What to do for April 9

This week you are supposed to be chugging along on your projects, as I have discussed with many of you in conference. Turns out, there's some chugging and some crawling going on for various reasons. My caution is to use this time wisely so things don't pile up at the end. Multimedia projects differ from conventional stories because there are so many moving parts -- scheduling, interviewing, recording, shooting, editing, creating. It's kind of like a big construction project -- you really need to have a systematized approach: First I need a design (your storyboards); then I need nails, a hammer, x amount of lumber, and shingles; I need to call the concrete guy to pour a foundation; but before that I need to get the electric company to run wires in; oh, and before that I need to get a road put in and trees cut down; then I'll build a floor; then walls; then roof; then I'll paint; then I'll move in. So you are sort of in the same situation as that builder; if you wait for the last minute, you're screwed.

Most of the writing that has been done about multimedia project management, like this from MIT, focuses on larger projects that involve many people, rather than solo projects like the ones you are doing. Still, there are similarities, so take a look.

I will also email you a project management guide that I set up which really comes earlier but may be of some help now, so try filling it out and bring to class Monday.

Don't underestimate the "rough" draft. As I said, the draft should represent a substantially completed project. The value of it is that you can get feedback from the class, from me, and from whomever else you show it to that will help you to improve it. If you don't put much up there, you won't get much back (and it won't help your grade.) It can also be embarrassing to put something up there that shows little progress. If you forgot when you are scheduled to present, check the class blog. If you ever feel you are in trouble, please come and see me so we can talk about it.

I think it would also be useful to bring Chelsea Conaboy, next week's visiting journalist, into the conversation. She will be in class Monday. I think it would be helpful to talk about project problems with her. Obviously doing the cancer story required some pretty tight and disciplined time and resource management, so she should be able to lend some insight to that aspect of the projects. She may also be able to help with story development and reporting issues. I've already spoken with Lauren about problems she has had documenting gymnasts' injuries due to privacy issues. I'm sure Chelsea ran into lots of this in her reporting for the cancer story and continues to as she covers the health industry for the Boston Globe.

So let's all think of some challenges we are facing with our projects, especially from the point of view of story and journalism, and be prepared to ask for suggestions.

As I mentioned in class, please read the series and be prepared to discuss Chelsea's role in the cancer project. You've seen the multimedia, and it was powerful. As you read the story, compare the effectiveness of the two forms, the multimedia and the story. What can the story do that the multimedia can't, and vice-versa. What does the photography add to the project? You can see PDFs of the pages here to get an idea of what it looked like in print.

Finally, please take responsibility for a lively, dynamic, interesting class discussion. No walls of silence of depending on the same old people to ask questions (much as we appreciate their contributions.) This is a great opportunity to squeeze advice from someone who was once right where you are now and has reached the top of the profession.

What to do for April 2

For next week, read the "Rest of the semester" memo posted below. Mark your calendars. I've redone it once because I thought the last day of school was the May 14 (duh), so let me know if I messed anything up. You will really want to make good use of that time -- suddenly it's not that far away.

Let's set a project benchmark for next week as something concrete for your project that you can show me. We'll have conferences next week in which we will be able to look at or listen to whatever you have. So the benchmark will be a a few minutes of edited video, five minutes of edited audio, or 25 stills (unedited) or some combination of those. (Remember, your project must include at least audio and video or audio and stills, or a combination of the three.) The benchmark is a little loosey-goosey by necessity, but be sure to have a significant block of something concrete we can discuss in conference.

Some of you will also have some inspirational video to present. See the "Rest of the semester" memo posted below for more on that.

The rest of the semester

Excellent job on the storyboards. Other classes have been very shy about this project, but you guys dug right in. I hope it helped you to visualize and organize your stories. I'm sure you realized there's a lot to do, and that this can only work if you pace yourself. That's really important.

From here on in, you are basically doing independent study as you work on your projects. The projects will become the bulk of your work. I will set benchmarks for progress as we go. We'll still have class, of course, but your permanent homework assignment, aside from some reading in the textbook and some other tasks, is to work on your projects.

There are now six weeks left in the semester.  Class presentations will be done during the last two classes, April 30 and May 7. There will be a lottery to determine who presents on which days. 

Rough, but substantially completed, drafts will be due April 16 and 23. Those will be reviewed and critiqued on April 16 (for those presenting final project on April 30) and April 23 (for those presenting final project May 7) of April. So everyone will have two weeks from critique to revision to finished project.

That basically leaves two regular classes, April 2 and 9,  with parts of April 16 and 23.  During these classes we will work on whatever needs doing. Next Monday, April 2, we will talk about video and what we learned from Scott Ripley and I will demonstrate some stuff on iMovie, as I promised. I think we should also talk more about still photography and audio recording. Are there other things you feel you would like to cover in these classes, stuff you are feeling uneasy about?

Other activities over the next few weeks will involve inspirational videos (no longer than 5 minutes, please) that you take turns presenting -- things you discover on the Internet that inspire you. Perhaps there is some effect you see that you would like to emulate in your project. Perhaps you just think the video is really cool. Perhaps it raises journalistic or ethical issues that you would like to discuss. Or you could pick a bad one that inspires you not to do the same, and you can deconstruct it to see why it doesn’t work. Find and explain at least one specific thing in the video that you think could benefit the class. It’s very important as we work on our own projects to immerse ourselves in the work of others.

Please email me by 5 p.m. on the Sunday prior to your presentation with the URL of your inspirational video so I can get a preview and be sure there are no duplicates. Thank you.

I have drawn names from a hat (OK, a box) for these inspirational video presentations. Here’s how it breaks down:

April 2 (which is next Monday)

Ella, Laura, Joel

April 9

Raya, Ashleigh, Sarah, Michelle

April 16

Travis, Kaitlin, Justin, Lydia

April 23

Drew, Vinny, Lauren, Kenny

We can also use part of each class for Rapid Strike Force help sessions -- 20-minute or longer sessions in which the entire class teams up to help one student with some aspect of his or her project. There are things that 15 people can do together that might take one person days. Need an informal poll taken? Need some research done online? Just want some feedback on something? Then these sessions are for you. While these are individual projects, they work best if they are all team efforts. We need to pitch in and help each other as much as we can. It is not mandatory that you use these help sessions, but it sure can help. 

So please let me know if there is some aspect of your project that you would like the class to help you with.

I have also drawn names for the rough-but-substantially-finished presentations and the final presentations. Group 1 will present rough drafts on April 16 and final on April 30. Group 2 will present rough drafts on April 23 and finals on May 7. You are welcome to trade around if you like -- just let me know. Remember, the final projects should be about five minutes long.

Group 1: Ella, Kaitlin, Michelle, Justin, Andrew, Kenny, Vinny, Travis

Group 2: Laura, Joel, Lauren, Lydia, Raya, Ashleigh, Sarah

Let me know if you have questions.

What to do for Monday, March 26

This is a work week for your final projects. At this point you each have a project that you have discussed with me and discussed with classmates on a couple of occasions.

As I mentioned in class, this is a week for research rather than actual shooting or recording. Begin reporting the story as if you were preparing a conventional written story. That could include such things as creating a project management timeline,  finding sources, lining up interviews, doing enough research to make yourself a mini-expert in whatever areas your project involves, and finishing and refining your storyboards.

For Monday, please finish those storyboards and bring them to class. On your blogs, post a progress report detailing all the steps you have taken, including interviews scheduled, a complete research bibliography, and any other information so that I can see that you have made measurable progress on the projects. Please also detail the additional steps you intend to take in the coming weeks to keep your project on track.

Our guest on Monday, March 26

One of the cool things about multimedia journalism is the cool people who are doing it. People like Don Himsel or, our guest today, Scott Ripley. Scott works for UNH as a videographer, shooting and producing stories all over campus. Here is his bio:

Scott Ripley – Producer/Director

Scott joined UNH as a producer/director in November of 2007 after nine years working as a Videographer/Editor in television news.  He spent five years at WHEC-TV in Rochester NY and four years at WFXT-TV in Boston. He won an AP Award and several National Press Photographers Association awards at WHEC. At WFXT, he was runner up for NPPA regional photographer of the year twice, was nominated for several Emmy’s and won 2 New England Regional Emmy’s in 2006.  He has a Bachelors Degree in TV Broadcasting from SUNY Oswego. Scott specializes in videography and producing news style stories on a wide range of subjects at UNH.  If you have a story suggestion and would like to contact Scott, he can be reached at (603) 862-1855 or via email.

Scott is going to teach us lots of stuff about shooting and editing video. After some time in the classroom, we'll venture out into the summer weather to shoot a story, then we'll go to his production studio to see how it is all put together.

Prior to the class, you should check out the video he did on the Thompson Hall clock and bells. 

By the way, I can't resist. My lovely niece is getting into this video stuff in her work with America's Test Kitchen in Cambridge, Mass. Here she talks about drying herbs.

What to do for Monday, March 19

Shoot, edit and publish a video or photographic story of a process. It's kind of like what you did in class with the apples (poor apples), but this one will seriously try to convey the steps in a process, sort of a how-to. This could involve any number of things such as:

     How my mom or dad bakes a cake (pie, whatever).

     How the guy at the garage changes, repairs, and re-mounts a tire.

     How a ski binding is mounted on a new ski (or snowboard, etc.)

     How maple syrup is made.

     How to ride a unicycle (or some other difficult thing)

     How to mix the perfect martini

     How to string a guitar (banjo, ukulele, etc.)

 You get the idea -- anything that involves distinct steps or sequences to accomplish and that can be visually explained (unlike "how to write a book" or "how to breathe air"). These are all things you can find at home or wherever you will be. The piece doesn't have to be more than 30 to 60 seconds long. In fact it should definitely not be longer than that. The audio can be collected through the video camera or a separate recorder. If you shoot video, you can create your how-to clip in iMovie if you have access to a Mac or in Moviemaker if you are stuck with a PC. If you use photographs, make sure there are enough so that the pacing is similar to a video, i.e. quick, without lingering too long on any shot. You could also create this in iMovie or the PC equivalent or in other software of your choice. Remember, there are lots of tutorials on line if you get stuck, which I don't think you will. Upload your clip to your blog by class time on Monday, March 19. 

Again, I am looking for quick, clean, tightly edited, clearly explained by a narrator or the person doing the work. I'll be looking for clarity, quality and ease of understanding. You can be clever, but not too cute. Imagine you are working for a website that publishes how-to clips and you'll get fired if you don't get your point across clearly.

Have fun, and have a great break!

What to do for Monday, March 5

First, nice job on the audio. I know it wasn't easy for everyone, but actually it went more smoothly than I have ever seen.  Sorry we didn't get to hear them all. I will post them on the blog.

Second, I forgot to show you the underwater dog photos. You can see them here. They are truly incredible. Don't try this with your new Nikon!

Third, next week. We really need to move ahead with the projects so that you come out of break raring to go. That means that we ought to have an email dialogue over the next five days or so to sift through your ideas until we find something workable, then meet in conference next week to discuss and finalize the ideas. If everyone is available to meet individually with me on either Tuesday or Wednesday at some point that would work well for me and I will put a sign-up sheet on my door tomorrow, Wednesday.

So the first thing you should do is email me a synopsis of your project idea as it stands now by sometime Thursday night. I don't care when, as long as I have it by 7 a.m. I will get back to you by email Friday; you will refine your idea and get back to me by 5 p.m. Sunday with a more detailed description of your project. I will get back to you once more, and you will further refine your project for our meeting.  If I reject your project out of hand, don't be offended -- I've seen a lot of student projects and I know which ones work and which don't.  I'm just trying to save you some misery.

Remember that these projects need to be journalistic in nature -- they are not entertainment. They should tell a story. It can be funny. It can be sad. It can be infuriating. It can be uplifting. Make people laugh, make people cry, make people think. Just connect. The story must be original, creative and imaginative. Your stories should employ at least two of the digital media we have studied and will continue studying (audio, still photo, video). They do not have to be Durham-based or UNH-based. Find a story wherever you can. Avoid stories that have a time element any time before about the middle of April or even later. Better yet, avoid stories with any time element at all.

OK, so quick review of deadlines:

7 a.m. Friday: A concise synopsis of your story idea with an explanation of why this will make good multimedia.

5 p.m. Sunday: Your refined or new idea based on the response you will have received from me.

Conference time: Further refinements based on the comments received from me so that we can discuss and finalize in conference.

Really spend some time on this since this is the phase that can determine the success or failure of your project. I am happy to help in any way I can.

Tomorrow I will also give you a reading assignment in the textbook (which I forgot to bring home.)

Also, if you haven't posted your photos for the past week on your blogs, please do so. 

Thanks,

Sandy

What to do for Monday, Feb. 27

Part I: This week you learned how to use the great audio editing software Audacity. Now it's time for each team to edit your interviews into a 3-minute or so soundcast. First, however, a little more field work: You learned about Broll (ambient background sound associated with a story, such as the sound of a bus door opening if it is about a bus driver) from Don and in your reading. Head out and collect some B-roll and save it so that you will be able to work it into your project  in Audacity.

Now you are ready to make your show. This will take a lot of careful editing. You will want to export it from Audacity as an MP3 file Remember, if you are confused about anything Don said in class there are numerous online tutorials in addition to the guidance given in your textbook. When you are finished, email that mp3 file to me. This should be no later than Sunday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.

Part II:
This is a solo project. Using either a decent point-and shoot or DSLR camera (you can borrow very good cameras from Parker Lab), you are going to start shooting photos. Lots of photos. Tomorrow. If you have documentation, read the user's guide for the camera. If not, search for it online -- every camera manufacturer will post it. Re-read Chapter 6 in the textbook, which you first read for Feb. 13. Become a photojournalist, seeing the world around you, becoming aware of light and lines and shadows. Every day this week, beginning tomorrow, Find one thing or person or place that you are going to photograph every day. Same thing, every day. Take as many photos as you want, but be sure to do it every day. It doesn't have to take long. This is an exercise professional photographers do to stay sharp. Good photography is all about practice. When you save your photos as JPEGS to a folder on your computer or wherever, make sure the day's date is in the filename. It might say, for example, Feb 21 tree.jpg, or each day's photos could go into a separate folder. At the end of the week (next Tuesday) select one photo from each day and create a slideshow using the slideshow gadget on Blogger. In your folders, please save all of your photos, not just your final selections.

We've got a guest

On Monday, Feb. 20, Don Himsel of the Nashua Telegraph will be our guest. Don does it all -- photo, video, audio -- and he does it all extremely well. He knows all the hardware and software inside out. On top of that, he can teach. Don's always been a big hit when he visits our classes, and we're very lucky to have him as a generous friend of the UNH Journalism Program.

Don will be helping us with Audacity and with the interviews you are doing this week, so be sure to bring them to class. You can save them as MP3 files and bring them on whatever media you choose, or store them in the cloud on Dropbox or some other service where you will be able to access them from the computers in the classroom. Bring your photos as well in digital form.

Here is Don's bio:

Photo Editor and Multimedia Producer, The Telegraph
mobile- (603) 759-1775

Don helps drive the multimedia bus at The (Nashua) Telegraph, a newspaper covering about 15 towns in southern New Hampshire. He is a photographer, photo editor and a multimedia producer for the approximately 20,000 circ daily and Sunday newspaper and associated websites.


He’s been on staff there since 1989 and has worked at other New England
newspapers. He still is on the street but he’s moved from solely covering daily photo assignments and managing the photo staff to helping coordinate the multimedia training and reporting efforts throughout the newsroom. In a highlycompetitive daily work environment he’s consistently put The Telegraph on the board first by covering breaking news with Twitter and mobile devices, including streaming live video. He’s also worked on longer form narratives, carrying ideas
from conception through production with words, photos, audio and video.

Don preaches the benefits of good new media storytelling to regional press associations and also the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia. He has also presented Photography for reporters at the New England Press Association
(now New England Newspaper and Press Association) annual workshops. By request he’s consulted for both small and large regional news companies on multimedia reporting.

Don’s been a member of the National Press Photographers Association and the former NH Press Photographers Association. He’s been on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Press Association and the state’s Judiciary and the Media group. He was a contract photographer for the photo documentary book project America 24-7. He has received state and regional photojournalism awards including one of the first ever New England Newspaper Association Publick Occurances awards for documentary photojournalism. Most recently he placed first in the NENPA annual contest for video and additional recognition for audio slideshow (Boston, 2012).