Final Project Memo

JRNL 80B Final Project Memo

Working on this project has been a very unique experience. For the video, it is always challenging to squeeze many interviews down to one short, edited piece. I think I did I good job, however, capturing the most informative sounds bites and piecing them together to tell a good story. This is a project that I am proud to have in my portfolio. It shows great use of multi-media and demonstrates great practice in tagging and linking to more information, a practice that will continue to be useful as we get further into the internet age.

I ran into some difficulties in the reporting aspect of this project. Most people I spoke with, at least with the officials, were almost all in favor of Project Lighthouse. I knew with any large development project, while they create many news jobs, cost lots of money and create traffic issues. It was when I got out into the community and started asking people about how they felt that I really got some opposition to the project. I worked hard to have many people to interview so that I would be representing all views on the project. Other than that, I got some great interviews with more than enough b-roll (extra footage). My favorite interview was at Rexcorp in the office of the lighthouse development group, the people working day and night on making this project become a reality, because I was able to see their life sized model of the project space, right outside their window. They also showed me a "desk model" of the project and explained where every new building would be located as well as their plan for parking for it.

Technically, I ran into some difficulty with the editing software, windows movie maker. Perhaps I waited a bit to long to edit my final piece together,trying to do it fast. Since I had already completed my interviews and even arranged them on paper in script form days before, I figured I was ahead. Boy, was I wrong! I had to use another computer and re-upload and edit all my video. Other technical things that could be cleaned up for next time would be the sound on the FLIP cams. I think there is a way to adjust the microphone sensitivity. There were several interviews I had where the interviewee was right next to the mic and it should have been lowered. The result was over amplification and a slightly annoying sound during the video.

In general, I am happy with the result. Coming from a broadcast background, I am not used to being able to express myself in such a free format and with the ability to connect everything together so well. I am happy that my interviews, some of which were quite elaborate, get to be viewed in their entirety as part of the project. I really think the subjects had some very valid opinions for and against the project.

For the future of this project, I would recommend more training and trouble shooting with movie maker and perhaps the school will spring for a more advanced editing software like Adobe Premier elements which is essentially an "easier-to-use, AVID." And of course when dealing with technology I urge future classes to follow professor Krochmal's advice: Any project dealing with computers and technology will take you twice as long as you think it is going to- so plan for that.