goals

I was swamped this week, especially doing the group project, and forgot about my final project goals. I think the most important thing is to finally decide what I want to do it on. After our conference, I think I'll make my project about sexual violence at UNH. The only goal we really set for that one is to contact SHARP, which I did not do. Here is a list of stuff I need to do, people I need to contact, etc.

1. Gather data. I need to dig up those SHARP records and I think the sociology department's independent study, police records, as well as any other records that may exist.
2. Find interviewees. This must include victims, and could include all or any of the following: SHARPP people, high ranking administration, police officers, assaulters, trauma counselors, professors who are experts, random students on whether or not they knew this was such a problem.
3. Do interviews. But first, really think about what I want the composition of the story to be and how I can conduct interviews in a way that will lead to that. Become semi-expert on the technology of video/audio and practice taking stills.
4. Edit and organize content. Yay, final product!

EDIT

I forgot to write down what the class could help with. It would be awesome if everyone could network a bit and try to contact someone they know who has been a victim of sexual violence or definitely knows someone who has. I figure if the statistics are right and one in four UNH women has been victimized, it's almost certain that we could get ahold of someone.

final project idea, refined

So I would still like to do my project on the transgendered student who lives across from me. I don't know exactly what details you want on it that I didn't include last time; I basically addressed why it's journalistically relevant and what I would like to cover. I guess I'll flesh out my idea here.

I think I'd go at it like a bio, without trying to complicate it by broadening it out to anything like "transgendered people in NH" or "gay, lesbian, and transgendered." I think it will have more impact if I just focus on her story, and hopefully her story will comment on the more general implications. So it would be a bio. This would cover (if possible, if she agrees) her young life (I guess coming to question her gender identity), when she decided to make herself into a girl (how that came about, the qualms she had, the different influences on this decision), and life since changing (reactions, difficulties, relationships). I think this last part would be the bulk of the project. I would like this to be described in a mix of audio and video, probably sometimes audio transcribed over video (just of her walking around in day to day life, so it's not all just her sitting in a house). Pictures that would be good: obviously portraits of her, pictures of her in her room/other interesting parts of life. I don't know if it would be an invasion of privacy/inappropriate/unethical to take pictures of her as a guy "transforming" into a woman. I guess if she agreed and was totally fine with it, it would be okay.
It would be amazing if I could also incorporate interviews with people close to her (family, friends, roommates).
However, the one big issue with this story is that I don't really know her at all. I basically have just seen her going to and from the bus stops, and we smile and say hi, but I don't even know her name. So I don't know how realistic this story really is. I have no idea how I would approach her or if she would agree. I think she could tell an important story, I just would completely understand if she didn't want to, which makes me hesitant to even ask. I definitely need a conference, Sandy.

final project ideas

There is a transgender student living across the street from me who I see at the bus stop sometimes. I think a biography on her would be amazing. I'd want to find out what it's like being transgendered in small-town New Hampshire, what her childhood/family life is like, what school is like, what her friends have to say, etc, just because I can't imagine it's ever been easy, especially living here. She dresses very feminine but in a stylistically interesting way, not just like any other girl, and I think a lot could be added to the story with visuals. A lot of what being transgendered involves is basically what you look like and how you carry yourself, and photos or video would capture that essential part of her story. I think this bio would be the most journalistically significant story I've ever covered. There's not much diversity out here, and even the smallest differntiation is ridiculed, I can't imagine how hard it must be to be her. People should know how brave she is, and maybe her story would show some of the issues with diversity here and how people who are different are still really cool people.

So that's my one awesome idea. I would LOVE to do it, but it'd be tricky to approach her.

I wrote an article last year about sexual violence on campus and found out that it's much more prevalent than one would think. I haven't thought much about this idea, but it would be interesting to try to do something along those lines. I think the audio could be really great, like interviews of women who have been targeted, but visuals would be really tough. I don't know how I would get that, other than just a face shot or video of them talking (which most women probably wouldn't want). I think it's an important issue that doesn't get talked enough about on campus though; I just don't know if a multimedia project is the best way. If done well, it could be even more powerful than a written story.

Out of personal interest, I'd like to do some sort of story on veterans at UNH, or maybe at college in general. What it's like to be coming from combat into college, how they're treated by peers, what problems they have, how well government help is working, etc. Basically covering the transition. It'd be cool to contrast them with ROTC cadets who are going the opposite direction. The audio would be great, but again pictures might be hard. Obviously I couldn't get any of them in combat, so that would be sorely missing. I'm afraid it would just end up being them on campus doing normal things, and there really isn't anything compelling about someone eating at Hoco. But I'll keep thinking about what visually I could do for this story. This is journalistically important because it's a national issue that really isn't being covered well (I think). UNH students seem to have absolutely zero idea about veterans and what it's like for them, and I bet it's tougher than we think, and more pressing than we think.

the band director

coordinator of student programs

Studying abroad has become a common part of the college experience, and considering the complexities of living abroad, chances are you’ll need some help. At the University of New Hampshire, Catherine D’Auteuil is one of the behind-the-scenes crew at the Center for International Education who makes it possible for so many of us to go abroad.
D’Auteuil primarily does academic advising for students looking to go abroad. While a student may want to lie on the beautiful beaches of, say, Tahiti for a semester, D’Auteuil makes sure that the classes available will count towards the student’s degree and that they’ll be able to graduate on time after studying abroad. This is particularly important for International Affairs majors, who D’Auteuil spends considerable time advising, because studying abroad is required to graduate. She says that finding the perfect program for a student is both the most challenging and most rewarding part of her job.
Once the academics are all in order, D’Auteuil also makes sure that each student going abroad or coming into UNH from abroad has a smooth transition. This includes setting up their registration, immigration, classes, and housing. Since there is no streamlined process, she spends an immense amount of time coordinating between different departments on campus. Aside from advising and coordinating, D’Auteuil sits on many campus-wide committees, does outreach for the CIE, is in charge of hiring, and manages two exchange programs in Europe.

taking stills

There is something undeniably creepy about taking pictures of children I don't know. On the beach. In their swimsuits. (Just saying.)
But when I got past the creepy factor, it was actually enjoyable. Kids are probably among the easiest subjects to photograph. They move so naturally, without the restraint or exhaustion of adults, and are always doing interesting, photogenic things. I think my favorite picture is the one of the boy jumping. You can barely tell he's jumping unless you enlarge it, but it was so cool to see an entirely organic happy, innocent moment. And even cooler, to catch it on film. The same is true of the blonde girl running by, smiling at me. I didn't intend to take a picture of her, I meant to capture the boys behind her. But the moment I snapped the picture, this little girl runs out in front of me grinning. The next second she is gone, and I swear she had no idea I was taking her picture. 100% candid.
I found myself experimenting with depth of field and foreground/background elements. And then color and hue. And then lighting. And then shadow. I did a fair amount of editing afterwards, to experiment with what effects I could create just on the computer. I personally like what I came out with, but really have no idea what constitutes a "good" photo. Does such a thing exist objectively? Hopefully the talented Fred Field can shed some light (har-har) on this issue, and I look forward to working towards better and better pictures throughout the semester.

intro to multimedia

Class with Sandy was as I predicted: a mix of practical, abstract, and crazy. You never know what to expect, except that it will certainly contain some amount of those three elements. He switches from the most utilitarian of advice, say, what makes a good picture, to passionate predictions of the future of multimedia journalism, to pulling out a Barbie that takes pictures. It cannot be described as boring.
I've done several videos, podcasts and audio files for my job at Berkeley National Laboratory. You can check a couple out here. "Numbers" and "All About the ALS" are mine. Looking back now, they seem amateurish and silly. I would really like to learn the skills to make videos like that feel more professional.
Back in high school journalism class, I made two podcasts: one without pictures and one with. I don't have the files for those on this computer, but needless to say, they weren't exactly professional grade either.
I'm hoping these experiences help me with the projects for this class. I'm very afraid I'm going to have to use Windows editing programs because I don't have a Mac like I do at work, and I haven't had a good time with any Windows video/audio stuff before. However, I would love to learn FinalCut and the audio-editing program everyone uses (Audacity?).
I don't have any pressing story ideas just yet, but I have a continuing interest in military issues that, as many "Hearing Voices" stories showed, might make for great multimedia.