(Help!) Ideas

As we are entering the second half of the quarter, here comes the most difficult part of the class: story ideas. Not that it is hard to come out with ideas, but there are too many ideas to pick. I want to do this, I want to do that.

So, after those ideas were competing for almost a week, here are the top two:

1.     CCID (Community College for International Development) program

Focus: what is CCID? What does it do good for the U.S.? What’s the contribution to EvCC? How regular student perceived the fact that the students are funded by the Department of State?

Possible use of multimedia: interview video (Craig Lewis as program liaison, Phebe Shen as program coordinator, one of CCID students), slide show or video on CCID students activities.

2.     APSU (Asian/Pacific Islander Student Union) – one of the most active student clubs in EvCC.

Focus: what is APSU? Who are the members? What do they do?

Possible use of multimedia: interview of members, slide shows on activities, video of one of the meeting.

Those are the two that I think possible to be reported.

Please tell me which one you like the most.

Should you have any other input, please tell me on comment.

A Story of A Storyboard

Editor: “Let’s report a story using video.”

Student journalist: “It’s video reporting time. Yay!”

Editor: “Are you ready?”

Student journalist: (looking for a camera) “This camera is too big, can I use my iPhone instead?”

Editor: “Sure.”

Student journalist: “Okay. I’m ready to go out and shoot.” (standing eagerly)

Editor: “Wow, hold on. Calm down. Before you go out and shoot, let’s plan the things you should shoot and how they are shot.”

Student journalist: (sighing disappointedly) “I thought what we need is to contact the source and shoot. Isn’t that the tip: shoot, shoot and shoot?”

Editor: “It’s true. But you don’t want to waste the memory by shooting aimlessly, do you? Let’s start with making a storyboard.”

Student journalist: “Storyboard?”

Editor: “Yes. Storyboard is a sketch of how to organize the story and a list of its content.“

Student journalist: “But, I cannot draw.”

Editor: ”Not necessary. You can make a storyboard using stick figure.”

Student journalist: “Well, why bother drawing if the picture is in my head? I mean, I know what I’m doing.”

Editor: “Well, the pictures help you define the scope of the project. Storyboard will help you define the focus of the story. Once you are done you can swap the pictures for a better flow and sequence.”

Student journalist: “I see. Should I make my own box?”

Editor: “It’s up to you. You can choose any available template you want or using a software.”

Student journalist: (fishing his iPhone back to his pocket) “See you soon, video camera. Let’s make a storyboard.”

Editor: (handing sheets of paper) “Here are some tips you can use to make your own storyboard. Make sure you finish it quickly, we’re on deadline.”

Student journalist: “But, I have just learned about it.”

Editor: “No excuse. I want it in my office at 2. You hear me?”

Student journalist: “Aye, aye, Capt’n.”

Sakura-Con 2012 in einem Blick

If you like anime but miss the last Sakura-Con in Seattle, here is an overview of what happened in Washington Convention and Trade Center on April 7-9, 2012.

(The music "Wind" by Akeboshi is the ending theme of Naruto, which was the reason I followed the series)

Geography and Song

The latest issue of the Clipper discusses about meme(s), especially those that are trending in the Internet. So, what’s meme, you ask.

Basically, it is the idea that goes viral. The easiest example to think of is your friend hums a song and you start singing that song or the song plays in your mind for at least the next 30 minutes and you hate yourself of not being able to stop singing.

Personally, songs have been a powerful tool to pass a message or ideas. Long before I came to the U.S., I have learned about its geography (or at least names of cities and states) through songs.

Everytime I hear the word Long Beach, the song “Sway” plays in my mind as the advertisement of Long Beach cigarette used it as jingle.

The same thing goes to Georgia. Since I know the song (Michael Bolton version), originally popularized by Ray Charles, it’s very difficult for me to mention the word Georgia without singing “Georgia….”

“So, if we go up north, where would we end up to?” I asked my friend when we were driving to Orlando during my winter break vacation.

“Oh, Florida’s northern border is Georgia,” he said.

“I said Georgia… “ I started singing.

He laughed.

Alabama follows suit. Who doesn’t know “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd? (well, if you don’t know, start asking Uncle Google). Or try listen to “Oh Susanna” written by Stephen Foster.

Bee Gees also helped me learning about Massachusetts. Everytime I heard that word, I started singing “Feel I’m going back… to Massachusetts. Something’s telling me, I must go home…” (I’m still singing while typing this).

As for California, it came to me as a song when I watched a film by Wong Kar Wai titled “Chungking Express”. The woman character played by Faye Wong like listening to “California Dreaming” everytime she was doing her job cleaning up an apartment.

On top of all, stood Frank Sinatra with his New York, New York. When I first arrived New York, this song kept playing in my mind. I couldn’t stop singing “Start spreading the news…” for the first 30 minutes since I first step foot on the train station.

Thinking back to my origin, Indonesian songs taught me about cities, too. Kla Project expressed their admiration to Yogyakarta in a song. For sure, if you have ever visited the city, you might be fascinated by the people as described in the song.

Rita Effendi told me about Dili, a capital of Timor Leste, in her song “Januari di Kota Dili.” However, the song was made long before the country separated from Indonesia.

Kuta and Bali were already popular without needing any help from musician. But still, Andre Hehanusa’s Kuta-Bali was a great song to listen to.

So, I said Georgia… (with the hope that you will sing a part of the song).

News in Multimedia

Multimedia is an emerging reporting tool. Despite more hassle in the preparation, it turns out to be the most effective tool in reporting. Viewers not only getting the verbal information, but getting more understanding by looking at video or slideshows or images.

Multimedia is a very good example of “show, don’t tell”.

How do the news outlets cope with the demand on multimedia, especially on their websites?

Some big news corporation has their own section of video (it ranges from news, sport to opinion or editorial).

For example, The Seattle Times published its special report on Elwha River in written stories, timeline, photo gallery and a 3-minute slideshow with audio. It starts with an overview on the history of the dam, what good did the dam give to people and the process of deconstruction of the dam. I think it gives more option to users. If you don’t like reading too much text, at least you can watch a slideshow video.

The New York Times has a better interface for their website. One interesting section is called Opinion. Apart from seeing caricature on the print edition, readers can also watch video. The most recent one is opinion from the Op-Ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof on what the conviction of Charles Taylor means for Sierra Leone and for current brutal dictators and warlords. Instead of writing his opinion, Kristof is sitting at the studio, telling his opinion about the conviction in a 2-minute video. I should say it is a good way to engage both readers and viewers.

So, if students want to empower multimedia as their reporting tool, what should be considered?

As in written news, try to find a way to engage viewers. Interesting introduction or title might help people to stop and click ‘play’.

Think like a video maker: plot, opening, ending, etc. Play with creativity to make a news story a ‘story’, not just a random compilation of pictures or footage.

Timing is important. Doing multimedia can be fun and there is a chance that you just want to tell more information in it. But be careful on the duration of the video or slideshow or interview. The effective multimedia should not exceed 3 minutes, in my opinion. That is probably the average time people can put their attention on a website. Because news in multimedia might not as engaging as a film, put in mind that users might move to another page quickly if they think they have got the information they want.

With those things in minds, next thing to do is : go out and shoot (a lot)!