Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Kaitlin Bulavinetz, Final Project
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Maddy Roth, Assignment #2, MOS
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Rachael Pacella Self Report
Gabby Siskind, Assignment #1
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Connor Letourneau, Assignment #1
Honestly, there was some credibility in their concerns. It’s impossible to deny that dozens of newspaper organizations have gone bankrupt within the past decade, and that newspapers are putting out increasingly smaller products. But despite these harsh realities, I’m not too worried.
Nothing is completely static—everything goes through changes. Journalism is no different. Although newspapers won’t likely be a major news product in the coming years, that doesn’t mean there will be any less of a demand for qualified journalists.
Instead of following that “traditional” newspaper career pioneered by such greats as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, graduates of today’s J-schools are on the brink of a new era of journalism. I don’t fully know what new era entails, but I’m excited about it. I feel that if I do everything I need to do, I should have no problems establishing a journalism career despite the obstacles currently facing the field.
I can best prepare myself for the future by spending the remainder of my college years making myself into a well-rounded journalist. Thousands of aspiring journalists can write a solid news story, but not everyone can do everything. I want to be that guy. When an editor needs to have a multimedia journalism piece uploaded to the paper’s website on deadline, I want him to feel comfortable putting me on the job.
That’s why I’m trying to become proficient in a number of different technologies. By expanding my knowledge of various programs—such as Audacity, Photoshop and Final Cut—I’ll not only have an edge over my competition, I’ll have the tools necessary to satisfy consumers’ changing demands.
So even though journalism’s changing landscape might require a little more work on my part, it’s work that I don’t mind doing. Because at the end of the day, I want to be a journalist and I’ll do what it takes to make that a reality.
Eric Garland Assignment #1
Ethan Scholl Assignment 1
Assignment 1, Eytan Hirsch
While I initially entered the Philip Merrill College of Journalism undecided about the type of journalism I wanted to focus on, I eventually concluded that print would be my best option. However, with the field of journalism drastically changing with the constant development of new technology and the failure of many major newspapers, I have learned that only knowing how to write is not nearly enough to be an aspiring journalist in today’s society. Today, it is integral for journalists to be proficient in all aspects of the field, which includes having a strong understanding of how to use technology, such as video cameras, audio recorders, and digital cameras.
As someone who is pretty inexperienced in producing video for the web at this point, I will definitely face some challenges while learning how to shoot video in the most effective way possible. As I learned in the first class, it is not enough to just take out the camera, turn it on, and begin recording. There are many steps that I must take in order to produce a video that is professional, appealing, and easy on the eyes. For instance, I learned that when setting up the camera, it is important to use a tripod to prevent too much camera movement and to frame the shot so that the eyes are in the top third of the frame and some of the shoulders are showing in the bottom third. Also, while in this video I am in the middle of the frame because I am delivering a copy of what I wrote directly into the camera, if I were being interviewed, I would need to look to the right or left of the lens and consider the rule of thirds when setting up the shot.
Moreover, when I am in front of the camera, it is crucial that I make sure to come across as compelling and interesting to listen to. Even if the material that I am covering is fascinating, if I present it in a dull or boring manner, it will not have nearly as strong of an effect on the viewer. As someone who is not the most charismatic speaker in the world, this is something that I will definitely need to work on both in this class and in my future as a journalist. Overall, while producing first-rate video for the web is definitely a challenge that will take me some time to master, I hope that I will ultimately become more confident in my ability to be a journalist who can do far more than just write.
Assignment 1, Taylor Lewis
To start off, I do not consider myself, or anyone of my generation to be a “traditional journalist”. We have been fortunate enough to grow up with the technology that is so pervasive in journalism now, and as such, most of it should come naturally to us. My personal issue as I get further into the field is obtaining the equipment itself. As a journalist now, we are more independent and to be efficient, should have our own equipment. But as a college student, that is not always possible. Although I still have a lot to learn, editing videos and audio and even writing for the Internet is not a problem for me, but getting the equipment and software for it is. Especially being unpaid and having to devote so much time to other studies. There is also so much new technology constantly coming out that it is difficult to keep up with all of it, though again we are expected to, and my personal feelings about certain technology make me apprehensive to consuming it blindly.
As journalists, though we report on the world around us, we are often disconnected from it, and the technology that now controls our product is making that distant even more prominent. Stories are reported without thinking because they have to break within seconds, bloggers report on news without talking to a single source. While it is inevitable that this will happen, as the world as a whole is traveling in the same direction; as those who have a hand in how life is portrayed, I wonder if we’re even supposed to care about such things. And while that independence has created a whole new sector for job finding, news organizations that I once thought reputable and would like to be a part of are crumbling before my eyes and I feel I have no choice now but to act independently to maintain some integrity. But I do fully embrace the challenge of integrating the new and old schools of journalism, hopefully extracting the best of each.
Marisa Pilla, Assingment 1
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Jeremy Spiegel, Assignment #1, Self Report
As a print journalism major learning to produce video for the first time, I face many challenges I have not dealt with before. One example is learning the technology. It took me many tries to line up the camera perfectly for the most effective video. Video appears to be best when run by two people, not one. During the first assignment in class, one person filmed the other. This way, we had to either worry about what we were saying on camera or filming the interview, not both at the same time. In print, photography, and audio, one person can easily work alone, but in making a video there are two aspects that must be done at the same time.
Another challenge I faced is reciting my speech on film. In published articles, I only have to do the first step in the process, writing the article. Now, I have to write the assignment and present it, either memorized or very familiar with it. Becoming comfortable with what I am saying in front of the camera took some getting used to. In the beginning of the slice, I will try several different tactics, such as listening to recordings, reading notes, or memorizing short assignments, in an attempt to find the best way to present the information.
Going along with the first two, one last challenge is camera presence. When recording a video, I need to be charismatic and look presentable at all times. In contrast, I can write an article reclining in bed. In making this video, for example, I had to plan out what I was going to say, practice reading, get the timing down right, and then set up the technology. The process of making a good video recording did not come naturally, and I had to practice many times.
In conclusion, recording this video was a unique challenge for me because I had to manage the entire project by myself, become familiar with what I was saying, and practice my way through the process. Although this was a different experience for me, I hope to get better as the semester progresses.