Good/Bad Extra Credit Video Examples

The first example I would like to show is titled Destroying Syria's Past from the New York Times.  While this topic is pretty interesting, overall I don't think it is best suited for being presented in a video.  A lot of the shots are underground looking at remains of old civilizations, and the only light they have is from a flashlight.  Therefore a lot of the video to me is unclear.  Another problem I had is with our narrators voice, it has very monotone and really just made me want to go to sleep from the moment I started listening to him.  At about the three minute mark it begins to look like a Soundslides project, which might've been better suited for the topic.  The video above ground that they do have doesn't really work to help tell the story.  For example we spent a good 30 seconds on a Facebook screen for the work a man does, whereas I'd be more interested to see him doing his work.

Renaissance in Grand Central Station, also by the New York Times does a much better job of telling a video story.  For one thing, this story could only be told through a multimedia perspective, without being able to hear what these people do it is hard to grasp the beauty in it and to see why it's such a big deal.  This reporter's voice, the few times we hear it, is a lot more vibrant than the one in the first video.  But, we don't get to hear much from the reporter, instead the story is told mostly from the people it's about which adds a nice level.  The shots are all really nice and just help to capture what it is they do, which is singing for people in public locations.  Through video we get to see, how most people react to them better than any description ever could.

An Example of Excellence

      This is an audio slideshow that I am totally in love with. It not only uses many of the techniques that we have discussed in our lab but also turns journalism into an art form. The photos are paired with audio  that brings the photo to life. This piece is truly an example of how the news industry should use multimedia to improve overall content.


    This news feature was created by Sarah Kramer and Alexis Mainland. The photos are by Todd Heisler. It is such a beautiful feature because of its ability to capture the essence of an individual. What makes New York City so special is that there are millions of people from all over the world that each have their own goals and dreams. This story's purpose is to humanize the chaos that is NYC.

Here is the story:

One in 8 million

Nia Wesley News Photo Critiques

This photo is from CNN's entertainment page, and it shows Rapper Jay Z and his Mega-Star, wife Beyonce at some sort of sporting event. The picture is used to list them as the highest paid celebrity couple having an annual income of $78 million. I think this photo is very good in quality and clarity, also the candidness of the shot adds value and realness to the captured scene. Their background and surroundings are somewhat blurred, while the focus is on them. The angle is also a contributing factor to the success of this photo. The photographer seems to be lower than them while slightly looking up, and the natural lighting is generous to the photo as well.

This photo is a picture of reality star Honey Boo Boo, and it is being used for a CNN survey asking if she is a good representation of our nation while she is such a big hit in other countries as well. This isn't the worst photo but it could use some improvement. Its great that they used natural lighting, but the light is barely even hitting her face. The photo also isn't very flattering with the chosen angle (laugh out loud) and it also cuts her off at an awkward place on the chest.

Extra Credit- Still News Photos

Here are poor quality still news pictures that were used in two Huffington Post articles:

The first article, "Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers?", is under the "Politics" section. Towards the end of the article there is a blurry, low resolution picture of a teacher and her students in a classroom.  
Still News Photo 1

Another article under the "World" tab, "South Africa Mine Shooting: Rival Unions Clash At Anglo American Platinum Mine", includes a really small and pixel-y picture to illustrate the content. However, there is no depth and it is frankly a boring picture. 
Still News Photo 2