Video Project!

Quirky cues caught on tape!

After being introduced to some UNH cyclers I can only describe as "badass" last week, I decided that they would make for a solid video project. Roadburn and wrecked helmets are everyday occurrences for them. Some of the prime racers get up to 60 mph on downhill races. They wear spandex suits without a shred of embarrassment. Cool.

What wasn't so cool was the little blips of audio I managed to capture while shooting some tape. I know that I'm an odd ball sometimes; usually it's at least borderline humorous so I can get away with it. However, to find my oddball tendencies caught on tape wasn't so funny when I wanted a good shot.

Audio Blip No. 1: I was filming an "action shot." One of my subjects was in the way of my cycler riding down a hill. I started making frantic humming bird noises, slightly panicked by the obstruction. It was low enough so no one else could hear it but the camera picked it up. Weird.

Audio Blip No. 2: This was the stellar action shot I shot while crouching down on the pavement. I got a shot of a cycler whizzing past immediately to my left, then right in front of me, then cycling off to my direct right - a perfect 180 degree line. Very cool effect. Although apparently, I thought the last line in my head then because I said a whisper/rasp, "Oh, that was so good." I sounded like a marsh creature eating a pizza. Thank god for the mute option on Windows Movie Maker.

Everyone's doing multimedia so we shouldn't we?

(And if anyone is wondering about the reference, yes I was a Cranberries fan.)

After leaving class yesterday, I felt pretty panged as to what I think newspapers should be doing. There are two options. Option number one would be to continue the way they operate but to focus on making the content more clear, and stylish and easy to read - almost like magazines. Option number two would be to try to post lots of video and multimedia online and pray that people catch on. After they caught on, then the newspaper could have enough of a following to invest in better quality cameras and video stories. However, I feel as though the broadcasting industry is the main way people get their news. It's not as intellectual to watch the tv compared with reading a newspaper, but broadcasting sells ads and sells them well. It would be silly for newspapers to try to mimic what the news done every night. However, what papers could do, would be to focus more on the local angle rather than the national. Newspapers, if they took the multimedia route, could make videos that focus on local news, not national. I think there's a big need for that sort of multimedia. More and more people are disconnected from their bug news stations because it's not relevent to their lives, their area.

The only way newspapers without multimedia will survive is unless the papers are stylish, informative, and more thorough than anything online can give. The last card the newspapers hold is credebility. Newspapers may not be the fastest way of getting information, but it could be the most thorough and well-written news source.

Video

Wow. I can't believe how slow this computer is. When trying to edit video, it kept freaking out and freezing. I uploaded one of my videos to youtube, sans editing, unfortunately. I'm going to have to maybe use another computer on campus that has more memory to complete this project. This is not what I was imagining. At least I'm learning a lot for sure.

soundslides...bama

So, here's some of the pictures from my audio project. I might be going to NYC to see a friend during spring break. I think I'll try to find something controversial and entertaining while there while trying to get some great visual. As Howard said, "if there's no visual, it's crap!"

Ah....Progress (le sigh)

O.K. The audio is working for now. Let's pray to God that it stays working. That is all I have to say about that for now. Audacity settings are pretty intricate. I will say this however: I am learning a lot. I always thought that I was "technologically challenged." But actually, once I get into it, I catch on to all this computer mumbo-jumbo finagling and I feel pretty darn smaht.

I like the audio clip. I think that the sound levels could have been tweaked better. I had some trouble balancing the background music with the interview and there are two moments when I feel like I should have edited better. But, I quickmixed it and it cannot be undone now. Eek. Well, the moral of the story is that I'll learn better for next time, I guess. Or, I can do the whole mixing audio action over. We'll see. I might just re-doing the clip in order to make the project more polished.

I'm going to interview and photograph the Press Room tomorrow night or the next. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Audio

SUCCESS!

I can't believe it. I, Abbie Crocker, completed my project - and it doesn't sound horrible for my first time mixing something. Once I started figuring out my files and arranging them, the work went by pretty fast. Thank god Howard gave the class those editing handouts. Otherwise I would have been supremely lost. I have to admit though; I think my radio experience at WUNH really did help me out with this project. I'm used to hearing my voice and controlling it to sound the way I want it to. That was a nice comfort when trying to narrate bits into my digital recorder. I also had an ear for when I should let the music pick up or drift into the background.

I ended up interviewing Bruce Pingree, general manager of The Press Room in Portsmouth and a 30-year+ blues DJ at 91.3 WUNH. After I bought a great (and pretty) white Olympus digital recorder on Sunday, I was panicked to find a story. Luckily I remembered that Bruce does his blues show on Sunday nights for a couple of hours. He has a great DJ voice, he always has interesting things to say. He's literally worked with legends. Plus, he was close; it was convienent. So I called him up at the station. Even though I know him, and he's extremely helpful, I was nervous he would say the big N. O. to my interview.

"Hey Bruce, it's Abbie."
"Yeah."
"Do you have any time to be interviewed for a multimedia project I'm doing?"
"Yeah."
"I'll be there in a half hour."
"Yeah."

The interview took ten minutes. I got solid golden eggs. I was a very happy digital rookie.

This Saturday, I saw Bruce and had a quick beer with him at the Press Room. I think I picked a good subject.

Because we are living in a digital world and I am not a digital girl...

Best Buy lied to me. The lady at the Worcester store said that the audio recorder I purchased would work with a PC. But either she just didn't know what she was talking about or she was just mean because this recorder did NOT do what she said it would. None of my interview files are transferring to my computer let alone the Audacity program. Therefore on this blustery Sunday I am going to make the trek to Best Buy, slam down my receipt, and demand a refund! (After I pick out a recorder that does work with Audacity.) Then, I am going to go out into the streets of Portsmouth to find a compelling story like the ambitious reporter that I am. That's it. I am off!

Beginnings

For the past week, I've been wracking my brain about who would make a great audio interview. I need the subject to be passionate about something interesting - hopefully something that is relatable or novel (anything, something) to listeners. I've decided that Rev. Dr. Mary Westfall is the best choice for now. She is the leader of a historical New England church plus highly educated, a woman in a man's profession and has undergone a lot in her life. (By a lot, I mean she has stories about being hit by lightening and such. I think that small tidbit of information is fascinating in itself.) Last semester I interviewed her for the Herald in order to recieve some commentary from a religious authority. What we talked about, I found fascinating. She is extremely articulate. Since then, I've heard some positive town gossip about the woman from Durham community members. Can't wait to speak with her more about working in the religious community. Here is a LINK to her bio.

LINKS.

Here are the links that I meant to tag in the first post:

National Geographic Missing Monks Vid

Activist/Political Commentary Blog

Let's be honest. As a second semester senior, I'm beginning to mentally gear up for the end of college and the inevitable thrust into the job market. I'm hoping to land a job as a reporter at a daily or mayhaps a magazine. But one thing is certain in an uncertain world. I will need some "new media" experience to make myself a viable competitor amid the flush of resumes. That's why I chose to take New Media or read as ENGL 721 in the UNH Time and Room schedule. As journalism majors, we've all done the readings, the writing. But I haven't really delved into new media in a structured way. My internship at the Portsmouth Herald allowed me to dabble in photography, computer and slideshow work. My radio show on WUNH gave me some board experience. But other than that I'm, let's just say, technologically challenged? I'm hoping to learn from my tech-friendly peers about how to take great photos, make compelling media packages and even blog well. Looking at the syllabus, I see some great professionals that should expand the way I think about the morphing media and the way the world is changing with it. It certainly is exciting. I already found some compelling stories I would like to blog about!

I have been reading up on Asian civil rights conflict lately. I like to read blogs that activists post and then read more about the subject from more traditional media sources. Here is a link to a National Geographic video about monks vanishing from Burma.

Here is a blog about the conflict. I hope the subject matter pulls you in like it did for me.