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