It's a wrap

Spring quarter always seems to fly by, and this year it was no different. Except that usually it’s a nice feeling to know that summer is just around the corner, but I can’t help but think how much I’m going to miss working on staff with The Clipper and spending each day with the best people you could hope to meet.

Coming into the J111 class I already had some experience with journalism, and now have officially been with the school paper for a year. This gave me experience in interviewing people, verifying facts, and having my work shown to a mass audience.

However, it’s much different to write news than it is to create a slideshow, audio piece or video. First of all, there’s the technical part. I gained a better grasp on how to use programs like Audacity and iMovie, and now all I need is more practice.

Secondly was the comfortability factor. It’s one thing to speak with someone holding a pen and notepad, and another to hold a camera in front of them. Not only did I have to learn to be comfortable taking video, but I also had to learn how to make others feel comfortable in being recorded. I experienced this first hand, especially while creating a Folklife video for The Clipper’s website.

We spent a great deal of time talking about sound, and using natural sounds to help tell the story. This wasn’t something I generally thought about when approaching a story for the paper, but I quickly noticed how a simple sound could create a whole entire scene and in slideshows even create a sense of motion.

Another thing we emphasized was keeping old-school integrity with new-school technology. It’s easy to take a photo or use a sound bite that may not have been from the specific event you covered, but could easily represent it. That however, is not news and is misleading.

One thing that I found constricting was the time limit on videos, because beyond three minutes a web user’s attention will more than likely drift off, making it important to plan ahead using a storyboard. It also made it even more important to use all the elements of natural sounds and visuals to quickly convey an idea and tell at least the main aspects of the story.

Like I said before, I learned more skills in iMovie and Audacity, knowing these programs are great for journalism, but in general they are good skills to have. In my case, on top of journalism, I’ll probably use them for entertainment purposes. I know a few musicians that may want a music video.

Multimedia Story Evaluation

This week we were asked to read through some of the 2011 Online News Association winners. First of all, I thought the site on its own was a great resource. The site linked to the winning stories, providing excellent examples of multimedia journalism. In addition, it provided information and links to innovative sites to spark new approaches in journalism and the art of storytelling.

The association distributed 27 awards last year. The LosAngeles Times won the innovative investigative journalism for a large publication award for its story that exposed the excessive salaries and financial misdeeds of public officials in the small town of Bell.

Their coverage led to criminal charges against eight current and former city officials, millions of dollars in tax refunds to residents, and sparked legislative reform that would mandate California officials to disclose their compensation online.

While the information was obviously important, so was the way in which the information was presented.

The scandal began as early as 1988. 

With the use of a click through timeline, the Los Angeles Times, successfully organized the information into smaller sections, which made it less intimating and encouraged user interactivity. In addition there was a clear sense of how the story progressed. 

Using graphics they were able to convey concepts clearer, especially when dealing with numbers and figures. The story is ongoing and the publication has continued to follow its progression. 

The way in which the story was told, helped to bring attention to the issue, and was capable of keeping the attention of today's online audience.

Final Project Interview - It's a Start

For those of you that don't know I am working on my J111 final project, which will focus on a genre of music that most people are not familiar with - organ music. Today I sat down with Halden Toy, an Everett Community College student and striving organist. We talked for over an hour. This video is an excerpt about some of the things we discussed, including how he started playing the organ and a little bit about his views on today's main stream music.

Final Project Brainstorm

Here we are thinking about our final and I feel like we just started the quarter. While I’ve been tossing a few ideas around, I still have yet to commit to one story.

Currently I have three or four story ideas, which all take a feature roll rather than breaking news. The first relates to Halden Toy, who is a local organist. On May 20^th he will be having a concert. I was thinking about covering the event, but also broadening the story to show the inner-workings of the organist community and the current effort to alter the organ’s reputation as old-fashioned and out-of-date. It’s far from main stream music and apparently is highly competitive.

My second idea relates to the annual Marysville Strawberry Festival in June. I would not cover the actual event, but the preparation for the event, its significance to the community and how it helps the promotion of local businesses. I know that EvCC is currently creating a float for the Strawberry Festival Parade, which I have heard will consist of plane materials. Jennifer Howard, I am told, would be the person to contact. In addition I would get in touch with the board members of the festival.

Another idea is also local to Marysville. Since 2006 the Marysville Historical Society has been raising $3 million dollars to construct a new museum. Construction was supposed to begin in fall. I’m not sure where the project stands, so depending on the status of this, it could be a story for now or perhaps should be saved for later.

Lastly, I was thinking on working a story related to newspapers and how they are both changing and shrinking. I remember when Marysville had its own printing press, but that has long been gone. This story is not fully developed, and I would have to contact a few people- whether it is Scott Frank from the Globe or an editor of another publication- to see if this would be possible. Perhaps take a tour of a printing press to show how these are also decreasing and how the web is dominating the industry more and more.

In my vision of my final project I see a combination of video, photos and audio. Not only do I think using all three aspects will be effective (especially with the last two ideas), but I also would like the opportunity to work with all three medias to sharpen my skills.

If anyone wants to voice their advice or opinion I will gladly take it. Thanks!

The Storyboard

What is Journalism if it’s not telling a story? The facts change, but there is always a beginning, middle and end to every article, audio recording and video. When making a video especially, there are a number of things to take into consideration – background, lighting, angles, environment noise, etc. To stay focused and take advantage of this impacting media it’s always best to plan. Thus we have the storyboard.

The storyboard – it’s a plan, displayed thinking, a sequence of simple drawings that identify the main ideas that you want to get across.

In no means should this tool be binding, but rather nimble. The storyboard is meant to help create an effective and compelling story. Minimally a storyboard should show a series of possible shots. It can also include ideas for possible long range and short range shots. Again you should always remain open to the opportunities that present themselves, but going in with a “thought foundation” will help achieve a better end result.

On site a journalist hast to be prepared. By knowing what you’re going after, by having a main idea, will allow you to be creative without being sidetracked. The worst thing is to end up back in the editing room with lingering regret – if only I took that “one” shot.

Planning is always a hassle, but until someone invents a time machine you often only have one chance, one deadline, to capture a scene and to tell the story.

Shaping Stories With Sound

A song, a chirp, cheering, the beat of drum, a cat’s purr, a scream, a laugh, a whisper… We live in a sound rich world that often directly impacts our emotions, but because it’s so present we hardly notice how much these different sounds affect us.

It’s only in the absence of sound that we begin to feel peculiar. If you’ve ever been home alone, you have probably experienced that feeling of a heavy weighted silence. You may begin to “hallucinate” sounds or hear a creek that will make your imagination immediately point to- ghost or robber.

While searching for news related slideshows for class, I noticed a common trend in those that were more and less effective.

Audio brought the photographs to life. They were still shots, but somehow the sounds opened my mind, took me into the story and created motion and feeling.

Timothy Allen created a compelling presentation of his photography for the television series Human Planet.

The subject alone provided him access to extraordinary places and people. He traveled across the world to about 40 different countries and experienced some of the most extreme environments. Overall it portrayed the differences in which people experience the world, but also showed how they are the same in many ways.

In his narration he explained how he was able to take certain shots. At one point Allen recalled how he was standing in water tied to ropes that were attached to trees from all angles in order to take a photograph of a man crossing the rushing waters of the Mekong River.

In addition, the background music moved the story forward. It made you feel a sense of hope, and understanding and awe.

The third element was by far the strongest, and could have been used in even greater amounts. Natural sounds like the ones I mentioned above were played throughout the slideshow. At one point there were villagers talking in the background, and you could feel the sense of community building through the sound.

The photographs were stronger and resonated with me more when narration, music, and natural sounds were used to help shape the story. 

A Surprising Destination

While driving around in Bothell today, I found this quaint little block off a busy road of fast-food chains and traffic lights. 

With one right turn through an archway entitled “Country Village Shops” I felt as if I had time traveled.It had a very Leavenworth affect. 

The streets were surrounded by wooden-made sidewalks and blocked stores of antiques and boutiques that gave it an old-time feel.

Stretching behind it was a wide field with horses further out and train rides being offered.

It made for a pleasant afternoon, walking in the sun,stopping by a little café
and being pleasantly surprised
with where my drive took me.

It's a Zippy's Night

Over the last year Thursday nights have become what I look forward to most in the week. It’s a break from the busy and an escape into a small-town atmosphere. I can sip down a cup of bitter coffee, take a seat on a sofa, swap artistic views and know most everyone by name. It’s this atmosphere that makes open mic at Café Zippy’s so great.

Last night was no different. I grabbed my Art & Lutherie and headed to downtown Everett. While I’m what you can call an amateur musician, it’s always interesting to see what talent will walk in through the door each week.

Just as much as the paintings on the wall and the bikes hanging from the ceiling make the café, so do the regulars. Some of the poets are published writers. In fact, it was yesterday that Peggy Larsen, a former EvCC instructor, shared a book that she was recently published in called In the Company of Woman.

There of course are your key characters- the host whose jokes deserve a drum and a symbol crash, the painter who cannot help but take up a pencil and sketch, the Buddhist whose goal is to spread joy and love, the off-key/off-beat musicians as well as the on-key/on-beat musicians. It’s a variety of people from different stages in life that are brought together through their interest and passion for poetry, music, and new perspectives.

Interested? Join me at Zippy’s next Thursday night around 7:30 p.m.

Get Your Tweet On

Since Twitter was first founded in 2006 it’s started a revolution for how we obtain and spread news, which in turn has changed the relationship between viewers and the media.

Today there are nearly half a billion users tweeting and following. In 140 characters tweeters use the web to share what they’re doing and feeling, market themselves and their business and update themselves on the latest news.

Personally I was reluctant to join this crowd, but more and more I am realizing the genius of the idea.

Twitter allows news to be more accessible. By following others, such as specific news organizations, the latest stories are sent directly to you.

It also works as a pool for raw data. It’s where people can express their thoughts on subjects and is becoming the new forum for public opinion.

The Twitter community is growing in strength and numbers, and is becoming a block of voices and opinions that not only consumes news, but creates it.

As a working journalist it’s a great tool to share articles and to find ideas for new stories and story angles, but it also adds an element of pressure.

Twitter demands immediacy, which adds more friction to the aged dilemma of speed versus accuracy.

There’s a responsibility and reputation to uphold while presenting news – to remain balanced, and fair, and unbiased in addition to accurate. These same standards are demanded, but the need to satisfy the “now release” factor makes them increasingly harder to uphold.

In the last ten minutes of writing I’ve read the following tweets:

“Chinese teen sells kidney to buy iPhone,” “Average teen will spend $1,000 on prom this year,” Iran nuclear talks set to begin.”

What we see on Twitter shocks us, makes us roll our eyes, as well as stop and think. The important thing to realize is that Twitter is just a starting point. 140 characters is far from the whole story. As a journalist, even as the pressure to break new news increases, I remember that follow-up stories with greater detail can be just as valuable.