Section 1 -- UMD JOURNALISM 328G/628G

Final Projects

2009-12-18T10:22:00.001-05:00

As you all know, the deadline for final projects was 10 am this morning...

To those of you who got your projects in -- congratulations....

If you haven't uploaded yet, get that done ASAP. We will be taking points off for late work, and the later the project comes in, the more will be deducted.

Looking forward to watching the projects.

-Jeff

How to Post Soundslides Projects to the Blog (same info I e-mailed)

2009-12-18T08:14:00.001-05:00

So to post a Soundslides project... There are two ways:

There are two ways you can do this:

1. The first step will be to export from Soundslides (once you're finished), and that will generate a whole folder full of files. Next, upload the Publish_to_Web folder full of files to your Web space.

For Web space, you can use the file hosting service that Maryland provides, ... it's File Manager under TerpConnect
http://terpconnect.umd.edu/myweb

Then post the link to your slideshow to the blog.

The OIT help desk should be able to walk you through any problems that come up with that (http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/documents/4/4781/)

2. Some of you have found that Soundslides lets you convert your project so you can upload it to Blogger or YouTube without having to put it on TerpConnect. Here's how Michaelle did it (thanks Michaelle!)

First, go to this link:
http://support.soundslides.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=132

Then, after the project is already exported, create a zip file out of the "publish_to_web" folder by using the steps listed based on the type of computer you are using.

Then, click "online video converter." (a link in the first sentence).

Type in your email address and click "continue."

Then, select your file and upload it. It will be converted into an MP4 file and emailed to you.

Go to the link, save it and upload it to the blog.

These steps are all outlined on the Web page.

Issues with Method 2:

Some students are reporting that the captions are dropping out of Soundslides when the projects are converted to mp4 video files (the method I sent most recently). After doing some digging, I've learned that this is a bug of converting Soundslides to video formats:
(see: http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/using-soundslides/publishing/)

So, if you've already finished your project and posted it that way, then post a comment on the blog with the captions you intended and note what time each was to appear.

Or, use the first method of uploading that I described and upload the folder of files to the TerpConnect Web space -- that will keep the captions in place.

-Jeff

Justin Cousson: Off the Wall--Sam Nassau's Final Project

2009-12-18T06:27:00.004-05:00

Tomas Balino final project- Curt Shackelford of StandupComedyToGo

2009-12-18T03:39:00.003-05:00

Peter Tartaglione Final Project

2009-12-18T02:09:00.001-05:00

Reaction to Slogan Change- Adam Kerlin's Final

2009-12-18T00:52:00.002-05:00

Operation Best Day Ever- FINAL

2009-12-17T17:21:00.006-05:00

Captions:

00:16-00:23
Voice of Teddy Powers
U-Md. Junior
Founder of Operation Best Day Ever

01:26-01:32
Voice of Kelly O'Brien
U-Md. Junior

Alexis Gutter: FINAL- GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE

2009-12-17T16:20:00.002-05:00

audio test

2009-12-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Sam Nassau Interview and Sequences--Justin Cousson and Off the Wall

2009-12-17T03:22:00.006-05:00

Also functions as preliminary for Final Project.

DRAFT- Final Project "Operation Best Day Ever"

2009-12-16T22:22:00.005-05:00

For some reason, the attribution credits did not come up, but I will fix that.

It may have something to do with me not selecting to upload the "lower thirds," but I'm not sure.

Alexis Gutter's Draft 2- Georgetown Cupcake

2009-12-16T17:19:00.005-05:00

Zettler Clay Final Project: Steve Crane and College of Journalism's Transition To Knight Hall

2009-12-16T14:40:00.006-05:00

If video won't play, here is the link.

Wynne Anderson's Final Project

2009-12-16T13:52:00.002-05:00

Eric Villard final project

2009-12-16T08:48:00.003-05:00

Tiffany March - Final Project

2009-12-15T18:31:00.001-05:00

Ben Giles Final

2009-12-15T18:18:00.003-05:00

Open this file in your web browser to view the audio slideshow:

http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~brgiles

Alexis Gutter: Final ROUGH DRAFT

2009-12-15T12:33:00.001-05:00

Peter Tartaglione Sequence with Interview

2009-12-15T02:19:00.001-05:00

Adam's Edited Sequence Interview

2009-12-15T01:43:00.002-05:00

ID sequence and interview- Tomas Balino interviews Katie Snider about finals

2009-12-15T01:29:00.004-05:00

sequence and interview final

2009-12-15T01:26:00.002-05:00

ROUGH DRAFT Final Project

2009-12-14T16:13:00.002-05:00

EDITED Ben Giles interview a broadcast major

2009-12-14T13:05:00.001-05:00

Interview with Yanne Givens from Ben Giles on Vimeo.

Wynne Anderson Interview Sequence Redo

2009-12-14T12:33:00.003-05:00

Dan Leaderman - Final Project

2009-12-14T08:07:00.007-05:00

My last order of business before leaving the US of A:

Link: View larger size here.

Zettler Clay Interviews Student About Tiger Woods - Man On The Street (Edited)

2009-12-13T18:45:00.003-05:00

Zettler Clay Interviews Student About Tiger Woods - Man On The Street Interview (Unedited)

2009-12-13T17:40:00.003-05:00

Zettler Clay Finds Out What Student Does In Idle Time On Campus

2009-12-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

If the video above is obscure in any way, view it here.

Alexis Gutter Interview and Sequence Draft

2009-12-12T17:24:00.002-05:00

Ben Giles interviews a broadcast major

2009-12-11T12:55:00.002-05:00

Ben Giles interviews Yanne Givens from Ben Giles on Vimeo.

Sequence Interview: Zettler Clay Finds Out How A Student Spends Idle Time On Campus

2009-12-11T03:39:00.007-05:00

If the text runs off the screen on your computers/mobile gadgets, you can view it better here.

Sequence Interview- Tour Guide Banquet

2009-12-10T10:23:00.002-05:00

Alexis Gutter's Interview and Sequence raw footage

2009-12-10T09:22:00.002-05:00

Interview Sequence: Director of the Multicultural Center

2009-12-10T07:39:00.001-05:00

Michaelle Bond Interview with sequences

2009-12-09T23:25:00.003-05:00

A Christmas Sequence and Interview - Eric Villard

2009-12-09T21:04:00.007-05:00

The interview is fairly dark - I realized this (much to my dismay) after having already finished with it. I didn't want to burden the man with doing a re-shoot, so I guess it is what it is. I'll just have to keep lighting in the front of my mind during the final project.

Wynne Anderson Sequence and Interview

2009-12-08T20:00:00.002-05:00

Bowling For Sequences and Interviews - Dan Leaderman

2009-12-08T15:11:00.004-05:00

Tomas Balino- Hyatt bellhop helps woman with her bag

2009-12-07T01:23:00.004-05:00

Zettler Clay - Potential Marine Tests Her Strength

2009-12-07T00:26:00.002-05:00

Alexis Gutter- Musical Chairs at a Bat Mitzvah

2009-12-06T16:34:00.002-05:00

Woman has worked in Common Shop for 35 years-Michaelle Bond

2009-12-04T15:29:00.002-05:00

Eric Villard sequence ID - repost

2009-12-04T15:10:00.002-05:00

This video was actually shot by Richard Waganer, a resident of my hometown (Eldersburg, Md.) who is also a professional videographer. It is a commercial he entered in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Challenge with hope of getting it aired during the big game. Waganer’s Doritos ad is his take on the recent ‘Balloon Boy’ media frenzy. The video is on the Doritos Web site, http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/video/1258/, and the most recent version of the Adobe Flash Player is required to see it. When the site first loads a Doritos ad pops up – you can skip it by clicking the button in the lower right of the screen.

Unfortunately the site does not have time stamps on the video, but it is relatively short and the shots occur within a five second span. I’ll put by estimations on timing in parentheses. About two-thirds of the way through the commercial the main character, let’s call him ‘Jeff,’ is running through a field – this is where the sequence I’m identifying begins. It has a total of five different shots.

*The first shot (17 seconds in) is a very wide one with Jeff held in the rightmost third of the frame. It gives depth and a sense of place to the sequence.

*Immediately after this (18 seconds in) is a tight shot of the upper fourth of Jeff’s body as he is running through a field. The camera pans with him, mimicking the movements of his body.

*Right after this (18.5 seconds) is a tight shot the the Doritos bag making a landing in the wheat field.

*Next is a shot similar to the one at the 18-second mark (19 seconds in), but it is pulled out to a medium distance and encompasses his whole body. Again the camera pans with him and mimics his body movement.

*Lastly we have another tight shot (20 seconds in) of Jeff’s face as if we were in the bottom of the Doritos bag looking up. This shot makes it clear that the focus is Jeff and removes and possible outside interference by framing his face within the bag.

Since it is a spoof on ‘Balloon Boy,’ this video was aiming to capture the frenzy that surrounded it. As a result the cuts in the video, especially toward the end, are tight and quick. I think having the camera bob and sway with Jeff as he runs clumsily through a field hoping to find his darling ‘Chip’ in the bag effectively captured this. The variance in sequence shot types made the video dynamic and helped to keep the audience’s attention.

Erasable Inc. Performer in Sequence--Sam Nassau

2009-12-04T14:28:00.002-05:00

Peter Tartaglione Films Student Entertainers Using Sequence

2009-12-04T14:18:00.001-05:00

Adam Kerlin- Clerk at Work

2009-12-04T14:06:00.002-05:00

Nervous Man, Crossword Puzzle -- By Dan Leaderman

2009-12-04T14:02:00.002-05:00

Tiffany March sequence shoot

2009-12-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

Eric Villard sequence shoot

2009-12-04T13:50:00.004-05:00

Ben Giles videotapes a potential marine

2009-12-04T13:45:00.005-05:00

Wynne Anderson's Sequence Shoot

2009-12-04T13:45:00.004-05:00

Sam Nassau's Edited Man on the Street-- Daniel Berdugo Talks Maryland Basketball

2009-12-04T02:46:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's late.

Blackberry Love Commercial and Sequences--Sam Nassau

2009-12-04T01:01:00.007-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylPejo32uik

Posting the video itself doesn't work right.

At :01, there's a wide shot of the man and the mountain.
Then at :03, a medium shot. He's getting ready.
At :04, a wide shot. Climbing.
Just the feet at the end of :04 and into :05, a detail.
:06, its wide. Still climbing.
Then, at :07, super wide. Success.

At :08, a medium of the guy and the guitar.
Two seconds later, at :10, the detail of him writing.
And at :11, the wide of the band playing.
There's also two mediums of the players at :12 and :14.

After this, the commercial plays around with the editing more, moving in some shots, staying still in others, breaking scenes up. Most of the rest of the shots are medium, though there are a few details and wide shots peppered in. By beginning with the two sequences, the commercial establishes the idea of people working toward something and acheiving it, a tone that carries through the rest of the video.

Peter Tartaglione talks Geico Commercial

2009-12-03T23:19:00.002-05:00

Geico Commercial - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j8NCAhjd_4

The commercial for Geico insurance, featuring the famous Geico Caveman, effectively utilizes sequence.
Within the first 5 seconds of the commercial, the commercial goes from a medium shot, to a wide pan out of the caveman walking, to a tight shot of his face. The sequence works because it sets the scene through the wide shots and shows the personal emotion through the close-ups.

:01- The Caveman gets off an escalator and walks toward the exit.
:04- The camera angle widens and you see the Caveman exiting a train station.
:06- The camera zooms in on the anguished Caveman's face.

Right after that closeup, the picture pans out to show the Caveman standing in front of a slew of T.V.'s advertising Geico with the slogan "So easy a caveman can do it." It then zooms into his face again to show greater anguish.
The video continues to switch back and forth between tight shots and medium shots as the Caveman runs down the street. The importance of the wide shots is to show the Caveman running through the streets alone, depicting him as a loner, and then the tight shots show his discontent with this. The commercial uses sequence very successfully to tell this story.

Alexis Gutter discusses the Gap holiday commercial

2009-12-03T21:27:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqLlqfNBl68&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-2-HM

Holiday Gap commercials have been among my favorite for years as I love the music and dancing. For the 2009 holiday commercial, there are many sequences that change camera views quickly. Here is an example of such a sequence:

1 second: A tight shot of a dancer's face before the number begins. The tight shot builds anticipation and gives independence to each dancer so that they will not be categorized as a group throughout the duration of the commercial

2 seconds: Wide shot of all of the dancers starting to move and singing. This shows what the entire scene looks like and is great contrast to the first shot.

3 seconds: Medium shot of three dancers in motion. This shot shows facials and more detail that engages the viewer more than the wide shot.

Changing angles and shot variance is a good way for the commercial to keep the audience engaged especially considering that the only other content of the ad is the song. Moreover, I'm personally happy that I had a reason to watch the advertisement 8 times because I truly do love Gap holiday commercials.

Twilight Trailer Sequences- Adam Kerlin

2009-12-03T16:13:00.002-05:00

Twilight Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoSZhDmEUok

0:34 Tight shot of Edward glancing into Bella's eyes

0:35 Wide shot of car wreck scene. Edward jumping over truck and fleeing from scene.

0:36 Medium focused on Bella looking at the impression edwards hand made in the car as he saved it from crashing into her

The sequence is from a trailer to the first Twilight movie which came out last year. The movie served as the first installment in a four part series focusing on a the love between a vampire and a human girl. The movie, which is considered a romantic drama by many, set up the intense relationship between Bella, and young teen living with her single father and Edward, a vampire who falls in love with her despite his unique circumstance.

The reason I selected this piece was because I am not extremely into the books or movie, but after seeing the movie and realizing the relationship between the two characters, I believe this sequence perfectly illustrates the beginnings of their relationship.

The medium shot focusing on Edward's eyes gives the impression that he wants to tell Bella something, but he can't. From watching that short shot I get the feeling that he deeply cares for what he is looking at (Bella) and has something he is hiding and dying to tell her (his status as a vampire).

The wide shot that directly follows the tight shot sets the scene for the situation. You get a wide view of the nearly missed accident and the reaction of the people around the parking lot.

Finally you have the medium shot. This shot focuses back on Bella, who is now staring at the large indent Edward's strength left in the side of the vehicle. The emptiness and body motions that the medium shot focuses on gives you a feeling of confusion and loneliness, which I think the directors intended with the shot.

Basically, I found that this brief three second collection of three simple shots successfully introduces the viewer to the dynamics of Bella and Edwards interesting relationship. It is successful at placing a feeling in the viewer and summarizing a complex situation extremely quickly.

Ben Giles talks Bird vs. Jordan

2009-12-03T10:23:00.004-05:00

The overall effect of the sequence of shots in this video is a bit cheesy, but it's still effective, especially considering how iconic this commercial was and still is today.

The common sequence of shots here is to shift from a medium shot of either Bird or Jordan taking a shot, and then to zoom in for a quick, tight shot of a ball swishing through a hoop. The first time we see this is at the 22 second spot, after a Jordan shot.

The sequence of quick cut shots get more extravagent as the trick shots the player's take get more complicated. In a series starting with a Bird basket taken from the bleachers: a total of three camera shots are shown in only three seconds.

31: the ball bounces off midcourt.
32: the ball bounces off the jumbotron.
33: the ball swishes through the hoop.

And to cap it all off, second 34 in the video is a tight shot of a flabbergasted Jordan.

The video goes on in this manner, and then even uses wide shots for grand effect as the baskets taken by the players get even more ridiculous. At the end of the commercial, the camera pans out into a wide angle shot of Bird and Jordan standing on a skyscraper, starting at the 52 second mark.

Zettler Clay Explains Sequential Elements in Dark Knight Trailer

2009-12-03T03:25:00.004-05:00

Dark Knight, one of the greatest movies of the decade and the second-highest grossing (domestic) film ever, was ushered into the summer of 2008 with much hype. This trailer was a big reason why. It built anxiety, suspense, drama and action in just under two minutes and 30 seconds.

Starting at the 14 second mark, there are two consecutive wide shots followed by a medium shot (ending at the 18 second mark). The trailer wouldn't show a close shot until the 28 second mark, when the Joker was introduced. This will become a familiar pattern throughout the video. I thought this was very effective because the audience was anticipating the arrival of the new character and the production team of Dark Knight capitalized on that by saving its close shot for the late Heath Ledger's appearance.

This trailer would go on to use close shots sparingly, set up by a barrage of wide-to-wide-to-wide-to-medium sequences before sprinkling in a close shot. The production team also seemed focused to limit its close-ups on the Joker and Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the antagonists of the film.

In fact, every shot of the Joker is a close-to-medium shot. Batman/Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, was displayed with more dimensions (which, when you think about it, is fully in line with how Batman is). The whole video is spliced with this consistency, but a special sequence best encapsulates the sequential elements we discussed in class:

1:33 - 1:48: It begins with a close up of the Joker and ends, fittingly, with a close up of Harvey Dent's metamorphosis into Two-Face. In between, there was 15 rapid scenes. 10 of them were close ups, three of them were wide shots and two were medium. At one section (between 1:36 and 1:39), there were four straight close shots, immediately followed by two wide shots and a medium shot. For the remaining seven scenes in this sequence, there was only one wide shot, sandwiched between two consecutive close shots and four consecutive close shots. These shots and the speed with which they were put together was executed effectively to emphasize the crescendo of the trailer.

With over $1 billion in the bank, it's safe to say that it might have worked.

Twilight Trailer Sequences- Adam Kerlin

2009-12-03T01:29:00.006-05:00

Twilight Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoSZhDmEUok

0:34 Tight shot of Edward glancing into Bella's eyes

0:35 Wide shot of car wreck scene. Edward jumping over truck and fleeing from scene.

0:36 Medium focused on Bella looking at the impression edwards hand made in the car as he saved it from crashing into her

The wide shot that directly follows the tight shot sets the scene for the situation. You get a wide view of the nearly missed accident and the reaction of the people around the parking lot.

Michaelle Bond on Barilla Pasta Commercial

2009-12-02T23:09:00.007-05:00

The commercial is in Italian, but that doesn't matter because it contains sequences.

00:30- tight shot on boxes of Barilla pasta
00:31- medium shot of mother and son at the store with pasta boxes
00:32- wide shot of Barilla trucks transporting the pasta
00:34- tight shot of the face of the founder of Barilla
00:35- tight shot of the grain in his hand

This commercial is about Barilla pasta from 1877 to the present and how it has continued to be a family favorite through the years. The commercial and this sequence are trying to get viewers to feel like they have always been part of the Barilla family throughout the pasta's history.

The combination of the three types of shots works in this commercial. The first three shots in this sequence go from tight to medium to wide. This shows the way something as simple as pasta can be more important than just food and can connect people. The pasta starts out as just food, but becomes something bigger than itself over time because of the people it touches. The tight shot of the pasta boxes works because it puts the focus back on the item being marketed, lest the viewers forget the name of the only type of pasta that has been connecting people for more than 100 years. It also draws the viewers into the commercial, like they are part of the family. The medium shot of the mother and son also allows the viewers to feel like part of the family. The wide shot of the trucks shows that the pasta is being distributed to families in all different locations.

The tight shot of the founder's face brings viewers back to where it all began, as does the tight shot of the grain in his hand.

Peter Tartaglione Interviews Matt Lipsky on Maryland Basketball

2009-12-02T03:10:00.001-05:00

I was having trouble posting my video to the blog, so here is a Link to my video on Vimeo.

Adam Kerlin Interviews Leigh Ann Renzulli on "Twilight" Popularity

2009-12-02T00:36:00.003-05:00

Zettler Clay Interviews Jarrett Williams About The Makings Of A Great Movie

2009-12-01T21:57:00.002-05:00

Alexis Gutter discusses the Gap holiday commerical

2009-12-01T18:32:00.003-05:00

2 seconds: Wide shot of all of the dancers starting to move and singing. This shows what the entire scene looks like and is great contrast to the first shot.

3 seconds: Medium shot of three dancers in motion. This shot shows facials and more detail that engages the viewer more than the wide shot.

Alexis Gutter's Edited man on the street interview

2009-12-01T18:28:00.002-05:00

2009-12-01T18:16:00.003-05:00

Dan Leaderman Analyzes the Final Showdown from "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly"

2009-11-30T15:46:00.015-05:00

MGM has posted the entire movie on YouTube, God bless 'em, but doesn't offer an embedding code. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfACij6ezQ

This sequence is one of my favorites, in part because it drags on for

so long that the tension is stretched to a ridiculous, absurdly comical

degree. But I think it deftly illustrates how the sequencing techniques we discussed can really grab the viewer and build excitement while

providing a clear and fluid sense of action.

Specifically, I think we can learn from this series of shots:

2:44:58 - A super-wide shot of the three gunfighters taking their

positions.

2:45:34 - Another super-wide, this time from a different angle. The

audience now has an excellent feel for the spatial relations between

the characters.

2:45:39 - A medium shot, from the waist up, of Tucco (Eli Wallach),

nervously sizing up the situation

2:45:43 - A nearly identical medium shot of Angel Eyes (Lee Van

Cleef), looking uncertain.

2:45:47 - The same medium shot of Blondie (Clint Eastwood), looking cool and steady.

2:45:52 - A wide shot from over Blondie's shoulder of Tucco.

2:45:54 - A wide shot from over Tucco's shoulder of Angel Eyes.

2:45:57 - A wide shot from over Angel Eyes' shoulder of Blondie. The audience now knows what each character sees.

2:46:01 - A detail shot of Angel Eyes' gun, still in his belt.

2:46:04 - A detail shot of Blondie's gun, still in his belt.

2:46:07 - A detail shot of Tucco's gun, still at his side.

2:46:10 - A medium close-up of Tucco, looking nervously between his two opponents.

2:46:13 - A medium close-up of Blondie, looking from Tucco to Angel Eyes, still confident.

2:46:16 - A medium close-up of Angel Eyes, looking back and forth as well.

The sequence continues for several minutes, just cutting back and

forth between the mediums, details, and wides without much actually

happening, but it builds a tension in the viewer that resonates with the

situation the characters are in.

Note: This post was formatting in an odd way on in my web browser. Hope it looks okay to everyone else.

Tiffany March edited man-on-the street

2009-11-30T09:31:00.003-05:00

"The Twilight Phenomenon"

Tomas Balino Sequence Identification

2009-11-25T17:58:00.001-05:00

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UISpt-6osA

In this commercial, two Jack in the Box employees (Phil and Barbara) visit Jack Box, the restaurant's mascot, in the hospital.

0:19- Medium shot of Barbara and the doctor as Barbara recites Jack's message and starts to hand him a teddy bear. We can see the concern on Barbara's face, as well as her action, the passing of the bear.

0:21- Medium shot of Jack Box as Barbara hands him the teddy bear. The shot shows both Jack's physical state and the teddy-bear passing.

0:22- Tight shot on Phil's face to show his bewilderment.

The video is actually part of a viral marketing campaign for Jack in the Box; the rest can be found out at HanginthereJack.com. Obviously, you're not supposed to take this commercial too seriously. Sure, you'd see this scene in virtually any hospital, but chances are that (a) the injured person wouldn't be a food mascot and (b) most people probably wouldn't be quite as clueless as Phil. The sequence I picked out takes both of those points and plays them up for humorous effect.

For the record, Jack pulls through. Hang in there, Phil: maybe one day, you'll have your own hamburger chain to run. Although I hope, for all our sakes, that day doesn't come for a very, very long time.

Tomas Balino asks Mary Curtis about the D.C. sniper (man-on-street edited)

2009-11-25T16:28:00.003-05:00

Michaelle Bond edited Man on the Street: Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T22:54:00.004-05:00

Dan Leaderman Asks About Thanksgiving

2009-11-22T19:19:00.002-05:00

Tomas' new Man on the Street interview

2009-11-22T16:16:00.006-05:00

New interview, since the other one had sound problems. My camera ran out of space during the interview, which is why I've put up two videos.

Tiffany March sequence ID homework: a woman driver in Afghanistan

2009-11-22T13:38:00.002-05:00

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/10/07/world/asia/1194819782105/empowering-women-in-afghanistan.html

"Empowering Women in Afghanistan"
Adam Ellick
In the province of Bamian, women are uprooting traditional gender roles by taking up leadership positions.

I like the final sequence of this short video because of the variety of shots, and also because the sequence serves the message of the story. The concept of a woman driving is a kind of metaphor for freedom, and it's a nice way to end a video about "empowering women." Also, the sequence makes a lot of sense logically, in that it starts with a car approaching and then follows as an Afghan woman gets into the car and drives away.

2:36 - wide shot of a car approaching, can't see who is driving
2:48 - medium/wide shot of woman getting into car
2:54 - medium/tight shot of a woman in the car, as seen from outside the car
3:07 - artistic medium shot of woman driving, seen in side mirror
3:15 - artistic detail photograph of a woman's face in the rear view mirror, as seen inside the car
3:18 - medium/wide shot of woman driving away

Eric Villard sequence ID: Doritos 'Balloon Boy' spoof

2009-11-21T09:04:00.008-05:00

Unfortunately the site does not have time stamps on the video, but it is relatively short and the shots occur within a five second span. I’ll put by estimations on timing in parentheses. About two-thirds of the way through the commercial the main character, let’s call him ‘Jeff,’ is running through a field – this is where the sequence I’m identifying begins. The first shot (17 seconds in) is a very wide one with Jeff held in the rightmost third of the frame. It gives depth and a sense of place to the sequence. Immediately after this (18 seconds in) is a tight shot of the upper fourth of Jeff’s body as he is running through a field. The camera pans with him, mimicking the movements of his body. A similar shot follows this (19 seconds in), but it is pulled out to a medium distance and encompasses his whole body. Again the camera pans with him and mimics his body movement. Lastly we have close shot (20 seconds in) of Jeff’s face as if we were in the bottom of the Doritos bag looking up. This shot makes it clear that the focus is Jeff and removes and possible outside interference by framing his face within the bag.

Since it is a spoof on ‘Balloon Boy,’ this video was aiming to capture the frenzy that surrounded it. As a result the cuts in the video, especially toward the end, are tight and quick. I think having the camera bob and sway with Jeff as he runs clumsily through a field hoping to find his darling ‘Chip’ in the bag effectively captured this. The variance in sequence shot types made the video dynamic and helped to keep the audience’s attention.

Eric Villard man-on-the-street (Edited)

2009-11-20T16:22:00.002-05:00

Assignments / Before and After Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T15:50:00.022-05:00

Here is a re-cap of the assignments that are due before and after Thanksgiving:

Before Thanksgiving:

1) If you haven't posted your raw man-on-the street shoot that we worked on in class, do so by noon on Monday, November 23. If you have decided to re-shoot it, let me know in advance by email and explain why you want to do it over.

After Thanksgiving

2) Video Assignment #2b: Man on the Street, Part 2 (The Edit). Edit the man-on-the street video. Final edits must not exceed one minute. Students will be graded on content and the coherence of the final edit. Breaks in the interview should be separated by fades or dips to black. If using MovieMaker, these breaks can be best achieved by inserting a blank text screen in between clips. The inclusion of reporters' questions and/or text screens is optional but encouraged if they add clarity to the piece. Due to the Thanksgiving break, videos must be posted by noon on Wednesday Dec. 2. (35 points)

2) Video Assignment #4: Sequence Identification. Find an example of a successful or unsuccessful sequence in an online video. Include a description of at least three consecutive shots that complete the sequence you have chosen to identify. Ideally, the sequence will include a wide, medium and tight shot, but not necessarily in that order. The types of consecutive shots can vary, for example, you can choose a sequence that contains two tights and one wide. Link to the video on the blog and provide a description of the specific elements -- combinations of wide, medium and tight shots -- that work or do not work in your opinion. What is the sequence (and overall video) trying to accomplish? Include time codes in your description to identify the shots you are describing. This assignment is due by noon Thursday, Dec. 3 (30 Points).

Here are the videos I showed in class that contain the sequences we discussed. It might help you to watch them again and consider how one shot relates to the next. The Colombia sequence starts around 5:02:

Colombia; A Fragile Renaissance

Yahoo Ad

Johnnie Walker Ad

Have a good break!

Nina

Wynne Anderson's Sequence ID: Blackberry "All You Need Is Love" Ad

2009-11-20T14:53:00.005-05:00

Blackberry All You Need Is Love Ad

This video has great sequence shots throughout the ad. The commercial shows a very tight shot, at 0:05, of the rock climber's feet on the rock as he climbs. The next is a medium shot, at 0:06, of the entire person climbing and some of the rock, and then the final shot in the sequence is the wide shot of the climber standing on top of the giant rock. This sequence goes very quickly, but is part of a longer sequence that demonstrates the overall meaning of the ad to "do what you love." The add shows people accomplishing things that they love to do but may seem difficult at first, and this sequence shot demomstrates the hard work that went in to climbing that rock.

Ben Giles interviews a woman on the sidewalk EDITED

2009-11-20T14:43:00.003-05:00

Wynne Anderson Man on the Street Interview Edited

2009-11-20T14:30:00.002-05:00

Sam Nassau's Man on the Street--Daniel Berdugo talks about Maryland Basketball

2009-11-20T14:12:00.004-05:00

Michaelle Bond Thanksgiving Man-on-the-street

2009-11-20T14:06:00.002-05:00

Adam Kerlin Man-on-the-Street Interview

2009-11-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in class, I forgot to ask the student her age on camera. After tracking her down she told me she was 18.

Peter Tartaglione Man on the Street - Maryland Basketball

2009-11-20T13:34:00.007-05:00

Alexis Gutter's Man on the Street Interview about Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T13:30:00.001-05:00

Zettler Interviews Brandon Carter About Fight Club And Star Wars

2009-11-20T13:27:00.006-05:00

Eric Villard man-on-the-street interview: Swine Flu on campus

2009-11-20T13:27:00.005-05:00

Wynne Anderson Man-on-the-Street Interview

2009-11-20T13:20:00.008-05:00

Dan Leaderman Talks to Guy About Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T13:20:00.007-05:00

Tiffany March man-on-the-street interview: The Twilight Phenomenon

2009-11-20T13:08:00.006-05:00

Ben Giles interviews a woman on the sidewalk

2009-11-20T13:08:00.005-05:00

Sam Nassau on Taking the Video Slice

2009-11-20T09:26:00.008-05:00

In my broadcast writing class (JOUR360), my teacher says there's only one way a story can be put on the air, and that's with good video. So throughout the semester, I've had the idea that video is important drilled into me.

I'm excited to be taking the video part of the slice class right now because I'm done the photo and audio parts of the class, and now I can really understand the different components of video because I know both photo and audio.

Some problems I see with the video slice just come with the technology, which was really a hurdle in the audio slice. I'm not entirely sure how to use movie maker yet, and I'm using technology that I won't be using at a news organization. I'm really going to have to work beyond that.

However, I am very excited. I think video's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm really going to learn a lot--not only about the technology, but about how to make good video, and tell good news stories in a new kind of way.

Peter Tartaglione on Adapting in the Changing World of Journalism

2009-11-19T23:03:00.003-05:00

I suspect that ten years ago, as a print journalist, learning to use video would not be nearly as important as it is today. However, in today’s journalism landscape, it is imperative that we are able to utilize every different type of multimedia. I am glad that the video slice is my final slice. There are many components of audio and photography that has prepared me for video.

Our first class taught us the basics of video journalism. We all became more comfortable with our equipment as we prepared to venture out into the expansive world of video journalism.

We got a chance to look at a few professional pieces, including some that were created by our professor. These pieces included one about elections in Mexico that really showed me the power of well-made video journalism. I do think that I will face many challenges while I learn to use video on the Web. I know that pieces like this will come in time, and that my beginning pieces will be a struggle.

I anticipate that the quality of my equipment, which is not on par with the equipment I would be using at a news organization, will affect the quality of my video. I must learn to make the best out of what I have. Also, it will be interesting to toy with lighting and place when I am first starting out. Learning how to get the proper lighting will be an initial challenge; I don’t anticipate the technical aspects of taking video to come easily without practice.

We have learned a lot in regards to storytelling in some of our other slices. I think that this outlet is the best for storytelling, but it will not be easy to transition from print storytelling to storytelling through video. I am used to going out to cover a story with a pen and a notebook; now I will be armed with a tripod and camera as well. It is a method of covering a story that I am not used to. It will be challenging approaching people with a camera rather than a notepad; people tend to be more skeptical of cameras and will have to be approached in a different way to get the interview.

Sorry for the late post, I just got my new camera today.

Ben Giles talks about bringing it all together

2009-11-19T11:11:00.003-05:00

After the first class, I understand why it was important that I chose to progress through slice in the manner in which I did. Taking photography, then audio, and finishing with video has allowed me to continually build upon the things I learned in the classes before. In photography, we learned about capturing moments and being accurate. In audio, we learned about quietly recording and getting a clean sound.

In video, the two seem to be combined. Visually, you still have to understand how to frame a subject in the shot, how to follow them properly on camera, and how to best record what they are doing. Then when editing, you have to maintain accuracy of what happened. Audio is just as important with video as it stands on its own. You must make sure to get a proper audio clip to go along with your shot.

It was excellent to work hands on with the cameras in the first class, because it reminded of all those things. I’ve worked with video before, but in a movie-making environment, and I was overwhelmed by the technological aspects of the cameras and editing software. But now that I’m using a camera as simple as the Flip, I’m feel like I’m starting to be refreshed in the few skills that I may have picked up before.

Hopefully, as the semester goes on, I’ll continue to find ways to get better footage while I stand behind the camera. Noting the background, and aesthetics such as lines running behind your subject, can all be small but effective ways to enhance video, and I want to be able to notice things like that by the end of the semester.

Zettler Clay On The Transition From Print To Multimedia

2009-11-18T21:46:00.012-05:00

The barriers facing traditional journalists moving into video journalism hasn't been lacking for commentary lately.

Print journalists are text-dependent; to them, video, photos and graphics are ancillary in the storytelling process. However, in the brave new world of media integration, text is only part of the tale.

For many, that is a gigantic pill to swallow.

Video journalists have gained a renewed connotation in news organizations. It’s not taking on increased importance, for video journalists have always been important. It’s that instead of being confined to a niche role, journalists across all mediums should be capable of shooting, editing and producing video for the web. Newsroom attrition and declining revenues are two of the major culprits, but an increased consumer migration to the web is as big a factor.

Reporters face the task of having to shift their attention from the mindset of a single platform journalist to the mindset of a multimedia storyteller. But we’ve heard all this before; so what exactly does this mean?

Well, for starters, a reporter must go into the field thinking of the whole package, rather than just the textual article. How am I going to convey this story on video in a way that seamlessly integrates my article and photos and sidebar and possibly a poll? Even if all of these components can’t be inserted into a story initially, it is a requisite to think about them in conception phase of the reporting.

That's because in today’s news climate, there are multiple deadlines in a day. At 3:23 p.m., a 100-word article is posted on Twitter; an hour later, the article is 350 words. 30 minutes later, it’s a full-fledged article, replete with pictures.

By the next day, a whole multimedia display is put together. A brave new world indeed. This isn’t to say that I’m gleeful about the evolution of journalism. It is daunting to be a specialty reporter now because of the fear of being left behind. For practitioners of the written word, transitioning to the visual art of storytelling is anathema.

So what’s the challenge of a traditional print scribe in the alien world of iMovie, Moviemaker, Avid or Final Cut Pro?

The lead turns into a verbal intro; the linear story into a seemingly unconfined news playground. To the consumer, this may be a welcome change. More ways to imbibe information in a more dynamic and interactive format surely supersedes any nostalgia for a newspaper article, right?

But to the print-inclined crowd, this is like the in-laws staying for the holidays. You can find a million reasons to object to them staying, but in the end, it's better to just embrace them as your family. Because you know they're not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Tomas Balino talks about last class and potential challenges

2009-11-18T20:07:00.006-05:00

Last Friday, we began the video slice of our non-print media class. Nina began by telling us about her professional background; she then went on to show us how to upload videos onto the class blog with Windows Movie Maker. She did say, however, that Final Cut Po 6 was her preferred program for editing movies.

We looked at a number of video clips. The Reagan Evacuation video, for example, gave us a feel for what "on-the-scene" reporting is like. For example, since the person filming the evacuation was moving through the crowd, instead of standing still, keeping steady wasn't as big of a priority as it might be in other cases.

We also saw some pieces Nina worked on: one was about the Mexican Elections and the other was about jazz player Lene Cuje. Both showed us how to use a voiceover narrative to weave several clips about a related subject together.

We learned how even seemingly little things like bad lighting can ruin a piece, as seen in a Washington Post video about Obama winning the 2008 election. Nina also told us about the rule of thirds: namely, a person's eyes must always be at the top third of the screen. Finally, using video examples, she taught us two different kinds of shots: one was the "T.V. anchor/reporter style," in which the subject is filmed "on center" and is looking straight at the camera. The other I call the "interview subject style," where the camera is at a slight angle ("off-center") and the interviewee does not look directly at the lens. At the end of the class, we practiced screwing our cameras onto our tripods and filming one another in the "interview subject style."

There are a few challenges I think I'll have to overcome in multimedia journalism. For one, I always have a lot of trouble cutting out the unimportant parts of a piece, since I sometimes forget that what's interesting isn't always important to the story. Similarly, I often have trouble finding my story, or "hook," as it were. I know these problems aren't specific to multimedia journalism, but I'm worried they'll crop up in this course. On the technical side, I am a little worried about making clean video edits; I didn't have a problem with Audacity for sound clips, but I didn't have to worry about visuals! Still, I'm ready and willing to learn.

Michaelle Bond on challenges to traditional journalists

2009-11-18T18:01:00.002-05:00

My friend and I were talking the other day about majors. He is a computer science major, who is thinking about switching to business. He told me how difficult his current classes are for him. I tried to show him I understood by telling him how hard journalism majors have it. His response was, “That’s not hard. All you do is interview people and write.”

That is not now, nor has it ever been, true, but it is especially false in today’s technological world of instantaneous news, in which media’s audience has come to expect a lot more than written stories alone. And they expect it yesterday.

This heightened sense of urgency in a profession already ruled by tight deadlines is one of the challenges traditional journalists must face when learning how to do multimedia reporting. These journalists are not given much time to learn how to use new techniques and equipment. They are told to go out and report and are mostly left on their own to figure out how to capture a story. After they gather the information, they are often told to present their stories in multiple ways, such as with both a print version and a soundslide or with a written article and an online video.

Figuring out the best way to present a story can be confusing. Before the rise of Web-based journalism, print journalists knew from the beginning what medium they would use to tell their story. The same was true of broadcast journalists. Now, more decisions have to be made regarding the medium used.

I have been told multiple times that there is no longer any such thing as an exclusive “print journalist” or an exclusive “broadcast journalist,” because all types of reporters have been increasingly called upon to do it all. In fact the only distinction that really makes sense is “online journalist,” because that is basically what every journalist is now told to be. They must be able to shoot video, gather audio and write stories and they must be great in each of these areas.

This is the main challenge for traditional journalists in their transition to journalism on the Web. They are expected to be proficient in everything. This means journalists must do even more in order to stand out. This is especially true for young journalists, whom editors assume have superior technological prowess because of the generation in which they grew up. This causes young journalists to feel like they are behind when they do not know how to use various technologies.

Tiffany March on the challenge of multimedia journalism

2009-11-18T16:10:00.005-05:00

The challenges facing traditional journalists learning how to do news video for the Web

The first challenge I need to overcome is to not be intimidated by technology, or rather, by electronic equipment. Once I learn what kinds of equipment is necessary and how to use it, I know I will be much more confident and can begin acquiring new skills. I feel overwhelmed by knowing that there are so many different kinds of cameras, audio recorders and video cameras, and not knowing which ones are really the best.

I have always been a “book person,” which is probably why I’m now a print journalist. This is how technology-inept I am: my roommate has a giant flat screen television and DVD player and I don’t even know how to work either beyond the on/off buttons. The same goes for cell phones--I never wanted a cell phone but my mother gave me one when I went to college “in case of an emergency.” I had to use a blackberry for work last year but only learned the basic functions.

I am a little more comfortable around computers. I learned basic HTML when I was in 8th or 9th grade and built a simple Web site. I enjoy the artistic aspect of designing a page, especially how all of the elements fit together visually. I really like that there is some room for creativity on the internet. For example, we talked about in class how there is freedom to post a longer video than what you could show on television.

The creative element makes the idea of posting video on the Web a little bit less frightening to me, because I feel like internet users have fewer expectations than television viewers as to the form and presentation of a video. The “Youtube generation” is more likely to be forgiving if my package isn’t super slick, as long as the content is newsworthy. At the same time, I think the challenge is to make something that will grab people’s attention because the internet is so crowded with other information.

After I get over the mental hurdle of learning how to use new equipment, I think I will be able to enjoy shooting video for the Web. People are incorporating video in new and different ways all the time on news Web sites, so right now I feel free to experiment to some degree and to enjoy being creative, in order to discover what works best.

Dan Leaderman Discusses Video Slice

2009-11-18T13:10:00.005-05:00

As we move into the final section of the class, I think that video reporting will prove to be a helpful complement to some of the storytelling techniques I have been studying in other classes this semester.

One of the lessons I’m learning in my narrative journalism class is to suppress the flat, journalistic voice and do away with the reverse-pyramid structure in order to build a story as a series of actions. I think video projects, by their simple ability to show action, will help me develop my ability to approach stories in this way.

This idea was demonstrated by some of the videos we watched in class last week, which had no narration and the journalist seemed to have become completely invisible. I know that not all stories lend themselves to this style of reporting. Sometimes narration will be needed to give a clear sense of what’s happening and sometimes the journalist’s voice will be heard in interviews. But I’m looking forward to exploring the idea of the invisible journalist as it pertains to video reporting.

Another issue that will be interesting to explore is the fact that my previous experience shooting and editing video all dealt with narrative filmmaking techniques: writing short screenplays, casting, rehearsing, shooting them and editing. I’m sure many of these skills, which I learned as an undergraduate, will carry over to video journalism, but I’ll have to make sure that I know how to shoot events now that second takes are not a possibility and when rehearsals may be reduced to just making sure the camera is on and the subject is lit.

It should be an interesting and helpful experience and I’m looking forward to it.