouse's purpose.
This is screen shot is a collage of different windows from a single article on nytimes.com. The article discusses the three images, each is composed of two still images taken from the same vantage point at different times - the obvious different being the lack of the World Trade Center's twin towers in the more recent photographs. This could have been a print article, however, I think it works best as an online feature where the images can be manipulated by the user.
This final screen shot is taken from an animated slideshow featuring pictures of a 9/11 survivor. While the slideshow progresses an audio interview with the survivor plays in the background
So, while The New York Times didn't put a 9/11 story on their cover today they certainly did an admirable job providing resources on their website. While I'm sure their are still 9/11 stories to be told in print, many have been already. Nytimes.com does a great job using a new medium to tell stories about an event we're all familiar with.
Anyways... while this post about my exploration of multimedia was taken over to a large degree by nytimes.com, my final conclusion about my this adventure is this: multimedia is an awesome new tool for reporters to use. It allows old stories to be told in new ways, and new stories that require more than plain text, or plain video to be told for the first time.
I can't wait to start creating.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My Multimedia Experience
Non-existent?
Generally, I don't spend much time on my computer. Of course, there's email and facebook but beyond that being on a computer typically means working and being indoors - two things I actively try to avoid.
I suppose another reason I've never really explored multimedia is my outdated (?) love of traditional mediums: newspapers and books. My freshman year I began my news habit, reading the Boston Globe daily. Over time, I switched to the New York Times but continue to sit each and every day with a paper and read as much as possible.
I love the news. I admire both its power and importance to our way of life, and I've always seen newspapers as the vanguards of the industry. I believe newspapers deliver articles that feature the best writing and most thorough research - plus, I just like carrying the news around with me and reading from a printed page.
However, the time to let go is nearing.
The same stories that appear in the New York Times printed copy are available online; updated and download-ready twenty-four hours a day. News on the internet is convenient, often free, has much greater flexibility (multimedia) than print or television journalism, and every day more and more people turn to it instead of picking up a newspaper.
So, if my love and admiration for the news is to continue and turn into a career my stubbornness can't continue any longer. The three years of resisting ditching my paper for my laptop is over - it's time for me to embrace multimedia.
Generally, I don't spend much time on my computer. Of course, there's email and facebook but beyond that being on a computer typically means working and being indoors - two things I actively try to avoid.
I suppose another reason I've never really explored multimedia is my outdated (?) love of traditional mediums: newspapers and books. My freshman year I began my news habit, reading the Boston Globe daily. Over time, I switched to the New York Times but continue to sit each and every day with a paper and read as much as possible.
I love the news. I admire both its power and importance to our way of life, and I've always seen newspapers as the vanguards of the industry. I believe newspapers deliver articles that feature the best writing and most thorough research - plus, I just like carrying the news around with me and reading from a printed page.
However, the time to let go is nearing.
The same stories that appear in the New York Times printed copy are available online; updated and download-ready twenty-four hours a day. News on the internet is convenient, often free, has much greater flexibility (multimedia) than print or television journalism, and every day more and more people turn to it instead of picking up a newspaper.
So, if my love and admiration for the news is to continue and turn into a career my stubbornness can't continue any longer. The three years of resisting ditching my paper for my laptop is over - it's time for me to embrace multimedia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
