The Best and Worst of the Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday, our assignment was to go on a scavenger hunt and interview different people around campus by asking them the questions we were given through Twitter.




The video shown above was Hannah and I's first interview in which we asked why people don't go to more football games that aren't against Lafayette. I think this is my least favorite video. Although I like the answer that was given, the positioning of the camera was kind of awkward because the interviewee was almost of of the shot. I definitely learned that it is usually better to interview someone by shooting horizontally so that if the camera needs to be adjusted it will leave room to do so without cutting out the person. Providing more space I think is definitely the way to go because shooting vertically doesn't allow for much space and gives off a cramped feeling. I also learned from other classmates' videos that it would be better to use the rule of thirds when recording someone.



The video above is my favorite video. I think I liked this one the most because it was shot horizontally and had both people placed well in the frame and the interviewee was a natural and presenting his. I also think that the little movement with the camera that did happen, was handled very well because neither of the people in the shot were cut off and it wasn't shaky.

Overall, I think we did a good job of making sure we didn't cut off the video before the person stopped talking. On another note, it was a process to actually put the video up on youtube and then get that link onto twitter. We engaged in mobile layering each time we did this. Mobile layering is great when you want to drive traffic to your content because the more places people see your content, the more it is seen. So you're getting people who aren't using one tool to see it on the one they do (If not YouTube, Twitter) and people who use both will have multiple places to find your content. I would definitely prefer using mobile because it's much quicker and less tedious because with the ZI8 you'd have to convert the video first. However, there is room for both because you can improve the video quality a little if you turn to the ZI8 first.

Familiarity as a Downfall

My favorite interview of the day was with Nitzan Lebovic, because he was the least uncomfortable subject that we had in front of the camera. Ironically enough, we only were able to film this interview after being rather abruptly shut down by a first professor that we had asked to be the subject of the interview. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you have to keep working to get the best videos possible, even if that means not letting an interview rejection get you down.




On the other hand, our interview with Wade Homer was highly awkward and seemed unprofessional because of the familiarity that he had with us. While finding an interview subject was easier because he walked by shortly after the tweet was sent out, I actually think that the interview was much less successful than other people who were both willing to interview and also not necessarily familiar with us. There's a lot implicit in this interview that isn't explained because I already know the background information about the subject; when I was attempting to conduct an interview, that didn't help because others wouldn't necessarily know those things or be able to infer them, but Homer didn't feel the need to bring them up.

Ultimately, I think that the project was (moderately) successful. Of course, it was interesting traveling around to find people who were interested in talking to us; by the same token, I almost wish we had received more rejections from students who weren't truly interested. I'd rather ask 5 people and get one really good interview than simply have the first person agree to interview and give a lackluster one. I think that was pretty well demonstrated by the two videos that I picked as my most and least favorites; the one that we had to persist in order to get the best video for was more rewarding than the one that we finished within two minutes of the tweet being sent out because of my knowing someone. I think, then, for the purposes f interviewing subjects, what I learned here might be that it's perhaps best to not interview someone that you know, because you're going to have a lot that can potentially be left unsaid and that the viewer won't be able to necessarily imply.

Alison's Scavenger Hunt Reflection

I think that this video wasn't too good. We filmed it indoors, and because of that, I think that the artificial lighting did not work so well. Additionally, we filmed this vertically. We are all used to watching moving pictures on primarily horizontal screens, as our TVs and computers are designed that way, so the horizontal filming seems to work much better. Additionally, we feel that the interview was a little abrupt, we could've asked the interviewee what other sorts of activities she felt were possible to do around the Lehigh Valley, because she didn't elaborate. I think that this video was the best that we filmed for a couple of reasons. First of all, this was the first video that we short horizontally. I felt that it worked out really well because it definitely felt more natural. We also got to see some of the background of the environment in which she was in. Although the background noise is a little loud at times, I feel that this adds something to the video. Also, in this question we were instructed to have it last around a minute. Because of this, we had to prompt our interviewee with follow up questions. I think that this went well because we got to have her elaborate on some of her answers. I think that this was a great project to do because we got to see how easy it is to upload content on the go. When we first received the project, I thought that we would have a lot of technical problems in uploading the content, but ultimately we had none. It was fast, easy and effective.

Scavenger hunt reflection - Laura Casale

The video I liked best:
I liked this video the best for two reasons. The first being the actual content of the interview. I think Meghan and I did a good job of getting more out of him than a straightforward, quick answer the the question. We were really pushed to do this because this video had to be 1 minute. We asked him more questions than the original one before we shot, and found out that he actually had lost his cell phone for a week, so we encouraged him to talk more about that. The second reason I like this video best is because of the actual shot. The background is not distracting at all, like a lot of our other videos, and the camera is positioned at a good angle to see him. Basically this video really showed us how sometimes the best interviews happen by chance, which is why you should always be on the look out.

My least favorite video:

I didn't really like this video for a few reasons. Firstly, the way it was shot. I didn't even realize what shooting it vertically would do to the video, but that's really the main reason I don't like it. I feel like Maggie is really confined in the shot, and watching her is a bit uncomfortable. It makes me mad because her answer actually was really good, but I feel like it was basically ruined because of the way I shot it. 1.) Like I said above, shooting vertically really does ruin a video. It makes your subject seem really cramped, and it's like your eye has no room to roam or take in the background. Everything is just cut off. 2.) I think Meghan and I got better with our interviewing as the scavenger hunt went on. We started out being satisfied with quick 2 second answers from our subjects because we didn't want to make them uncomfortable. But, our later interviews are a lot better because we prompted our subjects to elaborate more. 3.) I think the mobile aspect of this project is what pushed us to improve our interviewing skills and the way we shot our videos. We had no time to really think about it, because we only had 15 minutes to post our video. That expectation of us was only possible because of our mobile devices, which allow us to post things immediately. I think it's really cool because people who saw the tweet know that what they were seeing had literally just happened.

Scavenger Hunt (Jaclyn Hoexter)

I really liked this video because Tina wasn't awkwardly nervous in front of the camera like some other people had been. She was very natural and her interview seems as if she was just talking to a friend. Although I do wish we had been able to cut out the very beginning where she asks if the camera is recording, I still picked this video as my favorite because that moment didn't seem to take anything away from the video either.




We ended up happening to film all of our interviews indoors which was nice because it eliminated the awkward shadows from the sun. However, what I don't think either of us realized at the time was that despite being indoors, we still had to really keep an eye out for the same balance of shadows and light for the video to be really nice quality. While we didn't get over-exposed parts on our videos, we managed to get a very washed-out overall quality with this interview. In addition there is a very loud static-like noise in the beginning of the video, making it much harder to hear them speak. By the time the static started to fade away, it sounds like the two of the lowered their voices in suit. This was our first interview of the scavenger hunt, and when I had asked if I could interview one of them for this  class, they both came over. While it didn't seem like a problem or a big deal think at the time, I think that we must have really lucked out. Judging by how hard it was for us (and for some other people in the class according to their commentary) to find individuals who didn't freeze up on camera, the fact that we got two people who actually worked well together and had something interesting to say, was pretty shocking. Unfortunately with the sporadic noise and shifting shadows being cast on their faces whenever they moved, it becomes difficult to hear and/or focus on what it was they were saying.

As we got more familiar with approaching random people passing by, and video tapping our interviews with them, instead of hoping people would ramble on a little bit longer, we became a little bit more proactive. We began to use the follow-up questions a little sooner in the interview, allowing them to actually enhance the persons opinions and answer to our question, instead of merely prolonging the interview after it's died down. I found it really interesting to actually be involved in a real-time project like this since it's like nothing I have ever participated in before.

The i-phone picked up a lot of background noise which made it sometimes a little difficult to clearly  distinguish everything that the person was saying. However, despite this, I found the i-phone video to be so much better than the one in our flip-cameras. The noise factor is something that I'm sure can be edited and manipulated in movie maker or a comparable program, and would no longer be an issue.

Reflection on Scavenger Hunt (Julie Tatios)

The interview I filmed for the "Why is a liberal arts university like LU needed in 21st century" was my best out of the four videos that I took. We interviewed Nitzan Lebovic; an assistant professor of Apter Chair of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values in the Arts and Sciences College at LU. It so happens it was the final video I took as well, which told me I improved with time. Professor Lebovic was very comfortable with answering our question and I think his accent added a nice touch to the video. Not to mention he was also dressed nicely, which made for a more professional look to the clip. I finally turned my phone horizontal so the shot was wider and more informative too. The horizontal shot provides a background for your subject and allows the audience to understand more about where the video was shot. I'm not sure if it was the lighting or the image but I did think that the horizontal shot by the iPhone was fuzzier than the vertical shot, but still I think its worth it to have a background rather than a clearer image.

 

My first clip was the worst out of the bunch for a variety of reasons. One reason being because I did not include the question in the clip and I did not ask the students their names. So anyone who watches the clip will have no clue what the person is talking about, nor will they know the name of the people who are speaking. I should have planned out what I was going to do prior to just shooting. _________________________________________________________________________________

I think the idea for sending us all out to interview people was a genius idea. It was a crash course for learning how to be a reporter. I learned a lot: How to approach people and make them feel comfortable about answering questions, what to include in the interview (name of subject, some information to clue the audience in on what the video is about), to be aware of the background and also the noise around you, and I learned how to shoot, upload via iPhone to YouTube, and share the video with whomever I wish all in a matter of minutes.

I lacked in follow up questions which made for a less interesting product in the end. For example, in the prompt regarding losing a cell phone, I should have prepared questions that would have driven the story forward. The young lady we interviewed ran out of things to say and I wasn't prepared to shoot some more questions at her. Having a smartphone makes it simple to share stories, interviews, photos etc. You're able to shoot the footage, upload it to youtube and then share it with the world. I'd prefer using a cell phone for journalistic purposes rather than the Zi8. Using the Zi8, you aren't able to upload instantly to the Internet. Cool project overall.

Kelly's reflection of J24 scavenger hunt

            With the J24 scavenger hunt, I gained a first-hand experience how truly mobile and instantaneous journalism is today. Mobile layers to visual information are important as it adds currency and a sense of reality. For example, when viewing a video that shows a momentous event that occurred just mere moments prior, you can better visualize the situation and the emotions attached, you can empathize with those involved and generally you can better experience the event, regardless of your own personal location.  After looking at fellow classmates’ videos and reflecting on the afternoon as a whole, with the ability to capture, edit and upload high-quality videos on the spot, I would choose the mobility of an IPhone over the Zi8.

            The videos shot horizontally were preferred over vertically shot videos for several reasons. First off, the ones shot vertically had thick black lines on either side of the video. Secondly, when shot horizontally, more visuals were able to be captures and more resolution was captured. Lastly, the phone was easier to balance when held horizontally so the videos were less shaky.

            The “why we need more liberal arts colleges” was probably my least favorite out of all the videos Cory, Abby and I shot that day for several reasons. First off, the interviewer (myself) didn’t introduce the question very eloquently but more importantly; the overall sound of the speaker was too quiet and too muffled. This is likely due to the space in which we recorded the video in, which was a small and relatively bare, enclosed space.  What I did like about this video, however, was the spontaneity of the answer from the interviewee.

       


  The “a week without a cellphone” was one of the more higher-quality video interviews we took that day. The outdoor space provided ambiance and helped to place the audience on a college campus and think about a typical college student’s day and what that would be like without a cell phone. The overall sound quality of this video was much better than the other video I previously discussed. Also, by asking the question beforehand, the video generally seemed to flow better and put a greater focus on the interviewee rather than the interviewer. The major only downside of this video is the fact that we cut of Jacob a little before his concluding sentence. Lastly, having the video shot horizontally allowed the audience to get a better sense of the environment and the video had very little shakiness.

Scavenger Hunt Reflection

The scavenger hunt assignment was very helpful for me to learn the basic of recording video on a mobile device. My favorite video that I recorded was about the lack of The New York Times subscription on Lehigh University's campus. I used the rule of thirds well and you can hear the speaker's voice above the background noise. The only change that I would make on this one that I didn't notice at the time of filming was a shadow on the speaker's face.



A video that I didn't think turned out well was the question about watching the presidential debate. The subject is in the center of the frame, not abiding by the rule of thirds. Also a person walks through the camera screen and the subject that the speaker talks about isn't very engaging.

In general I learned that it's best to be in an area where you can hear the speaker clearly with limited background noise. Also some people speak quieter so they should be encouraged to speak up, as is the case with the speaker for the breast cancer awareness video. Following the rule of thirds is important because otherwise the subject is distracting in the center of the frame. I encountered this problem with many of the videos but tried to change it in the end. For some of the videos the taping started too early because the person was still thinking about what he or she was going to say. Others ended too soon and didn't allow the speaker to go on about what he or she was thinking. In many cases there is room for a good follow-up question.

By watching my classmates' videos, I like the idea of having the speaker introduce himself in order to give some background from who the person is, rather than just putting the information in a description. The advantage of mobile videoing and uploading is the speedy nature of being able to upload content right away. The convergence of text, photos and videos online is becoming more important in the world of journalism, so it's important to be able to publish content right as the story is happening.

Scavenger Hunt Recap

The best:



This was the best video not only because the video quality was relatively good but also because of the interviewee herself.  She was extremely personable, and I felt her emotion more than anyone else we interviewed.  From the things she said and the way she said them, any viewer can tell that she truly loves living in the Lehigh Valley.

The worst:



This video was the worst in my opinion because of the video quality.  While Mark had interesting things to say, he was cut off because the sound piece of the phone was blocked during his interview.  At one point in the video, you can barely hear him, if at all.  Also, Mark was situated in a position where he was looking directly into the sun.  The fact that he has to squint the whole time detracts from the emotion in his answer.

Looking back at the scavenger hunt, there were a couple of things I would have done differently.  My group shot all of our videos horizontal; however, they were still somewhat blurry and contained bad lighting or sound quality most of the time.  I feel like we were so concerned with completing each task that we lost our focus on obtaining good quality videos at times.  In addition, for our videos we prepped each person with the question and then filmed them while they rambled.  After looking at other people's videos, I realize it would have been more effective if we had asked them the question, as well as follow-up questions, while filming them.  Groups that did this ended up with videos that had more genuine emotion and that seemed less staged.

To me, both using a mobile device for video and using our cameras have different advantages.  I feel as though both have around the same shooting ability and quality video-wise.  The benefit of using the Zi8 is the ability to edit and work with footage once you've taken it.  However, using a mobile device is beneficial when you want to upload a video quickly and on-the-go.  Both have different uses, and I believe there is room for both in the world of video.  You simply have to know the circumstances in which to use each one.

Scavenger Hunt (Meghan Barwick)

Here's the interview I liked the best:

I loved this interview because I got lucky and got a subject who actually did lose his cell phone for a week and could talk a little longer about the experience. That added an interesting twist to the question. Also Toby was great at explaining things and it was no problem getting a full minute out of him.


Here's the interview I think could have gone better:
Though Gaelyn did a great job- I think I could have asked better questions or probed more into the subject to get a little more out of the question. I also would have asked her to introduce herself if I did this over- This was the second question of the lab and I think as the questions went on we (Laura Casale and I) got better at the interviews.

1. Laura's first video was vertical and we didn't even realize at that point why that was such a bad idea, so after Prof. Littau pointed it out to us, we immediately changed it.
2. As for interviewing, we let out people talk and when they were done we finished talking. I would have asked follow up questions but I don't really like the way my voice sounds recorded so I didn't go for that- If I edited it I could have made a little longer videos maybe with a follow up question.
3. Mobile is so important especially in today's 24/7 news environment. This way you can collect information interviews, pictures, etc in real time and get the news out even faster (which arguably isn't necessarily a good thing)

Connor Cackovic/Katie Hommes Scavenger Hunt

When posting them to YouTube they look much better horizontal, where the vertical feels awkward and compresses the shot way to much. In this interview I did horizontal. The sound is something that I hoped could have been better. My iPhone didn't pick up the interviewees voices as well as I hoped. For the most part I think I interviewed well. I tried to let the people talk as little or as much as they liked and cut the video off when I saw fit. There were a few that I probably could have extended had I wanted to, but overall I was pleased with the way they all went. Mobile is an outstanding tool to use. I think that the ability to do things like we did with this lab is incredible and something that has a lot of value. We were able to get answers to relevant questions and make them public immediately. It allows for the information to get out there instantly. I also feel that something like this gives viewers a more realistic sense of the news and makes for a more relatable news source. In a way it gives the information more credibility.

Darcy and Rebecca's Scavenger Hunt Reflection

The video I took of Leon Washington, the Dean of Admissions, speaking about his views on the importance of a liberal arts education was probably my favorite. He was an incredibly interesting subject and was able to provide a concise, yet complete opinion about the question. I would consider him an expert on selling a liberal arts education so I think this video would be one of interest to many people. Although there was a bit of a shadow on his face I think I could edited it out without too much difficulty if necessary.

This video of Allie Barrone speaking about the NYT no longer providing students with free subscriptions was my least favorite. The loud music in the background was kind of distracting and I held the camera too close to her face.


After looking through the videos Rebecca and I took as well as those of the rest of the class I learned the importance of selecting a charismatic and knowledgeable subject. The videos were all much more interesting when the subject didn't look uncomfortable or unsure of what to say. I do think there is something to be said for not getting too close to the subjects face, making sure the lighting is good and there isn't tons of background noise but all in all I would rather be interested in the information I am hearing than have a video with impeccable quality. I was a bit late to pick up on the, "shoot videos horizontally" memo but I can now very easily see that this helps include some of the background as well as provide some distance from the subjects face.

I didn't really think much about interviewing during this assignment. Rebecca and I were more concerned about getting the question answered and posted quickly. Although I am not great at public speaking, I hope that if I were conducting a more complete interview I would be able to come up with follow-up questions. Especially for the videos that had time requirements, it may have helped my subjects if I chimed in with follow-up questions to keep them on the right track or spark new ideas.

After doing this assignment, I truly do not see any appeal to using the Zi8. Not only is quality inferior to my iPhone, but if I wanted to download the videos onto my computer and do some editing, I could download from my iPhone more easily than I could from the Zi8. Furthermore, in our world today, people like instantaneous information. Having the ability to film and event or speech and post it within seconds is incredible and I do believe it will become the norm for all news media.

Connor and Sarah's Video Scavenger Hunt reflection.

This was easily my favorite video Sarah (@siegs038) and I produced during the scavenger hunt. Our subject, Danny Aguilera,'14, was very willing to participate, which I think immensely helped for the flow of the interview. I also asked a few more follow-up questions and made the interview more of a conversation, which I felt made the interview more engaging to anyone who views it. We also shot horizontally, which we quickly realized was much more aesthetically pleasing than vertical video and the black bars of doom it puts around videos.



This was my least favorite interview. It wasn't that professor Holmes wasn't an interesting subject, but he didn't really have a lot of enthusiastic comments about the Lehigh Valley and he actually rambled on for over a minute about how much he likes New York (we edited all of that out, which made the process more annoying). Looking back on it, I would've asked a few follow up questions to try to engage him more in the topic at hand, but at the time I was too focused on just getting the interview to think about it. He also made it clear he only had about two minutes to do the interview, so we felt rushed throughout its production. If I did that prompt again, I probably would've looked for another faculty member who had more time to talk.

I was really impressed with how easy it was to publish to YouTube from the iPhone. I felt that it was actually easier than it is on the computer. I would definitely much rather use the iPhone then film and have to bring footage back to edit on a desktop with the Zi8. However, I wish it was easier to edit and split up the videos in the iPhone interface. It was extremely difficult to trim clips so we pretty much just used the raw footage for every video. Perhaps innovations will come in the future that will make quick-editing on smartphones easier, or perhaps they already exist in an app I just don't know about.

Overall, this project was extremely enjoyable and I would definitely want to do something like it again.

Scavenger Recap - Sarah Siegel

My Favorite:


This is my favorite because Danny was so fun to interview. He really thought about the question and was comfortable in front of the camera. His response was genuine and was interesting as the interviewer to hear.

My Least Favorite:


This is my least favorite video because of our interviewee. It was extremely difficult asking someone to voice their opinion on a topic they didn't care about. Connor tried his best to get some sort of emotion out of the interviewee, but it felt more like pulling teeth!

Overall, this assignment was my favorite project we have done thus far. It was fun checking Twitter to find our assignments, and it really helped me leave my comfort zone by asking random students and faculty their opinions on certain questions. It was fun working with Connor, too, and it was a great teamwork exercise. As far as technique, the horizontal shot looks much better than the vertical shot. At the time, I couldn't tell the difference, but when looking at them online on YouTube, it looks cleaner and utilizes the whole screen better. It was also fun to see people tweeting at me while I was still doing to assignment as they followed me in realtime and were giving me instant feedback via Twitter. As a follow-up to this assignment, a great "part 2" would be to do this off campus where we really wouldn't know the people we were interviewing.

Scavenger Hunt Recap

For most of our videos during the scavenger hunt, I found that we ended up cutting a lot of people off at the end which we didn't realize was happening. However, I think that our interview in Lucy's Cafe was our most successful:




What I liked about this video is how in depth she went into her description of why she loved living in the Lehigh Valley. Furthermore, I thought the lighting was perfect and the video was shot with a very steady hand. The audience could clearly hear her answers and she gave insightful reasons. In terms of shooting horizontally, I think it looks a lot cleaner and it helps to focus the eye in on the person rather than the distractions around them.

My least favorite video was our interview with Professor Jirik:




The video came out a little blurry and I think a finger was put over the the sound part on the iPhone because his voice was muffled for the majority of it. Through this video and the project, I have definitely learned some tips for video recording in the future. I now know to be conscious if my finger is covering the sound piece of the iPhone and to make sure that I am waiting a sufficient amount of time before I press stop in order to not cut off the interviewee.

The scavenger hunt was really great way to showcase how mobile devices can be utilized in the world of journalism. I think it is a huge advantage for technology to have the capability to record video and upload it instantly. I think there is room for both this method and the old because obviously video editing is needed in certain cases. However, for breaking news I think the ability to upload videos to the web instantly is crucial.

UNESCO Speaker

          

            The Global Studies program hosted the New York director of UNESCO, Philippe Kridelka.  UNESCO is a non-profit organization that aids other countries to live a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.  UNESCO also strides to make the world a more peaceful and educated place.  Its core values are education, science, and culture.  These principles are the foundation to their efforts.  Kridelka explained that UNESCO really tries to establish education in underdeveloped countries because this what can really shape a person and his/her beliefs and values.

            I found this event really beneficial for the Lehigh community.  We, as Americans, have the most potential to make a difference in the world since the U.S. is the most powerful country.  Although UNESCO is a much smaller organization than UNICEF, for example, it still has made great accomplishments and is a really successful organization.  With Lehigh’s global studies program constantly growing, I think Kridelka’s visit was something that was a great idea for our community.  

J24 Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt we did in class turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected it to be.  I don't always feel comfortable interrupting people I don't know in their free time to ask them questions.  Most people seemed very awkward doing it, but no one turned us down.

Our video that turned out the best was probably our questioning Josh Greenberg about the presidential debate.



Josh was very natural and approachable. He was a great person to ask about the debate, since he is a PolySci major.

One that didn't turn out so well was when we asked Joe Rendon about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I think the question was a hard one to ask, just because many people are sensitive when it comes to talking about cancer, since so many people are affected by it.  Joe hadn't seen much activism going on around campus, which made it more difficult to get a direct answer to our question.



In the first few videos we shot, Dalisbeth would ask the question on camera, and we would eventually tell them in advanced what the question was, like a lot of other groups were doing.  That seemed more practical to me.

I definitely had a problem remembering to keep the camera horizontal for a lot of the shots, but it definitely made a difference in the size and quality of the video in the long run.

For most of our interviews, we'd explain the entirety of what we were doing and what the question was before we started shooting and let the person think it through before we started recording.  We sort of came up with followup questions beforehand and wouldn't interrupt during the recording.  We let them fully form their thoughts first, partially to ease the awkwardness.

I think mobility is very important in sharing information.  We shot eight videos, uploaded them to Youtube and shared it all instantly.  Everything is at the tips of our fingers, everything is immediate. With the Zi8 cameras, you have to upload the files to a computer and do everything separately.  With smart devices like iPhones, we can do it all in the palm of our hands in an instant.

Pumpkin Picking Slideshow

I did my photo slideshow of pumpkin picking. Phi Sigma Pi went to a nearby farm last Thursday to pick pumpkins and get in the fall spirit. About 25 brothers picked pumpkins, pet animals, wander through the corn maze and purchased fall-related foods. Eve Faris, a junior at Lehigh University, reflected on her pumpkin picking experience and how pumpkins are integral to her Halloween memories.

Overall the most difficulty I encountered in making the photo slideshow with audio overlay was finding the proper images to match the audio. Also in the future I think I would like to have my voice removed from the speaking and instead have the interviewee answer with complete sentences. Another challenge was that I recorded the audio interview from a person that I didn't photograph during the pumpkin picking time, so they should definitely be coordinated in future projects.

Blisters Don't Need Chemo

This video looks to highlight the different components of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which is a 60-mile walk that spans three days. I participated in the walk over Pacing Break this year, and was overall very pleased with my experience there (especially keeping in mind how much I was walking and that my feet weren't happy about it). The 3-day community is really something special, and I only hope that I can do it some sort of modest justice by posting here and allowing for people to see what the 3-day is like from the perspective of an insider.

I actually had a great deal of difficulty with this video. I had four interviews, which I was planning on compiling, but the data on my SD card got corrupted and I wasn't able to recover any of the audio from most of my interviews. The only audio that I was able to keep was that which I had originally filmed on my non-Zi8 camera (I took an additional camera with me to the 3-day because that camera was powered by disposable batteries and it's difficult to use a rechargeable camera when camping.) and so I had to just use that. Overall, the quality wasn't what I wanted, but I had enough material to scrape something together to turn in, so what's done is done.

ZTA Jewelry Open House

I did my audio slideshow on Zeta Tau Alpha's jewelry open house that they hosted for their philanthropy, breast cancer awareness.  Going into this project, I certainly did not realize how many things there are to consider when working with both audio and visuals.  Not only do you have to make sure you have enough pictures to fill the audio clip, but you also have to make sure you take pictures of the things talked about.

For me, this was the biggest challenge.  I focused on getting good photos of the event first, doing my audio interviews after I'd finished taking pictures.  Therefore, when putting the audio and the visuals together, I sometimes found that I didn't have a visual that quite matched up with what the person talking was saying.  What I realize now is that I should have interviewed the people prior to taking my pictures.  If I had done that, then I would have been able to focus my photo-taking to things that would directly relate back to my audio clips.  This is definitely something I will keep in mind when I work with audio and visual again.

Downtown Disney

For this project, I decided to focus on my trip to Florida over Pacing Break. I went to Orlando with my boyfriend to meet his mom and one day we went into downtown Disney to walk around and hang out. I thought it would be fun to take pictures of everything we were doing, and our surroundings. We got to go into a lot of the stores and see the different things that they had to offer. I got fun pictures of children playing, dressed up, or with their parents. I also got pictures of us exploring the various stores.

I interviewed my boyfriend for this video. Because I went with him, he was talking about what we did and what he liked at Disney. It was fun because it was a light-hearted topic. I feel as though I could’ve matched the video and audio better, but I played with the time spent on each photo so that helped with the pairing.

UNESCO Director at Lehigh

I went to a talk put on by the Global Studies Department and the Global Union, given by the UNESCO Director Phillippe Kridelka. I found the talk to be incredibly interesting but in terms of taking pictures, they all turned out to be a bit boring. Since everyone was just sitting and listening to the speech for the entire event, I wasn't able to get the diversity of photos I would have liked. The slideshow would have been more interesting if people have been moving around. Also, the florescent lights were kind of harsh.

All in all, I like the way the slideshow turned out because of the quality of the audio I was able to get. Since many students were very passionate about the topic and the speaker was so interesting, they had a lot to say. Especially when I spoke with Ellie McGuire who was one of the students who organized bringing Kridelka to campus she gave me a lot of good insights about UNESCO and the speech in general.

Lehigh Women's Lacrosse travels to Johns Hopkins University

Lehigh Women's Lacrosse team traveled down to Baltimore last Saturday to compete against nationally ranked Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse. Interviewees were Chelsea Retaleato '12 and Alexandra Fitzpatrick '12.

This video is an inside look at what an athlete, particularly a women's lacrosse player, does in their off season. The real season for the girls starts in March, but this collection and photos and short video clips depicts a typical "Fall-Ball" scrimmage. Juniors, Chelsea Retaleato and Alex Fitzpatrick were kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about their trip to Johns Hopkins University.

I am not sure if I was suppose to include short video clips but I thought that it added to the story-telling of the slideshow. It gave a "traveling" feel to the overall video. A lot of still shots are basic pictures, not a lot of them focus on the individual players themselves. In general I hope that the video gives an inside look to how a team travels to and from a game and is entertaining and informative all throughout.

I spend so much time in the University Center on a daily basis. I find myself in meetings and discussion forums on the third floor. Other times I find myself grabbing lunch or dinner like a lot of other people, but I also go to hangout and socialize like in the Multicultural Room. There isn't one day that I don't walk up these tiresome steps and into the most busy building on campus. Sometimes I see the same people doing the same things the last time I saw them.

Regardless of what time it is, I always see people going this way and that way while in the UC from dining and going to work to meetings and holding events. The University Center kind of reminds me of New York, where it's always busy and people are going back and forth doing multiple things. For this reason I decided to do my project on what people come to do at the UC. I hoped that my project would touch on the variety of things different people are engaged with and so I definitely received different as well as common responses. Overall, I enjoyed interviewing different people throughout my day in the UC.

Interview with Ashley Caldwell of the newly opened bakery: The Blue Sky Annex

For this project, I interviewed Ashley Caldwell, the creator of the delicious company Full of Crepe. Beth has recently joined forces with friends Beth Elliot of Sweet Love Cupcakes and Tabitha Petrecz of The Blue Sky Cafe to open a new bakery called The Blue Sky Annex. The threesome opened a small storefront on 335 S. New St. where they sell cupcakes and crepes for takeout only. In the interview, Ashley described to me how the bakery would function and some of the ways they wanted to get involved in South Bethlehem.

My main issue with this project was that I couldn't attend the actual grand opening of The Blue Sky Annex on October 5th. Pictures of the opening would have flowed better with the interview and it would have been more visually interesting to have pictures of multiple customers. I couldn't attend the event because it was on the same weekend as Lehigh's pacing break. Regardless, I still consider the pictures I took as part of an event because the Annex has so recently opened. I had a lot of fun doing this interview and taking the mouth watering pictures because I think what these women are doing is going to be very successful!

National Coming Out Day Interview with Haleigh Smith

Lehigh junior Haleigh Smith spoke to me about National Coming Out Day on campus. She shared her perspective of the event and what she hopes other students can learn from it.  Haleigh discussed the fact that Lehigh students may not be aware of the presence of LGBTQ people on campus, and The Rainbow Room and Lehigh's LGBTQIA Services helped change that by celebrating National Coming Out Day on the UC front lawn.  They provided a comfortable space for all students to appreciate the LGBTQ community and support them in being who they are.

I know I'm not the only one from our class to cover National Coming Out Day.  Speaking to Haleigh was a great opportunity to learn more about the LGBTQ community, and I was proud to see all the Allies participating in the event.  Having already seen the other National Coming Out Day interview, hopefully this adds another dimension to your understanding of the event.

Joe & Katie Visit Abma's Farm

I chose to do my project on a fun trip to a local farm. They had a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, store with homemade goods, as well as many acres of fields where they grow crops. It's one of the only farms in Northern, NJ.

My friend Joe and I went to Abma's Farm in search for a Halloween pumpkin to carve, and that's just what we did. After we picked a nice pumpkin, that we named Fred, we had a great day at the petting zoo and got yummy donuts right out of the oven. It was so much fun and made me feel like a little kid petting the animals and taking pictures of everything.

I enjoyed looking at all of the pictures and putting together the video slideshow, and I think Joe did a great job on the audio! I owe him big time! Thanks Joe!

Lehigh's Rock Wall

For my video interview with photos, I talked to Liam who works at the climbing wall in Taylor Gym and Christina, who comes a lot to the wall to work out. I really enjoyed taking the pictures for this because I got to climb up to different angles so I could get a different view of the actions going on. I think this photographs well because it's hard to make a climber pose for you (because you can hardly stay still doing these things) so you get a lot of candid shots that show things that climbers do, not posed.

If I could change anything I think I might go a more technical route with the interview, asking my subjects to maybe explain certain techniques and/or devices. This way I could show specific pictures with what was being said instead of general pictures of climbing. A lot of what they talked about was general climbing things i.e why they enjoy it etc. I liked that point of view because most people don't know much about climbing but I would add more specifics to their explanation if I had a longer amount of time to show off certain skills.

Lehigh University Track & Field - Taryn Schmelzinger

I got to interview my friend and Lehigh University track and field athlete Taryn Schmelzinger. Taryn let me follow her around to her practice warm ups. She shared with me why she got involved with track and her experience here at Lehigh.

Her warm ups were very cool to watch from an outsider's perspective. They started by running a mile (which would be my entire workout) and then stretched to make sure they were ready for the practice. I really appreciate her letting me sit in on the warm ups.

In regards to this video, it was extremely hard to get still-frames of a moving practice. Many pictures came out blurry, but perhaps that shows motion of the event. Overall, I loved this project. It was so great to see my friend doing what she does best, and I feel like this project helped me understand her hectic lifestyle.

National Coming Out Day

            October 11^th is National Coming Out Day. A day established to celebrate those who have come out and those who have yet to come out. Lehigh’s LBGTQIA services (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Ally) brought their common room, a safe space entitled the Rainbow Room, outside onto the UC Front Lawn to demonstrate their presence on campus and most importantly, that there are accepting and available support systems on campus.

            There were snacks, balloons and pins available to everyone, even non-LBGTQIA members, who were willing to show their support to create a more accepting and supportive environment for those who have come out of the closet and those who have yet to come out. The black door placed on the UC walkway served as a symbol of hope and commemoration for LGBTQIA’s around the world.

             With regards to the photo documentary, candid photos were hard to obtain due to the sensitive subject matter of the event and the necessity to ask individual permission prior to taking any photo. In addition, the height and brightness of the sun that day presented certain issues regarding the exposure of the photos. Overall, the video presents an accurate portrayal of the event itself and gives the symbolic importance of the event its due justice. 

From Garbage to Gold: Lehigh's Composting System

I did my project on the Lehigh University Compost program, Garbage to Gold. It was started by two of my friends earlier this year and as a result, it has become a constant presence in my life. My sorority was actually the first place that the compost system was tested out, to see if it could possibly become a viable option. Although initially annoying and very time consuming, eventually we just got used to weighing the viable garbage, writing down the results and disposing of it in the designated bucket outback. Despite my house having gotten used to composting, and hearing about it all the time I realized that a large majority of Lehigh probably had no idea that any of this had been going on, so I felt it would be both an informative and interesting project for me to choose.

I went back multiple times, due to a variety of conditions ranging from the weather (which was not in my favor any of the days) to disrupted composting schedules and times due to pacing break and midterms. Despite taking numerous pictures each day, those conditions combined with the “torturous” terrain that comes along with composting, made very few of them viable. The decaying food, constant rainfall, and the bugs that came with, required me to utilize the camera’s zoom despite my best efforts to avoid it. Although I took pictures without the zoom and later tried cropping in, the objects often became grainy and lost their sharpness. Towards the end I tried to get a little bit more creative with my angles to make up for the problems with lighting and clarity that had hindered me from being able to take the compelling close-ups I had really been hoping to get. Despite my return visits, the weather had been especially fickle that week and there were only so many times that they were going up to Goodman campus to work on it. 

Overall I think that the interview and slideshow came out nicely. Although I wish I could have better focus and clarity in my images for one or two, I think I took advantage of the situations I did have, and made the most of them.