Saturday, December 6, 2008
Final Projects
I really enjoyed getting the chance to watch the final projects. It is always amazing to see what people can come up with. I feel as though every student has come a really long way since the beginning of the semester. This has been a new experience for all of us, and all the projects were very interesting. It is not always easy to come up with newsworthy or sometimes even interesting stories in such a small part of the world. We are all limited by not only location, but also by time. As students, we are not able to completely devote our time to one project. We have other classes to take, other projects to do and usually many bills to pay. Nonetheless, every student in the class was able to not only find an interesting, newsworthy story, but each student was also able to tell the story in a very compelling way. There will always be aspects of the projects that we can change, but overall, it was obvious to see that each student really tried to incorporate all the different aspects of multimedia that we learned this semester. It was a nice opportunity to see what everyone did.
As for my project, I really appreciated the feedback I got from the class. It is by no means perfect and I am going to try my best to do some final touches for Thursday. I must admit that there were times when I wanted nothing to do with my project. The reporting was fun. The adventure of finding the story and getting the story was also really great. It was everything I love about journalism, but multimedia is completely different than what I am used to. It takes a different mindset in order to get the materials need to tell the story in an effective way. In my opinion it adds many stresses to the life of a journalist, especially when technology is not on your side. These stresses were the things that had me screaming, "why can't I just write the damn thing?". Looking at my final project, it is also obvious to see how multimedia adds a different touch to a story that print can not express.
All the stories were really well thought out, and I enjoyed watching all of them. I look forward to Thursday.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Final Project
So I just finished my first ever multimedia project. All together the experience was a positive one. It was tough for me because I am so used to expressing myself through the written word. When it came to visualizing the story, I saw my project in words. I have no problem visualizing a paper before I write. I can see the techniques I want to use. I can see the words that I want to say, and I can see how I am going to be able to say it effectively. I can see all of that in words. When it came to visualizing my multimedia project, I knew the story I had to tell. I could easily see how I would tell it using the written word. Using stills, video and audio was a little tougher. All in all, I am happy with the project. There are some bumps here and there that I could not seem to smooth out. I do not think it is perfect by any means, and as I continue to watch it, I will be searching for ways to improve it and make it better. Nonetheless, I have come a long way on my technological abilities, and I have learned quite a bit about how to effectively tell a story in our fast-paced, technology driven world.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My fears of the future
The fact that less and less people are reading newspapers is actually really sad. I suppose it does not make too much of a difference as long as people get their news and information somehow. The thing that bothers me is the fact that reading used to be something that was enjoyable to many people. I'm afraid that as time goes on, and more and more newspapers become completely digital, less and less people will read. Sooner or later, no one will be reading. I think that print should stick around, and that people should be forced to get their news that way. I mean it might help with illiteracy. What also scares me is that, best selling novels are not even selling as much as they used to. I just hope that the love of the art and beauty of the written word never dies.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tom Snyder
There is really only one word needed to describe last week's class: amazing. Not only did I learn a great deal of information about audio, but I also got to laugh... a lot. Dry humor... it is a wonderful thing. I love the fact that Snyder was able to find such great success using tools like moviemaker. It really was an inspirational story. Now I feel like all I really need in order to make it big is know one name! And of course actually learn how to use simple editing tools such as moviemaker.... although I think I am making great progress!
As far as actual editing goes, I really like how Snyder emphasized the importance of finding the story within the huge clup of audio. That short presentation about a man on death row who justs wants to lose weight before he dies is halarious. However, it is also a great example of how to edit audio. He created the story with his material. Although in the world of journalism it is completely unethical to do what Snyder does to that extent, I think it is important to realize the importance of editing. Just like any other aspect of multimeida and/or form of journalism, it is always good to have more than what you need.
As far as actual editing goes, I really like how Snyder emphasized the importance of finding the story within the huge clup of audio. That short presentation about a man on death row who justs wants to lose weight before he dies is halarious. However, it is also a great example of how to edit audio. He created the story with his material. Although in the world of journalism it is completely unethical to do what Snyder does to that extent, I think it is important to realize the importance of editing. Just like any other aspect of multimeida and/or form of journalism, it is always good to have more than what you need.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My Wonderful Waysmeet Surprise
Walking through the streets of Durham NH at this time of year is a beautiful experience. You can not help but notice the beautiful college campus, the bright colors of the leaves that highlight each tree before floating through the air and accumulating on top of the clean, green grass. Everywhere you look you can see numerous college students filling the streets, each of them bobbing to their own beat. All together, it is a very diverse and beautiful scene. One thing that you may not see in Durham is poverty, but that does not mean it does not exist.
This week I had the chance of interviewing a 65 year-old woman who lives in Durham and depends on the Waysmeet Food Pantry in order to survive. Her name is Gisela and honestly, I was not even planning on interviewing her today. I expected to have an interview with the head of the program, Larry Brickner-Wood. I did sit down and talk to Larry, but before I interviewed him, he told me that I should really sit down to speak with Gisela. I am so glad that I did. Her story is a great one. It is a story that I feel needs to be heard:
Gisela started depending on the food pantry at the end of August, 2007. She had just moved with her husband to Durham and has been disabled for five years. Her husband has a kidney disease that requires him to go to the hospital three times a week and he can not hold a part-time job. Initially, Gisela and her husband had enough money to get by. Then, the medical bills started to increase. They could no longer get by. With the increase in gasoline prices along with all his medical bills, they could no longer afford groceries.
"We have seen an increase in grocery prices which is unbelievable," said Gisela. "We go once a month when the check comes in and buy what we can, but it keeps getting smaller and smaller because the prices keep increasing."
Over the last year that Gisela has been counting on the food pantry, she has seen an increase in the overall number of people who depend on it.
"It is so necessary for people in order to survive to the next paycheck," said Gisela.
Gisela and her husband never expected to both be disabled within a year. They always figured that they would work until they retired. She said that they always used to contribute. When she realize she needed to depend on a food pantry, Gisela became depressed. She never thought she would have to, and for that reason, she refused to go to the food pantry for a while.
"I just couldn't comprehend that I would ever have to go to a food bank in order to get by," said Gisela.
Gisela said that her experience helped her realize that current situation can happen to anyone, and that no matter how bad things can seem, there are always people who can and will help.
"People are basically very good, and people realize that there is a need out there," said Gisela.
Gisela's interview was really powerful. She spoke passionately and the audio came out really well. I was not expecting to talk with her today, but I am very glad that I got the opportunity. Her story and her perspective of the current economic situation will add so much to my final project.
As for Larry....
Larry got interested in work that helps other people in college. He worked in local government as a town planner in Virginia. After five years he became the town manager of a small town in Virginia. He then moved to Vermont to work as a town manager and eventually ended up in Durham working as Durham's town manager. He loved it. However, after 20 years, he started to realize that he did not want to do it for the rest of his life. He started working at Waysmeet in 1997 at the age of 43. When he arrived the food pantry was located in Christensen Hall. Overtime, Waysmeet realized that more people needed to be involved in the food pantry because of an increase in the demand and use of it. Therefore, it moved to the campus ministry. Since then, it has changed a lot. People who depend on the pantry can now come when it is not technically open and they can still be served.
"There are always volunteers here to help people," said Larry.
"I love to work here for lots of reasons," said Larry. "It is one small way that you can right some injustices in the world."
One of Larry's favorite aspects of working at Waysmeet is the opportunity he has to work with student volunteers.
"I see so much energy and passion [in the students] for change in the world and it humbles me everyday," said Larry.
Larry said he loves the fact that student volunteers at Waysmeet are given the opportunity to realize that poverty even exists in a small town like Durham and that they are also given the opportunity to ask why.
"We are one of the wealthiest towns in one of the wealthiest states and there is still poverty here and that is appalling to me," said Larry.
As for technology...
Before taking this class, I thought that I knew a lot about technology. As a child of the computer age, I felt as though I had everything pretty much down. However, I have recently realized that I was wrong. I have realized that technology can be a really stressful element of multimedia. While it allows you to do things that print journalism can not do, it can also make it possible for you to age at a more rapid rate. However, I have already come to realize that there are some things that you just can not stress out about. For me, technology is one of them. I think that it is just something that takes some getting use to, and I can already see myself getting better. I feel as though, as individual journalists, we have no chance but to learn how to master the beast now. In the future, this is going to be how stories are told and how people get the news. As an industry, I wish that journalism could stop and turn back. I think that people may need reasons to get them reading. If reading was a person's only way to get the news, maybe the illiteracy rate would not be as high. Maybe people need a little push to get going. Nonetheless, it is obvious that in this new age of technology, journalism has given in to the fast shots of photos, videos and audios in order to capture the short attention span of the majority of people and in order to get news and stories out to the public. If this is the case, then if we want to continue as journalists, we must follow, and although it can get stressful and there are many more obstacles that stand between a journalist and her deadline, I am confident that if we learn now and start making the mistakes early, we will be masters of this new age journalism when it becomes a necessity.
This week I had the chance of interviewing a 65 year-old woman who lives in Durham and depends on the Waysmeet Food Pantry in order to survive. Her name is Gisela and honestly, I was not even planning on interviewing her today. I expected to have an interview with the head of the program, Larry Brickner-Wood. I did sit down and talk to Larry, but before I interviewed him, he told me that I should really sit down to speak with Gisela. I am so glad that I did. Her story is a great one. It is a story that I feel needs to be heard:
Gisela started depending on the food pantry at the end of August, 2007. She had just moved with her husband to Durham and has been disabled for five years. Her husband has a kidney disease that requires him to go to the hospital three times a week and he can not hold a part-time job. Initially, Gisela and her husband had enough money to get by. Then, the medical bills started to increase. They could no longer get by. With the increase in gasoline prices along with all his medical bills, they could no longer afford groceries.
"We have seen an increase in grocery prices which is unbelievable," said Gisela. "We go once a month when the check comes in and buy what we can, but it keeps getting smaller and smaller because the prices keep increasing."
Over the last year that Gisela has been counting on the food pantry, she has seen an increase in the overall number of people who depend on it.
"It is so necessary for people in order to survive to the next paycheck," said Gisela.
Gisela and her husband never expected to both be disabled within a year. They always figured that they would work until they retired. She said that they always used to contribute. When she realize she needed to depend on a food pantry, Gisela became depressed. She never thought she would have to, and for that reason, she refused to go to the food pantry for a while.
"I just couldn't comprehend that I would ever have to go to a food bank in order to get by," said Gisela.
Gisela said that her experience helped her realize that current situation can happen to anyone, and that no matter how bad things can seem, there are always people who can and will help.
"People are basically very good, and people realize that there is a need out there," said Gisela.
Gisela's interview was really powerful. She spoke passionately and the audio came out really well. I was not expecting to talk with her today, but I am very glad that I got the opportunity. Her story and her perspective of the current economic situation will add so much to my final project.
As for Larry....
Larry got interested in work that helps other people in college. He worked in local government as a town planner in Virginia. After five years he became the town manager of a small town in Virginia. He then moved to Vermont to work as a town manager and eventually ended up in Durham working as Durham's town manager. He loved it. However, after 20 years, he started to realize that he did not want to do it for the rest of his life. He started working at Waysmeet in 1997 at the age of 43. When he arrived the food pantry was located in Christensen Hall. Overtime, Waysmeet realized that more people needed to be involved in the food pantry because of an increase in the demand and use of it. Therefore, it moved to the campus ministry. Since then, it has changed a lot. People who depend on the pantry can now come when it is not technically open and they can still be served.
"There are always volunteers here to help people," said Larry.
"I love to work here for lots of reasons," said Larry. "It is one small way that you can right some injustices in the world."
One of Larry's favorite aspects of working at Waysmeet is the opportunity he has to work with student volunteers.
"I see so much energy and passion [in the students] for change in the world and it humbles me everyday," said Larry.
Larry said he loves the fact that student volunteers at Waysmeet are given the opportunity to realize that poverty even exists in a small town like Durham and that they are also given the opportunity to ask why.
"We are one of the wealthiest towns in one of the wealthiest states and there is still poverty here and that is appalling to me," said Larry.
As for technology...
Before taking this class, I thought that I knew a lot about technology. As a child of the computer age, I felt as though I had everything pretty much down. However, I have recently realized that I was wrong. I have realized that technology can be a really stressful element of multimedia. While it allows you to do things that print journalism can not do, it can also make it possible for you to age at a more rapid rate. However, I have already come to realize that there are some things that you just can not stress out about. For me, technology is one of them. I think that it is just something that takes some getting use to, and I can already see myself getting better. I feel as though, as individual journalists, we have no chance but to learn how to master the beast now. In the future, this is going to be how stories are told and how people get the news. As an industry, I wish that journalism could stop and turn back. I think that people may need reasons to get them reading. If reading was a person's only way to get the news, maybe the illiteracy rate would not be as high. Maybe people need a little push to get going. Nonetheless, it is obvious that in this new age of technology, journalism has given in to the fast shots of photos, videos and audios in order to capture the short attention span of the majority of people and in order to get news and stories out to the public. If this is the case, then if we want to continue as journalists, we must follow, and although it can get stressful and there are many more obstacles that stand between a journalist and her deadline, I am confident that if we learn now and start making the mistakes early, we will be masters of this new age journalism when it becomes a necessity.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
oh multimedia
I found Don's presentation to be very interesting. Never have I thought that still photos are more effective than videos. However, he made it obvious that there are some projects in which video really does not do as much as a still photo. Sometimes the lack of movement and the focus of one still image can really say enough. However, I did think that the transgender presentaion could have used some video. I was a little confused as to which person was going through the surgery. It took me a while to catch on. If there had been a short video of her talking in the begining, it would have been very helpful. Nonetheless, although I have always known that a picture can be powerful, Don was able to show me exactly how powerful a photo can be.
This week, I am going to take an inside look at the dish room at Stillings Dining Hall. I think there are a lot of really grose, but amazing pictures just waiting to be taken. Also, I am really curious to find out how the employees feel about working in the dish room. It should be interesting. I would say that although the majority of students on campus eat at the dining hall, it is unlikely that most of them have seen what goes on behind the scenes. I know that us college kids are really mature and love to take life very seriously, but where does that plate that you just made a face out of ketchup on go? Who deals with it? Let's have a look!
As for my story at the food pantry, I am going again on Monday (hopefully). After learning what I have in the last week about video and still photos, I hope to get some slightly more captivating images.
I also just read the handout that we got in class on Thursday. I found it very interesting because although print journalism and multimedia journalism are completely different, the reporting is pretty much the same. As a reporter, whether your piece is going to be in the newspaper or uploaded as a slideshow on the the internet, you always want to make your interviewee to feel comfortable and you always want to ask open ended questions. No matter what, it really is more of a discussion than it is an interview. The only thing that may be different is the fact that newspaper writing at times tries to get more facts and only facts.
Anywho....Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!
This week, I am going to take an inside look at the dish room at Stillings Dining Hall. I think there are a lot of really grose, but amazing pictures just waiting to be taken. Also, I am really curious to find out how the employees feel about working in the dish room. It should be interesting. I would say that although the majority of students on campus eat at the dining hall, it is unlikely that most of them have seen what goes on behind the scenes. I know that us college kids are really mature and love to take life very seriously, but where does that plate that you just made a face out of ketchup on go? Who deals with it? Let's have a look!
As for my story at the food pantry, I am going again on Monday (hopefully). After learning what I have in the last week about video and still photos, I hope to get some slightly more captivating images.
I also just read the handout that we got in class on Thursday. I found it very interesting because although print journalism and multimedia journalism are completely different, the reporting is pretty much the same. As a reporter, whether your piece is going to be in the newspaper or uploaded as a slideshow on the the internet, you always want to make your interviewee to feel comfortable and you always want to ask open ended questions. No matter what, it really is more of a discussion than it is an interview. The only thing that may be different is the fact that newspaper writing at times tries to get more facts and only facts.
Anywho....Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!
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