Current Events 2/26/14

1. What state’s legislature passed a controversial bill that some say discriminates based on sexual orientation and others say promotes religious freedom? Extra Credit: What happens to the bill now? 
Arizona, Governor needs to approve it.
2. Comedy director, writer and actor Harold Ramis died this week after a long illness. Name one of the classic movies he wrote, directed or acted in. 
Ground Hog Day
3. What country’s president has fled to an unknown destination after being ousted from his post and charged with mass murder? 
Ukaraine
4. Who is the Russian president, recently watching the Olympics in Sochi and now watching what is going on in the neighboring country in Question #4? 
Vladimir Putin
5. In another much-hyped change in late-night viewing, who took over Jimmy Fallon’s old job hosting “Late Night” on NBC? 
Seth Meyers
6. What 40-day religious observation begins next week? 
Lent
7. A man known as the world’s most wanted drug lord was arrested in what country last weekend? 
Mexico
8. What did Dale Earnhardt Jr. win last week?
Daytona 500

Sequencing

Explain in your own words what video sequencing is. 3-5 sentences. What are 3 main benefits to shot sequencing? What are the Key ingredients to shot sequencing?
Video sequencing is when you string together lots of short bits of video together to create a complete scene. Three benefits are passage of time, continuity, and professionalism. 

2.20.14

Action reaction shooting is when you show what is going on, whether it is a performance, sports game, or anything else, then show how people react, or respond, to what is going on. This could be an individual or a group of people. The reaction is what really makes you feel something because you react the same way that the other people do. It increases the emotion in the piece. It is important because it gives us the feeling of really being there. When something happens around us in real life we look around for other people's reactions so it makes us feel like we are really there.

Current Events 2/19/14

1. What country had at least 14 reported dead this week in clashes between protesters and police outside its parliament building? Extra Credit: What is the city where this is happening? 
Ukraine. Kiev
2. Of course the Olympics has been in the news spotlight all week. Name one sport where the U.S. is doing very well. 
Hockey
3. But one sport’s participants have done surprisingly poorly. What is that? Extra credit: At least some are blaming what new piece of technology for the problems? 
Speed skating, the new suits aren't working as expected.
4. What did an Ethiopian pilot do this week that made headlines? 
Hijacked a plane to go to switzerland looking for asylum. 
5. What singing/performance duo, who already had been in Russian prison for two years for their actions, were again jailed – this time in Sochi? 
Pussy Riot
6. Who premiered as the Tonight Show host this week? 
Jimmy Fallon
7. What country was the site of a photo that went viral this week of a 4-year-old boy, temporarily separated from this family while crossing the desert to escape the fighting in his homeland?
Syria
8. Some experts say the proposed increase in minimum wage will be good because it will increase the earnings of low-wage Americans, but it will be bad because 
Prices go up, fewer jobs

Camera Techniques

Left hand:
Thumb: Eyes on third
Pointer: The nose knows
Middle: Audio
Ring: Background
Pinky: Lighting

Right hand:
Thumb: Action
Pointer: Reaction


Zoom- Magnifies image
Zoom with your feet if possible.
Tilt- Moving the camera and down.
Pan- Moving the camera left and right.

Wide- Give an overall feeling of location and surroundings.
Medium- Less setting and more details. focus on a specific area.
Tight- Lots of details.
Sound Bite-A piece of the interview that can stand alone
B Roll- The footage of what you are covering.
3 things you can change

1. Angle
2. Height
3. Focal length

The shooting six:

1. Camera 
2. Tripod
3. Microphone
4. Headphones
5. Battery 
6. Memory card

I  feel like at the beginning she was just looking for a story to share and he had some drama that made him a character that would pull on all of our heartstrings. She also wasn't the one who brought up the topic of his brother, he was. She really messed up with the last question. He was already of the verge of tears and she kept on pushing the issue and he broke down. When interviewing someone you should be on the lookout for non-verbal hints that they do not want to talk about the topic. 

Dirty jobs: Taxidermy

1. How did Mehleena the reporter quickly make it clear she was a participant in the story? 
She walked up to the taxidermist and introduced herself. She said she was going to skin a deer. 
2. Which natural sounds added texture to the story? 
The sound of the skin being peeled off. drilling. hammering. .
3. “That was going to take some pretty gruesome work.” Why was that voiceover used when it was--how did it prepare the viewer? 
It warned us that there was going to be some gruesome images so that squeamish people could look away. 
4. The concept of “reporter-as-surrogate-for-the-viewer” means what? 
That a reporter does something so that the view can experience it without actually having to do it. 
5. Did the story make you appreciate the preservation of animals, or make you wonder why people do this in the first place? Explain.
I think it made me appreciate all of the hard work that goes into preserving these animals. 

Steps to writing a story

1. Find a topic
1. Do teens care?
2. Should teens care? 
2. Create a focus statement
1. 3 words 
1. Subject
2. Verb
3. Object
3. Collect Information
1. Who are the experts?
2. Do you need opposing points of view?
3. What questions do we ask?
4. Other research?
4. Interview
1. Ask open ended questions
2. Find good sound bytes. A piece of audio that can stand alone.

Current events 2/12/14

1. What famous former child star died this week? 
Surly Temple
2. What newscaster was sidelined during the Olympics because of an eye infection? Extra Credit: Who is replacing him? 
Bob Hospice 
Matt Lauer
3. Name the U.S. Attorney General who has been in the news several times in the last week with announcements about same-sex rights and calls for changes in state voting laws. 
Eric Holder
4. House Republicans finally agreed Tuesday to lower/raise (choose one) the U.S. debt ceiling limits. 
Lower
5. What popular mobile game’s creator pulled it from app stores this week? 
Flappy Bird
6. Keeping track of the medal count at the Olympics is challenging, but name one of the countries that had multiple gold medals by Tuesday. 
Norway
7. What professional sport was in the news this week when one of its top draft prospects announced he is gay? 
Football
8. What European president visited the White House this week, attending a state dinner and discussing ways to deal with the Syrian crisis?
France

Toy Story

1.  The camera work in this story is very advanced.  It uses various angles, foregrounds, sequences, and lots of tights.  List three shots that were the most memorable for you.
   
   
   2.  How does the proprietor’s joke at the start of the story help establish him as a character?  What does it tell us about him?
    It shows that he is a goofy guy and young at heart, not just a creepy old guy with lots of toys.
   3.   There was no reporter stand-up.  Should there have been?  Explain your answer.
    I don't think it was needed. The beginning was needed to establish the place and the rest of the story was focused on the owner. The only way a stand-up would have worked is if they had a shot of the reporter interviewing the owner. 
     The photograph provided a nice surprise.  How did that further establish him as a character invested in the toy store?

1.  It showed that he had strong attachment to these toys, not only because he loved them, but also because he grew up with them. He wants to preserve his childhood. 
    I enjoyed the shot at the beginning with the top.
    The pan between the two toy soldiers 
    Te shot of the Rolls Royce 
   5.  Was there information you didn’t get that you really want
2. How long has this museum been open? how did he get it started? 

Focus statement: The idea that you are concentrating on or trying to prove in your story. Guides every decision in the story process. 

Kare 11 2/10/14

For Minnesota native Anne Schleper the Olympics is still a surreal experience. She is a graduate of the 2012 class at the U of M and is playing defense for the USA women's hockey team at the Olympics in Sochi Russia. She has stood out as a leader on the team as well as a crucial player on the team.

I had no idea that we had someone from Minnesota on the Women's team. I think it is awesome that Minnesota produces such great hockey players. I could never imagine that stress that would come from playing in the Olympics.

Shayna's story

1. Describe how the story incorporated the technique, "Make them laugh before you make them cry." 
They made it seem like everything was ok with her first jump but then it went horribly wrong.
2.  How did the story structure help “save a surprise” on at least two occasions?
By not telling you that she had a kid until after they told you she was pregnant during the fall. It seemed like she would never go sky diving again but she did.
3.  Which soundbite will you remember the most from this piece?
I will remember the sound of Shayna's husband screaming at her as she was falling.
4. How do the Anchor's comments after the feature help bring the story full circle?
It brings it back to the idea of Shayna skydiving.
5. What information would you like to have that the story did not include? 
How long her recovery took.

Shayna's parachute failed on her first time sky diving alone and she went crashing to the ground and survived. 

Easy Access

 1. List three pieces of natural sound in this story. 
Opening the package, the sounds of the phone, the sound of typing on the computer.
2. How did the reporter tease the viewer in the beginning? 
By showing a package at a door and saying that they were going to be talking about what was in the package but didn't tell you right away.
3. When the reporter made the call to the online vendor, she gave a lot of clear information about who she was, and why she was calling? Why did she make it clear the conversation was being recorded? 
She had to share that because you aren't allowed to record people and use their image or voices without letting them know that they are doing it. She shared information about herself so that he would know what she was doing.
4. How did the prosecuting attorney’s letter help this story happen? 
It allowed the student to buy alcohol without having to worry about getting in trouble because it was research for a news story. 
5. The story reveals online alcohol sales to minors. How concerned are you that it might actually give teens information they did not have?
I think that a lot of teens don't already know that it is that easy to order alcohol online. I think it might cause some students to go buy alcohol illegally online but more importantly it lets students know about something that might be harmful to their friends.

Current Events Week One

1.What award-winning actor died last weekend of an apparent drug overdose?

2. What Southern state now has a severe weather task force after two inches of snow last week totally paralyzed its largest city?

Georgia

3. With the Winter Olympics starting in Sochi this week, the Russians have some challenges. Which is NOT a problem the media have reported? a. The host nation is being accused of shooting stray dogs. b. Some of the hotels are not ready. c. Russia’s anti-gay laws have upset human rights groups. d. All are issues the Russians are facing.

a

4. The big named winter storm this week is ______________________. (HINT: The last one was Maximus.)

Minimus

5. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week is exploring privacy in the digital age, especially related to credit cards. Name one of the two retail companies whose executives have been testifying because recent security breaches put millions of their customers at risk.

Target

6. What recent sporting event broke records for the most watched TV event in U.S. history?

Super Bowl

7. In a strange and some say unbelievable story this week, a man was found in the Marshall Islands after doing what?

Drifted there from Mexico

8. What social network site turned 10 this week?

Facebook

Whose Video

1.Why was important to show the Youtube clips of fights recorded at schools?

To show how brutal these fights can be and to encourage students to not record fights.

2. The Student Press Law Center source makes it clear students always own their cell phone video footage. How do your school administrators handle this?

I have never seen a teacher search through a student’s phone so I have no idea.

3. What are some alternative ways to conduct the interview with the SPLC lawyer other than over the phone?

They could do it in person or if that isn’t possible then they could have used skype so that they could show an image of him talking.

4. What was the point made by the second stand-up, and how did it relate to the focus of the story?

To show how something that happens in real life get recorded and then uploaded to the internet. It shows the process.

5. Cite examples of how this story practiced the journalistic concept of “say it, prove it.” 

They stated what the problem was then showed evidence to prove that it is true.