Journalism Workshop: Multumedia

Fordham College at Lincoln Center

Prof. Roopa Vasudevan
Wednesdays, 6pm-8:45pm
Fordham OBSERVER Office
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1pm to 5pm. Sign up here.
Email: rvasudevan@fordham.edu

OBSERVER Editorial Contacts
Ninett Rodriguez, Multimedia Producer: nrodriguez53@fordham.edu
Jesse Carlucci, Assistant Multimedia Producer: jcarlucci5@fordham.edu

This class is designed to introduce students to the basics of multimedia journalism, with an emphasis on video production but also extending to interactive and web journalism. The first half of the class will focus on technical skills and the software needed to produce video content for the web, while also reviewing the basics of visual and aural storytelling. The second half will cover motion graphics, data visualization and the basics of interactive journalism and storytelling. There will also be individual workshopping days throughout the semester for more tailored instruction and assistance related to specific projects.

There will be three (3) projects produced as part of this class. The first two will be in teams of two people, and the last can either be in a group or individual. All projects will be produced specifically for publication in THE OBSERVER. Projects will be published based on quality of production and appropriateness of content for the Fordham audience. Participation in this class does NOT guarantee publication in THE OBSERVER, although all work in the class is created with this goal in mind.

By the end of this course, students should feel comfortable with outlining, shooting, editing, and posting video content to the web, as well as gain familiarity with other forms of multimedia storytelling.

CLASS EXPECTATIONS

Participation is very important and will impact grading. In particular, critique will play a large and crucial role in this class. Please pay attention when fellow students are presenting their work and be prepared to give thoughtful, considerate feedback. Keep all feedback related to the work only; personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Laptops and cell phones are not to be used in class, as there are designated computers in the classroom on which to work. Computers are to be used for following along during demos and for individual project work during workshopping days. Please do not use the computers during class discussions or during other students’ project critiques.

Projects are due by the beginning of class on the assigned due date. Grades will drop 10% for every day past the due date that an assignment is not turned in.

Attendance is mandatory. More than two (2) unexcused absences will result in automatic failure. Please be prompt to class; lateness of more than ten (10) minutes will count as an unexcused absence unless cleared beforehand.

As in written and academic work, it is extremely important that you credit sources used that are not your own, and any collaborators you may work with. Any plagiarism or uncredited outside contributions found in any work will result in a failing grade on the project.

I welcome feedback and am eager to hear your thoughts about the class. If something isn’t working for you or you’re feeling behind, do not hesitate to let me know. The sooner I find out about any issues, the sooner I can fix them!

GRADING

20%: Class participation and blog
25%: Project 1
25%: Project 2
30%: Project 3

REQUIRED MATERIALS

It is highly recommended that students purchase an external hard drive for this class on which to store media and projects, as it is never guaranteed that you will be on the same computer from week to week. A USB flash drive will suffice (minimum 16GB, but 32GB or 64GB is preferable), or you can purchase a larger drive. Drives are available at the Fordham bookstore, most major electronics stores, or online through vendors such as Amazon.

Students will be required to post weekly updates and progress on a blog of your choosing: either an existing blog with a specific, class-related tag, or a new blog created especially for the class. Some good resources for blog creation are Wordpress, Tumblr, or Blogger, but any platform may be used as long as it is publicly accessible.

SCHEDULE

WEEK 1: September 2

ASSIGNMENT: Email me a link to your blog.
ASSIGNMENT: Come up with 3 potential pitch ideas for THE OBSERVER and the format (audio only, photo slideshow, or video) you think would be best for each of them. Post an entry to your blog with the ideas and your reasoning behind the format choices.
ASSIGNMENT: Watch “Ira Glass On Storytelling” (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4)

September 9: NO CLASS, Monday schedule

WEEK 2: September 16

ASSIGNMENT: In teams of 2, storyboard, outline, or create a shot list for ONE of your pitch ideas. Post the storyboards to your blog. This should be an idea you’d like to produce for project #1.

WEEK 3: September 23

ASSIGNMENT: Begin shooting/recording for your first project. Bring your footage to class next week.
ASSIGNMENT: Update your outline/shot list based on how your first shoot(s) went and post it to your blog.
ASSIGNMENT: Choose a video from the New York Times’ video section. Analyze it shot by shot for story points, shot types, and audio cues. What visual and aural elements do the producers use in order to tell the story? Why do these techniques work for this particular topic? Post a response to your blog.

WEEK 4: September 30

ASSIGNMENT: Begin editing your video.
ASSIGNMENT: Sign up for a Vimeo account if you don't have one already.
ASSIGNMENT: Go back to that same New York Times video you analyzed last week, but this week, discuss the editing and pacing. Post the response to your blog.

WEEK 5: October 7

ASSIGNMENT: Finish project #1 and upload it to Vimeo. Embed the final video on your blog.

WEEK 6: October 14

ASSIGNMENT: With a different partner, begin work on project #2. Post a pitch and any storyboards to your blog.

WEEK 7: October 21

ASSIGNMENT: Work on project #2.

WEEK 8: October 28

ASSIGNMENT: Choose an interactive news piece found on a major news organization’s website (some good resources are the New York Times, WNYC, and the Washington Post). Why did the editors choose to make this an interactive piece as opposed to a static video or written article? Post an analysis to your blog.
ASSIGNMENT: Work on project #2. Bring footage and project files to class next week.

WEEK 9: November 4

ASSIGNMENT: Finish project #2 and upload to Vimeo.
ASSIGNMENT: Bring 2 potential ideas for your final project to class next week. Think about the format you want the story to take and the basic story beats you’d like to cover.

WEEK 10: November 11

ASSIGNMENT: Begin work on final project.

WEEK 11: November 18

ASSIGNMENT: Continue work on final project. Bring files and materials to class next session.

November 25: NO CLASS, Happy Thanksgiving!

WEEK 12: December 2

ASSIGNMENT: Continue work on final project. Bring files and materials to class next session.

WEEK 13: December 9

ASSIGNMENT: Finish final project and upload it to Vimeo. Embed the final video on your blog.

WEEK 14: December 11

UNIVERSITY STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

A University, by its nature, strives to foster and recognize originality of thought. Originality can only be recognized, however, when people acknowledge the sources of ideas or works that are not their own. Therefore, students must maintain the highest standards with regards to honesty, effort and performance. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating on exams, false authorship, and destruction of library materials needed for a course. This policy gives definitions and instances of violations of academic integrity, the procedures used to arrive at a judgment, possible sanctions, and the process of appeal. This policy will be enforced rigorously and without discrimination. Please refer to your Student Handbook for a full discussion of the Policy on Academic Integrity.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students, with or without disabilities, are entitled to equal access to the programs and activities of Fordham University. The University will make every attempt to provide reasonable accommodations to students who have a documented disability. Students who are seeking accommodation(s) for a disability should contact the Director of Disability Services , Lowenstein Room 207, (212) 636-6282.