FORMAL INTERVIEW:

1.  Show up early, set-up and put mic on chair
2.   Run Mic Up shirt
3.   Reporter should distract and make a connection
4.   Photographer is listening in headphones
5.   Frame up shot:  Eyes on Third, Talking Space/Nose Room, Cam Eye Level,
6.   Photographer gives signal:  Clears Throat... to signal he/she is ready for the interview to start
7.  1st Question is always  State your name and spell it...
8.  Open Ended Questions
9.  Last Question is always "Is there anything else you want to say"
10. Shoot Cut Aways of Hands or Reporter


Copy and paste the following questions and answer them on your blog:

Run and Gun Interviews:

1.  What is a "Run and Gun" interview? When can we use a "Run and Gun" interview?

2.  What is the first thing you should do BEFORE starting off for the interview?
-ask permission and make sure everything works
3.  Why do you think we should ask for permission?
-to make sure they are comfortable
4.  Why should we always ask the interviewee to state and spell their names?
-to check and make sure the mic is working
5.  Where should we place the microphone?
-dont give it to them, hang loose
6.  Should we hand the mic to the interviewee?
-no
7.  The photographer is responsible for the sound levels.  What are two things the photographer should be aware of?
-background noise
8.  COMPOSITION:  How we should frame our interview shot:
a.  Eyes on _thirds__________
b.  2 Eyes One ___ear_______
c.  Camera should be Higher, Even, or Lower than subject? even
d.  Talking space or __Nose______ Room


BACKGROUNDS:
9. Avoid shooting in front of  ____window______.

10.  Why should we keep signs out of the background?
-distracting
11.  If we were doing an interview about the high cost of parking at EVHS where would a good place to interview be?
-the parking lot
12.  What is a demonstration interview and what are the benefits?
-put wireless mic on, subject is doing something. adds effect

everybody knows to come downtown to the mudhouse for a great cup of coffee, but nobody wants coffee when it's 105 degrees.
for coffee shops like the mudhouse, there is one way to beat the heat, and thats to offer refreshing, cold, drinks
another great thing about the mudhouse,is that once you get your drink and sit down, theres a lot of great artwork

Friday assignment: shot by shot

 The Art of Violin Bow Making
Run Time: 2:28


1. tight shot of waist
2. tight shot of elbow
3. medium shot of carver
4. tight shot of carving
5. tight shot of face
6. stand up shot of carver
7. angled shot of carver and bow
8. close up of bow
9. over the shoulder of workspace
10. close up of carving
11. close up of carving
12. close up of carving
13. close up of bow
14. close up of bow
15. linking shot from light to workspace
16. close up of saw
17. close up of tools
18.close up of bows
19. close up of workspace
20. close up of bows
21. close up of wood
22. close up of wood
23. stand up shot of carver
24. close up of bows
25. close up of bows
26. close up of bows
27. close up of bows
28. stand up shot of carver
29. close up of workspace
30. close up of bow
31. stand up shot of carver
32. close up of carving
33. medium of carving
34. close up of face
35. close up of bow
36. close up of bow

I noticed a few very effective strategies for filming and editing in this video. He adds a lot of blur and special effects which makes it more interesting. He also has a lot of close up shots. In my opinion he has so many close ups to make it more detailed. I really liked how he had a variety in the order of his shots. Some parts have multiple close ups in a row and some parts have medium shots mixed in. Overall he did a great job. I can tell that he "broke the rules" but in this case it turned out better.

WALLDO video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm9bU_gJrfI

Dotson part 2

This section was very interesting to me. In this section, I learned techniques of how to engage the reader and keep him engaged. It was interesting how he said to collect information that appeals to the audience as well. This will be very important to creating a good story. The Pearl Harbor story was very interesting also, I liked how it highlighted emotions throughout the story. I understand when he says "don't overwhelm the viewers with information". I feel like that is why a lot of people don't watch the news anymore or read the newspaper, because it's so much information people get bored and don't want to watch it. That being said, you shouldn't just throw a bunch of information at your audience its overwhelming.
So, Dotson highlights the following:
- How to defeat the TV remote control -
- Be conversational
- Gobbledygook and clichés
- Active voice
- Write in threes
- Surprises
Read this story and watch this one (a bit of a sports theme this week). Write two paragraphs (one about each) that explains how the story uses/handles at least three of these aspects. Give specific examples (100 words in each paragraph, so at least 200 total words).

The story certainly has an active voice all the way through, up until the end when it ends with a question. The writer of this piece was also a big talker and the tone was as if the writer was talking conversationally to the reader. Since he wrote like he would speak it made the piece interesting and appealing to the reader. This piece also included surprises. The outcome was unpredictable and obtained the viewer's attention. It was very interesting and the story captured my focus. While reading I was shocked that the boys and family told the officials what really happened and was even more surprised by the great response they received from it afterwards. 

This news story definitely was better than the TV remote control. There was a lot of emotions throughout this story. Dotson wrote "People want something from your writing. Happiness. Understanding. Insight." This story did exactly that. Parts in this story created images for the audience such as when the mother states that when they bought their house it had a green carpet and a natural playing ground for their 12 boys. The narrator of this story had a great voice and it made the story more natural.

Dotson 3-41

ASSIGNMENT FOR FRIDAY:
Regarding the book by Bob Dotson, Make It Memorable: Please read the introduction and Section One (pages 3-41). Then, answer the following questions and be sure to exceed the requested word counts:
o What do you notice about the way he writes? Use specific examples, please. (75 words)
There are a few things that I notice about Bob Dotson's writing style. For one, he uses a lot of examples, and explains everything thoroughly. I understand exactly what he is talking about most of the time. Another thing that I notice is he uses detail. He goes much in depth with his detail. Almost every sentence contains an example or a detailed statement. I find this style easier to read and more comfortable because its like I am having a conversation with him.
o What did you learn from reading pages 9 to 27? (75 words)
I learned a few important steps to having great camerawork. On page 11 he talks about the Non-Question/Question. It is a technique to getting key soundbites out of shy people. He gives a great example in the book, but what he does, is start by talking about something common between the cameraman and the interviewee. Then, once they are having a conversation, he says something that sparks the final question.





o With the scripts: What do suppose is described in each column? Why would it be split like that?
What else is interesting about the scripts? (50 words)
My best guess to the scripts is they are split to show topics. The right side is the dialogue and the left side is the shot they are going to get. Overall I do not like the scripts. They are confusing and irrelevant in my opinion. They could be useful if they were modified a bit.
o On Page 34 (and to the end of the section), Dotson writes about a long-form feature. Find one of these (a story at least 4 minutes long) on a TV news magazine such as Rock Center, 20/20 or 60 Minutes. Then, give and explain examples of how the storyteller uses the five bulleted traits Dotson gives on Page 34. (200 words)

• Scene- The scene takes place in California. They start by doing a wide shot of the news reporter over the beach. Then they set the scene by explaining what happened. The shots contained pictures of the women and the family and friends.
• Foreshadowing- They used foreshadowing by telling what happened to the women, but they left you thinking of why she went missing, and how.
• Conflict- The conflict is a women is lost for 11 years and finally found. People thought she had died and fortunately it turned out to be not true.
• Character Growth- For character growth was the woman came back after 11 years to return with her family.
• Resolution- The resolution is the woman returned home after being with the homeless for 11 years, which was good news.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Today you will be taking notes on Focus Statements and Camera Techniques


1. What is a Focus Statement? Define Defines what your story is going to be about.

2. Why do we need a Focus Statement? You need one because your story wont make sense.

3. Give an example of a Focus Statement sentence. girls make dressing for homecoming

4. Give an example of a Focus Statement in 3 words: (Subject-Verb-Object)
Girls make dresses


5. What are the 6 Essential Equipment items you need with you when shooting an interview?

Camera Tripod Microphone Batteries Media Headphones

6. Why is a tripod important?
Keeps the footage still and focused.
7. The Tripod is my _____________
Friend
8. Define: Pan
Moving the camera horizontally
9. Define: Tilt
Moving the camera verically
10. Why are headphones important?
Because you want to hear the quality of the audio.

11. Why is it important to TEST YOUR EQUIPMENT BEFORE YOU GO ON SHOOT!

Make sure everything works good.

12. Define Wide shot:
Establishing shot
Location
13. Why do we need a wide shot?
Shows surroundings

14. Define Medium shot:
focus on specific area

15. Why do we need a medium shot?
More detail

16. Define a tight shot.
close up
17. Why do we need a tight shot?
lots of detail
18. What is a sequence?

19. Why do we need a sequence?

1.  What is the lead in this story?  Does it intrigue you to keep watching?
-robbery in a quiet neighborhood, it interests me because i want to know what happened
2.  What are the 5W's of this story:  Who, What, Where, When, Why
-heather burg in quiet neighborhood in denver got robbed through the doggie door recently
3.   Give an example of the reporters Voice over or seque (Write it down word for word)
-in this case, she is going to keep a better eye on what crawls in or out her back doggie door
4.  When do we see the reporter's stand-up?  Beginning, Middle, or End?
-middle
5.  What is the purpose of this reporter's stand-up?
-to explain more about the story through other robberies nearby while putting a face to the voice


-move story forward
-reporter becomes b roll
-take me to the scene
-use props
-be creative and surprise us

1.  Identify and explain as many WALLDO shots as you can.
angled- on the deck, low- with dog, depth- the wind chimes, linking- wind chime, opposite- toaster
2.  What is Natural Sound?
the sound you would hear if you were actually there.

3.  Identify several examples of Natural Sound in this story?
piano, dog barking

4.  How does Natural Sound enhance the story?
adds emotion and music

Walldo

Wide
Angled
Low
Linking- Connecting 2 shots
Depth
Opposite- Action/Reaction

Madison's Story

The story was very inspirational and motivating. She makes the most out of her stump while we all take our hands for granted. In a way, this story makes me appreciate my hands, because some people are not fortunate enough to have both hands and I consider myself lucky.

Great camera work except some shakiness. All shots follow the Rule of Thirds, Nose Room, and also a few sequences involved. They go back and forth between the raw footage and also the interviews so the viewers do not get bored.  

A-Roll: Interviews, Reporter Voice Overs, Natural Sound
B-Roll: Video Footage that compliments the story

1.  What is the focus statement of this story?
-Publisher's passion fueled by the sun.
2.  Give examples of W-M-T sequences
-Showing his cabin on the computer, showing the solar panels.
3.  Give examples of The Rule of Thirds
-Driving his car.
4.  Give examples of Eyes on Third
-Talking in the office.
5.  Give examples of Talking Space
-Talking outside his store, showing his books.
6.  What did you like about story?
 -It was a happy story and i thought it was cool that this guy powered everything with solar power and runs on electricity.

Interview:

Grace Lovelace is an 18 year old girl at Eastview High School. She is a senior, and has big plans for next year, but has also brought many memories with her. Her big plans include a road trip and attending the University of Minnesota Duluth to become a nurse. Grace has played basketball for most of her life. She has had many great experiences and friendships throughout the Eastview basketball program. Basketball has motivated and inspired her to do many great things in her life, including getting good grades, expanding her social life, and even getting a job at Old Navy. Basketball has given her many great memories. The best memories come from the tournaments they won throughout the years. Those experiences gave her a strong group of friends and inspiration to be successful. Now Grace is headed down the path to greatness and success.

Criteria of Newsworthiness

Today you will read pages 21,22, and 23 of "The News" packet. Copy the following questions on to your blog and answer.

1.  Identify, define, and give an example of the 6 criteria of newsworthiness.

Criteria 1: Unusualness
Definition: Different, out of the ordinary
Example: "If an airplane departs on time, it isn't news. If it crashes, regrettably, it is."

Criteria 2: Significance
Definition: Important events, ones that affect many people
Example: Taxes, elections, wars, scientific discoveries, the economy

Criteria 3: Timeliness
Definition: Modern
Example: People want to hear about the flood while its happening, not next month when everything has dried up

Criteria 4: Proximity
Definition: Local events of significance
Example: The local school, the new tax law

Criteria 5: Prominence
Definition: Well known people, buildings, or places involved
Example: If someone gets arrested for shoplifting, it wont make the news, unless its a celebrity

Criteria 6: Human interest
Definition: Heartwarming, humorous, dramatic
Example: A sand castle competition

2. On page 23 it discusses the differences between print journalism and broadcast journlism.  Please describe 3 ways they are different and explain. 


3.  List all the criteria the story we watched at the beginning of class fits under and why.
1- loose pigs are unusual. 3- recent event.
4.  List all the criteria the 2nd story we watched fits under and why.
3- recent 6- heartwarming that both dogs can still survive with eachother
5.  List all the criteria the 3rd story we watched fits under and why.

2- many people are interested in movie awards. 3- recent, one day old. 5- celebrities involved. 6- dramatic and humorous.

Interview of a Classmate

What do you do on a daily basis? Work at Old Navy

What activities do you enjoy? Playing basketball, played for years

What are your plans for next year? Attend UMD for college

Do you have any big plans coming up? Possibly a road trip to Arizona, and prom

What do you like to do with friends? Take road trips, shop, play basketball

What inspires you? Successful people