Riding Unlimited

For my Photojournalism on the Web class this semester, we were required to produce a multimedia package for the web by using all the things we had learned throughout the semester. 

As a group we chose to focus on an equestrian therapy riding facility in Ponder, TX, Riding Unlimited. I live in Justin, TX and have driven by the ranch many times and always wondered what exactly they did there. For the project, we decided to check it out and decided that this idea would great for our end of the year project.  

Riding Unlimited provides equestrian therapy  for people with disabilities (www.ridingunlimited.org). I was very happy to do this story even though it may have been a little different. I enjoy being around people with born disabilities because even though they may have to go through life a little different from the rest of us, they have the best out look on life. 

http://www.lisaparisot.com/Group Seven/RIDING Unlimited Group 7 - FINAL.html
Please copy entire link and paste into you internet browser.

Election Day Multimedia Package-New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/politics/2008-election-overview/

 

This multimedia project produced by the New York Times was presented very well. The piece was dramatic, moving and engaging. The video used with the pictures, used with the graphics and music went together very well, I enjoyed watching this.

I believe this was constructed in Final Cut and then put on the web in Flash. If that is possible to do, I am still learning this technology.

I watched this piece on Election Night and, of course, the piece didn’t have any Election Day content added. I am happy to see that the piece has been updated with the Election Day results, speeches, and pictures. Adding the Election Day coverage added a perfect end to the two-year-long story the piece portrayed. I was hoping that the New York Times would update the piece.

I was very impressed with this multimedia package because that is exactly what it is, a package of almost every form of media. It included pictures, video, audio, graphics, and sound all crafted excellently. 

Newark “Coffee Shop”

This is my first video to shoot and edit myself. I had high expectations for what would be the finished product. The story is about these older guys that get together everyday at 3:00 p.m. in a small room located in a auto repair shop. They drink coffee and bullsh*t for about an hour. There are usually about five or more gentlemen that show up, but on this day, only two men were there to be interviewed. Had I had more time for equipment checkout, no school or work, I could have gone back to the location and film more guys. I am not happy with this video, but I am content with how I able to construct a video out of what I was able to film. 

Politics Around Town

I roamed around the University of North Texas and Denton the afternoon of Thursday, October 16, 2008. As the election draws closer, I was kind of disappointed that there wasn’t as much political expression as I thought there might be. What I did see was very subtle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obama House

I have been walking past this house for years now. Since I started school at the University of North Texas. The paint has been on the windows for the past year expressing the homeowner’s support for Barack Obama.  It’s very interesting how people express their views and their opinions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marley-Obama For Change

I laughed at first when I saw that there were Barack Obama t-shirts being sold along side Bob Marley t-shirts. I never would have put the two together. If you look at this picture in a stereotypical manner, it would seem obvious as to why the two could sit side by side. Aside from that, both men are of mixed race and have tried to change the world is some way or another. They could be more alike then people may think.

 

First Soundslide!

I am so excited to have the first soundslide assignment done and out of the way. It was a neat experience finally learning how to do this because I have wanted to know how for so long. The only trouble I had was, what I think most people in the class had trouble with, and that was converting our soundslides into something that could be viewed on-line. I wish there was any easier way to do it, and I wish that we didn’t have rely on Mrs. Parisot to upload our soundslides to her server space. I think we need to do that ourselves, but I’m not sure how to go about doing that. 

For my first soundslide, I choose to interview a new freshman, Nicole Wall, who is embarking on her first semester in college at the University of North Texas.

http://www.lisaparisot.com/StudentLife/

Blog Assignment #2

Critiquing Multimedia Websites 

Halifax Explosion

The website showcasing the Halifax Explosion is very informational and interactive. There are tons of places to click and each click leads you to new information. I thought the sidebar with the “did you know” section was very clever and it gave information about that time period and the area. There are great picture slideshows of families that were affected by the explosion that give an inside look at how life was like then and how it was affected. I also liked how the website offered a picture slideshow of pictures then compared to pictures now.

 

I like how there is an area for teachers to learn how to better teach the information to all grade levels. This area gives information about disasters and how to deal, which could come in handy and should be thought so that students can learn from others mistakes.

 

The website was easy to navigate as well.

On the other hand, at first I was confused where exactly Halifax was located. After reading some text I was informed that the city was in Europe but I think a map would have been more useful. Also, many of the media did not work with my computer or my browser, so I wasn’t able to hear any audio or see any video if there was any. I think for the website to have more impact it should work on catering to many different software types since it will most likely be used in schools which may not have the correct plug-ins.

http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he4_recovery/index.html

 

Churchill Speech

 I love the ability to play the speech while viewing pictures. The also like how the speech is written out so that it is easier to follow along. However, if you click on a picture it stops the speech, but you can continue if you want which is very user friendly. The speech then starts over which is kind of irritating.

 

After clicking on a picture it goes on the tell more about a certain picture. This is a cool, interactive element and is very informative. There are more slideshows that go along with the main picture that includes very informational captions and text.

 

Since the website is focused mainly on the speech I was very happy to discover that the viewer can choose highlights on the speech and the pictures slideshow moves along to be in tune with the speech highlight that you chose.

This website is awesome graphically, informational, and is user friendly.

http://www.churchillspeeches.com/

 

Emotion in Video 

I looked for emotional videos revolving around Hurricane Ike. The Houston Chronicle did a story, September 19^th,  on the elderly who has been affected by Ike and how they were coping. I was moved by the video because the reporter interviewed three elderly people and each had a different emotion, which contributed very well to the story. One man was angry, one woman was sad and scared and another woman was hopeful although she struggled with being alone and helpless. As a viewer I could feel their pain through their words and their physical display of emotion.

http://www.chron.com/

First Audio Assignment

For my first audio assignment I interviewed my classmate, Devin Edgley. She is also a photojournalism major and although we have been know each other for a semester or longer, I never got to know much about her. We mostly just talked about classes. So, I took this opportunity to learn more about Miss Edgley.

 

Devin Edgley Interview

 

What I Thought

I have to be honest, I was irritated during this assignment. It was very inconvenient that we could only check the recorder out for only three hours. I understand that there are other classes that need to use the recorders as well, but I hope that in the future we will be able to keep the recorders for a longer amount of time. 

Another problem I encountered was learning the Audacity software. It was frustrating and not the easiest thing to use. However, that’s learning. 

Overall, I was happy to get the first assignment done. I feel a step forward to learning more and more in this class. After I finished editing my interview, I felt more comfortable with the software and hopefully I will become more and more comfortable as the class continues.

Class Goals

I am very excited to finally be enrolled in Photojournalism on the Web, and I am not just saying that to get extra points.

 

After meeting and getting to know former students of Mrs. Parisot, I have heard and seen a lot of good things about the class. 

 

Learning to develop a story from pictures is fun, but taking those pictures and adding audio, music, and graphics is something I have always wanted to learn. I think it will be more rewarding to se the finish project, after the many hours I expect to spend on these projects. 

 

I have some story ideas for this class already that I have come up with in years past, but I have never had the access to the equipment or expertise that I do now.  I hope to put these ideas that I have in my head on the screen and have them be successful.

 

After this class, I hope to take what I learn and create pieces on my own, possibly for a news organization or for a business.