Final project due time

It has come to my attention that there was some confusion about the time the final project is due today.

The initial extention was to 4 p.m., but I will extend that to 5 p.m., as some students were operating under that assumption.

I look forward to seeing your work.

Wednesday - virtual office hours

I will not be coming to campus on Wednesday, but I will make myself available from 7-9 p.m. or longer, if necessary, for anyone who is looking for some extra help.

If you need a hand, call my cell - 201-988-2721 - or email me at dliss.nj@gmail.com, and we can arrange how I can help you. You could certainly send me any files you're having trouble with, and I have arranged a WebEx meeting in which we can speak over the phone and I can directly observe your computer desktop.

Extra credit opportunity

I am offering an opportunity to earn up to 1/2 of a letter grade boost for your final grade by doing some extra blogging for your final project.

You are already doing aggregation and interactivity in your final project blogs. For extra credit, you need to go beyond that with an entry or series of entries that takes your project in a some new direction - either deeper or farther afield.

Turn-in method: Make it part of your homepage. Indicate in your class blog entry in which you turn in your link for your final project a specific link to the extra credit portion of your blog. It is do with your final projects on Friday, May 16, at 4 p.m.

Suggestions:

1. A sidebar
   
2. A diary-form "the making of this project," including perhaps the directions you would have liked to go but didn't, what you'd like to do next with this project, difficulties you had along the way, etc.
3. Run some thoughts by me tonight if you like.
   

Search Engine Optimization slide show

John Shehada, our guest speaker on May 5, has made his slide show available in PDF format.

You can grab it on the Journalism drive in our class folder - it's called Search Engine Optimization 101.

Video Assignment #2

Some tips for using the final project templates

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you have any trouble when setting up your final project homepage.

1. First step, just like it was for our html exercises, is to copy the folder from our class folder to your mysbfiles public_html folder and renaming it something appropriate to your final project.
2. Do some work on the hompeage before next Monday's class, and get some help from me if you need it.
   
3. If you do something to blow out the page and you don't know what it was, here are some options: a) apple-Z your way back, step by step, saving and refreshing your browser to see if you found the problem step you took (combine with option c below, so you can save copy, links you liked); b) note that there are html comments that divide the index page into segments ("begin x section," etc.) - you can grab a clean copy of the template and sub it in for a section you're having problems with, thereby not losing other parts of the page that are working; c) don't be afraid to start over with a clean copy of the template - save-as the page that isn't working, preserving any copy or links you liked, and pasting them into the clean template carefully.
4. 
   

New FCP export settings

I have found an improved set of settings that you should use going forward. Also available online here

They are explained in a document called "best_FCP_settings.doc" in our class folder.

Look at the top video here for an example.

Video assignment 2 - due-date change

Please note that Video assignment 2 is now due at the end of class May 7 so you may devote your full attention to our guest speaker on May 5, John Shehada, who will be talking about search engine optimization.

Final project templates

I have set up three final project templates. You may choose any of these, use them as they are or modify them carefully and within reason.

If you feel they don't meet your needs, you need to meet with me during one of the work sessions to discuss possible alternatives, which include setting up a brand new blog and working from a blog format.

• Template 1
• Template 2
• Template 3
  

The templates are available to grab in the class folder on the Journlism server in a folder called "final project templates"

Final Cut Pro tip: Export settings for YouTube uploading

Note: I have found the definitive settings and have posted a MS Word document called "best_FCP_settings" in the class folder on the Journalism drive


The settings explanation is also available online here

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Final project topics

Reminder: Your topics MUST be approved by the end of class Wednesday. I will do my best to respond to emails between today and Wednesday, with priority to students who have already started a dialog with me about their topic via email April 9, as required.

Students who do not have their topics approved by end of class Wednesday may have to wait for approval until the following Wednesday, effectively erasing an entire week of potential work time.

I will not accept final projects from students who have not had topics approved.

Class calendar the rest of the way

Wed. 4/9 - Working class: Video assignments; topics for final project due via email by the end of class.

Mon. 4/14 - HTML assignment - one day news assignment working in Dreamweaver

Wed. 4/16 - Working class; Final project topics must be approved

Mon. 4/21 - No class - Passover

Wed. 4/23 - Working class; Video assignment No. 1 due, end of class

Mon. 4/28 - Instruction on final project templates; Working class for the balance

Wed. 4/30 - Working class - video assignment No. 2 and final projects

Mon. 5/5 - Tentative - Search engine optimization; working class for last hour

Wed. 5/7 - Working class; Video assignment No. 2 due, end of class (note this is a change from the original due date, May 5)

Mon. 5/12 - Last day of class - wrap-up; working class; All class blog exercises are due

Friday 5/16 - Final projects due

Two video assignments

Overview: You have two short video assignments to be completed in Final Cut Pro, each worth 10 percent of your final grade. The first assignment is to be 1:00-1:30 minutes. The second is to be 1:30-2:30 minutes. They should each be stand-alone clips. They are to include the following components:

• At least 2 uses of B-roll video
  
• At least two uses of "lower third"
• Some reporting on a campus issue

Turn-in method: The assignments should be posted on YouTube and embedded in blog entries on both your class blog and your personal blog.

Topic for assignment No. 1: With a maximum of 1:30, you shouldn't be too ambitious. Pick a campus issue close to home that you can have some fun with. This assignment is mostly for practicing the Final Cut Pro techniques we have discussed in class, and you will be evaluated mostly for technical accomplishment and your successful posting to the blogs.

Topic for assignment No. 2: With some more time to use, this can be a more involved topic, though still a campus issue close to home. This assignment will be evaluated for content and reporting as well as technical accomplishment.

Due dates: Assignment No. 1 is due end of class April 23. Assignment No. 2 is due end of class May 5. Late work will be penalized two letter grades. Revision as of April 23 - Assignment 2 is now due end of class May 7.

Important note: You should use the recommended Final Cut Pro export settings for YouTube that are now posted in this blog

Week of March 31

Monday:

• Final project assignment intro
• HTML work

Wednesday

• HTML work - Note: There will likely be just one hour for work on your "march26' websites.  If you are not going to be finished within that hour, you shold work on that on your own time.
  
• Video project introduced
  
• Cam and FCP orientation (probable)
  

Final project

Overview:

Your final project will be a mini Web site whose homepage will reside on your mysbfiles web space and whose contents may reside in a variety of other web environments, such as blogger.com and flickr.com.

Your topic must be approved by the date below and should be sufficiently news-worthy, a definition which may be broadly interpreted to include feature and enterprise journalism.

Your project will contain five elements that may overlap a bit but that accomplish separate aspects of the project. Each element is worth 20 percent of your grade. The elements are summarized here and explained in greater detail below:

1. The homepage
2. The main bar - a reported article of 900-1,500 words that should be the anchor of the project.
3. A video, two to three minutes in length
4. A photo gallery or Soundslides presentation of original photos
   
5. A blog, to be used for, among other possibilities, aggregation on your topic, interactivity, hosting your main bar and other elements (some via embedding). Aggregation and interactivity are required enhancements.

All of your work for this project must be original and cannot have been produced for any other class.

Important dates:

• Wed., April 9: Deadline for topic "pitches" to be sent for approval. Send to dliss.nj@gmail.com
• Wed. April 16, end of class: Deadline for approval of topic.
• Friday, May 16, 5 p.m.: Project due date. No late work accepted.
  

Turn-in method: Email a link to your project's mysbfiles URL to dliss.nj@gmail.com

Topic approval: You are welcome to begin discussions with me at any time about a suitable topic for your project. By April 9, you are to send me a couple of paragraphs that get into some detail. Include the main idea of your main bar, the main idea of your video and how you intend to use the blog beyond its required uses. I will turn those around and either approve or ask for revision. By April 16 at the end of class, your topic must be approved, leaving you one month to complete it.

Your topic should be current, exciting and capable of supporting the bulk of the material you are being asked to package. Keep in mind that you will be reporting for your main bar and shooting your own video and stills, so the topic should have a local component.

The elements:

Homepage: Using a sufficiently journalistically styled template out of Dreamweaver (see additional note below), you will create a homepage for presenting all of the other elements of the project. It should include at least one photo. It should present the other elements in an enticing way, packaging each one with at least one interactive component. The overall look of the homepage should be neat and reflective of the relative weight of each of your elements. You may use either the code or the WYSIWYG features of Dreamweaver to construct your page.

Revision as of April 23: Please see this blog entry for a description of available templates and options.

Main bar: You will report and compose an original 900-1,500 word main story. The actual length should be determined by your topic and how much space you need to accomplish your reporting goals. Do not go over 1,500 words without prior approval.

The main bar will be a blog entry linked to from the homepage. It should contain at least one photo. It can, and probably should, contain links (internal or external) where they help enhance your audience's experience with your project.

Video: You will produce a two- to three-minute edited video, created in Final Cut Pro, uploaded to YouTube, embedded in your blog and linked to from your homepage. The video should enhance but not repeat what your main bar does. It should contain some B-roll. Note: Be sure to use the recommended Final Cut Pro export settings for YouTube posted in this blog.

You will have normal access to the video cameras from the newsroom.

Photo gallery/Soundslides: You should produce a photo gallery or Soundslides presentation of 7-10 unique images, and present it from your homepage. These images may be used in other places in your project as well as in this element. You may use a commercial photo tool like Flickr.com to house your photo gallery, or you may choose to create a gallery manually in your blog. If you like, you may do a Soundslides presentation, keeping in mind that the sound need not be music - it could be a voice-over. If music is used, it must be credited. Each photo should have a well-written caption.

Blog: The blog must be used to host your main bar and video - perhaps also your photo gallery/Soundslides element as well. You blog should be used as a place for interactivity, with links inviting comments that go directly from the homepage to the comment space for your entries. You should also use one blog entry to aggregate links for your audience to explore your topic further. Finally, you can also freely use your blog in appropriate ways not covered here to enhance the project and your audience's experience.

Additional notes:

• I need to research homepage templates. Look out for further blog posts.
  
• As we approach the end of the term, we will dedicate a decent amount of class time for you to work on the project and confer with me. I will try to have a list of dates when we get closer to April 16.
  
• I reserve the right to alter this assignment sheet any time through April 16, though I don't expect any major changes.
• Plan ahead. The resources of the newsroom will be tight as the end of the semester approaches, and this is far too much work to do in a hurry. The other 320 section will have a nearly identical final project.
  
• I encourage you to rely on your peers for help shooting video, editing main bars and whatever else makes sense.

How to put your Soundslides project in your blog

1. Open your SB drives and create a folder there called "public_html"
2. Make absolutely sure you have exported a Blogger-friendly file size for your publish-to-web folders - even if you have to do it again just to be sure. Your size should be 380 px wide and 285 high.
3. Copy your publish_to_web folder to the public_html folder you just created.
4. Go to the Soundslides embedding utility page
5. In a separate tab open your soundslides project at http://MySBfiles.stonybrook.edu/~NetID/publish_to_web
   where "~NetID" is your NetID and publish_to_web is the name of your folder. You will see your project open up.
6. Copy the URL of that page into the "Slideshow URL" field in the embed utility and click continue
7. At the bottom of the page will be the embed code that you can then copy to a blog entry.
8. Note: If you haven't sized your project correctly, it will be cut off in the blog, and you will need to go back into Soundslides, "modify" the size, re-export and do steps 3-7 again.
   

Class week of 3/24

News that should make things easier: Your SB drives can be web space if configured properly. We will be using them for your Soundslides projects and for the html training we will be working on over the next couple of weeks.

Today: We'll ease back into class with work getting your Soundslides projects into your blogs, and then we'll take some time showing them off to each other. If there's time at the end of class, we'll start setting up your personal web space for the html exercises we'll be doing.

Wednesday: We'll be spending time doing html exercises and learning some basics.

Important updates to Soundslides assignment

Nothing I haven't said already in class, but there are three important points I have highlighted that you don't want to miss. They all involve the final steps of finishing your work and turning it in.

See the assignment here.

How to cut an MP3's length

Here are some basic steps to shorten an MP3 and get it ready for Soundslides.

Part 1 - Editing for length:

1. Open the application Soundtrack Pro
2. Open the MP3 file you want to edit
3. You will see visual representations of the stereo tracks.  Using the cursor, the play button and repeated efforts, find the selection you want to keep and make a note of when it starts and how long it lasts. (Note: If you are familiar with "marks" in Final Cut Pro, there may be similar functionality here. Feel free to try it that way.)
4. Highlight by dragging your cursor through the tracks, and delete sections of the song until you are left with only what you want.
5. If you want to fade in or fade out, highlight sections of the beginning and end, and go to the "Process" menu, an sselect fade in or fade out.
6. Save the file  to a place you can access it again, making sure to save it as a "WAVE" file.

Part 2 - Converting back to MP3 (Note: You can do this in iTunes or do it as explained below)

1. Open the application "Switch"
2. Click "add file" and find your file you edited for length
3. Click check box "Output to same folder as source files"
4. Make sure your output format is set to MP3. Click Encoder options and make sure the "Bitrate" is set to 128.
5. Click Convert

You should now have your edited audio file as an MP3 in the same folder where your edited wave file was.  You can import the new MP3 file into Soundslides.

Updates to Soundslides assignment

I changed the due date (now March 12) and added a few notes and tips. Please have a fresh look at the Soundslides assignment.