Our Story, my final project, and a little piece of me

critique of the first batch of projects

Sylvia
-I really thought the quotes from the doctor added legitimacy and a nice break from the couples information to the project. I think that putting the quotes on title slides worked out nicely.
-I also really liked the subchapters within the story, it not only provided structure for the project but it also organized the information in a nice way. I liked the choice of the chapters - reunited at UNH, looking towards the future, ect - because they were simply stated but, as said, they were effective and progressed the story.
-The candid pictures that Sylvia took herself, versus the 'Myspacey-type' pictures at the beginning were really great. I liked the ones of them on the computer and cooking dinner in their apartment - not only does it show the couple in their environment but I can imagine how much time and planning went into getting those shots - awesome job!

Mike
-I really liked the stage pictures - I'm not sure if it was intentional but the color coordination made the project cohesive.
-I thought the performance video at the end was a nice conclusion to the band's story - we hear throughout the project the type of music they play but to get to see them performing live was awesome! Plus, the quality of the video was really great - it looked professional.
-I liked that Mike didn't identify the individual band members as they were talking - it made the message of the project more about the band and less about the individuals. You can see Mike's passion for music in this piece and I think it came out really nice!

Cam
-I like the story arc Cam chose, as he said, there were many directions he could have gone but I like that he stuck with the story about him and his dad - the pictures, training, ect. all seemed geared towards that father/son relationship and I'm glad he stuck with that angle of the story.
-Loved! the music choice - the new New York song he put in the intro was catchy and got me pumped - like I was getting ready to go run the marathon! You can tell a lot of time and thought was put into the message of the songs and it was really effective.
-Great photos - the black and white with Cam and his father highlighted in color was really amazing, and again, showed time dedication to the project. I also really liked the pictures of the New York City landscape and of the marathon - to me it doesn't matter that he didn't take them himself, they are a great addition, even though they cost $80! As usual, Cam, amazing work!

AJ
-I thought the music selection was really nice and it added to the emotion the project conveys.
-The video and still shots of the troops was the most effective - something you can only get if you're there and something that only lasts for a moment, can't be redone - good job capturing those feelings, that moment. I have the respect for this project on a personal level but also because of the lack of being about to go back and reshoot - overall, a really great, timely and above all, patriotic video!

Danielle
-The new pictures were awesome - the picture of him shadowed by the window and especially the picture that is darkened and only lit by the computer screen with the man in front of it - these new angles show not only dedication in going back and actually getting them, but they also really helped keep the viewer captured. I'm really impressed with the time it took to do this project and of Danielle's dedication to go back and gather and regather information, it shows!

my video finally uploaded

So, after about an hour, the video I had and wanted to present to the class uploaded to my computer. Rather than upload it to my blog, I'd like to keep it as a surprise - I want to be able to see everyone's initial response to the video when we present the final version of our projects in class. Sandy - I'll be showing you snapshots of it in our conference Tuesday.
This week I'll be working on editing and picture placement. I went through last week with Phil, and Keeley ended up going through my pictures too, and I know which pictures I'd like to use and now just need to work on where I'd like them in relation to my audio.
Also, after working with Phil on some editorial decisions, I've decided to conclude my video project by discussing my new relationship. I figured that if I heard of someone losing their boyfriend two and a half years ago, one of my first questions would be - have you met anyone else? (consequently, in many of the interviews I've done recently, reporters ask the same question and want to know about any relationship I'm in now)
I've also made the decision that in my video the only dialogue I'll be using will be of me and Justin. I have great voicemails from Justin that I will definitely be including - I've narrowed it down to two (again, with the help of Phil).
I'm plugging along and so far things are looking up.

Project!

WHAT I HAVE:
-I have a little over an hour of personal interview - Phil and I sat down tonight and I told my story. After listening to it, and hearing what Phil had to say, what might work best is that I'm the only spoken dialogue but that I include a couple of the voicemails I have from Justin. Up for debate but definitely have good stuff so far.
-I've collected the pictures I want to use, I just need to scan and save them.

WHAT I NEED:
-I'm meeting with Cam tomorrow to go over my materials in their entirity to decide a timeline for the project - what should go where, what to include or exclude, ect. An outside opinion will definitely help me along.
-I want to take what the guest photojournalist showed us with his 9/11 tribute and take a couple shots of letters I have from Justin and play with the words.

All in all, things are going well. I'm feeling optimistic about the project and most importantly, I'm passionate about it. I can't wait for the finished product.

After conquering H1N1, here's where I'm at on my project

My plan for my project so far:
-going to D.C. - will get pictures of me at Justin's grave
-meeting with Phil early next week, ideally Monday, to do all or at least the majority of the first-person narration
-throughout the week I'll also be scanning in old pictures of Justin and I

change of plans

So after thinking and rethinking I've come up with a completely new story idea - I finally felt the 'ah-ha' moment and I've decided to do my multimedia project on Justin.
Justin passed away when I was a freshman here at UNH. Now being a senior I feel like I have a lot to say about my grieving period while being a student. It will be an interesting challenge to act as both journalist and subject but I'm so passionate about the topic, I know it'll come out great.
I am going down to Washington, D.C. next week for what would have been Justin's 25th birthday (he died when he was 22) and for Veteran's Day. The trip will make for a good opportunity to get some still shots and possibly audio and video for the end of my multimedia - pictures of his gravestone and of myself and his family will probably be used towards the end.
I'm going to start out the project by reflecting on me and Justin - give a little snapshot of what we were like as a couple. I have voicemails Justin left me and I'm going to try to intertwine them throughout the project. As I discussed with Sandy today, I'll sit down with a camera and a friend and recount when I found out and go from there. A lot has happened - from therapy, to trips to North Carolina, to getting Hero (a dog) from Iraq. I want this to be personal but journalistic. I think because of my background (in journalism) I've always thought of what happened to me as a story that needed to be told - and who better to do it and in what better way than as a multimedia piece made by me.
I have a lot of stills as it is, LOTS of pictures of us together all the way down to the last picture I ever had with him, a picture of me with his casket in Arlington Cemetary. As a said before, a lot of the audio will be me narrating my experience but I'm also going to "interview" Justin's parents, my roommate at the time and still best friend, Liz Aleo, as well as my parents - all of whom watched me get torn down and slowly try to rebuild my life. My story isn't over, as I'd say I'm still coping with what has happened, but I've definitely come a long way from where I was March 5, 2007.

Feelings about The Big Project

After discussing my idea for my project with my group I realized how complicated/not fully developed it was. Originally, I wanted to do a project on the horse barns - doing so with a news twist of some kind, such as horses getting taken in due to the economy, the Theraputic program, ect.
After conversing with my group, I've decided to stick with the horse barn but do a profile on the barn itself - as Phil suggested, make the barn the center of the piece where all of the action occurs and in essence personify the barn. I really like this idea but it is definitely going to be challenging. Some ideas I have is to take pictures of the activities in the morning, when the first person gets there and at night, when the last person leaves and then have pictures of the numerous activities throughout the day. I want to hear from the students who make the barn part of their daily routines and find out what it's like, is it hard fitting it in to an academic schedule? What's the most memorable thing that people can remember happening in the barn - i.e. a horse being born, a horse dying, or people dealing with their outside lives within the barn. I'm really excited about the project with this new approach - I think instead of having it be totally newsy, it'll have an artistic component but at the same time be profiling a large piece of campus that many don't hear about aside from competitions, the therapy program, ect.
After meeting with my group I feel much more focused. I feel like I can honestly be successful in my project. I'm really excited to not only see my finished project but also some of the members of my group. Nicole has a really great idea of profiling students, much like the New York Times series we watched. I think while challenging, if pulled off, it will be an amazing and timeless project. I also like Sylvia's project idea - she's going to do multimedia on couples at college. I like it because I haven't heard the idea before, it's completely original, and again, if pulled off, could make for a really great story.
I'm still very nervous about the project - I know that there's a lot that could go wrong. I can hear people questioning, "so what?" Rather than tie up the barn in a piece of news, such as budgeting, therapy, competitions or some other specific angle, I think a profile and a personification can be made into its own angle.
I am meeting with the director of the barn, Sarah Hamilton, tomorrow and I'm excited to see what other ideas she has for my profile.
Meeting in groups and discussing ideas was definitely very helpful!