Please write about what you learned in multimedia training at the Diversity Institute in Nashville — a piece of advice, a lesson, a tip, a technique, a skill, etc. — and describe how you will apply it once you’re at your internship newspaper.
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Ashley Reid
06.02.09
Multimedia can be the most powerful, entertaining, and lively form of news to man. During this course I have come to understand how Multimedia does not kill journalism, it really provides us with a stronger way to reach our communities.
A real piece of advice is to come in with a mindset that you don’t know it all. Learn these concepts such as soundslides, video, and audio as if you were learning how to talk. If you make it that important to you, trust me you will get the job done. Multimedia will truly force you to look at every single story from a different view.
I loved this experience and all the people I met here at the DI. I know that once I get to my internship I will be able to be a multimedia journalist with confidence. I will be able to produce a strong written piece as well as a strong visual, and double is always better than one. I am blessed to learn such information that can reach and inspire the masses.
Ashley Reid
06.02.09
P.S. I came out of the institute with new dance moves, and if you are a new scholar, trust me someone or something will rub off on you!
J.J. Alcantara
06.02.09
One of the most valuable things I learned at the Diversity Institute is how to tell a story through videos, audio and photos. With the convergence of all these different types of media, a multimedia journalist has to be able to use these tools and keep the audience’s attention throughout.
I definitely learned the difference between a broadcast video and an online video. Online videos have to narrowly tell one aspect of a print story, while broadcast videos have to tell an entire story in a two-minute package.
Natural sound, or nat sound, was another revelation to me during the course of this program. I learned how to develop my ears to be able to hear sounds in the environment that you are in. Using those nat sounds in audio-slideshows and videos will help the audience get a feeling that they are there.
B-roll. There really isn’t enough anyone can say about b-roll. There also isn’t such a thing as over-stressing b-roll. B-roll is your best friend. A video can have amazing audio and a great story, but without a lot of different types of b-roll, you’re video will be visually unappealing. I think I’m going to start using a 2:1 formula for b-roll. That is, for every minute of interview, have two minutes of b-roll. I figure that will help out.
Once I’m at my internship at The Herald-Times in Bloomington, Ind., I’m going to try to apply all of the multimedia training I received into my stories. I’m going to try to write a story, take photos and create a video. It’ll be a stretch and a feat, but it would be nice to have a fully complete story to add to that ever-growing portfolio.
As for my one advice to up-and-coming multimedia journalist: remember the ABCs .
Audio, B-roll and Confidence.
I completely made that up by the way, but that’s what I learned during this program.
Janelle Stokes
06.02.09
A technique that I learned this week that I will apply to my internship newspaper is to always have an idea for a story in mind before you start actually capturing sound, video, or photographs for your final project.
Having a story in mind will help you not become overwhelmed by a situation that has a lot visually and aurally going on. While the angle of a story might change as you start talking to people, having an idea in mind will help put you at ease when tackling your multimedia project.
Another skill that I am going to apply to my future multimedia projects as well as to my print articles is the idea of looking for details. Details (or what videographers call B roll) helps set the scene for the story you are trying to tell and immerses the viewer or reader into your story.
Paying attention to details and translating them through words, visuals, or sounds has made me a better listener and observer.
Danielle Cintron
06.02.09
Learn to let go - Sometimes being in control is all I’m about. Whether it be a situation, a project or just a free time activity, going with the flow is a good thing. I’m not going to completely give up my controlfreak ways, but I am going to drop the ‘freak’ part.
Watching for details - A story needs color just like a video needs b roll. When visting a location, make sure to take in the surroundings. Hands and feet make awesome shots. Looking for little quarks people have makes a story interesting.
Don’t turn a story into a promo - Just because the representative is excited about the story doesn’t mean the actual people involved are. Make sure to get a real story and not a promotional video.
Lastly, the cool kids are always going to be your hit single and Kenyans aren’t always the fastest runners.
Madoree Pipkins
06.02.09
I learned a lot while here at the DI. In general something that sticks out to me is to complete a story with a beginning, middle and end.
Also with shooting video, there is NO NEED to pan or zoom. Something I did ALL the time in previous stories. It does look weird looking back through old videos.
The stories I have completed without panning or zooming look and feel better to me. The camera isn’t distracting and the focus is clear.
In Danville, I will strive to put all the skills I have learned to the test. I know how to shoot in series and to grab loads of B-roll. You can never have enough b-roll, especially if you are able to catch shots of what the A-roll is talking about.
I know also to put myself on a limit. Since capturing and subclipping is a tedious task, the less footage I have, the less time I will have to spend watching it. In conclusion, I WILL MAKE ALL MY CAMERA SHOTS COUNT.
Vickey Williams
06.02.09
I’ve learned so much in these last ten days that will last me a lifetime. I learned how to do multimedia. I came here not knowing how to do anything but write stories the old fashion way. I’ll admit, it was rough when I first started. I had to pace myself and just try to learn it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I learned how to do soundslide, final cut, bridge and audacity. I learned how to edit video and audio and how to sequence photo’s as if they were a video. This was a great opportunity. I also got to meet some really cool people that I have grown to love and will miss greatly, these people are like my extended family and we got to experience something together that was priceless. I wish I would have gotten more sleep while here. Those eleven hour days were rough but it was all worth it in the end.
What would I have done differently…I would have been more open and less isolated in the beginning. I feel like I didn’t get to bond with everyone like I could have had I been more open and less isolated.
A lesson learned….Don’t ever say you’re done. There is no such thing as done because there is always something that could be better, look better and sound better. I’ve learned that it’s not done till Val says it’s done done!!!
A tip….Always be open to criticism and trying new things. Learn how to listen with your ears and your eyes and be careful of the expressions your eyes give off. Sometimes our body tells something that we wanted to say with our mouths, so if you really didn’t want to say it, don’t let your facial expressions or your body movements show it!!
Finally, the tips that I listed above from lessons learned will hopefully help someone else learn from my mistakes and I hope that the next scholars learn as much as we did and try as much as we did as a group and not try to be the “I” in “Team”.
I will apply these skills that I have learned here by going to my internship with an open mind and trying to learn as much as I can. I will do all that I can to learn as much and do as much as I can that will both benefit my newspaper and myself in the future.
Vickey Williams
06.02.09
one more thing….DON’T FORGET THE B-ROLL. our first project didn’t have enough B-roll. Make sure you get those close shots also because you need that close up, facial expressions tell a lot. Listen to your audio…if it sounds bad in your ear phones, it’s going to sound bad on the computer. Always wear your headphones…they look weird but when you’re back at the office and you have to go back out to redo your audio, you’ll understand why you should have worn your earphones.
Brieun Scott
06.02.09
What I’ve learned in the multimedia training at the Diversity Institute in Nashville is that story telling can be just as compelling when using different media outlets. In outlets ranging from photos, audio and videos, the message that’s being conveyed is just as affective.
I remember watching a video by Danese Kenon and the powerful message that it presented, and thinking that this is what journalism is all about. The images told a story and showed emotions that words may not have been able to capture.
Through this training, I believe that as an aspiring journalist, that my job is to capture emotions and meaning and try to inform and move the public as best as possible.
Also, as a journalist it would be my job to inform the people by letting them know what occurs in the community. Civic journalism is another concept I learned in multimedia training. that is best used to get a better understanding of how the community percieves things; and also, civic journalsim is one of the most affective ways to get the message to the community.
Overall, the multimedia training was an opportunity to learn different ways and the best ways to tell the story. I plan to carry these skills to my internship so that I may convey a message that would affect the community.
Imani Jackson
06.02.09
Multimedia is print, cinema and art’s lovechild, which made it not only enjoyable to learn, but relevant to the field.
It is a diverse field, and since it is in its opening stages, fresh new journalists can structure the media the way we’d like.
With so few people trained in video editing and web skills, The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute not only did the scholars a solid by accepting us to this prestigious program and helping us to cultivate our talents, but it is also helping to propel the field into a more progressive arena.
Journalists who are supposed to record the world in which we live must be equipped and excited about changing with the times (and perhaps before the times).
With that in mind participants must be willing to continuously up the ante.
This has been the most intense week and a half of my life. The experience was fast-paced, enthusiastic and genuine.
This program is not for students who are too proud to learn and too unwillingly to work. With quick turnarounds, talented peers and instructors with high expectations, excellence was a well-earned given.
All of the sessions were taught by people experienced in the field who cared about the success of the scholars as a collective class as well as individually.
I was struck by how these people who have already solidified their names in the world of journalism took the time out to ensure that we became as acclimated as humanly possible with the programs, thinking and critiques, which accompany multimedia success.
Each instructor spent time not only with each other brainstorming solutions for the sessions, but also getting to know the scholars.
I’ve had one-on-one exchanges to some extent with pretty much all of them and am grateful for it.
In a way we all left the experience as a quirky family full of odds and ends, but we’re bound to each other through the time together, effort and input we experienced in the program.
I will apply my skills to my internship paper to the best of my ability with the equipment of which I am provided. It is my hope that my editors and readership will be receptive to new technology and a new scholar’s voice.
P.S. Future scholars:
Go to sleep as soon as you can, be loyal to caffeine and able to work with others. And if they give you free time, enjoy it.
Carmen Smith
06.02.09
The past ten days at the Diversity Institute has been an eye- opening experience. Before this experience, I never wanted to pick up a camera to report news because I always enjoyed telling news in written form. However with learning multimedia I now am glad to tell stories in a variety of ways and I can reach a broader audience.
The staff has been very helpful, hands-on and welcoming. Every day they were happy to teach us and watch the class ingest the lessons and experiences they have had in journalism.
From the beginning of our projects the staff were by our side to instruct and advise the class. The first story I covered was on Memorial Day. Two other classmates and I were told to cover Nashville’s Centennial Park, were a blues festival was taking place. At the crowded event we recording audio and took photos to produce a sound-slide. After editing the information we gathered I was proud with what I had learned about producing a sound-slide and the sound-slide itself.
Next, we produced “World Champion” videos. Mine was the “World Champion of Texting” and not only was it fun to make a humorous video it also prepared us for the next story I would cover, a puppeteer at the Children’s Library in downtown Nashville. I also produced a sound-slide of my own on a hotel’s housekeeping service. The last story I covered was a mobile veterinarian.
This multimedia scholars program has been intense like we were told the day we arrived. However I am grateful for this experience and would exchange these long 13 to 14 hour days of reporting, recording and editing for any other training experience.
Derek Sijder
06.02.09
During my last ten days, there where only two words I longed to hear: “Done, Done”.
This phrase is what all current and future Mulitmedia Scholars need to hear in order to survive another day. It is meant to let one know that they are finished with their projects, and have advanced to another method in multimedia training.
Only the best insitution could come up with what is known as a journalist’s “bootcamp”. During this 10-day program, I have learned more useful information that I did in the past 2 years. One day was equivalent to 1 semester.
With knowledge compiled with the best of the best, we were taught the basis of civic journalism, AP style techniques, better resumes, the latest multimedia software, and most of all, how to withstand long hours in a newsroom.
The skills and lessons I have learned will take me far beyond the John Sigenthaler Building here in Nashville. As a recent graduate, it is important that I am familiar and comfortable with all different forms of media. What is even more important is that I showcase my talent, and show the world the importance of I diverse newsroom.
With what I have learned here, I am more equipped, and ready for battle. Bring it on!
Stephanye Gilyard
06.02.09
06.02.09
During my last ten days, there where only two words I longed to hear: “Done, Done”.
This phrase is what all current and future Mulitmedia Scholars need to hear in order to survive another day. It is meant to let one know that they are finished with their projects, and have advanced to another method in multimedia training.
Only the best insitution could come up with what is known as a journalist’s “bootcamp”. During this 10-day program, I have learned more useful information that I did in the past 2 years. One day was equivalent to 1 semester.
With knowledge compiled with the best of the best, we were taught the basis of civic journalism, AP style techniques, better resumes, the latest multimedia software, and most of all, how to withstand long hours in a newsroom.
The skills and lessons I have learned will take me far beyond the John Sigenthaler Building here in Nashville. As a recent graduate, it is important that I am familiar and comfortable with all different forms of media. What is even more important is that I showcase my talent, and show the world the importance of I diverse newsroom.
With what I have learned here, I am more equipped, and ready for battle. Bring it on!
Imani Jackson
06.02.09
Oh yes, as Stephanie mentioned, strive for the “done done”, but know that is highly unlikely that it will be heard quickly.
Madoree Pipkins
06.05.09
I saw Steph’s and Imani’s comment.. so i just have to join in…
I will admitt I am sad that the whole DIMS program is “done, done”.
Dipset