Leopold’s Cafe

Check out this panoramic photo of the site of a terrorist bombing in Mumbai, India.

Video Shooting Assignment

DUE: By 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8

For this assignment you are to shoot a sequence of video. Your sequence will show someone performing some type of action. What the action is doesn’t really matter. It can be someone walking into a room and logging on to a computer to surf the Web. It can be someone making a sandwich. It can be someone making something. Just make sure a sequence of actions is involved and that the overall sequence is long enough to get a variety of shots from.

It might be helpful to think of a story statement to keep you focused on the sequence.

Make sure you record a variety of shots (wide, medium and close). Explore different camera angles and composition. Remember to record each shot for 9-10 seconds.

Bring your tape with your recorded sequence shots to class Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Gimme A Word…

The New York Times asks readers for one word to describe how they feel one year after Obama’s elections. Here’s what they are saying.

Wednesday’s Class

Be sure to bring your mini-DV tape, external drive and a camera to class Wednesday if you’re ready to capture your Blog 8 video footage.

If you want to use the class time to go out and shoot your video, check out a camera and show up for the beginning of class. You’ll be free to leave once I know you’re on the job.

Warren

No Chapter Summary Due Wednesday

You are not required to turn in a summary of the videography reading material I gave you on Monday.

It’s important stuff, though, and we might have a quiz on its contents before long.

Warren

Final Cut Tool Palette

You will need to know some of Final Cut Pro’s tool palette’s functions.

To learn what the functions are or to learn shortcuts, click here.

Blog Post 7 Assignment

Due midnight Sunday, Nov. 1

NYT: “Runaways” video & story

Here’s the video/slideshow: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/25/us/1247465360380/when-no-ones-looking.html?th&emc=th

Here’s the text story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26runaway.html?_r=1

You’ll need to check out cameras, too

Check out a camera and microphone and bring them to class on Monday.

Bring Your Stuff Monday

You’ll need your external drives, headphones and the mini-DV tapes you used during the Crisis PR or Fort Sill assignments (unless you haven’t done yours yet).

News About The News Chapter 2

Click here for a pdf of Chapter 2: NewsNewsCh2

“Finding a new model for news reporting”

This op-ed was published Monday by the Washington Post. It was written by Leonard Downie, the author of our “News About The News” textbook:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101801461.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2009101802019

Here’s an initial critique of Downie’s proposal:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=123&aid=171902

“Two Weeks in Forever”

Here’s another good audio slideshow about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/14/magazine/afghan-audioss/index.html?th&emc=th

“Cut In Half”

Check out this New York Times slideshow. It contains a simple audio track with minimal editing: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/14/business/economy/20091014_INCOME_AUDSLIDESHOW/index.html

Hyperlocal Journalism

My Ballard, an online website focusing on one Seattle neighborhood, and the Gotham Gazette, which covers only New York City  just won first place awards in the Online News Association’s annual competition for the best Internet news sites. Check them out:

http://www.myballard.com/

http://gothamgazette.com/

Project Ideas

10/05/09

Click here to see them all

Using Soundslides

View the five Soundslides tutorials on PaceSetter

Use this embedding script to post your Soundslides URL on Blogger. You’ll have to replace YourLastName/SSProjectFilename with the appropriate infomation.

<embed src=”http://gcj.ou.edu/JMC3003-Vieth/YourLastName/SSProjectFilename/soundslider.swf” quality=”high” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” pluginspage=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer” height=335 width=”400″></embed>

Flu Central

http://www.flu.gov/

25 Basic Styles of Blogging

http://freshpeel.posterous.com/the-25-basic-styles-of-blogging

Attention TV Journalists

This story about multimedia vs. traditional television news job descriptions is worth reading: http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2009/09/26/media_technology/inside_media/doc4abd164eab540966373861.txt

Chapter 9

This is a reminder that the Elements chapters are posted on this website. Click the tab at the top of the page that says “Readings.”

Script for Embedding MP3s on Blogger

<embed src=”http://gcj.ou.edu/JMC3003-Vieth/yourLastName/xxxxxx.mp3″width=”395″ height=”32″ autoplay=”false”></embed>

One More Tutorial

You’ll also need to watch the tutorial called “Uploading MP3s to Web server using AFP” to be able to post your audio clips on your blogs. By Wednesday, I will have a copy of the embedding script available to help you do that. It will be in the Assignments folder of our class file server (instead of Krug’s).

Most of You Won’t Need Cameras on Wednesday

If you successfully captured your audio clip on Monday and saved the project file (.fcp extension), you should be able to reopen the project on Wednesday and finish the process of exporting the clip as a .wav file, changing the format to .mp3, and posting the .mp3 on your news blog.

If you weren’t able to capture your audio clip, you will need to check out a camera again.

In any case, you’ll need your external drives and headphones tomorrow, and every class session for the remainder of the semester. This is your responsibility, not mine.

Blog Post 5 Instructions

Blog Post 5 is due midnight Sunday, Oct. 4. It consists of two separate posts:

1) Your completed audio file. The steps involved in this process are explained in the PaceSetter tutorials on Capturing Audio Clips, Export Audio from a Video Clip, Converting an Audio Clip’s File Format, and Embedding MP3s on Blogger.

2) A description of your Midterm Project plan (more than one idea is OK). Your project will consist of a long story, a slideshow that contains 10-30 still photographs, and an audio clip.

Iran Nuke Plant Graphic

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-facility.html?th&emc=th

“Swine Flu Surge Closes Schools, Tests Hospitals”

Read the Washington Post story here.

“Stop the Presses…”

…”Revamped Journalism Courses Attract Hordes of Students.”

Here’s the story.

Reading Assignments

You can upload the current reading assignments here. I also created a Readings page (tab at top) with all 11 chapters.

Elements Chapter 6

Elements Chapter 7

Elements Chapter 8

“Mastering Multimedia”

This American Journalism Review article might give you some ideas for your presentations (particularly this week’s).

Midterm & Final Project Assignments

See Assignments page for details.

Outside-Class Assignment

See the Assignments page for details.

Bob Dotson Visit

From:  Julie Jones
To:  Everyone

As you might have heard, we have Bob Dotson coming to Gaylord on Thursday, Sept. 24.  Bob has the distinction of being “America’s storyteller,” and for good reasons.  He is one of the elite – if not THE elite – storytellers of our time. 

NYT: “Financial Crisis, One Year Later”

This is a big, elaborate multimedia package appearing on the New York Times website:  “Financial Crisis, One Year Later”

Chapter 6

EOJ

“Watch Out, Swine Flu”

Great video. But is it journalism?

“Watch Out, Swine Flu”

Stuck for story ideas?

Here’s another good resource. You can sign up for regular email alerts:

“Five Consumer-Related Story Ideas You Can Localize”

Nose itch? Think twice before touching…

This New York Times swine flu story is full of interesting statistics…

“A Cleaning That Can Stave Off The Flu”

Sept. 25-26 NewsTrain Seminar

This one- or two-day seminar here is designed for journalists who want to be better assigning editors and reporters. It encompasses multimedia training. Gaylord College is willing to cover the registration cost for students interested in participating. If you are, please let me know. http://www.okpress.com/newstrain

FactCheck & Romanesko

I added links under “Resources” in the right column for FactCheck, a respected University of Maryland truth squad site geared to journalists, and Romanesko, a widely read Poynter Institute blog focusing on media industry issues.

What Does Network News Do Right?

Click here for New York Times Op-Ed Debate

Updated Schedule

Click the Schedule tab above for an updated timeline of assignments and activities.

Presentations Assignment

OBJECTIVE—A media firm has hired your consulting group to research and design the best possible multimedia news site for the future. You have been assigned to four teams looking into different aspects of this task and asked to prepare four 10-minute presentations spaced three weeks apart. To ensure the best ideas are brought to the table, your bosses have tasked four more teams within the company to make simultaneous presentations on the same subjects. In other words, you are competing with your peers.  After each presentation, your co-workers will vote on which team delivered the more compelling presentation for inclusion in the consulting group’s final report.

Sony HDR-HC9 Manual

Click here to dowload the PDF:

HDRHC9Manual

It’s also posted in the Contents section of D2L.

PWOP Assignment

DUE: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009
WHERE: Bring JPG images to class

Assignment: First Blog Post

Due midnight Sunday, Sept. 6:

Choose a news story from the Daily, the Oklahoman or any other credible source. Copy and paste the first five paragraphs to your Blogger site. Identify the contents of each paragraph. Then list the missing elements and some ideas for how you might have provided them if you were the reporter. See my example below.

Blog Post Example 1

The Oklahoman
09/02/09
Page 1
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-troopers-to-target-work-zone-law-violators/article/3397513?custom_click=lead_story_title

Oklahoma troopers to target work zone law violators

Post Your Blog Mission Statement Here

2-3 paragraphs will do. I want to know what your blog will be about and what audience you want to serve.

Basics of Blogger

Blogger

1)    Go to www.blogger.com.

1. Click the big orange button that says “Create a Blog.”
2. Chose a username and password that you will remember or …
3. Write your username and password down (or e-mail it to yourself).

2)    Once you log in, you should see a page that looks similar to this. If this is your first blog on blogger, the only blog you will see will be one with your name. This page is called your “Dashboard.”

1. If you do not have a blog with your name on it, click “Create a Blog.”
   1. i.     Here, you can create a URL for your blog and chose a template for your page.

3)    Click on “Edit Profile” by your blank photo image.

1. Here, you can create an “About Me” section and other sections like you would in Facebook or other social networking sites.
2. Fill out as much or as little as you would like.
3. Add a professional-looking photo of yourself.
4. Be sure and click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

4)    Go back to your “Dashboard” and you can se e a section that looks like this:

5)    This is called your “Reading List.”

1. By clicking on the “Add” button, you can follow other blogs. This is similar to being someone’s friend on Facebook. You will see each time they post a new blog.
2. Blogger Buzz is a newsfeed from Blogger. The Blogger site will give you information and Blogger news updates here.
3. Blogs of Note are featured blogs on Blogger.

6)    To change the look of your blog, click “Features” at the bottom of your Dashboard.You can change or add photos, learn how to add video, change your template, etc.

7)    For more information on how to add media to Blogger, visit http://www.ou.edu/gaylord/home.html and click on

8)    Next, you will click on “Courses” and choose JMC 3003. A list of tutorials will be available. Blogger tutorials are near the end of the list.

Chapter 1 Summary

When you write the 150-200-word summaries of our book readings, please use this general format:
2-3 paragraphs summarizing the contents of the reading
2-3 paragraphs stating your opinion about the contents
The number of paragraphs doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s a good mix of summary and analysis.
(If you’ve already written a Chapter 1 summary containing all summary, don’t sweat it. Just follow this formula from now on.)
Thanks.
Warren