Sandra L Abrams
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On camera assignment #1 due WED
Nov 21st
Good afternoon, I’m Sandra . I am joining you today from the backyard of where I live in Washington, D-C. Nina wants each person to do their on camera interview, like a self portrait. To get a feel of what it is like to actually be on camera and do a live to tape interview. The topic? A critique of Saturday’s class.
Personally, I don’t want to be on camera. I would much rather train people,guests. I do like working as part of a team of people: the reporter, the editor and myself as the producer. But these days, journalists have to do all of those jobs and many more. And that is the reason why I am back in school.
I wish from our class on Saturday, we had spent more time with the technology and the process. Especially, the uploading and even a few basic editing skills. I know that sounds counter intuitive to how to learn, but this group is different. I believe we all want to start doing the editing portion immediately, rather than sit through a lecture.
Also, it would have been nice to have the appropriate microphones for the camera. I am not sure why that was not included with the camera package. Also, there was no picture of the different mics we can use. I believe a demonstration of the different mics would have been helpful.
I know with Nina, as our instructor, we have a seasoned veteran. She has great experience and in-depth knowledge as a video journalist. And she has proven skills as a professor. I have to trust her method. Either way, I am learning, just not as fast as I would like.
And in a 24/7 news cycle, time is not on our side.
See you in the classroom.
Video Sequence asssignment
Nov 14th
The trailer for the movie, Food, Inc., caught my eye because the sequence of shots went from the beauty of food growing to the harsh conditions of processing food. I don’t know if we thought about food as something potentially harmful since Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, as much as we do today.
The first shot, an example of a wide shot(:12-:15) of lush wheat growing, acres upon acres, reminds me of the line, “for amber waves of grain,” from the song, “America the Beautiful.” You are taken in by the wide expansive field.
From You Tube trailer Food Inc. example, wide shot
The next shot is a medium one (:16-:18) and takes the viewer into the grocery store. It gives you the impression, this is where food goes: from the fields, to the store, where you shop. You are going down an aisle, as if that is the next step. Much like one of the examples in class, from the movie, “About a Boy,” when the actors are bounding up the steps towards the door, behind it is more. This shot shows a long corridor and takes the viewer on a journey.
From You Tube trailer Food Inc. example of medium shot, food aisle
The final shot is jarring. Its a detail shot (:20-:23) more than a tight shot and shows cattle in unclean conditions then the chickens hanging from a conveyor belt.
From You Tube trailer, Food Inc. example of tight/detail shot
The sequence takes viewers from the farm to store to factory, in less than 10 seconds. As if to say, the field is the beginning, the store is the end but you may not know the middle of the story.