The Gap

During one week in November my professor showed our multimedia journalism class (J210) a few  Youtube videos featuring Iras Glass. He talked about the gap which many beginners face when entering journalism:

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

This quote perfectly describes how I felt throughout the entirety of J2150, especially when we started to dabble with video editing. Like Glass said, “…we have good taste”, and I know that my taste in video is great. After watching a wonderfully put together multimedia piece, I feel inspired that one day I will also possess the skills necessary to create an incredible piece of work. However, at the moment, my work is not 100 percent exemplary of my taste.

This week, after finishing my final project, I was nearly in tears. It was disappointing to see something that I worked so hard on, fail to meet my standards. There have been many times when I wanted to give up, but a career in journalism is my dream. I cannot quit because I know that the more I push, the better I will get, and the closer I will be to achieving my goals.

Despite the challenging aspect of J2150, I truly loved the experience of working with amazing equipment and editing programs. Overall, I got a pretty spectacular glimpse into the world of multimedia journalism.

Want to watch Iras Glass’ series of videos on storytelling? CLICK HERE

Media Law Lecture Recap

This week’s lecture consisted of guest speaker Charles Davis discussing media law and the rights given to journalists under the first Amendment.

Essentially, we as reporters, have the ability to write/publish anything we so choose. However, it is sometimes challenging to obtain interviews or media footage for any particular story.

Davis said that journalists should anticipate pushback, especially when taking into consideration public officials or people in power.

He gave the example of a reporter who went to a public event to acquire media footage of a politician, but was told she could not do so. Instead of respectfully suggesting that she was protected under the first Amendment of the Constitution, she gracefully backed out of the situation. We should never take “no” for an answer in these situations; we should try to compromise.

Not in a public forum?  Ask first because it will help to avoid legal pains! Also, consent is easy to get, especially if we work our charm.

This is something which I have learned to do as a journalist working on the Occupy Como story. I try to be as polite as possible, and introduce myself, even though the occupants are protesting in a public forum.

Watchdog Journalism and the First Amendment

Online Content

Online mediums have made it quite easy for those with internet access to quickly obtain information, whether it be breaking news or gossip. Today many journalists use Twitter and other forms of social media as a platform for making the news  more interactive.

As both an aspiring journalist and young adult, I love being able to turn to the internet for immediate information. I also accredit this to being apart of the “microwave” or now generation.

However, I do not want to receive all news/media content from the world wide web. Take, for example, magazines.I have been subscribing to Seventeen since middle school. When I go home for breaks, I anticipate flipping through the pages of its most recent publication. Although Seventeen has not completely transformed into a full fledged online magazine, its website has material that tides its readers over between each monthly issue.

Personally, I find print magazines more appeasing because of their tangibility.

Also, I wonder if the lines between what is considered magazine and newspaper will become more blurred as these publications take to the internet. It seems as though people will not be able to differentiate between the two. This further feeds into the idea that print journalism is fading away altogether.

As I continue to pursue my journalism degree, I feel that it is vital to be knowledgable of all things multimedia since the field is becoming more technologically savvy.

AAF Mizzou Annual Fundraiser

On Tuesday Nov. 8, 2011 Junior Kayla Blevins (left) sells T-shirts for AAF Mizzou.

On Tuesday Nov. 8, 2011 AAF Mizzou continued its annual fundraiser in the Reynolds Journalism building.

The advertising organization, also known as AD Club, is currently raising money for events throughout the upcoming spring semester.

“We go to agencies in Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, [etc]. Anyone can join, but it’s $55,” said Junior Kayla Blevins.

The fundraiser has yielded approximately $700 to date, and according to its members, is moving in a positive direction.

The club will be selling four different types of shirts all ranging from $10 to $35 until Wednesday Nov. 9, 2011. They will accept cash and check only. However, a pre-order form is not required to buy the merchandise.

AAF Mizzou is selling t-shirts ranging from $10 to $35 in RJI until Wednesday Nov. 9, 2011.

Informational Graphics

On Monday, guest lecturer Nathan Fleischmann discussed informational graphics, which are simply graphics used to display complex information quickly and effectively.

Info graphics are useful in the world of journalism because reporters can tell stories by presenting data via this particular medium.

I found a really cool blog (http://www.coolinfographics.com) which has plenty of interesting info graphics. My favorite on the site is “UN against corruption – 2011”, and it’s actually a video! Take a look below:

UN against corruption – 2011 from artereazione on Vimeo.

This video info graphic did a great job of showing how corruption affects society. However, some parts went by pretty fast. I suppose that’s the downside to using video. In a traditional info graphic the reader can take his or her time processing the information at once. Other than that, I enjoyed viewing the data. It was simple and informational.

Here’s another for the sake of Halloween’s passing:

 

Visit http://www.coolinfographics.com for more!

 

Cellphone takeover

In this week’s journalism lecture guest speaker Clyde Bentley discussed mobile journalism.

As cell phones become more important in our daily lives, it’s hard to believe that we once lived in a world without them.

I currently reside in an off-campus apartment with three other people, and none of us have a landline phone. However, we all have personal cell phones, and smart phones, at that. Our story is similar to many other people living in America.

Having a landline seems unnecessary when my cell phone is usually by my side throughout both day and night. Also, I not only use it for making calls, but for a multitude of things: alarm clock, planner, internet, social networking, camera, games, etc. This is why I gullibly believed the Pomegranate phone was real, when Dr. Bentley showed the  video “advertisement” for it.

Take a look below!

 

Because we have the ability to do so much with our smart phones, it’s easy to suggest they have become a part of who we are. Also, they are an important tool for journalists. We can quickly and conveniently send text, audio, video, and photos involving a breaking news story.

Cell phones have been around for approximately four decades, and have advanced a lot during that time period. I’m interested in seeing what all we will be able to do with them over the upcoming years.

Convergence Overload

Just last year I could barely define convergence journalism, and every time I asked someone to explain this particular sequence in detail, I grasped only a partial understanding of its meaning. One could easily say that by the end of my freshman year in college, I managed to create my very own, underdeveloped definition of convergence. Convergence Journalism: an emphasis area which one could apply in virtually every other aspect of journalism.

I am not sure that honestly counts as a definition, but I definitely missed the bulls-eye.

Now, as a student enrolled in a multi-media journalism class and envolved with an online news publication, I feel somewhat embarrassed about my misunderstanding of the emphasis area. Journalism 2150 quickly immersed me into the world of convergence, and it is quickly taking over my life.

Our weekly projects help to give us a real world, hands-on experience in developing news stories by using various modes of media. Furthermore, my involvement in the BLACKout gives me the opportunity to apply some of the skills I am honing in on throughout the course.

This week I am responsible for writing a feature story on Homecoming Queen Kam Phillips, creating a TV-news style video of the Show-Me Opera Ensemble, and developing a multi-media piece highlighting up and coming rapper Kreayshawn.

Minus the time crunch coupled with tight deadlines, I am enjoying the experience, especially since I now understand that convergence is simply multi-media journalism. Everyday, I am reassured that convergence is the way to go despite my current convergence overload.

Google+

This week’s lecture consisted of KOMU Anchor Sarah Hill discussing Google+ and its usefulness in the news room.

With its hangout feature the public is allowed to interact during live TV newscasts. When I first found out about Google+ a couple months ago, it never crossed my mind that this piece of technology would be used in such a way.

During the lecture we were able to connect with a few of Hill’s colleagues. One man who joined the hangout, was located in Birmingham, England. He showed us live footage of what was going on in the city through his Ipad. This aspect is great because journalists can now obtain live footage, which has the potential to become breaking news, with a live newscasts immediately through Google+. I find this to be extremely exciting.

Its ability to connect people throughout the world in this cutting edge manner is definitely capable of changing the way journalists and audiences connect with the news.

A dose of inspiration: High Five Collective

In the spirit of videography and this week’s multimedia journalism assignment, which consists of creating a 30 second video, with 15 seconds of action and 15 seconds of interview, I have decided to dedicate this post to one of my favorite video masterminds.

Videography fascinates me in every aspect. To say that I am excited to learn more about it would be an understatement, especially since my love for video editing grew over the past summer. I discovered the works of  High5Collective, and soon there after, fell in love. Although their projects are not particularly journalistic, they are like unto breath of fresh air. Every time I watch any one of their videos, I find myself constantly pressing the replay button to further dissect the overall message. Most of their work is abstract and requires the audience’s undivided attention. Although they are a new group and possess great potential, there is still plenty of room for them to become more polished.

Personally, I find this group to be inspirational due to the youth of its members and  their undeniable passion for videography.

Below, I have provided one of my favorites from their collection.

 

Ty Segall – Girlfriend (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

Trust in Journalism

In lecture this week, we learned about the do’s and dont’s of video journalism. Because our upcoming project involves the application of basic videography skills, something which I am quite unfamiliar with, this particular lesson was nothing less than an eye opener.

One aspect which stood out to me the most was the trust that a journalist must share with the subject of his or her story. We watched a video about a mother whose son died only five days after birth due to a series of defects. His death was not unexpected; therefore, the parents trusted the journalist from the beginning to convey their full story during the most difficult of moments. Also, in my cross-cultural journalism class Jacqui Banaszynski, author of “AIDS in the Heartland”, discussed the intimate times spent with the subjects of her story who were gay men dying of HIV/AIDS. Banaszynski told the class that she basically asked for their permission to watch them die from the virus. They complied, but imagine the sheer bravery one must  have to share their uncensored story with the world. Imagine the trust level one must share with a complete stranger whose job is document the most intimate, difficult, embarrassing, weak moments of one’s life.

These examples were very inspirational to me. It showed me how powerful trust is within the journalism field. If the subjects refused to be open with the journalists, their transparent stories may have never been heard.