Audio with moving pictures

That's how Tom Costello describes video. Tom is a photo-video wizard at the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey. He is here with Glenn Hartong of The Cincinnati Enquirer to teach video storytelling.

This morning, it's a discuss of how to use the camera.

Rule No. 1: Listen to your audio. "Put your headphones on," Tom said.

Cameras have been put atop tripods. We're using traditional tripods. But Anne Saul, who is coordinating the video training, said other things can be used as tripods. "A Tripod can be anything that's not breathing," Tom said.

-- Kate Kennedy

Seminar in sound and slides

Learn about the Freedom Forum's new Online and Multimedia Reporting Seminar in a SoundSlides project created by Erik Lacayo and Anthony Dimaano.

Success with SoundSlides

Bravo! to the class for learning to take photos, record audio and put them together in SoundSlides. Here are some of the results:

Nashville convention by Kevin Abourezk, Julie Hubbard and Erica Pippins:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/AbourezkDiversity/index.html

Comic book store by Victor Cristales and Jenny Espino: http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/espinocristales/index.html

Sushi restaurant by Kelly Cuculiansky and Sal Hernandez:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/cuculiansky_hernandez/index.html

Salon FX by Marquita Brown and John-John Williams:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/Williams%20and%20Brown/index.html

How to make pizza by Coaches Colleen Fitzpatrick and Mary Ann Hogan: http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/thelmalouise/index.html

Picture this ...

Ray Wong of Middle Tennessee State University offered this photo advice:

Impact photography comes from closeup, tight shots; simple images; emotion; and action.

The "Rule of 3s" reminds us to consider foreground, middle ground and background. Don't shoot everything at eye level. Change angles for more interesting shots.

Aim for "Rembrandt" lighting that doesn't come from overhead.

For better photography, he suggested:

Choose focus points with care.

Watch the edges of your frame.

Avoid putting subject in the center.

Check flash. Do you need it?

Control depth of field with the aperture.

Adjust your ISO for more or less sensitivity to light.

- Kate Kennedy

And now a word from our reluctant blogger...

I am so not plugged in...
Examples:
I have never downloaded an MP3.
I don't own an IPOD.
I have never sent an IM.
Heck, we don't even watch TV at my house.
So, this his been a real week of firsts.
Flash-drive thingamabobs, RSS's, del.icio.us organizational tools, digital audio recording, editing and exporting. Audix, Soundslides and other software I've never heard of. And now, here I am blogging. And today it's on to digital video recording and editing.
This has been a total crash course in so much. Thank you Freedom Forum.
And now, I'm so obsessed with finishing our soundslide project here I'm here at 7:30 a.m. Must complete soundslides...
~Tonya Alanez

Whew! Maybe we can use our audio

Gene Policinski, vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, reported today that he has been unable to find a single instance in which a journalist was sued for using music as ambient noise on an audio recording of a news interview.

It's important to note: Policinski is not an attorney and is not offering legal advice. He merely shared his research on the issue of fair use to participants of the Diversity Institute's Online and Multimedia Seminar.

Policinski: "It's an unsettled question only because we can't find a court opinion that's determined it one way or another."

Whew!

Maybe we can actually use some of the audio we recorded today while reporting audio slideshows!

Kevin Abourezk

Quit fretting ...

This is very relevant to what you just learned. It's from a Wichita print reporter with 20+ years experience:

Quit fretting and just push 'record' already.

- Mindy McAdams