Water powers life.

Summary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill put together this multimedia story using video, sound clips, and a written portion to explain what was not mentioned in the video. The video won second place in a journalist contest in 2012 and shows how water is involved in the lives of people from birth to death.

Analysis

The video took short clips, some without sound and some with sound, and compiled them together. The first few seconds were of a newborn, and then it went through a series of other video clips showing the many ways people use water in this world.

The way the video clips were organized left the viewer intrigued, looking for patterns and once one was established something changed and again the viewer was trying to capture a pattern in the video clips. This could have been very confusing, but instead it came off as interesting and fast-paced, in a good way.

The news values relevant to this media are impact and prominence. The video was impactful because it showed how much the world relies on water not just for a source of power but also for basic needs, for fun activities, for nature and other uses. The video holds the news value of prominence because our world is very focused on recycling, conserving and utilizing our current resources for future generations.

Without telling a story, they told a story. It was almost as if the clips of these pictures, with laughter or voices mixed throughout the videos, acted as a blank face; It was easy to put yourself in the place of the people on the video clips. They did an excellent job of relating to the audience, because all of the clips are of things that happen in America every day.

The downside of this project was the small amount written to go along with it. I would have enjoyed reading a bit longer explanation behind why they chose to focus on water as a very import aspect to all angles of life, instead of another means. More explanation would have been necessary, but the video does stand by itself fairly well.

For more information follow the links provided below:

http://www.poweringanation.org/water/#_

http://poweringanation.org/index.php/about.html

 

Gender in Social Media

Top social media sites track demographics of visitors.

TYLER, Texas – Above is a data sheet displaying the demographics of visitors to some of the most popular social media sites by gender. The information is from the Huffington Post. Very similar information is displayed on Journalism.org and Jobstock.com, though they do not include as wide a range of categories. To see a the complete interactive data sheet click on the image above or the follow the link: Gender in Social Media

The graph is an easy way to see who is on what social media site most frequently, and who dominates which sites. With just a glance you can see that Pinterest has three times as many active women users than it has men. You can also see that Reddit is almost the polar opposite of Pinterest, with three times as many men than women visiting the site.

The three social media sites closest in ratio between men and women visitors are Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Though each site is not completely equal in gender ratio, the numbers are close.

Nothing quite like using a graph to get an idea across quickly, clearly, and without overwhelming numbers to distract.

SEO: IDV, Gender distribution, Social media, Social media demographics, Tyler, Texas, Data.

Rev it up, Ford.

Summary

Ford puts out an annual report each year showcasing their successes, explaining the numbers, and displaying tasks they are still working on. Though the report focuses on many aspects of Ford as a business, this post is strictly about their financial management, displayed on page 18 of their 2011 annual report. The 2012 annual report is available as well, but did not do as good of a job in creating and displaying interactive data visualizations.

 Analysis 

Debt and financial figures, though they intrigue me when I am directly affected, are of little interest to me when it comes to large companies like Ford. I assume they have debt, they are a business focused on making money and that means they spend money too, but I would never take the time to read a story about their figures unless forced to.

So as an effective way to give their viewer information on their numbers without boring them with words, they created an IDV, or interactive data visualization. This is the reason I chose to review the 2011 report instead of 2012; I simply liked it more. The aesthetic was more appealing, it was colorful and easy to read, and it got the information across within seconds.

The IDV shows Ford with nearly nine billion dollars in debt in 2009, one and a half billion above the liquidity line in 2010, and then nearly 10 billion in liquidity by the end of 2011. Those are some impressive numbers. In an economy that has gone through a tough bout, it hits on the prominence news value pretty hard. It also taps into the news value of unexpected events. People like to hear good news, and Ford seems to be doing well.

I would have liked to have a bit more information within the IDV though. It got me interested enough to read it’s accompanying text, but could have been more complete on its own with a few simple additions. Overall, it was still an effective IDV. It pulled me in, quickly informed me, and got me curious to follow the story. After looking at the 2012 report, all I have to say is, Ford, you better rev it up for 2013.

To view the graph and the complete report visit http://corporate.ford.com/doc/2011_annual_report.pdf

Malleable material.

The Life of a Ceramist.

TYLER, Texas – Alex San Pedro is a ceramic artist at the University of Texas at Tyler. He is currently in the first year of his graduate studies and plans to graduate with a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics in 2015. Alex spends his time in the studio experimenting with building clay sculptures by adding metal, pennies, screws and other objects to the clay, as well as creating functional pottery.

SEO: Ceramics, Pottery, Alex San Pedro, University of Texas at Tyler, Ceramist, MFA

Feel the wave.

Summary:

The video is a story of Derek Rabelo, a 19-year-old from Brazil who became blind at the age of one due to Glaucoma. Derek is shown biking, swimming and skating before the video shows him surfing. Derek then travels to Hawaii to surf one of the most dangerous waves in the world, surprising and inspiring many.

Analysis:

Brazilian Derek Rabelo spends his free time skateboarding, bicycling, playing sports and recently he took up the hobby of surfing. Derek is your average 19-year-old, but with one exception, he is completely blind.

The video story began by showing Derek participating in a few different activities, but then honed in on him as a surfer. He had been surfing only two and a half years before deciding to take a trip to Hawaii to attempt to surf one of the most dangerous waves in the world. There were video clips from his concerned mother, a handful of professional surfers, and even a newscast clip concerning what he was about to do.

The video did an excellent job of pulling the viewer into the story and holding their attention. It used bizarreness as a news value. On occasion you may see someone who is visually impaired doing something most people thought they could not do. But rarely do you see them doing something like surfing the most dangerous waves in the world, a task difficult for even those who can see clearly.

The video also used impact as a news value. Derek successfully rode the wave in Hawaii, and in doing so inspired many, especially other surfers. Some of the b-roll footage showed surfers being bandaged after riding the wave and getting hurt, but Derek came out completely unscathed.

For the most part I felt as though the video story was very successful. It would have been nice to see more footage of Derek riding the wave, but once the story reached the climax it ended quickly. Overall the story gained the attention of the audience, held their attention, and left the viewers feeling inspired.

To watch the complete video follow the link below:

http://storyhunter.tv/?video=rKB9HtIKEyc

Making cupcakes.

Taste the Rainbow in Pillsbury’s Funfetti Cupcakes

TYLER, Texas – There is nothing better than cupcakes as a delectable and relaxing afternoon snack. They are easy to make and only require a few ingredients. The video shows how to make Pillsbury’s Funfetti cupcakes with one cup of water, a third cup of olive oil and three whole eggs. The video also shows a step-by-step process of how to make the cupcakes with little bits of humor added for enjoyment. I hold music and photo rights.

SEO: Pillsbury, cupcakes, audio photo slideshow, relaxing snack.

Heartland poverty.

Summary

NPR photographer Aaron Huey began searching America in 2005 for poverty-stricken areas to photograph and tell the story of those unheard and in some cases unseen. With little searching he found Pine Ridge, a community of impoverished alcoholics in on an Indian reservation in South Dakota.

Analysis

Over the course of the slideshow Huey showed many pictures to display the poverty he found in South Dakota at Pine Ridge over the course of the seven years he spent documenting the community. The pictures showed people of all ages simply going through life with not even basic needs being met. I liked how he focused in on the true poverty of the situation.

The stories people told him pulled him quickly into the culture and brought awareness to the state they were in. “It was the most shocking poverty I’ve seen, really, ever,” said Huey, “it was violent and people had stories that I just couldn’t believe.” By explaining the poverty so honestly, Huey introduced the conflict and graphic state of the community as news values.

Huey did not initially understand the history of what he was getting into. He talked about the strong beliefs and history behind the people, in some cases leading men to their deaths. Eventual genocide occurred, spurring a prominent trend of suicide in young adults, a very dark history of the culture.

Though the country is very beautiful, immediately after crossing the reservation county line you see a casino. Happenings at the casino and many homes often involve alcohol. Alcohol has been the cause of 35 deaths over the last six and a half years and is affecting nearly all families in the community of Pine Ridge. By introducing the struggle of alcoholism into the already impoverished community Huey added values of both prominence and timeliness to his story.

Huey spent a long time getting to know the families in order be able to ask to take pictures such as a child bathing in the kitchen sink or relatives sleeping on moldy mattresses in a basement, graphic displays of the poverty. He spoke about interviews where mothers broke down crying, wanting only to be able to take care of their family. “Nobody wants any handouts,” said Huey.

This story works well as a story told by an outsider, but would have worked better if there were news clips from the residents of the community and sound clips of their daily life. The pictures were the strongest aspect of the slideshow, but the audio did help explain the history behind this present day, ravaged community.

For more information follow the link provided below:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/08/13/158560031/slideshow-the-light-and-dark-on-pine-ridge-reservation

Behind the event.

Expert event coordinator gives inside look on challenges of event planning.

TYLER, Texas – Expert event coordinator, Deann Robertson, is the owner of a wedding planning company called Simply Yours by Design.  She has been featured on The Wedded Bliss as an expert event coordinator in Tyler, Texas and surrounding areas.

My interview with Deann offers an inside view on why she chose to specialize in weddings, how she holds her business apart from the competition and some challenges she’s encountered with new social media sites such as Pinterest.

The interview with Deann was laid-back and informative. Her personality came through as she answered my questions. You could almost immediately tell why she gets along so well with her clients, putting them at ease, with her manner of speaking and knowledge of the subject.

SEO: Event coordinator, Tyler, Texas, Wedding Planning

Soup can label.

Summary

On NPR.org there is an engaging interview titled, “How Recycling Bias Affects What You Toss Where”. The interview is between NPR’s Shankar Vedantam and David Greene, with sound clips from Boston University marketing professor, Remi Trudel.

The interview concerns how people are more likely to recycle a product they deem useful after use. However, if the product is damaged or in pieces, research shows they are more likely to throw it away.

Analysis

The interview between Vedantam and Greene was conducted in a very informative and effective manner. Both participants had a laid-back manner of speaking that warmed the listening ear while piquing interest and creating a sense of being in the room with them.

In addition to the interview there were supplemental sound clips from a researcher that added dynamic while casually inputting facts.

For the most part Greene did an excellent job of tuning his questions to the subject and quickly asking follow-up questions as the topic of the subject shifted.

There was one point at the beginning of the interview where Greene seemed to repeat his question, even though the topic did not seem confusing enough to warrant repetition.

The importance of recycling and “going green” in today’s society has become a very attractive concept. Not only is recycling a good thing, but it is also currently considered “in fashion” to participate, every hipster is doing their part, making prominence and proximity relevant news values regardless of location.

Another news value this interview focuses on is the impact in our society. Vedantam mentioned that out of the 200 billion tons of trash the U.S. disposes every year, 30 percent of it is paper that could have easily been recycled.

In one sound clip Trudel said he no longer removes the paper label from his used soup cans before recycling them, because even that small slip of paper can and should be recycled. Conscious decisions, such as recycling the label as well as the can, allow Trudel to decrease his weekly amount of trash by 50 percent.

The combination of relevant news values used throughout the interview, the ease of the conversation, and the amount of information dispersed all add up to a very successful interview and audio story.

To listen to the full interview visit:

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/27/226580668/how-recycling-bias-affects-what-you-toss-where.

Directing.

Director role

 

I absolutely loved this role! I’ve always been bossy.. But as director people look for your direction and expect it. I would enjoy calling the shots someday, who knows, maybe God will put my bossy-streak to good use in this field! Haha.