2016 Fall Syllabus
JOUR504: Introduction to
Multimedia Skills
Section: 0101, Fall 2016
Day and Time:
Fridays 9:00 a.m. - 11:45
a.m.
Lab: Knight Hall 2103
Instructor:
James “Jamie”
McIntyre
Phone:
202-669-5062
Email: jamiejmcintyre@gmail.com On
Twitter: @jamiejmcintyre
Office Hours: By appointment or immediately
after class
Prerequisites:
JOUR501; or permission of instructor.
Restriction: Permission of JOUR-Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Credit
only granted for: JOUR504 or JOUR628G. Formerly: JOUR628G.
Goals:
JOUR 504, also known colloquially as the "Slice" class, is a crash
course in the basic tools of multimedia storytelling, a prerequisite for most
jobs in journalism nowadays. The class
is "sliced," that is to say divided, into three distinct -- but very
much interrelated -- sections: Photo, Video, and Audio (radio and podcasting).
Each section includes instruction in proper field techniques, shooting,
capturing and editing, and posting assignments online. We'll also discuss
ethics, history, safe practices, and latest trends in each medium.
Learning Outcomes Expected:
At the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate:
* Understanding of the techniques and
fundamentals of photojournalism, video journalism and audio storytelling.
* Awareness of the ethical boundaries of
multimedia journalism, including what the requirements of truth and accuracy
mean in the preparation and distribution of photojournalism, video journalism
and audio news reporting.
* Ability to think visually and understand
the layered elements (sound, text, images, video) that go into multimedia news
stories.
* Ability to critique current multimedia
journalism practices in the news industry.
* Ability to collect, edit and produce audio,
photos and videos for telling news stories.
* Ability to construct interviews for visual,
sound and text storytelling platforms.
* Ability to use appropriate hardware (smart
phones, video cameras, audio recorder, still cameras and tripod) for collecting
digital media for use in multimedia journalism.
* Demonstrate ability to use professional
editing software (Adobe Audition, Photoshop and Premiere Pro) for multimedia
news reporting and production.
About the Instructor:
Jamie McIntyre is a
veteran broadcast journalist with more than 40 years experience in radio,
television, and still photography. McIntyre
is currently National Senior Writer for the Washington Examiner, where he
writes stories for the website and weekly magazine, and produces a daily
morning newsletter, Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense. He is also former National Security
Correspondent for Al Jazeera America (2014-2016), a former newscaster for NPR’s
flagship news program, “All Things Considered” (2011-2015) CNN Military Affairs
and Senior Pentagon Correspondent (1992-2008.) Jamie's visual storytelling roots go back to
the late 1980s, when he was host and senior writer for an award-winning Sunday
morning news magazine show "Capital Edition" on WUSA-TV, Channel 9,
here in Washington. During that time
Jamie was awarded two Emmys for writing and producing visually compelling
stories.
He began his professional career at all-news
radio station WTOP here in Washington, where he was an editor and radio reporter
for 12 years. After leaving CNN, Jamie
created a financially profitable blog on military and media issues, "Jamie
McIntyre's Line of Departure," which he wrote for two years.
He received his Master of Arts in Journalism
from the Philip Merrill College in 2014, where he has been an Adjunct Professor
since January 2010. He’s a graduate of
the University of Florida, where he earned a B.S. in Broadcasting in 1976.
Required Readings and Texts:
There is no textbook for this class, but
there are required readings that are available for download with each
assignment on ELMS. Other readings may
be handed out in class, posted on our class site or emailed to you throughout
the semester.
Assignments:
In-Class exercises:
In-class
assignments are simple are designed to familiarize you with the concepts and
software tools needed to complete your outside assignment for the week. That’s why they are pass/fail and worth only
5 points. If you show up and follow
along in class, you’ll get full credit.
If you miss a class you can count that as dropping one of the two lowest
grades you can drop.
Outside Assignments:
There are 12
out-of-class assignments, 4 photo, 4 video, 4 audio, plus a draft final
project, and a finished final project. Each section -- photo, video, and audio
-- is worth 150 points or 15% of your final grade, with the final project draft
counting for 100 points or 10% and the final final project counting for 350
points or 35% of your final grade. The
weekly assignments are geared to give you the tools to complete your final
project, which has to be a professional-quality video or multimedia
production. In some circumstances,
final projects can be comprised of still photographs with audio, or in rare
circumstances can be an audio-only (radio) project. But, talk to me and be sure to get prior
approval before deciding to use only one or two media categories. There is no final exam in this class. The
final project IS the final exam. You cannot pass this class without
completing your final project. But
it is also true that no matter how badly you mess up the weekly assignments,
you can redeem yourself with a great final project.
PHOTO: 150/15%
VIDEO: 150/15%
AUDIO: 150/15%
IN CLASS EXERCISES
50/5%
CLASS
PARTICIPATION: 50/5%
FINAL PROJECT DRAFT:
100/10%
FINAL PROJECT:
350/35%
TOTAL: 1000
The Final Project:
Again, there is no
final exam in this class. The final
project will take the place of the final.
A nearly complete draft is due on the last day of class, Friday,
December 9, 2016. On that day I’ll
give you one-on-one help whipping your final project into shape.
The final project
is due on the date set aside for the final exam, Friday, December 16, 2016. Remember: The final project is THE
most important part of the class. It is
a polished work of journalism that will incorporate all the multimedia skills
you should have learned over the course of study this semester.
It will account for
a 35% of your grade. That means you
pretty much can't pass the class without it, and it also means no matter how
much you may have struggled over the semester, you can still pull out an A,
with a top-notch final project.
Unlike some of the
class assignments you will get during the course of the semester, which are
exercises designed to teach particular technical skills, the final project must
have journalistic merit. It cannot simply
document an event. Technical
proficiency will count, but unless there is a real story, with real
people, and real issues, the project
will not get an A. And if will be difficult
to get an A in the class without getting an A, or at least a B+, on the final.
So there's a lot
riding on it. Start thinking about it
NOW. Check me about your ideas, and have
a back-up plan. Begin gathering
material, (interviews, video, photos, etc) as soon as practical.
The final project
will be a multimedia presentation that tells an interesting, hopefully
compelling story, using video and/or still photos, and sound. It should be at between two and three minutes
long, but can be longer IF the material is strong enough, and the story
gripping enough. The ideal story will
incorporate all three disciplines of the class, but you can also use just one
or two. For example, a slide show with
natural sound and interviews would be acceptable. And a pure audio (radio) piece is also okay,
IF the story is strong enough, and includes significant production elements
such as natural sound and multi-track mixes.
Check with me BEFORE you decide you are going to use only audio, or
stills. Remember this is a MULTI-media
class.
DUE DATE: Draft: In class on
December 9, 2016; Final version: December 16, 2016.
Additional Notes on the Final
Project:
-- You generally
may not use music in your final project unless the music is a naturally
occurring, integral part of the story you are covering, such as a profile of a
musician, or a shot of a marching band in a parade. Otherwise, the use of music
tracks in audio, video, or slideshow projects must be approved in advance.
In the event the use of a recorded music track is approved, the music
must be "royalty-free," that is, you must have the rights to use it.
-- Do not focus on
family members, roommates, or close friends for your final project without
prior approval.
-- First-person
approaches must be approved in advance.
-- All sources must
be identified with names and titles. The use of unidentified, or anonymous
sources would have to be approved well in advance by instructors.
-- The final
deadline REALLY IS absolute. Contact me immediately if you are having technical
issues.
-- As discussed
during the course of the semester, interviews, photos, and videos may not be
staged, coerced, directed, falsified or manipulated in anyway. These actions
will result in a failing grade on the final project and students will be
referred to the dean.
Grades:
1. In-class exercises are worth 5
points each. They are pass/fail. If you attend class and complete in in-class
exercise successfully you will receive 5 points to a maximum of 50 points, or 5
percent of you grade. That means that
essentially three failed grades will be dropped. Attendance will impact your final grade because
any missed assignments – in or out of class – will receive 0 points. See the
“Attendance and Punctuality” section for more information.
2. Class Participation which
means showing up on time, not checking Facebook or other outside non-class
related websites, not texting using a phone in class, and taking part in
discussion is worth 5 points a class for the first 12 classes or 5 percent of
your grade.
3. And the lowest single grade on
an outside assignment will be dropped.
Grades will be assessed as
follows:
Grades on assignments will be based on the
following criteria in an effort to reflect professional newsroom and university
standards:
A+ A A- Excellent mastery of subject – This mean professional quality work, such as would be suitable
for publication on a major news site such as the New York Times, Washington
Post, CNN. In other words its great!
Better than most.
B+ B B- Good mastery of subject –
This means the work with some polishing or editing or additional work could be
brought up to professional standards. This means it’s pretty good, and with a
little improvement could be great
C+ C C- Acceptable mastery of subject – This means the basic idea is there,
but its clearly an amateur effort, and would not be up to the standards of
professional news site.
D+ D D- Borderline understanding of subject – Meets only the bare minimum requirements of the assignment, not
suitable for publication.
F Failure – Doesn’t meet the stated
requirements of the assignment, and shows either no understanding of the
underlying concept, or a lack of effort to execute.
To help you know if your assignment is making
the grade, each assignment comes with a rubric in the form of a handy
checklist. Just look at you finished
assignment, and answer the questions honestly to yourself. Those are the things I’ll be looking for.
Some other considerations:
Libel. Any story that includes libelous material will result in an
F (55 percent in the grade book). Examples would be if you describe someone as
a murderer in your story before he or she has been convicted, or if you mistype
the name of a convicted murderer, implicating someone not guilty of the crime.
Accuracy. Any factual error in a story, including the misspelling of a
person’s name or hometown or an incorrect age or address, will result in an F.
(You will receive a score of 55 percent for your effort on the assignment.)
Deadlines. Any story or assignment that is submitted after the deadline
will result in an F, which will show up as 55 percent. The deadline for
in-class assignments is the end of class, unless otherwise instructed, and for
outside assignments, the start of class. Turning in an assignment late, even by
one minute, will result in an F — no discussions.
Stories that have no factual errors and are
submitted on time will be evaluated based on the following criteria: rules of
spelling, grammar, AP style, story structure, conciseness, clarity,
readability, accuracy, completeness and fairness.
Grading Rubric.
Minus and plus grading will be
assessed as follows:
A+ = 1000-967
A =
966-933
A- =
932-900
B+ =
899-866
B =
865-833
B- =
832-800
C+ =
799-766
C =
765-733
C- =
732-700
D+ =
699-666
D =
665-633
D- =
632-600
F =
0 – 599
Grades will be recorded as soon
as possible so that students can gauge their progress throughout the semester.
I will also meet one on one with you, as warranted, to discuss your performance
in the class.
Make an appointment with me if you need help!
Attendance and punctuality:
This is a "hands on" class. Your attendance and participation will
greatly enhance your ability to succeed, unless you already know everything, in
which case you can just complete the assignments.
So the main reason to come to class, EVERY
class -- aside from the fact you or your parents are paying good money for it
-- is that we are learning a lot of complicated concepts, and missing classes
will put you behind. If you have a
legitimate excuse, I will make an effort to help you catch up with what you missed. But I do expect that any excused absences to
be based on TRUTHFUL circumstances.
After all we are journalists and our credibility rests on telling the truth. See "Academic Integrity" below.
Class participation plus in-class assignments
count for 10% of your final grade. How
do you get an A? Show up for every
class, come on time, participate in class discussions, talk to me about your
ideas, show an interest in what we’re doing.
DON’T be on Facebook or any social media sites during class. Don’t be on your smartphone or otherwise
engaged with anything not related to class.
This is a zero-tolerance policy.
Any violations will result in a zero for class participation for that
day.
The dropped grade policy (as described in the
grading section above) is designed to accommodate missed class assignments due
to brief illness and emergencies.
Academic integrity:
Along with certain rights, students have the
responsibility to behave honorably in an academic environment. Academic
dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty
and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Adhering to a high ethical standard is
of special importance in journalism, where reliability and credibility are the
cornerstones of the field. Therefore, the college has adopted a “zero
tolerance” policy on academic dishonesty. Any abridgment of academic integrity
standards in a College of Journalism course will be referred to the
university’s Office
of Student Conduct and the college’s associate deans. To
ensure this is understood, all students are asked to sign an academic
integrity pledge at the beginning of the semester that will cover all
assignments in this course. Students found to have violated the university’s
honor code may face sanctions, including a grade of XF for the
course, suspension or expulsion from the university.
Here’s what the pledge says:
As a student in the Philip Merrill College of
Journalism, I understand that I must adhere strictly to the academic integrity
policies of the University of Maryland. Specifically, I understand that ALL
assignments and tests must be done without any help or collaboration with other
sources, including classmates, unless otherwise stated by the professor for a
specific assignment. I further understand that any unauthorized help or
collaboration will be considered a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity
of the university. I also understand that other forms of academic dishonesty,
including other forms of cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic
dishonesty and plagiarism, will not be tolerated and could result in serious
sanctions, including an XF for the course, or suspension or expulsion from the
university.
By signing this document, I am stating that I
understand the policies and vow to adhere to them.
Religious holidays:
There will be no tests or major assignments
scheduled on religious holidays identified by the university. If you expect to
miss a class during the semester due to a religious holiday, please notify the
instructor in writing before the start of the second class, so she can get
notes to you.
Inclement weather:
In the event the university is on a delayed
opening because of snow, inclement weather, or other emergency, class will
still meet if the school opens by 10:00 am.
If we miss an entire class day, we will rework the schedule to find
another class day.
Please check the university's home page if in doubt about whether or not classes have been canceled on
campus.
Students with disabilities:
Students with a specific disability
(permanent or temporary, physical or learning) needing special accommodation
during the semester should make an appointment to meet with the instructor immediately
after the first class. Students may be asked to provide the instructor
accommodation forms given to them after testing by the Disability Support
Service on campus, 301-405-0813.
For more on university
course-related policies, please refer to The
University’s Office of Undergraduate Studies:http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html
.
The Class Blog:
The class blog for Fall 2016 is at http://umdjour504fall2016.blogspot.com. All assignments will be turned in by posting them to the
blog. Some radio reports may be
emailed.) A free Google account is
required. The blog is PRIVATE, so only
class members can access it. You will be
invited as an "author," and only authors will have permission to see
the blog. Also on the blog are links to
resources, readings, and how-to tutorials.
Be sure to post your assignments
in the proper format. NAME-VIDEO
ASSN1-DESCRIPTION (SLUG)
The Other Class
Blog: MultiMedia Basics
Most of the useful information for the class
on a separate blog site that is open to anyone.
It has a separate page for each of the classes, with a short review of
things covered in class, as well as a description of the assignment, tips, and
sometimes an example of the completed assignment. On the main page are examples of good
multimedia work from pros that can give you some inspiration.
The Photo Slice:
The photojournalism slice explores the unique
ability of still photos to produce images that are often more powerful than the
moving images of video. You will be
immersed into the working life of a photojournalist, learning truth and
accuracy are the keys to good photojournalism. Discussions will center around
ways to approach newsworthy events/situations, how to create provocative,
storytelling images, rules for work within ethical boundaries and exploring the
fundamental question of "What makes a good image?" We will examine how digital photography has
raised new concerns about the truthfulness of photojournalism.
(Students will be required to caption every
photograph in this slice and be ready to back up why their images have
journalistic value.) Of utmost importance is the premise that students need to
use their imaginations and not be afraid to fail creatively. In photography, we
learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.
There are many photo-editing programs
including "Preview" software, which is standard on all Macs, but you
will also be introduced to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, which are the
industry standard, and are provided to all students by the University. We'll learn how photos can be digitally
altered in ways that are nearly undetectable.
We'll discuss what digital editing is acceptable, and which is not.
Finally we will discuss the laws that govern photography, including who owns
the image, when you can, and cannot photograph.
You are encouraged to keep your camera/iPhone with you during this slice
and be on the constant lookout for good images.
The Video Slice:
The video slice in an instruction to video
storytelling, combining the skills of finding visual stories, capturing the
appropriate video images and natural audio sounds, and editing the images into
stories that can be posted on the web, either as stand alone stories, or
companion pieces to online text journalism.
You will learn how to record and edit interviews and
"man-on-the-street" surveys, using the camera on your mobile devices
such as iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPads, or if you have access to a DSLR, you may
use that as well. The University does
not provide DSLRs for this class. We will use Adobe Premiere Pro and the iMovie
app for iPhone to learn basic video editing, including creating titles, simple
effects, and using tools to improve video and audio, and correct mistakes. You will learn the fundamentals of framing,
lighting, composition and sequencing, along with the ethical reporting,
shooting and editing practices, all with the simplest of video tools.
The Audio (Radio/Podcasting) Slice:
The audio slice focuses on production and
editing of sound-rich radio stories in commercial broadcast style, public radio
style, and podcast style. We will listen
to and critically evaluate various radio reports. We will discuss the techniques and ethics of
"invisible" audio editing.
Students will work on writing for broadcasting, and improving their
on-air sound, with the aim of sounding like themselves, but a little
better. You will be introduced to audio
editing using Adobe Audition. At the end
of this section, you should have an understanding of the unique qualities of
broadcast news production. Each class will have a discussion session and a lab
component. You should be prepared to discuss current news stories at each
session. Your preparation should include radio and television news broadcasts
as well as print and online news sources. You will conduct multiple recorded
interviews, which will be incorporated into a radio package.
Required/Suggested Readings and
Texts:
There is no textbook for this class, but there
are required readings that are available for download with each assignment on
ELMS. Other readings may be handed out
in class, posted on our class site or emailed to you throughout the semester.
Each class will have SOME required readings,
including selected chapters from these books:
The iPhone Photo Guide
Journalism Next, Chapters
Aim from the Heart
Sound Reporting: The NPR Guide to Audio Journalism and Production, available as $12.65 paperback from Amazon:
Required and Suggested Equipment:
Some, but not all, of the necessary equipment
is available for checkout from the Knight Hall equipment room 1107. To check
availability call: 301-405-2404.
Office hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You must have a photo ID to check out
equipment
All checkouts are due at 10 am next school
day
The college provides the MINIMUM equipment
required to successfully complete the class, but you may not always be able to
get everything you want, when you want it.
What the college provides:
VIDEO/PHOTO:
-
Kodak Zi8 Pocket Camera
- Tripod, 4ft extension.
AUDIO:
- Tascam DR07 Digital Audio Recorder, or
other portable audio recorder that records in mp3 and/or .wav format
What else you MUST have:
Adobe Creative Suite CC, including Adobe
Photoshop, Bridge, Audition, and Premiere Pro.
(Available for free download to UMD students and faculty at https://terpware.umd.edu/
External Hard drive, formatted for Mac
(strongly recommended, not provided)
A tripod mount for your iPhone
A Gmail (Google) account
A YouTube account
A Vimeo Account
A Soundcloud account
A Skype account.
What else would make your life easier:
An iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
Tripod mounts for iPhone, iPod Touch, or
iPad.
iMovie App for iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad
Digital SLR, or other SLR with zoom, flash
and manual controls
A MacBook laptop.
iMovie 11
An external hard drive (500GB minimum),
A mini-tripod for audio and video recording
($15)
A tripod that extends to 5 feet.
A tie-clip or Lavalier microphone for iPhone
($30)
Call Recorder software for Skype.
