Tuesday, November 30, 2010
UmAsS HiP HoP DaNcE CrEw AuDiTiOn
More Interesting Multimedia Pieces
Out of these two multimedia pieces, "The Land" and "We Choose the Moon," I'd have to say that I liked "The Land" better. I liked how it has a more artistic feel to it and how it brought us through her journey on a day to day basis. I thought the other piece was very historical and was a good tool for getting an education on he first landing on the moon. Although very effective and professionally done, it was a little less my style.
I really liked how "The Land" started out; a very clean, smooth and organized introduction to the piece. I liked this better than the other one because I thought that "We Choose the Moon" was a little too overbearing for my senses. I overwhelmed me with the amount of immediate avenues I could take to view the piece, and I felt that the simulated clips were a little too drawn out to maintain my interest. However, "The Land" kept my focus and, although it was long, it was informative in a more straightforward and story-like way. This allowed me to get more out of the overall presentation.
I really liked how "The Land" started out; a very clean, smooth and organized introduction to the piece. I liked this better than the other one because I thought that "We Choose the Moon" was a little too overbearing for my senses. I overwhelmed me with the amount of immediate avenues I could take to view the piece, and I felt that the simulated clips were a little too drawn out to maintain my interest. However, "The Land" kept my focus and, although it was long, it was informative in a more straightforward and story-like way. This allowed me to get more out of the overall presentation.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Two Wonderfully Done Multimedia Stories
The New York Times' multimedia project on David Rohde's kidnapping in Afghanistan, as well as student Martin Ricard's winning piece on the prospects of farming in Sierra Leone, Africa after the civil war both left me in awe of the ability of images, video, and sound to express journalism stories to the fullest.
Although I did realize, before browsing through each of these projects, that photographs and video in journalism were for the benefit of the story, I have never seen such in depth and intricate projects such as these. I clicked on the New York Times piece first and was a little bored while first watching it. I felt that, immediately, Rohde could have been more energetic about telling his story and that his explaination of everything should have been unscripted. But after watching the entire thing and reading through some of his article parts of the whole project, I felt differently. I saw how he may have been traumatically and emotionally effected by the events he went through and how, becuase the story was so long and detailed, that a scripted multimedia piece was necessary.
I feel that, in the New York Times piece, the multimedia played an important part, in the long run, in keeping the viewer interested in the story. I only say this because each of his articles (parts 1-5) were very long and required a large amount of dedicated time to get through, absorb and appriciate individually and entirely. The video story allowed someone to get the whole story more quickly and directly, but without lacking the descriptive details that make Rohde's experience unique.
I thought Ricard's project was incrediable but a little confusing at first (for me - don't know about others). The piece reminded me of something I might see in a museum, playing as a multimedia addition to an exhibit on this African country and its natives. I think the reason why it confused me at first was because I am a slow reader and it automatically moved me onto the next slide before I was finished reading and comprehending all of the first one. Then, on the second one, it took me a couple of minutes and clicking around to understand the direction in which the project was taking me. I realize that this piece won for its photographs and multimedia assests, however I do think it could have been organized or directionally explained a little better for newcomers.
Despite these initial feelings, I really liked the project, as (again) the multimedia really captivated and fascinated me. In some of the slides I felt that the background noises were slightly deistracting from the reading I was trying to do, but again my comprehension skills are less than exceptional, specially with auditory distractions. I did think that the piece on the "Auntie" of all the children was my favorite, both story-wise and multimedia-wise. I think he combined the story with the photos, video, writing, and audio the best here so that it was very effective.
I thought both were exceptional pieces of journalism that represented aspects of different cultures that the average American may fail to see. I also thought they were both fabulous examples of how multimedia can strikingly enhance a story that may appear to be "just another story" about a foreign kidnapping or an African village. It's definitely what makes both of these stories stand out.
Although I did realize, before browsing through each of these projects, that photographs and video in journalism were for the benefit of the story, I have never seen such in depth and intricate projects such as these. I clicked on the New York Times piece first and was a little bored while first watching it. I felt that, immediately, Rohde could have been more energetic about telling his story and that his explaination of everything should have been unscripted. But after watching the entire thing and reading through some of his article parts of the whole project, I felt differently. I saw how he may have been traumatically and emotionally effected by the events he went through and how, becuase the story was so long and detailed, that a scripted multimedia piece was necessary.
I feel that, in the New York Times piece, the multimedia played an important part, in the long run, in keeping the viewer interested in the story. I only say this because each of his articles (parts 1-5) were very long and required a large amount of dedicated time to get through, absorb and appriciate individually and entirely. The video story allowed someone to get the whole story more quickly and directly, but without lacking the descriptive details that make Rohde's experience unique.
I thought Ricard's project was incrediable but a little confusing at first (for me - don't know about others). The piece reminded me of something I might see in a museum, playing as a multimedia addition to an exhibit on this African country and its natives. I think the reason why it confused me at first was because I am a slow reader and it automatically moved me onto the next slide before I was finished reading and comprehending all of the first one. Then, on the second one, it took me a couple of minutes and clicking around to understand the direction in which the project was taking me. I realize that this piece won for its photographs and multimedia assests, however I do think it could have been organized or directionally explained a little better for newcomers.
Despite these initial feelings, I really liked the project, as (again) the multimedia really captivated and fascinated me. In some of the slides I felt that the background noises were slightly deistracting from the reading I was trying to do, but again my comprehension skills are less than exceptional, specially with auditory distractions. I did think that the piece on the "Auntie" of all the children was my favorite, both story-wise and multimedia-wise. I think he combined the story with the photos, video, writing, and audio the best here so that it was very effective.
I thought both were exceptional pieces of journalism that represented aspects of different cultures that the average American may fail to see. I also thought they were both fabulous examples of how multimedia can strikingly enhance a story that may appear to be "just another story" about a foreign kidnapping or an African village. It's definitely what makes both of these stories stand out.
A New Beginning to Exorcisms
“What they’re trying to do in restoring exorcisms,” said Dr. Appleby, a longtime observer of the bishops, “is to strengthen and enhance what seems to be lost in the church, which is the sense that the church is not like any other institution. It is supernatural, and the key players in that are the hierarchy and the priests who can be given the faculties of exorcism. “It’s a strategy for saying: ‘We are not the Federal Reserve, and we are not the World Council of Churches. We deal with angels and demons.’ ”
The New York Times released an article on November 12, 2010 explaining the Roman Catholic desire to begin preforming exorcisms again. The priests commenting in the article clearly stated that the Hollywood versions of gorey and bloody exorcisms do not clearly depict what an actual religious exorcism is like, and places the Church under a lot of pressure when considering starting this intense religious practice again.
Their main goal in restoring exorcisms is to give a stronger name to the Church. Years ago, the Roman Catholic Church had much power, often over political views and movements. The Church represented something that people could see as credible, as the Church's efforts religiously created an extreme devotion by its followers. Priests and other members of the Church were seen as divine, as they had the closest connection to God. Often, people's lives depended on prayer and attending church so that they could be enlightened by the Priest's lessons and recieve a closer connection to divinity.
Considering the strength of the Catholic Church in the past, and the many controversies of the Church today, the Roman Catholic members see exorcisms as a way to bring back this devotion and power. Although not many are trained in exorcisms, bishops are holding lessons to teach more priests in this act. Also, not everyone who requests an exorcism recieves one.
Their main goal in restoring exorcisms is to give a stronger name to the Church. Years ago, the Roman Catholic Church had much power, often over political views and movements. The Church represented something that people could see as credible, as the Church's efforts religiously created an extreme devotion by its followers. Priests and other members of the Church were seen as divine, as they had the closest connection to God. Often, people's lives depended on prayer and attending church so that they could be enlightened by the Priest's lessons and recieve a closer connection to divinity.
Considering the strength of the Catholic Church in the past, and the many controversies of the Church today, the Roman Catholic members see exorcisms as a way to bring back this devotion and power. Although not many are trained in exorcisms, bishops are holding lessons to teach more priests in this act. Also, not everyone who requests an exorcism recieves one.
"It's only used in those cases where the Devil is involved in an extraordinary sort of way in terms of actually being in possession of the person. But it's rare, it's extraordinary, so the use of exorcism is also rare and extraordinary," says Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, IL.
Those who can preform exorcisms are not excited to be known for it. They do their best to keep undercover, as exorcisms are a very sacred practice of the Chruch. These acts demonstrate the very traditional and ancient forms of Roman Catholicsm and public reports of them are not necessarily welcomed.
Reverend Richard Vega points out that another call for the rebirth of exorcisms is due to the increase of Hispanic and African Roman Catholic followers, who, culturally, "are more attuned to the experience of the supernatural."
Because the Catholics believe that the Devil is real and can possess a person who, most likely, is not leading a moral and spiritually good life, they feel that exorcisms are an important part of the religion to bring back into the Catholic culture throughout the world. It will be interesting to see if this takes the Church "two steps back" or if it brings them increased religious power and cherishment.
Those who can preform exorcisms are not excited to be known for it. They do their best to keep undercover, as exorcisms are a very sacred practice of the Chruch. These acts demonstrate the very traditional and ancient forms of Roman Catholicsm and public reports of them are not necessarily welcomed.
Reverend Richard Vega points out that another call for the rebirth of exorcisms is due to the increase of Hispanic and African Roman Catholic followers, who, culturally, "are more attuned to the experience of the supernatural."
Because the Catholics believe that the Devil is real and can possess a person who, most likely, is not leading a moral and spiritually good life, they feel that exorcisms are an important part of the religion to bring back into the Catholic culture throughout the world. It will be interesting to see if this takes the Church "two steps back" or if it brings them increased religious power and cherishment.
Phusion Projects Aims to Protect Against Regulators.
On November 10, 2010, Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaison Freeman, the company's co-founders, put a message on their website addressed to these regulators (and all others concerned) regarding the rights of their company and their disagreement with the government's avid remarks of how dangerous Four Lokos are to one's health. Hunter, Wright and Freeman state their disagreement with government research on the dis-safety of the product, yet make it a point to mark their consideration for the well-being of all adults who drink Four Loko.
To us, uniformity means uniformity in how the laws are written, applied and enforced. We want to work with you, not against you, in this effort...Our company has submitted a "Generally Regarded as Safe" (GRAS) study in which an independent panel of scientific experts found that adding caffeine to alcohol is safe." They go on to say that they will "abide by any industry-wide, uniform standards that the appropriate governing bodies my develop.
The co-founders make it clear that they are not fighting against the government's ban of their product but simply fighting for an equal chance to state their case and give evidence that their drink is, in fact, safe, especially when compared to other beverages like Four Loko which have been either overlooked or deemed acceptable.
If mixing caffeine and alcohol is the most pressing concern, addressing it would be best accomplished by creating laws that apply to the entire caffeinated alcoholic beverage category - not specific individual products... If products-specific bans remain the preferred course of action, we will protect out rights as a business to the fullest extent of the law.
The founders of Four Loko are clearly determined to prove the best they can that their beverage is safe, and are willing to abide by fair government investigations and policies, however it is their current concern that these investigations will single out Phusion Projects and they have already prepared their case to legally take matters into their own hands.
Dricoll Middle School Trick Play
For those of you who are football fans, sports fans, or just a fan of anything pretty much insane, check out this video. The Driscoll Middle School football team showed YouTube viewers one of the most popular videos of this past week when their quarterback seemingly paused play, walked through the defensive line unquestioned, and ran all the way down the field for a touchdown. This, needless to say, left the opposing team aggravated, confused, and dumbfounded, while the home team cheered their quarterback to the end-zone.
I would definitely say that this video has journalism qualities to it. Not only did YouTube aggregate about 10.7 million viewers, but the video also showed a situation that was most likely written about in local newspaper, and talked about through the halls of the Driscoll Middle School for days after the game. Evidently, this video has gone viral because the trick play was one that sports fans don't see often. Also, it is amazing that the move worked, as in higher level football organizations, coaches would most likely train their athletes to follow the officials' calls and not be fooled by the players of the other team.
As far as comments, the video had lots of them. Most of the comments were ones showing laughing and disbelief, while some of them were more negative and sarcastically humored. As I was reading through the comments, it seemed like many people who actually saw the game commented on the video. Apparently the other team won, despite being tricked with this play. Also, there were some racial jokes made about players of the team, I am guessing not by people who personally knew them.
Overall, I love how the video became viral because I think something like this is a fun little thing to see perhaps when you're having a bad day or just taking some down time. It's a short n' sweet way to be reminded that anything is possible.
I would definitely say that this video has journalism qualities to it. Not only did YouTube aggregate about 10.7 million viewers, but the video also showed a situation that was most likely written about in local newspaper, and talked about through the halls of the Driscoll Middle School for days after the game. Evidently, this video has gone viral because the trick play was one that sports fans don't see often. Also, it is amazing that the move worked, as in higher level football organizations, coaches would most likely train their athletes to follow the officials' calls and not be fooled by the players of the other team.
As far as comments, the video had lots of them. Most of the comments were ones showing laughing and disbelief, while some of them were more negative and sarcastically humored. As I was reading through the comments, it seemed like many people who actually saw the game commented on the video. Apparently the other team won, despite being tricked with this play. Also, there were some racial jokes made about players of the team, I am guessing not by people who personally knew them.
Overall, I love how the video became viral because I think something like this is a fun little thing to see perhaps when you're having a bad day or just taking some down time. It's a short n' sweet way to be reminded that anything is possible.
Reaction to "The Big Picture"
The "Big Picture" a famous blog that relies on photojournalism to do the talking, posted 39 incredible pictures depicting the current volcanic eruptions in Indonesia. Each photo served to visually amaze the viewer, as well as tell a story of the communities and landscapes affected by this natural disaster.
I have several favorites; it was very hard to pick which ones I thought worked the best. They were all nearly unreal to look at and made it seem as though I were there witnessing this tragedy unfold before my own eyes. Not only did the colors and the culture of the Indonesian people stand out, but so did the emotions and pain. As I am in photojournalism course now, i am learning many of the methods of not only taking an effective picture, but also ethics and values of the journalism field. I was surprised that the photographer was able to get shots of burned victims who were rescued, as well as those who had not been so fortunate. There were two photos hidden from automatic view (that the reader had to click a link to view). Both of the photos were similar to what we know as war scenes; sprawled dead bodies that were damaged beyond recognition.
Three photos I really enjoyed were photo 8, 31 and 38 because I felt they could have told most of the story themselves, as also I like the photo techniques of the photographer. Photo 8 showed a girl standing over her hospitalized sister who had been injured close to death in the ash of the eruption. This photo shows the emotional impact this tragedy is having on the Indonesian people of the communities effected by the volcano, and shows their devotion to family.
I chose 31 as it shows a group of people laying across clothes in a crowded shelter. This not only explains the amount of natives effected by the eruption, but also the under development of the country's economy and its inability to comfortably shelter the victims who were evecuated.
Lastly, picture 38 shows a farmer walking through his field of ash-covered crops. This represents the economic devastation the country is enduring and the fact that many will lose income and food because of the contaminating ash.
I have several favorites; it was very hard to pick which ones I thought worked the best. They were all nearly unreal to look at and made it seem as though I were there witnessing this tragedy unfold before my own eyes. Not only did the colors and the culture of the Indonesian people stand out, but so did the emotions and pain. As I am in photojournalism course now, i am learning many of the methods of not only taking an effective picture, but also ethics and values of the journalism field. I was surprised that the photographer was able to get shots of burned victims who were rescued, as well as those who had not been so fortunate. There were two photos hidden from automatic view (that the reader had to click a link to view). Both of the photos were similar to what we know as war scenes; sprawled dead bodies that were damaged beyond recognition.
Three photos I really enjoyed were photo 8, 31 and 38 because I felt they could have told most of the story themselves, as also I like the photo techniques of the photographer. Photo 8 showed a girl standing over her hospitalized sister who had been injured close to death in the ash of the eruption. This photo shows the emotional impact this tragedy is having on the Indonesian people of the communities effected by the volcano, and shows their devotion to family.
I chose 31 as it shows a group of people laying across clothes in a crowded shelter. This not only explains the amount of natives effected by the eruption, but also the under development of the country's economy and its inability to comfortably shelter the victims who were evecuated.
Lastly, picture 38 shows a farmer walking through his field of ash-covered crops. This represents the economic devastation the country is enduring and the fact that many will lose income and food because of the contaminating ash.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)