Convergence Confab

I can fully understand how the four basic principles will help in my creation of future web designs. I will use this information in all future projects. This has really helped my understanding of what exactly to look for in good web design. This reading has not only shown me what not to do but why. A lot of the charactersitics of bad ewb sites are not necessarily intuituve. I am excited to take this informatin and apply it to our final project.
From Nathan Skid

Convergence Confab

I can fully understand how the four basic principles will help in my creation of future web designs. I will use this information in all future projects. This has really helped my understanding of what exactly to look for in good web design. This reading has not only shown me what not to do but why. A lot of the charactersitics of bad ewb sites are not necessarily intuituve. I am excited to take this informatin and apply it to our final project.
From Nathan Skid

Web Design

Don't Panic.

I seem to be telling myself that a lot lately. But, this reading alleviated a bit of my panic over the web site portion of our big story assignment (side rant: why does EVERY jounalism class have to end with a big story? I am currently working on four of them in three classes, but I digress). The reading made the idea of designing a page to be aestetically attractive and user-friendly seem plausable, even for a non-creative genius like me. It really not all that unlike designing a page for a newspaper, and as a page editor for my high school paper I struggled with the aspect of making it visually appealing. But I did improve, so I'm hoping that with a little bit of time and some more experience this will become easier.

Non-Designer's Handbook

I really liked these articles because they were a pretty simple guide to what works (and doesn't work) on a webpage. Just by browsing the internet, it's easy to tell what sites I like and are easy to navigate, but I never really think about all the different features that go into making the design scheme work. I think the articles presented those principles of design in a great way. I also liked the "bad designs" section. It's stuff I see all the time on webpages and it drives me crazy! Overall, I think the tips were really good and are going to be helpful for our upcoming project.

Design tips

I found these chapters very helpful and truthful. As a designer for EmPRINT, I can honestly say that we follow a lot of the same rules when laying out an EmPRINT page as this book suggests for a Web page. Suggestions that the book made about alignment and proximity are rules that I often follow but never heard articulated or legitimized the way they were in this book. While I believe that no one should read the design suggestions in this book as commandments--set in stone, never to be broken--there are some tips that if you look at most newspapers, you'll notice there are some trends in 'professional' layout that consistently appear. There are always, however, good exceptions to the rules. For example, in chapter 8, we are cautioned against using all caps on a webpage, yet I've seen numerous webpages with art heads in all caps, and I don't find that bothersome.

Ultimately, while I think that these chapters layout some great groundrules that I needed to hear, it's important to be willing to break the rules on occasion, especially if you're breaking them for artistic purposes.

Design

The "bad designs" shown in this chapter of the Non Designers Handbook are things I have definitely seen myself while browsing the web. Other than just being bad stylistically, seeing them on website often determines whether or not I take the company or organization seriously. In fact, a poorly put-together website often makes me question the validity of a group.
A well-designed website often draws me in and convinces me to stay. A well-designed site also helps me decide whether or not viewing the page is worth my time. I like the tips offered for good design in this chapter, and hope I can use them and expand upon them as I work on my own site in the future.

Web Design Articles

I don't think I have ever fully appreciated what goes into a website. I just click around on the Internet, expecting something to come up with my every move. Now that we are trying to create our own, I have a new appreciation for even the simplest things on webpages. This reading covered it all. I liked reading through what to NOT do because I recognized some of the things that annoy me on websites such as having to scroll to the sides, hard to read fonts, crazy colors or clicking on a site and seeing "File Not Found." I agree that huge font makes a site look unprofessional unless the design comliments it. Litte things such as spelling, how many columns you have or whether or not the font is italicized can really make or break a page!
For good design, I really like the idea of having consistency throughout the entire site. Colors, symbols and fonts should be used on each link to make it look professional. Hopefully I can do this with my Granny's House page. I think order is incredibly important so I also really want to try and organize the multimeida stuff into one column and then pictures with captions into other columns. I want to keep it "clean and clear" and easy for the visitor to work through the page without missing anything. Sometimes it is overwhelming if there are tons of different links which then lead to more links--i don't want to feel like i am missing out on a part! I think this reading was helpful for our upcoming project because there will be so much information on our pages. Hopefully we can use this to make a very professional, orderly yet thorough webpage that tells the perfect story.

Web Design

I think that often times it is pretty easy to determine when a website is done professionally, and when it is done by someone with little experience. This is probably a product of looking at so many sites for so long, and unconsciously becoming a critic of the entire process without ever developing a site myself before beginning this course. Chapter 8 provided a nice summation of what I could do to make my site more professional looking, easier to navigate, and better rounded as a whole. I plan on using the checklists provided at the end of the chapter to give my site the facelift I feel that would benefit it significantly.

Creativity is important when developing a web site, but the designer needs to be able to harness that creative instinct so that it can be utilized in an easily navigated package. I think this is a skill used in a lot of places, music being one of them. When reading this I thought of the differences between the simplicity of some successful music that appeals to the masses, and the elaborate, multi-layered or metaphorical stuff that appeals to a smaller audience. Not that I enjoy hardly any overly popular music, but there's something to be said for the brilliance of practicality. That may seem like a wierd connection, but it's the one I immediately made.

Website Designs

I thought it was really interesting the number of rules of design the authors had come up with. I never really appreciated the power of simplicity in a website but after looking at examples of good and bad websites I agree that the simpler and clearer a site is the easier it is on a reader's eye. I usually put center align headings and then left align the base of the text so it was interesting to hear that the same alignment is preferable. I am going to work on contrasts when I make my website - it made me think though how to get contrasts other than black and white? I can't think of any other contrasts where the words stand out that well. When I make my website I will also pay special attention to use simple, clear images and to make sure the reader doesn't have to scroll left and right because I definitely get annoyed by that on sites. Those readings really brought my attention to particular design choices that work.

Storyboarding

Before I read the article I didn't realise how detail a storyboard had to be. I liked the idea of 'non-linear' progression. I think it is often boring and too predicatory when people follow the method of something or chronlogical sequence. It doesn't allow for as much depth as the nonlinear division which incorporates pros/cons, history, subject matter and gives you a more rounded feel for the story. I think this way, along with using different mediums to their potential, allows the reporter to really find out what aspect of their topic/issue/story has the most newsworthy potential.

Storyboarding

I really like the Storyboarding essay, and I think it will be a lot of help once we get started on our group project. It seems like itt will be tough to figure out which parts of a story are best told through which medium. I also really liked the idea of non-linear storytelling. Normally, I want to be in control of my story and what direction it takes, but I think the non-linear model gives people a lot more options for personalization. It seems like everyone wants to pick and choose what news they see, instead of being guided through it. I'm really excited because I feel like convergence and non-linear storytelling is on the cutting edge of news presentation, but at the same, I'm a little nervous to actually try it out in a complete package.

Storyboarding?

I'm not very good at planning, nor am I very good at sticking to a plan. I don't outline essays. I schedule my day to the last minute. So, this whole storyboarding thing might be a little bit of a stumbling block. But, I do think that with such an elaborate set up as the multimedia projects we'll be tackling, it'll a good thing for me to do a little planning for once.

I liked the advice about deciding what elements are best told through which medium. I think that it's very important when you're telling a multimedia story, if you just throw it all together without any thought (as I am apt to do) it will make less sense. The hurdle, I think, of convergence journalism is deciding what elements most suited to video or audio, and obviously before you start filming or reporting in general that has to be decided.

Storyboarding

The storyboarding essay was great, because it made me think about even more ways to present a news story online than the ones we've already talked about. For the Strat Comm. part of this class, we talked about using games and graphics to convey an advertising message, but for some reason, I never considered a game as being an effective way to engage an audience with a news story. The essay also discussed grouping the story components in a "non linear" way. I tend to gravitate toward the linear, but I can definitely see the value in presenting the parts of the story in a way that allows the reader to choose what he or she wants to learn about, rather than guiding the reader to see the story as I see it. I love that in convergence reporting, the audience has so much choice in what they view. Readers can really personalize and internalize the information, since it is information they sought out on their own.

I'd like to respond to the reaction my tv package received in class. At first I was a little insulted at people's outbursts and automatic assumption that someone attending a conference about marijuana laws would be high. I watched my piece over and over and thought the sentence leading up to the interview- "Doctors and patients came out to speak about the benefits"- sufficed to explain the situation. But obviously, judging by everyone's reaction, this was not the case.
I think this brings up an interesting point though, several actually. I went into the conference with an open mind, listening to the lectures and talking to the attendees. After a spending a few hours with those at the NORML conference, I left with the understanding that this conference was a chance for individuals who are serious about reforming the laws to come together and discuss ways to work to make a difference. They were by no means just a bunch of "stoners." Thus, when putting together my package, the thought never crossed my mind that any of my interview subjects would come across this way.
I think this has taught me two things. For one, how important it is to always remove yourself from the subject. I went into it with that understanding, and don't think I got "attached." But I did forget to consider what people who may have not been there might think when they view the package. Sure, I knew conference was all business, but for my audience, hearing the word "marijuana" alone is enough to distract from the point of the story.
In addition, I think this experience proves how necessary it is to have editors and other intelligent eyes view something before it goes on the air. Otherwise, one may miss something. I think it's good that the 4804 class puts students into groups. Since we are all knew at these skills, that in one way or another will hopefully prevent someone from making a mistake like I did. :)

BBC Video on Australia

I found a video story at http://news.bbc.co.uk about the Queen's visit to Australia, with the focus on the likeliness of Australia becoming a republic and leaving the British Commonwealth. And it was boring. It was mostly about a state visit, where both the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard and HRH Queen Elizabeth say the exact same thing: Australia will remain a part of the Commonwealth for the forseeable future. Blah blah blah.

I thought the video techniques were much more sedate than other broadcast stories I've seen. Droning voice over, an uninteresting interview with the prime minister, footage of the Queen. It wasn't very interesting visually or with the audio. Even though I lived in Australia for a year and have more interest in the country's politics than the average American, I wasn't interested at all after about 20 seconds, which was a huge disapointment for me.

Multimedia Storyboarding

First of all, I just want to say how fun it was to watch everyone's TV clip! Great job! It is so fun to work with everyone and learn not only how to put it all together but everyone's subjects through working with other people!
I love multimedia presentations! What is interesting about them is the process of storyboarding...If you think about it, multimedia presentations have the possibility of being very confusing. Different types of media are being used to tell a story and get a point across and relay certain emotions. If we have such great information to use in different mediums, how do we put it all together to make sense? The Storyboarding reading really helped and made some great points. We have to narrow our story to have a focus and decide which type of medium best relays the truth and emotions. It is a great idea to just lay out the facts and stuff that HAS to go in the story--then we can add the amazing details and cool audio or clip. I think I have a problem avoiding linear thinking because I will always be thinking "ok what lead would work with this? how do i end it?" it would help to just write out the points mentioned in the reading on notecards and then move the cards around to come up with an order. I think i would also be challenged in making sure I am not redundant with facts or images when I have both pictures and video and audio. I would also have to remember there are links to other pages so I shouldn't repeat stuff over and over again. Storyboards seem so helpful in making sure we don't forget to fill in the holes.
The idea of interactivity is crazy! It is a great way to receive input from the readers, but I guess I feel it is only sometimes needed. There won't always be a city to construct but it is good for a journalist to see what people think of their reporting--a system of checks and balances.
There are so many decisions to make! What is best shown with which medium, what audio should be paired up with, etc. This is why I really like the idea of convergence: we are aware each type of medium is better at relaying something than other types of media. so here, as mentioned, we get to choose.

Storyboarding

I'm a proponent that the more prepared I am going into something, the better it will always turn out to be. Developing a well-constructed storyboard that serves as a non-linear guideline for how a piece will be constructed is one useful tool that will greatly aid our big projects. I like to map out the possible angles of a story anytime I write one, but the more thorough methodology explained on the website will be very beneficial to our end product.
I think I would greatly enjoy doing a website like the dancing rocks feature at the end of the storyboard segment. I frequently look at features on ESPN.com that use this kind of layout, and find them to be more captivating and easier to navigate than traditional text or broadcast. For example, if I just want to hear about what Jay Bilas thinks about the Texas Longhorns' portion of the NCAA bracket, and don't feel like hearing more banter about Duke or North Carolina, I can scroll to that portion of the page faster. I think this kind of storytelling should be featured more.

The Ugliest Dog Story

For this assignment, I watched the CNN Video about the competition in California for the ugliest dog. The story itself couldn't be more visual--there were plenty of alarmingly ugly critters on display! The story was light and cute, but the camera work was really abrupt. It was very obvious that no tripod was used and the camera was bouncing around with the ugly dogs. I got the impression that the extra camera movement was intentional, maybe to go along with the story, but it made me wonder how much shaky video is too much? The camera panned the reporter, the dog, the dog's owner and there were multiple shots where the reporter zoomed in and out on the subject. At times there were obvious water spots on the camera lens and I counted at least 3 jump cuts. I probably wouldn't have noticed any of these 'flaws' before this class, but it lead me to wonder, is this kind of shooting artistic or just bad?

ESPN Does it Right

ESPN has a story on their website entitled Autistic Boy scores 20. Though it's a bit fluffy in the news department, they were extremely good in extracting emotion from thier audience. I have watched countless hours of ESPN video but never took the time to think how they create such, find and depict such interesting stories. The story was constructed really well. It followed an autistic boy from getting cut at tryouts, to becoming the teams manager, to scoring 20 points in his debut game with only the fourth quarter to play in the last game of the season.
ESPN may have sensatinoalized the story with music and editing, but I can't think of anyone who would not want to watch this magnificent story. The writers and editors for ESPN and ESPN online have come a long way in telling sprts news.
From Nathan Skid

CNN - Moussaoui Trial

CNN - Blunder in Moussaoui trial

I feel really strange critiquing video from CNN, especially since I know that, right now, there's no way I could produce a package that well. I really liked this piece because I think the video and audio blended together well to tell a complete story. I think the video footage from the courtroom was what disappointed me the most though. It seems like the cameraman had zoomed in too much, and I felt like he was trying to create a cohesive sequence of shots, but he just didn't quite make it. Also, I think the reporter may have talked a little too long, but there were definitely some compelling shots in the story. For example, I think the interview with the brother of the 9/11 victim probably evoked some really strong emotions for the audience. Overall, I think the piece was pretty good.

I watched some clips off bbc.co.uk. I like this site because it has extensive video archives from all over the world with usually sound packages. I watched one clip from Argentina about an ice shelf collapsing. I really noticed that the reporter did not use any close up or mid-length views. They were all from far away and although I realise it may be hard to get close up to the action it would be good to get images of people's reaction to seeing the shelf fall. We heard there gasps but didn't see their faces. The reporter only used four shots with little variation which resulted in a boring package even though it was taken in an intense situation. The second clip I watched was about the Dan Brown proceedings. This was down a lot better with close-ups, mid and long shots. There were clips from the courthouse, a bookstore, of Dan Brown himself adding to the interest and variety in a potentially boring story. The reporter did a stand-up and picked up his book and the other book in question in the case to compare them adding to the conflict in the story. She used computer aid's by typing in Dan Brown's quotes from the case on the front page of his book instead of just up on the screen. She was more articulate and clear. I noticed she also didn't pan or zoom like the first story did. You would think because it is difficult to do this and should add variety to shots it really didn't capture my attention and I did not miss it in the second package. The second package should have been more boring than the first but because of the variety in the package with standups, vo's, shot distance, cut-aways and persons of interest being shown close-up I became more involved in the story.

March Madness, baby!

For this blog assignment, I elected to head over to a place I spend a ridiculous portion of my life - ESPN.com. On their ESPN Motion video feature on the home page, I watched a 2-3 minute piece in which college hoops guru and perpetually enthusiastic bald man Dick Vitale give his predictions and perspectives on the forthcoming NCAA mens' basketball tournament.
One thing I've begun to notice is that the cutaways done by ESPN are absolutely flawless. Anytime Vitale mentioned a name, a clip of them hitting a big shot or grabbing a rebound came up for 2-3 seconds. The clips are short, succinct, and coincide with whatever Vitale says. Another thing I thought was pretty cool was when the camera would zoom closer to a player's last name and number as they jogged back down the court following a dunk or big shot - and the zoom in would happen right when Vitale said the player's name.
Also, Vitale has the same team winning it all that I do. I may need to rethink my bracket.

Video Critiques

I watched two different video packages. The first one was from the St. Petersburg Times. It was titled "Shark Attacks" and covered the pattern of sharks attacking the Florida coast. The reporter talked incredibly slow and would space his words out weird--almost as if he was trying make the piece longer, but I tried to pay more attention to the filming and editing. What I noticed were the great cut-away shots. St. P used scenes from the beach, beach birds, the tide coming in, "hazard" signs, the colored beach flags, and people waking into the ocean. The difficult part about this story is that it is not the most visual story. There is no footage of shark attacks or aftermath of an attack, so the shots are mostly of people just on the beach and the warnings that surround these beaches. When interviewing, the camera man did not exactly use the rule of thirds. One of the interviewees, a man who takes his family to the beach, only had his head show in the bottom left corner. Though the shore behind him was pretty, he barely took up 1/4 of the shot! There were some neat in and out of frame shots with people walking into the water and one guy skim boarding into and then out of the frame. I think a tripod was definitely used and there was no zooming.
The second one was from news.com and it was titled "One Lego at A Time." It was about Legoland looking for new people to become the company's new design mastermind. The video overall was okay, and I definitely noticed a lot of the things we talked about in class. There were many cut-away shots that showed close-ups of people building legos. I noticed it was sometimes hard to get a medium shot because they were trying to focus on what the person was building and the person him/herself but the person's head kept coming in and out of the frame or the person's head would be cut off. There was not really a variety of cut-away shots but there were definitely a lot-- I kind of felt like I was seeing the same shot over and over again. There were a few wide-angle shots that did not really show anything necessary just because the legos are so small. Also, they interviewed a woman for much longer than 15 seconds and ended with her talking. So it kind of ended without a solid conclusion. It was an interesting story idea and there were some cool lego creations and this was a great visual story.

Video packages

I took the time to watch a tv package about local gang activity that aired on the NBC affiliate WAGT back home in Augusta, GA.
I picked up on several techniques that we've discussed this week in class. For one, every interview in the package was framed in the upper third corner of the screen. All the reporter used to visualize the gangs was their grafitti splattered across town. She used these images again and again and again, yet did so effectively by incorporating different angles. One of the most creative ways she did this, I believe, is when she filmed the grafitti from the passenger seat of a car as she drove around the corner of the building. This gave me a better idea of where such art can be found than all of her previous close-up shots of painted bricks.
I also liked the shots she got that lead up to her interview with a local principal. She shot from the ground up as he was sitting in his chair, got a close-up of his nameplate, then showed the school before finally putting the principals actual face on the screen.
I'm sure nothing this reporter did was anything that hasn't been done before. But I found it riveting to watch her piece with a new mindset, picking up on details and techniques that I would have otherwise missed.