The last posting

So, my final video is done...and I would say it is definitely a relief. While I learned a lot, as we have discussed before technology can be frustrating. I'm happy with my overall final product, I was going to use video clips I had of her during her practice but once again, couldn't convert those, so I re sorted to pictures of her playing from the previous season (Special thanks to the UNH Athletic Media Relations office for those). I'm also glad to see Denise back on the road to playing. Thanks to Sandy for a great semester, I really enjoyed having you for a second time as a professor.



The link to my video, as I am home due to the icestorm and left my flashdrive at school...oops

Impressed

I really enjoyed watching everyone's projects last week, and am looking forward to this Thursday's class as well. Considering a majority of us were new to multimedia, the results people had were very impressive. You can tell people just didn't put these together last minute as it was evident a lot of time and effort went into making these. The feedback and discussions after the viewings were helpful to all students, and not the least bit critical.

Now, I have a few things to do to make my project better. I don't know if I will be able to get pictures, as the team is at Boston College today and have tomorrow off. I liked the suggestion of getting some footage of Denise off the court, so if I can do that it would add to my project. I'm going to see if video footage from last year is available for use, and if not I have my own footage of Denise doing rehab drills. I wish I had a little more time to pull everything together with the feedback I had gotten from class, but I am going to work with the resources available and go from there. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Thoughts

Well, the first draft of my final project is completed. I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. Obviously, I wish the last twenty seconds didn't get cut off, but that's my computers fault because it's on the brinks of dying. I definitely need some more photographs, or need to incorporate the video I have, so I'm looking forward to getting some feedback from the class. Obviously the audio isn't the best quality, but the interviews and quotes I got are really good. Denise did a great job of taking me through her rehab process with words.

I really enjoyed this class and I have a feeling it taught me a lot and I hope to use or even be a part of multimedia projects in the future. I learned you have to be patient with technology as it won't always work in your favor. Editing the audio made me feel like I was back in high school working at the radio station I interned at, which I really enjoyed. This class also made me go buy a digital camera (finally) so that's another plus. I got nervous a couple times where I didn't think my project was going to go anywhere, or I wasn't going to get the results I wanted, but alas- everything worked out in my favor. I'm excited to put the final touches on this editing wise and add some more content to make it richer photo/video wise.

My Preview

my trailer!!

YAY! I finally uploaded a video...figured out what my problem was, I wasn't saving it as a movie file, I was saving it as the actual movie maker project.
Here it is, the end is cut off, BUT I am happy with the overall result. By next Tuesday I should have all of my material, so the remaining time will be spent editing everything down to the final project. I'm having a hard time right now still working on Denise's audio, figuring out what I want to keep, and what I want to leave. I'm hoping once I get my other interviews I will be able to eliminate things easier.

Youtube doesn't like me.

So, once again my assignment trailer won't upload to youtube, which is making me nervous for my final project. I may just quit using movie maker and use my roommates apple. Not sure what I am going to do but it's frustrating.

Another thing, I spent a majority of the last class editing my interview with Denise, and then when I went to work on it from my laptop at home...I couldn't. So, I think for class tomorrow I am going to bring in my computer (even though it is dying-no joke, it overheats)

The project is going good. I still need to meet with Coach Cole and another teammate to get more audio. I don't know if I will need more photos, I am going to get opinions in class tomorrow. I have a list of questions I want some other opinions on.

That's all for now.

Since it's been awhile

So, my multimedia project is finally starting to come together, and I am excited. I got some really good pictures and video from practice on Thursday. The video footage I got at today's exhibition game didn't turn out how I had hoped, so I'm hoping I can either incorporate the web streaming footage, or have better luck on Friday's home opener. I want to meet with Denise this week and talk about her doctors appointment she has tomorrow. It didn't work out me going, so I'm going to have to improvise. I want to sit down and talk to Yumi soon as well, and she how technical she gets about Denise's injury, and then see if talking to a professional is necessary. OH, and depending on how Denise's doctor's appointment goes I want to film another practice where maybe her rehab drills change. That's all for now.

Thoughts on the articles

I checked out the 'Quad News' and clearly, it was just like reading any other college newspaper. I found it unfair the University threatened to take away something their students are passionate about. Yes, the University does have to uphold an image, but as long as no one gets hurt, or false information is published, let the students write. It's not like 'Quad News' was a huge publication that thousands of people read. Quinnipiac is known for there journalism program, obviously these students are smart, and should have a good sense of judgement. The students should have been given credit for going out and starting their own paper, not punished. In the journalism profession, there are going to be some touchy issues, and I wish that the school administrators could relate & understand.

The article on the Christian Science paper didn't shock me too much, as technology is huge now, and it is becoming more convenient for some people to read the newspapers online. It is a business, and at times changes need to be made to get the most effective product. It seems to make more work for the reporter, having them update a story several times a day. That's how it is with news though, you get a lead and then you get the followup information afterwards. I figured the reasoning behind the move would mostly be cost related, but when they broke it down, it threw my argument out the window.

Online newspapers are helping companies, as was shown in the Circ Breakdown. I don't think all of these articles are really scary, but just represent the trend of the increase of popularity with technology. I think it's more practicle for people now, especially those who are ranging in there 20-30's. Personally, my parents bought the Boston Herald everyday, so I read the paper online now. It's much easier opposed to going to the store and buying a hard copy. For the job aspect of it, jobs will still be available, they just may be a little different than the "tradional" journalism job.

Better late than never

HERE is my audio...it opens up in windows movie maker, but it's better than nothing. After class today, I realized I can cut down this clip even more. I don't need the beginning part of Renee describing her day, since she doesn't work directly with the athlete I am covering. I can also cut out the middle section about the student athletic trainers, as it is not relevant to the subject matter. I have some good ideas going about this project, and I am meeting officially with Denise tomorrow, so I will post more later. just wanted to get my audio up. Happy Weeekend :)

Wow

So, I finally had success uploading last week's audio assignment to my computer, a big confidence booster. I am currently working on editing my nine minute audio interview to around five. It really reminds me of my radio station interning days I had while in high school, and I like it. Granted it was a different program, it's the familiarity that I like. Right now, I'm just editing out my questions I asked, then from there I will re-piece the audio to hopefully put together a storyline. I'm feeling fairly confident right now, which is great.

I got an okay from Coach Cole and Denise about taking Denise on as my project to the semester. I'm having a sit down informal interview with her on Friday to get to know her and explain what exactly I'm doing. Thursday's class should be good so I can give Denise a better idea of what to expect.

Tom's presentation to class was one I really liked, and got a lot out of. I figured, if he came up with 'Dr. Katz' on the old technology/computers they use to have, I can conquer this multimedia stuff. I got some laughs, and am now a movie-maker semi pro which is a step in the right direction. Back to editing my sound...

The Second Half of the Assignment

OOPS..I forgot to talk about the frustrations with technology...Last week's class actually worked out for me...I had all of my pictures, and sound loaded into soundslides. The only problem I did have was I couldn't figure out how to edit the sound down...While things worked for me, I can see how things would be frustrating, as I can't get this week's assignment on my computer..A lot of this is trail and error I feel like. I don't know if it has changed my opinion on the profession, if anything this is good practice for our future careers. I know you aren't demanding perfection, but it would just be nice to have things work smoothly, so we can at least have some things to work on. Oh well, better luck on the next assignment, and I will try to figure out why this won't upload for me.

Go figure..

Of course, my computer won't upload my audio interview I did for this week's assignment..my guess is maybe the audio file is big so my computer or camera software is having a hard time processing it...

For this week's assignment, I talked to Renee Klezczynski, assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of New Hampshire. Renee primarily works with the UNH Men's socer team, and the UNH Women's hockey team. Even though I am not working directly with either of those teams, she gave me some good insight on the athletic training program. When student athletes first enter the university, they are constantly pounded with information about there diets, injury prevention, and the effects drinking has on there personal performance. As juniors and seniors, they start to live on there own, and the responsibility they carry increases. Along with injury prevention, diet, and drinking, strength conditioning is also thrown into the mix. Again, freshman and sophomore year they work closely with the Strength & Conditioning staff to develop a routine, and then as they become upper classman, they can tweek there own workout routines to fit there personal goals.

One big thing Renee emphasized is the difference between a "hurt" athlete, and an "injured" athlete. Being hurt is experiencing pain, and being injured is not being able to function that part of the body. Obviously, those aren't here exact words and I wish my camera was working, because obviously this is Renee's speciality and she explained it far better than I can.

All of the treatments athletes receives vary on the athlete. If an athlete is injured, they can be in the training room 2-3 times a day. The trainers keep records of the athletes process in rehabilitation stage. Those records are updated each time the athlete leaves the training room. For "hurt" athletes, they normally come into the training room before and after practice.

One point Renee wanted to emphasize was that people often overlook the trainers other duties; including dealing with insurance and medical forms, and being the middle person between the athlete and the coach. People often have the assumption trainers just deal with athletes, but there job description is more than that.

Another component to the athletic training program is the student athletic trainers. After there freshmen year, the students immediatley get involved with the program, first observing a team and obtaining as much information as possible. After that, a "draft" is set up where students pick the top three teams they want to work with, and then they get assigned. Some of the rules are they need to spend a specific amount of time with a sports team of a different sex, and a certain amount of time with a full contact sport. Outside of UNH athletics, student athletic trainers also work with local sports teams in the seacoast.

My interview with Renee was informative, and I really enjoyed talking to her. Now, since I have an overview of the program I am working with, it's time to move onto the athlete. More to come...

I know our deadline is 5:00..but I JUST got back from interning/work..I will post later.

This & That

So, I really liked Don's presentation. He had some really good stuff, and I found it to be very helpful. You could tell that he really enjoys what he does. The links he provided I feel will be helpful for this semester, and probably even the future.

This week's assignment took me a little while to come up with an idea. I originally was going to do "How to make a media guide" through my internship with Athletic Media Relations, but ruled it out in the end figuring I wouldn't get much sound other than typing and clicking and explanation, and the picture quality may not be that great because a lot of the pictures would be taken off a computer monitor...so I came up with the idea when my roommate started baking. Not only was it convenient, but it fit the description perfectly. Some of the pictures had bad lighting, but I edited it best I could, but overall am happy with my results.

My semester project is coming along slowly. I finally got the okay from Jon Dana, head athletic trainer, so now it's waiting on the Coach's consent, and the athletes. I feel like things will work out and I can finally get rolling with this. I believe basketball starts in November, so by the home opener I really want to get the ball rolling on my project.

No Progress

For the past three hours I have been trying to figure out this video aspect..and I've gotten nowhere. My problem is this: I have a .mov file that I need to convert into a .wmv file. How I do that is beyond me. I tried to download a few software converters but those didn't help. I'm a little frustrated, but I want to talk to you (Sandy) about any other possible movie making programs, or if you can offer me any advice. I had some good footage about the day in the life of the Assistant Ticket Manager for Athletics, and am bummed I can't use it. I didn't get stills this week,just video. I ditched the idea of just talking to the associate dean of WSBE, because frankly, I figured it would be very boring.

Another rut: My semester project. The head athletic trainer is weary about volunteering an athlete to be my topic for the semester. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow, and hopefully make some progress. If not I want to call the Durham Rehab & Sports Therapy center and see if I can work with them. I don't have all that much information on them, I found the number through the Wentworth Douglas Hospital website, so maybe I can make some progress with them.

Shooting video...Watching my clips, they weren't bad for a point and shoot. Obviously there were some lighting issues, and fast movement of the camera, and background noise, but nobody's perfect. Luckily, I was filming on someone I was comfortable with. There wasn't much of her on film, a lot of objects, so that made it easier as well. I'm looking forward to this project...I just wish I could have started off on the right foot with the first video. I like the aspects of guest speakers. Fred offered some tips, but just seeing his work and the potential of what multimedia reporting can be, was very cool. It seems as if Don has a lot of experience, and will offer advice about video that will come in helpful this semester.

I don't get it..

So I am trying to do this week's assignment, and have uploaded my videos onto my computer, but for some reason Windows Movie Maker keeps showing me this message when I try to import videos:
The file C:\Documents and Settings\HP Owner\My Documents\My Pictures\summah 07\10-1-2008\100_0039.mov is not a supported file type, and it cannot be imported into Windows Movie Maker.

So, I am going to search online for another type of movie maker and see what I can come up. Keeping my fingers crossed

Just thinking..

My initial idea about this week's assignment seemed like a good one at the time, but now the moreI think about it, the more I have my doubts. I'm doing a brief piece on WSBE and how they have to keep getting accredited from AACSB (Association to advance Collegiate schools of Business). All seniors are required to take the Major Field Test in business, something they described to be similar to the SAT's. I thought out the video portion of the assignment, but the pictures...we will see.

I wish I could have incorporated my real project with this one, but the head Athletic Trainer is still deciding how he can allow me to do this project, without volunteering an athlete and making them uncomfortable. At this point, I'm thinkin about making friends with an injured athlete. I'm going to start thinking of different topics but I really like this idea so I'm going to do some research to see if there are other rehab facilities nearby in the seacoast area.

Thats all for now.

Photo Thoughts

Looking through my other classmates blogs, a lot of them entered there thoughts on the photography experience, so here is mine. I wasn't completely comfortable with asking strangers to take their portrait, so for that I stuck with my family and friends. I went home for the day on Sunday, and a majority of my pictures are from the Mt. Washington Valley. I played around a bit editing and cropping pictures on the software that came with my camera. I am definitely not a pro photographer yet, but I really enjoyed this assignment. There are some shadows and off lighting in my pictures, but I wouldn't say it adds distractions to the pictures themselves.

Slideshow

So, hopefully this works. I tried adding a gadget, but struggled..this was the best I could do.

Photography

I just purchased a new digital camera, specifically for this course, but also because I figured it's about time I get one. I always use my younger sisters, but I like having one of my own. For the in-class assignment on Thursday, I have to admit I liked taking pictures more than I liked getting my own taken. My favorite one wasn't even a full photo of Lindsay, but I just captured some of her features. I was impressed with myself, I won't lie.

New story idea continued..

So today I went and talked to the Athletic trainers at the field house to pursue my story idea. I kept getting redirected to different people, but in the end found out my idea has a "good chance of happening," I just have to get permission from certain people. One of those being the Head Athletic Trainer, Jon Dana who was busy getting ready for football practice, so I had to email him with my story topic. I am hoping to hear back from him soon with an answer so I can get the ball rolling with this. I even have a topic who I may focus this story on. Denise Beliveau, a sophomore basketball player who is out until January with an injury. It works out nicely because I intern with the athletics media relations department so setting up interviews would be easy, and I know the right people to set things up. Keeping my fingers crossed! Pictures will be posted in a few hours...

New Story Idea

Since my other story ideas were busts, I was a little nervous as to what I was going to do. Lindsay gave me an idea though, and it seems like one that has a lot of potential. I want to work on a piece about an athlete who has/is suffering a career ending injury, and there rehab process. I figured I can do a before piece, how they got to where they are, there love for the sport, and how things have changed since the injury. On Monday I plan on going to the athletic training headquarters in the field house to talk to the coordinator, to see if any athlete would be willing to be my subject for the semester. I will keep my blog posted with updates.

Off to take pictures, then watch the patriots and enjoy my Sunday.

Story Idea

Power Vote

With the upcoming election, youth’s voices are very important. Walking around campus the other day, there was a petition by Power Vote. After hearing a representative explain the group to me, it sounded appealing and like a potential story idea. The Who would be two factors: Power Vote itself, “a national non-partisan effort spearheaded by the Energy Action Coalition,” as stated on their website. The other half of the “who” would be the students involved on the UNH Campus. The What would be an explanation of the group, what it does world wide and what it does in Durham. I would focus the “when” on possibly when the group at UNH meets, when they will have people around asking for signatures, also if they are going to have informative meetings around the Seacoast area. Power Vote is world wide, so the where is to be determined, but obviously the main focus would be its impact in Durham. The current undergraduate and graduate population is America’s future, so our environment and future should be important to them. The power vote website has lots of good statistics that can strengthen my argument. For the multimedia part of the assignment, I could post audio, or video recordings of interviews with the UNH students who are involved in power vote. I don’t know if any photographs could be used, but you never know. I know the assignment told us to be specific as possible, but I don't really know the direction I want to go yet with the multimedia aspect. I want to talk to one of the student organizers on campus first, and go from there. Power Vote already has a YouTube account, where subscribers can upload videos. if I do make a video with the footage I get, I could not only load the video to my blog, but to the YouTube account as well.

web site reactions

Media storm was a really cool, unique website. The use of pictures is what first caught my attention. I was surprised to see the video and sound incorporation when you scrolled over the photos. Once upon clicking on the article, I liked how you could email the link to someone. It took me a little bit to figure out you had to watch the video in order to hear the story. I also liked the transcript available to follow along. It was obviously a very advanced multimedia project, but it allowed me to see the potential that multimedia reporting software has. Reading the comments though made me realize, the photos made the story, which is a unique feature of the multimedia aspect of journalism.


I expected the Mastering multimedia blog to be more than it was. I was really hooked at first, thinking I was going to learn some of what he knew

On the Concord monitor's multimedia page, once again the use of video and audio just makes the story much more personal, and it really had me make a connection as a reader. It almost reminds me of a book that gets turned into a movie. I liked how there was more of a story line to this rather than the story of the Ninth Floor on media storm. There was also the link to the original story, which was an aspect I liked.


The Web How To I found to be informative and helpful. It reminded you of the basics learned in 621, and guided you to not just write a story, but to have a purpose and incorporate whatever multimedia you feel necessary.

Knight Digital media center seemed helpful, but it appeared you have to create an account to gain full access, which I plan on doing when the course gets in full swing. The links for picasa, and audiocity should also come in helpful later on.

The soundslides you have to buy, which may be a good investment if I want to take a career in multimedia journalism seriously.

On Boston.com, where I mainly get my news from they have the multimedia feature of videos for some of there stories, and have just started watching them, and I have to admit it is a feature I like as it adds a little something more to the story.

Multimedia experience

My experience with multimedia is fairly limited. I am familiar with using a digital camera, and a basic sound recorder. I use the internet for school work, and pleasure mostly. This is my first blog, and the closest thing I have "given" to the internet is a facebook account. I know my way around the internet and am comfortable with it. My freshmen year in college I took CS 403 which taught me how to make a webpage, but I don't rememeber much from the course.

My experience with journalism is solid. This will be the third journalism course I have taken at UNH, my others including English 621 and 622. I just completed a part time summer internship with the Conway Daily Sun, a small newspaper from my home town. While interning there, there was no use of any multimedia for that paper.