Cool video on photo editing

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Upcoming assignments!

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Today (Jan. 30):

Finish your story and your infographic; post to your blog. Write a headline for the story and write a sentence describing your infographic, with an embedded link, to your infographic. Remember, your stories should also contain links where feasible!

On Monday we will begin video editing in earnest. I’ll want you to construct a slideshow, with a music track of your choice, using the photos you’ve already shot. Show multiple transitions, titles and the “Ken Burns effect” on at least some photos. (See the video I posted on the class blog.) Make it two minutes maximum.

Your next task will be to compile a real slideshow with natural sound. You will need to shoot pictures or video plus record sound. Be thinking of what you would like to do…. You may cover a press conference, or performance event; you may cover an artist; you might shoot at the local animal shelter or a charity fundraiser – you decide. You need to have your video and audio compiled by Feb. 11. If you aren’t ready to work on it by then, your grade will be lowered.

By Feb. 4 – you need to have posted your critique, with links, to multimedia storytelling examples you find on the web. This is an OUT-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENT.

Here is an infographic on STDs.

Assignment for next week!

Today: Finish your practice infographics and post to your blog.

No class Monday.

Your assignment for Wednesday is to come up with your story idea for your first story (cover an event or, optionally, write an “explainer” piece). The “explainer” piece is simply that – you “explain” a major issue in the news or how an organization works; you need to gather quotes from an expert. So if you were to do an explainer on, say, a major political issue (the debt limit, for example), you might talk to a political science professor about the politics of it.

On Wednesday, in class, write an “advance.” The advance is simple if you’re covering some sort of event. If you’re doing an explainer piece, you’ll need to write a short advance highlighting an upcoming event or issue connected with your issue. (For example, what’s next on the debt ceiling debate.)

After you write the advance, you’ll write a story about your event or explainer, in class, on Wednesday, Jan. 30. On Monday, Jan. 28, you’ll do your infographic that will accompany your story.

So bring to class on Wednesday, Jan. 23: A write-up of two or three sentences that tells me what story you are going to do (to write in class on Jan. 30), plus tells me what your infographic will be about, with ideas for links.

Also, by the end of the next week, find the following tutorials (or others):

Learn how to create titles in Adobe Premiere: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-premiere-pro-cs5/gs07-creating-titles-in-adobe-premiere-pro-titler/

Learn how to apply transitions in Adobe Premiere: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-premiere-pro-cs5/gs06-applying-transitions-in-adobe-premiere-pro/

Learn how to capture a still frame from a movie in Adobe Premiere:

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-premiere-pro-cs5/gs05-exporting-a-still-frame/

Learn how to add “Ken Burns effect” in Adobe Premiere:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSO8QV6n6I

I’ll give you class time to practice all of these effects. Many of you may be able to figure them out on your own.

happy is as happy does.

Assignments!

Today (Jan. 14):

Finish the headlines and leads assignment from last time, if you haven’t already.

Do a practice infographic and make it into an interactive PDF.

Post the link to your blog.

For Wednesday (Jan. 16):

Write a complete news story based on the assignment sheet. Write a headline and post it to your blog. Bring in a printed copy to class Wednesday.

Infographics!

Great links to some really interesting infographics! Some may be more elaborate than I expect in this class, but they certainly give you great ideas.

Here are some requirements:

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1.     Use art — photo or clipart to illustrate and attract attention. You can also use Illustrator if you’re doing a standard graph, such as a bar graph or pie chart. You may use charts.

2.     Insert links; do it in Indesign and save as a PDF.

3.     Include a headline, explainer, source, and credit line.

4.     Demonstrate the depth of your research. Have more than one element.

5. Post it to your blog.

New blog for a new semester

Assignments for today and for Monday:

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Today:

Using InDesign:

Lay out four stories and headlines on a single InDesign page. Use five cols. tabloid size. Don’t worry about bumping heads. Layout:

1.     A one-column story, 1-24-4 Times New Roman.

2.     A two-column story, 2-36-2, Helvetica bold, with a 1-18-2, TNR italic deck.

3.     A three-column story, 3-48-2, TNR

4.     A four-column story – you decide the headline order, but use a different kind of headline (kicker, slammer or deck, for example).

Use real type.

Use 10-point TNR for your body copy.

Experiment with the columns for the type.

For next time:

Your first story will be a news or “explainer” piece (advance written in class Jan 23; story written in class Jan. 30). You will be doing an interactive PDF infographic with your story, which you will do in class a week from today. So on Monday I’ll have you do a “practice” infographic in class. Your assignment for Monday: find a two or three examples of infographics and write up a critique of them (several sentences on each). Use your blog to do this, using embedded links to the examples, plus a headline on your critique. Make it conversational. What is good/bad about the infographic? What could be done better? What elements does it include? How does the text work? Are the graphics easy to understand?

Finally, tell the reader what infographic you’re going to do in class on Monday. You need to think about art, information, links and ease of readership.