Pretty Scribbles & Such

The Huntsville Times, Weeks 5 & 6

2011-07-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings! So far, it's been great at The Times this summer. I didn't know how my internship was going to pan out, but I'm so glad and blessed that it's shaping up to be an awesome experience. These past few weeks have been exciting, with something new to cover each day.

But I'll start off with the most important story I did in the past two weeks: Harry. Potter. To be honest, I forgot that the last movie was coming out, but I sure was inspired to read all the books and see every HP movie after interviewing some super fans for the past Friday's article. I interviewed these

teenage sisters Holly (16) and Heidi (14) Morgan and The Byrge Family; Kayla (23)(I know you're thinking, 'cause I was thinking the same thing too), Lindsey (16), and their mom, Kim (45). Now, the Byrges were HP fanatics. I've never seen such devoted fans. I thought they were a little off their rockers, but they were cool people. They came into the studio with Hogwarts regalia on and everything! They even gave me a homemade acceptance letter to Hogwarts. I was dying laughing on the inside.*DEAD* You know I wanted to laugh right in their face about how absurd they were being about a fictional book/film series, but after speaking with them and getting a sense of how the series is a family bonding tool and how the book stood as a symbol of an entire childhood, I began to understand their obsession or, as Lindsey said, their "love thing" for the books. The book series started in 1998 and ended in 2007. 7 books and 8 movies. "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is the final chapter of a decade-long film series that will be synonymous with the epic "Star Wars" series and sequels like "Twilight" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" will have a long way to go to have the presence that HP had in box office history. A. long. way. HP practically "did it 'on em" before they even hit the movie screen. Harry Potter's swag is on 1 trillion right now. Props to hi

m and his wizarding ways. One of the page designers at The Times made Harry Potter wands and I filmed the tutorial she did. Check it

out here.

Covering the Harry Potter series was the end to a crazy week. My editor, Shelly took time off for a vacation, and he really didn't leave me anything to do, which wasn't such a bad thing. I got to meet an astronaut, got to report on these sleazy landlords, and got to meet an awesome deejay. So I'll start with the astronaut. When I met Dr. Don Thomas, he was dressed like he was ready to fly. He was too shaaarp. I gave him two snaps. He was so clean. I could see my reflection in his shoes. Love a well-dressed man. Anyway, I got to speak to him about his visit to Huntsville, Atlantis' last launch that was the next day, and what he thinks the future of NASA is going to be. Naturally, he would like to see NASA prosper even though Atlantis marks the end of the nation's space program. He wants to see it prosper for the kids. What a sweet guy. The front for that Saturday's paper was great too. That's the thing a

bout Huntsville; you can run into astronauts.

I talked earlier about getting this assignment about these lousy landlords. So, Challen, my editor when Shelly's out, gave me this story that had already been covered to some degree by the local TV stations (WAFF 48 and WHNT 19). So the story was about these tenants getting booted out of their apartments immediately because the apartment building, Rocket City Suites, was ordered condemned. The metal holding the concrete together on the 2nd floor was rusting and gas leaks were found. It was all bad. People were basically left homeless. So, I went over to the apartments and found no one. Fortunately, I was able to find this man packing up the last of his belongings and he was happy to talk with me about how much a shit hole the place was. When he explained everything to me about the place, I was so disgusted that he and everyone else living in that building had to endure that kind of careless management. It was really a slumlord situation. The photographer and my editor told me they reported on the same management company a few years back because they were housing the Jamaican/Haitian/Latino work slaves in the building right next to the apartments, which used to be a church *side-eye*. Some really low-down dirty shit going on there...I'm interested in how that pans out.

Now to the fun stuff. I got to meet this awesome turntablist named DJ Sam Smite. He lived in South Huntsville, which was adventure for me.

Airport Rd. in so long. But I encourage everybody to check this guy out. He's a Christian DJ, and his mixes are just as tight as any mainstream DJs. Check out the video. I really enjoyed editing this one.

Also this week, The Times changed up their look. The pages are narrower. Tough times are to blame, I guess. What cha'll think? I liked the last design much better. Let's see if time will make me like the new design better. We'll see. Peace.

The Huntsville Times, Weeks 3 & 4

2011-07-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Weeks three and four have been filled with great memoriesthat I will never for get! So far, I've been at The Times for one month and it's been awesome. I don't know where to start. Maybe I'll start with the white water rafting trip I took with the staff! (That doesn't even go together. lol How many newsrooms have their interns facing the rapids of the Ocoee River? I know of none as cool.) Wewent rafting after a whole week of working on this monster of a piece about Butler High School students and faculty about the impending closing of the school.(I'll tell you allabout that later..) So the trip was right on time for me.We headed down to Chattanooga,TN on a Sunday and best believe I was prayin' that I would not fall out of my raft and have to be rescued downstream. I was in the raft with Victoria Cumbow (crime reporter) , a friend of hers, and the Mark (sports columnist) and Patricia McCarter (former Times staff writer). I got over my fear really quick when the raft instructor guided us over the most difficult rapid first. (Props to Jerry, our raft guide) I even had a chance to go to the front of the raft and experience the waves up front. At one point, you can only see my hands outside the raft. I was scared shit less when I went up there, but I knew Jerry had my back and knew I wasn't trying to die that day. I had a Titanic moment when I spread my arms out of the raft. It was a great experience and I would encourage going on the Ocoee. I've never bonded with a staff like this before and can't wait to see what July and August have to bring.

The work I did during weeks three and four was some of the most reporting I've done since the summer of my freshman year. Let me start with the doozy: The Butler piece. I had been working on this since the second week of June and it seemed like I had been working on it for a lifetime. This story, like all others, came from an idea I pitched to Challen Stephens, The Times' investigative reporter and a damn good one at that. This guy knows all the dirt going on in Huntsville ( I found out there's a lot of low down dirty deals going on in Huntsville too; of all places right?)

Anyway, I got to work with him on this 35' inch story (1000+ words) that featured 1 teacher spruced throughout with 4 students giving their opinion in parts of the story. I talked with at least ten people for the story and went to the school three times for pictures and interviews. The school seemed so empty. Not just an absence of people, but an absence of excitement. They've been talking about closing this school for about ten years on and off, and next year is going to be the last year for the school. It's one of nine elementary, middle and high schools that Huntsville City Schools is trying to shut down. Crazy, I know. Nine schools?

To give a little background, this school was one of the most diverse top-tier schools in the Huntsville area back in the day. It's in the backyard of Redstone Arsenal so there was a good mix of Army kids and neighborhood kids at the school. Now, BHS is a Title 1 school with high failure rates, low test scores, low graduation rates, and an even more shameful reputation getting the label of the "ghetto school". Pretty much the whole plot of "Lean On Me".

It was piece that I felt attached to. I felt for these kids and teachers that were going to be out of a job and who did everything to defend their school when

everyone else is saying 'Away with it.' and 'Good Riddance." This was my first A1 feature as well, so I was excited to see it on the front page, and a little less excited about the comments I was going to get. Most of the commenters on al.com don't have anything of importance to say, so to engage people who make offensive comments (and then don't have the sense to hit spell

check...) is a dead end road.

I covered an array of other things. I covered the Soldier Show for Armed Forces Week, where, for the first time, 50 new soldiers were sworn before the show. I covered a new VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Commander (He was a handful...told me everyting he wanted included in the article..he must have forgot he was talking to a journalist and not a PR specialist.. o_O) I covered a couple who had a combined 50 years of volunteer service with the American Red Cross, and Madison Jazz's trip through China. So far, it's been a pleasant surprise. I never know what they're going to hand me next, which is part of the business that I some getting used to.

Since this is the end of my first month at The Times, I have took it upon myself to meet with my editor, Shelly Haskins to go over the work I've done this month; what he liked, and some advice on what I can improve on. The meeting prompted me to make some new goals for the next two months. I plan to make more videos and a few more long features. Hopefully I can get to work with Sports and when I say work, I mean get a press pass to go to SEC Media Days. :) We'll see.

'Til next time...

The Huntsville Times, Weeks 1 & 2

2011-06-19T16:39:00.001-07:00

After two weeks at The Times, I'm feeling really good about the experience I'm going to leave away with after my 12 weeks are up. So far I've gotten to cover an assortment of events, got to shoot some video, got a lot more comfortable Moveable Type (MT) aka al.com posting system. This internship is the first I've had in a while. I've worked or interned every summer I've been at Bama, but this is my first REAL one. I'm not taking away from the experience I got at The CW or WVUA-TV, but for me, this is the experience that will stick with me the most because this newsroom is more similar to the one I'll hopefully be working in by the time I graduate.

I'm not gonna front, it had been a while since I wrote a traditional news story before I got in the office, so I made some simple mistakes like misspelling words or forgetting an AP style rule. I make those types of mistakes when I'm nervous. But I felt embarrassed that I made some mistakes that I shouldn't have had a problem with. I almost cried because I thought about what an opportunity this internship is and what I'm expecting of myself as well as the expectations of my editor. My editor, Shelly, is a great guy and he's encouraged me to just keep writing and that I'm getting better, which was such a relief coming from him.

But on to what I covered these past two weeks....

So last Saturday, I went to Build-A-Bear in Parkway Place Mall to shoot an 8-year-old's birthday party. ( I volunteered to shoot some video of the party on my flip camera so I could get some video experience Lydia Haynes and her friends from Decatur were making bears for tornado victims. She was so sweet! Her mom was a trip to. She's a young-career-type mom, so she was a lot of fun to talk to because she's at that age where she has an established life and role in her household, but she's not too old to connect with the women she was in her 20's. She was funny and a great person to talk with.

I also got to shoot the Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment water balloon fight the same day! Niki Doyle, the social media editor asked if I wanted to go shoot it since she thought I did such a good job on the birthday party video. You know I couldn't say no. That's Lowe Mill place was awesome. I have to go back there. Check out the video here.

I got to cover The Soldier Show for Armed Forces Week. It was super cool because 50 new soldiers got sworn in at the beginning of the show. But was happened at the end of my first week wasn't so cool.

I found out the publisher of the paper was retiring effective Aug. 1. It was expected, but to me it was a shocker. Everyone said that it was his time to step down and let someone else take over the multimedia company that The Huntsville Times is evolving into. I just hope they find someone who can take his place.

I'll keep you posted on the adventures I'm bound to have. Until next time...

The Huntsville Times, Day 1

2011-06-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a while since I've posted, so I'm definitely excited about getting into the swing of things again. This summer, I'm back home interning with The Huntsville Times! Reporting for The Times has been on my goal sheet since I was in high school. It's hard to believe I graduated 3 years ago.

Yesterday was my first day on the job. My editor wasted no time and gave me a story to work on right away about the heat. He told me he was going to hit the ground running, but I still was surprised to get an assignment. It the day went well, although I was nervous about how well I reported since I haven't been doing general assignment stories since - well, in a long time. I've been doing long feature pieces here and there since my sophomore year. I

haven't worked in a newsroom since the summer of my freshman year, so yeah, I have some adjusting to do.

Even though yesterday's story made me feel like an inexperienced cub reporter,

I know that this is a new experience that I have to embrace and have faith and believe that I will succeed in. My expectations are high and I'm determined not to let myself, or my editor down. By the way, I saw Antoine Dodson when I went to lunch! What an awesome way to kick off an internship. Run and tell that!

Oldie but Goodie: My Black is Beautiful Poem

2011-04-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this is the poem I wrote and recited at the 2008 AKA Debutante Hobby Talent Tea. (SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY LOVELY LADIES- DEBS '08!!!)I got inspiration from the My Black is Beautiful campaign BET was having. Check it.

My black is beautiful

Like the way the sun shines in the morning

Like the way the evening sounds when the sun goes down

Like the way love feels when it's a one of a kind

Like meeting my grandmother for the first time

My eyes see the smile in her eyes and our eyes both realize that we're connected.

Much more than the eye can see.

Time passes through me as I grab hold of her hands.

Slowly massaging her memories of ancestry

Those hands tell a story of love , patience, diligence, and bonds of sisterhood

Those hands tell of the lives I never could.

My black was my past.

My black is my present

As I look into the mirror, the reflection of my ocular attention leaves me breathless.

Switchin' my hips from side to side

Who said I wasn't cute?! They lied! Please.

I could hurt somebody with these!

And give a warm embrace at the same time. That's how well I shine.

My soul is more beautiful than any make-up can make-up, and that's proof.

I'm trying to say this nicely without hurting anyone's feelings, but I can't cover the truth.

My black is beautiful.

It can not be concealed, contained, hidden or retained. I am not ashamed to say that..my black is beautiful

From the tips of my toes to the curve of my hair follicles

To that funny little dance I do, to my golden hue.

From my audacious personality to the skin you see.

My black is bold enough to stand up in the face of adversity.

Carrying my head up high and having limits that go beyond sky.

My black is beautiful

My black is phenomenal like

Marian Anderson

Maya Angelou

Mary McLeod –Bethune

Madam C.J. Walker

Cleopatra

Nefertiti

Shirley Chisholm

Dorothy Dandridge

Hattie McDaniel

Ella Fitzgerald

My Black is sensational like

Lorraine Hansberry

Bille Holiday

Lena Horne

Zora Neale Hurston

Fannie Lou Hamer

Mahailia Jackson

My black is exceptional like

Coretta Scott King

Rosa Parks

4 little girls

Bettsie Smith

So journer Truth

Harriet Tubman

Cicely Tyson

Alice Walker

Ida B. Wells

Phillis Wheatly

Oprah Winfrey

Sarah Vaughn

My black is strong.

Redefining strength in a myriad of ways

From artistry, technology, cosmetology, photography, medicine, media

My black's got more definitions than an encyclopedia

Question is, is the world ready to learn?

Cuz My black is where its at as far as I'm concerned.

So lets take our pens and make our mark on the minds of the naïve so that they'll believe that their black is beautiful too.

Matrimony for my homie.

2011-04-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in October as a gift to my friend who got married the following December and performed in at Jojo's spoken secrets. Found out I can't memorize like I used to, but it was all good.lol

I don’t want to understand the words.

I’d rather understand your love in more ways than one.

No empty phrases laced with false promises and no clarity

No text messages full of false hope and insincerity.

No lustful infatuations filled with short cummings

But spiritual connections worthy of making angels gleam and illuminate their wings.

Real talk, no flings.

Show me sweet nothings by laughing at the lame jokes that I miss the punch lines for.

And that look on your face when you’re thinking that I can’t help but to adore.

Show me that chivalry isn’t dead but existing in you by leaving that space on your chest and knee just for me.

And by putting the toilet seat down without piss all around.

Never let me go when I’m irritated with you knowin’ that all I wanna do is smack you upside the head

And I’ll keep in mind all the thoughtful things you’ve said.

Love notes compare nothing to the voice your read them with

Because pens haven’t inked my conscious with words memorable enough to convey the whole essence of your message.

I want to love you like I’ve never loved another.

Smooth like butter. Exposed, no cover.

Take down my cognitive walls as I undo yours

And peel back your layers

So we can re-create our cores

Both having equal shares

Let our hands do the talking. And trust me. I’ll be gentle.

Love birds playing in the Spring, we’ll resemble.

Undress me with your thoughts.

Touch me here, here, and here. (My mind, eyes, and heart for those whose minds are in the gutter.)

Show me your soul and I’ll show you mine.

Revealing that we’re both beautifully human, divinely favored and ever thine

Your mine, and I’m yours

And we both belong to The One who’s Son bore thorns.

Sleep with your eyes open so that you can see the rest of me while I breathe you in continuously.

Waiting to exhale has never felt so good because I get to breathe you in again and again.

So much so that it should be considered a sin.

Your spirit is the one they talk about in bible verses and love songs.

One so delicious and worthy of righting all my wrongs.

Kiss me when the sun sleeps and when crickets sing their midnight hymns and when grass sheds its early morning tears

So that our unconditional love can fight away our fears

I want to know you better than you know yourself. I wanna taste your tears. Hold my hand forever so that our love with outlast your years and I want my ears to always remember what you sound like.

I wanna grow wise with you on the front porch as the rocking of our chairs complement the melody made by our hearts and fireflies in softer skies.

Let our love grow so deep that we get lost and have to find each other again.

Speak love as freely as the wind so that our children will know that

God=Love=Life and that 1+1=One

Smile at me when I’m wrong

And I’ll agree with you when you’re right

Let me be the one hold your heart

You be my ‘Brother to the Night’.

So shhh..

And when it’s all said and done

I don’t want to understand the words

I’d rather love your love in more ways than one.

Week 2: Nebraska a.k.a.The Corn-Husker State

2011-01-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo reel of week 2 of the UA Women's Track & Field 2011 indoor season.

Here's a video of Toni & Audra's take on how things went in Nebraska.

Week 1: Kentucky Invitational

2011-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

This past week we were in Kentucky for the 2011 Kentucky Invitational Meet. It was a great start for our team with personal bests from all our freshman and some nice performances by our veterans check out the roll tide link here for a complete summary update as well as complete results. Here's some video from some of the team members themselves on how the first meet of the season went.

Good job ladies. Here's some pictures of the meet. Check it out.

And So the Journey Begins...

2011-01-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

What's happenin' everybody?! It's 2011! Time for new everything! Which means, a new attitude and a new me. I wanted to do something big, something that's never been done before, something worth remembering and I think I've got an idea. Can I share it with you? This Indoor and Outdoor season, I'm going to make a documenting series following the women of Alabama's Track and Field squad. Pictures, summary updates, website links and blog entries about issues concerning athletics will all be here for you to see. So get ready and get set for The Fast Track: A Documentary Series. Lehgo!

Wrap It Up.

2010-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. So just to give you a little summary of what I've been doing these past few weeks, I've been finding out information about online/video editing for my JN 315 class. It's been cool so far. Learned alot things I didn't know and look forward to knowing more about computer programs in the future. But since I've been looking closely at Final Cut Pro, I've learned how much the editing software can do for so many types of editing. FCP is used in the newsroom for editing web sites, it's used in broadcast news for logging tapes and making commercials, it's used by independent film makers and for high profile productions, like hit TV show, Everybody Hates Chris. So, I've learned that non-linear editing is essential to how we get our news and information. Journalists can also use FCP for digital storytelling, which it the bomb! As you can tell, I love digital storytelling.

Anyway, through the reading I've done and the conversations I had with James, I think I've gotten closer to being a convergent media journalist. Yay! Pretty sweet, huh? I know what everybody's saying about newspapers and how they're dying and what not, but I don't think journalism is dead, it's going through a rebirth, and with that rebirth comes new avenues for telling stories and getting news across, like Final Cut Pro.

It's been fun, y'all.

Giggle Time!

2010-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

Most hilarious video I've seen in a while. Has nothing to do with FCP, but I imagine you could play with it... a must see.

Did you not die laughing after that?! lol

My Interview with Rolltide.com Editor, James Ziegelbauer

2010-11-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. Since I'm really trying to figure our how video editing works, I asked a few questions to James Ziegelbauer, one of the leading video editors for UA and rolltide.com. After all, he does have a pretty good grasp about editing since he shoots and edits most of the content seen on those gigantic scoreboards in the stadium. :) Aside from having an awesome last name--which, by the way sounds like it would be a great German alcoholic beverage..hehe--James is a really cool dude who agreed to answer some of my questions about how he does it.

1. Give me a sense of what you do and what your role is for Crimson Tide Productions.

A: My role in crimson tide productions is the video editor for the big screens at the stadium, coliseum, foster, baseball, softball, and the soccer complex. I also handle the average day to day projects that get sent to us such as highlights and commercials for each sport.

2. If you could, take me through the process of editing a video.

A: Editing a video can be very simple or complicated depending on the content. You would first start by capturing and digitizing your footage from either tape/film or what we use and what the industry standard is becoming which is a P2 card. A P2 card is a solid state card that normally holds up to 64 gigs of footage, these cards are very expensive and are an important aspect to editing and workflow because it will digitize your footage as you shoot it, and the only process to the computer is simply transferring the footage to your computer editing software. You would then want to lay your main video footage down on the sequence timeline and add footage or cut footage accordingly to it. Once finished through editing you would export your final product to a DVD or digital video file.

3. As you know, technology is changing at a rapid pace. What are you all doing to keep up? Is there any new equipment you all are using to shoot/layout things with? Has the economic downturn effected the way you all shoot and edit?

A: Technology is definitely an issue when it comes to editing and video production. Everyone is trying to stay with the newest equipment or software. Software pretty much updates on an annual basis so we usually have to update or computers on an annual basis when it comes to software. Equipment on the other hand is more of an availability thing. We would be able to update or buy newer equipment when we have the resources to do so. We normally keep the equipment we currently use and update accordingly or add equipment accordingly. The economic downturn doesn't necessarily change the way we work, it just changes how we are able to keep up to date with the newer equipment and software that is released on a constant basis.

4. You told me that Final Cut Pro is the main program you all use to edit your projects. What are the advantages of using that program opposed to the linear programs used before? Are there any disadvantages in using Final Cut Pro? Is Final Cut Pro the only program you all use?

A: I don't believe Final cut pro has any disadvantages to linear editing, as far as I can tell there are only advantages. Linear editing is one of the slowest and most tedious processes when it comes to editing video. Non-linear editing with FCP allows the user to work faster and more efficiently by allowing the user to create specific cuts in their project the would not normally be able to have in linear editing. Non-linear editing basically allows the user to be more creative with their final product that what linear editing would allow. When it comes to editing FCP is a very inexpensive editing software when compared to other editing giants like AVID. Final cut allows the user to achieve the same product that a hollywood movie would allow at a more cost effect price.

5. What do you think are some of the biggest differences in shooting sports and news pieces?

A: Biggest difference in shooting sports and news pieces is that sports is more fast paced and quicker cuts when editing compared to daily news pieces.

6. How long does it usually take to edit one of your production pieces or does the time vary?

A: The length of a project when it comes to editing does vary when it comes to the specificity of the project as well. Mainly the length of the final product is the ultimate factor. Other factors include effects and transitions between clips.

7. What are some projects that you and the CTP team are working on right now?

A: We are currently working on newer intro videos and elements to our videos as well as new design and themes every year for each sport. We are currently working on a commercial for Preisters Pecans and the videos to be displayed during the Iron Bowl game this friday.

Thanks again for your help James! Peace out.

Digital Stories and Things.

2010-11-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

This is something journalists can do with Final Cut Pro (or Final Cut Express) that could really enhance storytelling abilities. I took a class about making digital stories...best class ever. We looked at this site, storycenter.org for inspiration most of the time. I have so many tools that I can use for reporting features or any type of story now. Here's a story I did about my track buddies for the class. It was long, but pretty insightful. It's like 10 minuets long. Obviously I need to work on cutting down on the video clips I use, but I'm learning. Check it.

The Climb: A Conversation with the UA Women's Track Team from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

How'd I do?

Check It.

2010-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

So I saw this video on Youtube and I thought it went well with what I've been talking about for a few weeks now, which is Final Cut Pro. It made me giggle. Hopefully it will make you do the same.

TCF, meet FCP.

2010-11-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Alright. So, now that I've gone through how FCP is used in the newsroom, I wanted to see how the editing software effect independent filmmakers as well as big time production teams. I found this article on flimmakermagazine.com about Jame Stuart, a random up and coming movie maker who walked his readers through how he used Final Cut for his latest short film. It's a pretty long piece with techy words that no one understands outside of his editing world, but he pretty much praises FCP for being so consumer friendly and cost efficient. He does bring up a really interesting information about the upgrades made to the program over the 6 year period.(Apple has upgraded FCP yet again, like they've done with everything else.) The program has become more convenient for advanced filmmakers, becoming less accessible to the average consumer who just want to put videos up on YouTube. But, Apple has offered Final Cut Express to people wanting to get their feet wet with editing without having to understand all the advanced stuff that comes with Final Cut Studio.

FCP has become the "it" software for big time filmmakers and small time filmmakers. I didn't know this until I looked it up on the Apple website, but the directors and producers of Everybody Hates Chris uses FCP to shoot all their episodes. Pretty neat. Check out the video here.

Chopped & Screwed: Linear vs Non-Linear Editing in the Newsroom

2010-11-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all. Videomaker.com gives a few points on what the pros and cons are of linear editing and non-linear editing. I've worked with both types of editing and I like each one equally...well, maybe I liked placing clips on a timeline better than running back and forth for tapes.lol Anyway, the magazine just talks about how everyone is making the switch to non-linear editing and how lame and behind the times everyone else is for sticking to linear editing.lol Just joking. They say that although there are nothing but advantages to gain from non-linear editing, they stick behind linear editing for providing the basics at next to nothing. (1,000 isn't cheap in my book..not right now at least.) With linear editing, its a one step process and you don't have to go back an continually make edits. At WVUA, they use linear editing with tapes. It was tedious and took a long time, but I felt more involved in the editing process.I felt like a DJ turning records! (Quietly, I want to be a DJ when I grow up..) With non-linear editing programs like FCP, all you're doing is dragging and dropping files onto a timeline. Pretty interesting stuff.

This is any editing bay similar to the ones used at WVUA.

This is a more up-to-date editing bay.

Looky Here.

2010-10-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Ay, I found this interesting article on AJR.com about community journalism. This coffee shop in Freehold, New Jersey has doubled as a newsroom. Pretty cool, huh? The site, Freehold InJersey is one of 14 Gannett-owned community news blogs across the state. This site is the first of its kind because the news blog is run right from Zebu Forno, the coffee shop. There's only on paid staff member, and that's Editor Colleen Curry. She has about 15 volunteers that work with her regularly. Some of them are high school kids, which I would think this type of platform would attract them the most to journalism. The regular volunteers as well as citizens within the community get a chance to come in and report what's happening around them and what's important to them. But, the editor does have the right to take down anything on the blog that she deems unacceptable.(Hmm.. debatable much? I think so...*one raised eyebrow*) I definitely think this is a step in the right direction though. Dr. Wilson Lowery thinks so too! He's quoted in the story on how beneficial this can be toward teaching his master's degree students about community journalism. I wonder if this type of forum would work in Tuscaloosa. I think it could be a positive thing. Check the article out when you gotta minute. It's called Cappuccino and Citizen Journalism.

Greetings.

2010-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Welcome to my blog! I hope that you'll get something from my pretty scribbles.