This is the course website, where I’ll occasionally be blogging and where all lectures, handouts and useful links will be posted. We’ll go through the site during class. I encourage you to bookmark this and reference whenever working on a project or studying for the midterm. My goal is to make this easier for you, not more difficult.

Today, we’re talking about Twitter and there will be assignment due next week.

Cheers,
Alex

Download the .zip file and then open up the folder. It contains:

• Dodgeball transcript: This a .txt transcription of each of the audio files.
• layeredproject.mp3: Compressed version of finished file
• layeredproject.wav: Higher quality wav file of finished project
• Folder “original-files”: This is a back up of the original wav files from the recorder
• Folder “sample-edit”: This contains all the Audacity files I used to create the final layered file.

If you need some technical help while you’re editing, I recommend these Audacity tutorials:

• Super-Fast Guide to Audio Editing (PDF, 290 KB)
• Editing Audio with Audacity (Part 2) (PDF, 181 KB)
• Setting up preferences in Audacity (PDF, 157 KB)

When you receive your gear, go through this checklist. Otherwise, you will have a problem, be missing something and be unable to complete an assignment on time.

Video camera

• Both cameras are tapeless. Make sure you have a memory card if the camera requires one.
• Power cord/charger
• Rechargeable battery
• DV to Firewire (or USB; slower though) cable to connect to the computer

Audio recorder

• Foam windscreen to cover microphone
• Zoom H1 recorder
• DV to USB cable to download to computer
• No batteries — these take AA batteries

Hard drive

• Power cable
• Firewire 800 cable to connect to computer. This cord has square ends. Do not let them give you a Firewire 400 cable — these do not connect to the Macs in our lab.
• Hard drive.

When you get your gear:
1. Turn it on. Make sure everything turns on.
2. Clean everything off. Format memory cards, erase video, folders on the drive. Get rid of all of the other files. They’re not yours. Nobody needs them.
3. Charge all your batteries. Be prepared. Like a boy scout or a Marine.

Today we’ll go over the syllabus, which I’ll hand out in class and is also conveniently posted on this blog in the event that you lose it.

We’ll also go through the first four assignments of the course and discuss (show and tell!) gear that you’ll be issued.

A shortlist of things you should learn now about this course:

• This is a hands-on lab course. There is very little reading. This means there is a lot of in- and out-of-class work. If you don’t go gather audio and video to work on in this class, you will not do well.
• Don’t call me “Professor.” I’m Alex.
• When you check out your gear, please CHECK that all the pieces are there. I cannot help you if you miss a deadline because you don’t have batteries or you were the wrong cord to download material.
• Assignments are structured so that each will help you accomplish the next one. If you skip one, it will harder and harder to catch up. Please remember this.

Doomsday warnings aside, this can be an interesting class and hopefully in eight weeks you can step back and marvel at the video you will make.
Cheers,

Alex

Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. If you don’t know this rule yet, it’s a good one to pick up now.

Video editing software has all kinds of gimmicks in it — strange wipes, heart-shaped dissolves, etc. When was the last time you say any of these techniques used in a movie or TV show? You may have — but it’s unlikely because they’re cheesy and distracting.

Transitions and effects

• Fade in/fade out
  
  Mostly likely used at the beginning and end of your movie. It’s unnatural to fade in/fade out during the course of your video, so unless you have a very compelling reason, reserve this technique for the beginning and ending. Drag-and-drop effect is in the Effects menu. You can also manually use the Pen tool to control the opacity of the video layer in the Timeline and fade to/from black that way.
• Crossfade
  
  A crossfade is most often used to show a transition between still photographs. You can also use this to cover a jumpcut between two people, but that’s generally frowned upon as a bad practice. Drag-and-drop effect is in the Effects menu. Do not overuse. Your video will look amateurish.
• Dip to color dissolve
  
  Used most often to cover jump cuts in one interview. These white “bursts” cover the awkward cut of the head moving and signal to the viewer that there’s been an edit. You would use when just pulling highlights from a talking head interview that had no other production with it. You can set to any color, but black or white is the most standard.

Lower thirds
Lower thirds are the IDs that show up on the lower third of the screen. Usually they have two lines, and look something like this:

Alex Newman
Adjunct Instructor

Remember that this is a journalism class. I expect all people appearing in your video to have a first and a last name and some kind of ID.

Tweening photos
If appropriate, you can import still photos into Final Cut and add slight motion to them. Still photos that simply sit are often very boring. Here is a video explaining how to use keyframes to move images if you need it.

You will likely need to use high-resolution images. Web-quality imagery will not be good enough for HD video. Your video is probably 1920 px wide, so plan accordingly.

We’ll be going over the very basics of editing in Final Cut: using the razor blade, marking in and out points, dragging to the timeline and how to move layers of video around.

Big concepts:

• Sound:
  Good video is 70 percent sound. Good sound creates an immersive, engaging experience.
• B-roll
  “B-roll” is what we use to illustrate the story. B-roll lets us cut over the A-track/interview so we can edit more tightly. If you don’t gather enough B-roll, you’ll be unable to edit your piece. Learn this: super-wide; wide; medium; tight; super-tight. If you shoot all these shots, over and over and over again, you should have enough to work with in the editing room.
• Interview
  The interview part of video helps craft the storyline, but these don’t have to necessarily be a talking head shot.

Here’s a handout that may help you when you’re out in the field.

When you receive your gear, go through this checklist. Otherwise, you will have a problem, be missing something and be unable to complete an assignment on time.

Video camera

• Both cameras are tapeless. Make sure you have a memory card if the camera requires one.
• Power cord/charger
• Rechargeable battery
• DV to Firewire (or USB; slower though) cable to connect to the computer

Audio recorder

• Foam windscreen to cover microphone
• Zoom H1 recorder
• DV to USB cable to download to computer
• No batteries — these take AA batteries

Hard drive

• Power cable
• Firewire 800 cable to connect to computer. This cord has square ends. Do not let them give you a Firewire 400 cable — these do not connect to the Macs in our lab.
• Hard drive.

When you get your gear:
1. Turn it on. Make sure everything turns on.
2. Clean everything off. Format memory cards, erase video, folders on the drive. Get rid of all of the other files. They’re not yours. Nobody needs them.
3. Charge all your batteries. Be prepared. Like a boy scout or a Marine.

NPR: “Skateboarding Without Fear Factor”
NPR: “In Soda Revival, Fizzy Taste Bubbles Up From The Past”

We’ll be discussing how to use your recorder and different kinds of sound. I’ll also show you some basic editing in Audacity.

Today’s examples:
WaPo: “Fixing D.C.’s Schools: One School’s Struggles”
Roanoke Times: “Out of the Mouths of Babes”
Shane Bauer: “Hotel Poverty”

HOWEVER, Tuesday, Oct. 11 is our last meeting before your final project is due on Oct. 18. I will come in to the lab on Wednesday and/or Thursday and Monday, Oct. 17 to offer extra help.

Lab times are below:

SOC Labs are open Mondays-Thursdays from 9 a.m.- 11p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.- 5p.m. You can use the labs for work on your editing projects anytime during the above hours when there is not a class in session. To reserve a computer drop by the SUB HUB down the hall and make a reservation. If you need help when you are editing, find someone from the SUB-HUB who can usually help. Also the “New Media Lab” in Hurst Hall Room 212 is open Mondays- Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. -11 p.m., Fridays from 9:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m., and Sundays from noon -11 p.m. There are people who work there who can help you.