My name is Jane Barrager and I will be your guide this semester on the subject of Digital Media: Concepts and Production.
I am originally from Detroit, but I’ve been living in Florida since 1992, and in Tallahassee in particular since 1996. Like many northerners, I came here for the warmth and Sunshine.
I am a graduate of both the undergraduate and graduate programs at Florida’s iSchool located in the School of Communication and Information and Florida State University. In fact, I am one of the first original 6 undergrads to ever be enrolled at the, previously graduate only college. The funniest story I have of that time is the day that I sat next to Warrick Dunn in class and had no idea who he was. I sat next to him on the first day of class because he looked lonely – it seemed to me that the other students in the class where, for some reason, keeping a wide berth around his seat and, feeling sorry for this poor guy, I sat next to him. During the first class our professor asked us to turn to the person next to us and describe the first thing we were going to buy when we graduated and started making money. I don’t remember what I said, but Warrick started describing what I knew (being a Detroiter and all) to be about a $60K vehicle. My response? “I hope you find a good job when you graduate, because you’re going to need it to afford that!” Warrick just smiled. About the third class period I woke up late for class, pulled on the dirty clothes lying next to my bed, swept my uncombed hair into a pony tail, and ran, make-up-less, to class and sat down next to my new friend (who’s name I still did not know). Suddenly a news crew burst into the room, shoved cameras and microphones into my deskmate’s face and started rapid firing questions at him which he answered with confidence and ease like it was the most natural thing in the world. When it was over I looked at him and said “Who the hell are YOU?” He smiled and said, “my name’s Warrick”, and it was at that point I realized who he was. So, my first taste of learning about multimedia at Florida state was when I was featured on national television as the seat partner of the infamous Warrick Dunn on ESPN’s “Sports Center” – makupless and, I’ll admit it, hungover!
I discovered in college that teaching was my passion. I’ve been teaching since 1998 and, although I spent some time teaching computer literacy at our local community college, the ischool has been my home since then. I’ve taught a variety of courses both online and f2f including: Intro to Information Technology, Social Media Management, Digital Media: Concepts and Production, Design and production of NW multimedia, Perspectives in IT, Electronic Media production, Technologies for Information Professionals, Research Methods, and Web site development to name most. I also spent some time working for the Office of Distance Learning developing web-based learning modules and other websites for the FSU community. In my current position I serve as the ischool’s Instructional Support Specialist which basically means that I help other faculty rehab classes. I also train and supervise doctoral students who teach in the UG program.
Now you all know a little about me, and I look forward to reading your stories as well. See you online!
King Cake Kerfuffle delves into the chaos of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, following the adventures of Mike, an adventurous foodie visiting friends in New Orleans, on a quest to find the perfect King Cake. The story takes place amidst the backdrop of parades and assorted festivities as Mike navigates the conflicting opinions of friends and locals on what truly makes the ultimate King Cake.
Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). 0.15”. (Pete is sitting at the back right of the book sales area of the library, which is a quieter space, using one of the laptop tables).
Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text) right camera. 0.20”. Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), right camera. 0.43”
Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), left camera. 0.53”. Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), right camera. 1.15”.
Synopsis: “Pete and the Librarian” explores the transformative relationship between George, a committed librarian, and Pete, a homeless man who often visits the library. The story reveals how Pete ended up living on the streets, what he has to share with the audience, and how he becomes “the library within the library” by sharing his life experiences and offering advice. The interview also unveils the harsh reality of homelessness, illustrating how easily one can find themselves on the streets. It emphasizes that homelessness is a societal issue and highlights the fact that everyone “has a story.” Script: Questions are on white text (font: lucida grande), on a black screen: “Pete was a successful entrepreneur, until his finance partner passed away” (text) “He started a business in ’78, sold it in ’94, Invested $1.6 million on a Ponzi scheme and is now on the streets” (text) Question (text): “What business advice do you have for us, Pete?” Pete: If you want to create your own business you should take a few lessons in business itself, which I didn’t really do. Question (text): “You had a big business, do you consider yourself a successful business person?” Pete: As far as being a business person, I am a failure, really. Question (text): “Pete, tell me about you…how do you spend your days?” Pete: It varies, there is a song “every day is a winding road” and it is with me, I am sure it is with everybody here, whatever is happening, it is not expected. Question (text): Can you share where you stand in the journey of life at the moment? Pete: You know, I am 88 years old, and in 3 months I am going to be 89, so I can’t complain- that’s another thing about advice, you know, I never thought I’d live this long so I didn’t really plan on that either, I shouldn’t complain about that… (smiling) Pete closes his notebook. Final Text: “Pete is one of over 16,000 people calling the streets of Broward County, FL, their home. Every one of them has a story”. Thanks- interview copyright, music CC. Background: Informed by my own experiences in a library setting, this project seeks to illuminate the lives of those grappling with homelessness, mental health challenges, and poverty. The objective is to present Pete as a multidimensional character, challenging typical stereotypes and fostering understanding and compassion among viewers. Character Development: Pete was a successful businessman who had a nice, comfortable life. Bad investments left him homeless after COVID. Pete seems to also be happy with his life overall. He is open to expressing his feelings, and as a side note is eager to brush up on his French (he takes additional lessons in the library), has a great sense of humor and some not so great friends. Media Assets: • Media that will be used: three cell phone (2 iphone, 1 android) cameras with tripods, and wi-fi microphones. • Existing song (audio), library setting/ closeups of Pete in the library (visual), text based on Pete’s quotes (visual), as per the storyboard. • NOTE: The video will be original (Interviewing Pete in the library). Reflection: My project employs an inductive approach, distinct from the deductive methods I could be using if I was choosing another treatment (II). In hindsight, it could potentially be easier for me to choose a general concept, translate it into a narrative and then work on specific photos and media to match this overarching concept. Instead, I am interviewing Pete, a homeless individual who frequently visits our library (see copyright consent attached previously) and have built my story around that interview. This direct engagement with a specific individual’s experiences allows me to gather nuanced, real-life insights. From Pete’s unique story, we can extrapolate broader themes and understandings about homelessness, moving from the specific to the generic. My project’s strength lies on the 4 very important questions I ask Pete, hoping that his answers will be thought-provoking for the viewers, based on his personal real-life experiences.
Resources:
“Educational Video Copyright Release Form” signed by the interviewee.
This digital story will follow a sea turtle as it hatches and attempts to emerge from its nest and enter the ocean, a journey that is complicated by humans on and around the beach. The sea turtle will awake in the daytime but will hear loud, disorienting voices and will hide back in its nest. At night, the sea turtle will emerge and start heading towards the brightest light, not realizing it’s a person’s porch light. When the light turns off, the turtle will realize it’s lost but will reorient itself towards the next brightest light, the moon over the ocean, and will make it to the ocean.
Image of the vehicle which we will take on a road trip with the title of the project.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.Audio: Car Toyota interior ignition key engine rev 2 stereo.mp3 – CC BY 4.0 DEED
An image of the sunset off the coast of Florida.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Self-portraits of the group of friends that will be taking the cross-country road trip.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Image of the vehicle which we will take on a road trip.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.Audio: Car Toyota interior ignition key engine rev 2 stereo.mp3 – CC BY 4.0 DEED
Images from Atlanta portraying the skyline, a foggy day, and a character from the group visiting the World of Coca Cola.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Our stop in North Carolina, starting off with a colorful map of the state. There are also images from our hiking trip of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including one that a character took on top of the mountain.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Images from our stop in Washington DC of major landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, as well as the Washington Monument.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Several images from the stop in New York City, including Rockefeller Center, Times Square. An image of one of the characters with the skyline in the background is also shown.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
An image depicting a vehicle with a flat tire.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
A few images as we made our way into Boston, we were able to also capture images from the Celtics and Patriots games.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
The final leg of the trip was in Chicago, starting off with the Chicago flag, a few images from downtown are shown: The Bean, Lake Michigan. As well as one with the main character out on the Navy Pier.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
To end off the challenging journey, the group has made it back to Florida with an image from the coast.
Voice-over narration describing the scene.Background Music: (Lo-Fi Type Beat FREELNCR) CC0 1.0 DEED.
Image and Audio Credits
Synopsis:
Exploring the freedom and excitement that goes along with going on a road trip. The story here is told from the perspective of a group of friends as they head on a cross-country trip by car. During the journey, the group of friends will encounter breathtaking landscapes, and quirky roadside attractions all while forging lifelong memories and bonds.
Script:
As the sun painted the Florida coast, our road trip challenge began. My lifelong friends, Frank, Tanner, Nico, and I began our journey. Our heading was due North. While we knew our stops, there was no telling what adventures and challenges we would head into along the way. After several hours of our trip, we arrived in Atlanta where we would rest for the evening before continuing our journey. Within the morning, the clouds adjusted our original plans, so we stopped at the World of Coke before we resumed our road trip adventure. Arriving in North Carolina we wanted to explore the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, utilizing the blue ridge parkway we were able to continue our journey which led us to Washington D.C.
There we visited the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, and the Washington Monument. As we departed our Nation’s capital, we were greeted by the bright lights and sounds of New York City. We grabbed one of the iconic yellow cabs to Rockefeller center where we were able to ice skate. On our way to the hotel, we made a quick stop in Times Square. After our stop in New York, we proceeded to Historic Boston where we were able to visit many national landmarks and even got the opportunity to see the Celtics and Patriots live.
On our way west from Boston to Chicago, we ran into some rough road where we ended up with a flat tire. Luckily as a group we were able to work together and patch the tire to continue our adventure. Arriving in Chicago we got a new tire to avoid any further complications, but in Chicago we stopped at all the major common attractions as well as taking an architecture boat tour on the Chicago River towards Lake Michigan. As we began our 20-hour trek back to Florida, we were able to reflect on our open road adventure individually and appreciate how it brought us closer together as a group.
Background:
As noted previously in the course, I am an avid traveler. I love going on trips, and especially road trips. With this story being told from the perspective of a group of friends, it can be said that there will be several characters. The viewers will be able to take a glimpse of a road trip of a lifetime. Viewing stunning landscapes and vibrant cities, the whole point of this story is to evoke a sense of freedom and excitement. Enabling the audience to embrace the spontaneity of travel and the joy of shared experiences.
Character Development:
1. The main characters in “Open Road Adventures” consist of a group of friends in search of adventure during a cross-country road trip.
2. Their primary goal is to forge lasting memories and foster strong bonds by partaking in shared experiences along the road trip.
3. In the end, the protagonists emerge from their journey with a deeper appreciation for each other and the world around them, enriched by the experiences they’ve shared.
Media Assets:
I will be using images that I have taken from a first-person point of view, highlighting any nature I have encountered on previous road trips. I will also be using create common images. I will also be incorporating a voiceover narrating the story, as well as creative commons background music, and audio effects.
Reflection (Part 1):
Coming up with an introductory script gave me some challenge, although I was able to come up with a rough draft. Although overall everything else has been very straightforward. I will be using my own images, maybe even adding in some creative common ones as well. Looking forward to adding more to the story.
Reflection (Part 2):
After reviewing this draft, I believe it is a good start. There definitely is quite a little bit of work to be done for the project to be finalized.
The final will incorporate more media assets from the trip helping to make the video longer.
Audio narration will be much more descriptive, describing what events occurred with the group at each stop of the tour.
More creative common audio effects could be embedded into the digital story.
Reflection (Part 3):
After receiving feedback from my peers, I was able to take in the thoughts in which they shared to help improve and finalize my digital story. In the finished product, I was more descriptive about the trip itself, more specifically explaining what occurred or was accomplished at each stop of the journey. Fitting all the images, having them fill the screen was another part of the project I was able to fix from the rough draft to now. In the storyline, I was able to add in a challenge which we faced, and that was dealing with a flat tire when we were headed to Chicago from Boston. Furthermore, I also played around with the audio files, making the narration clearer for the audience while also having background music, the background music chosen was a creative commons audio file that was taken from FreeSound. Not to forget mentioning, I also have another audio file embedded at the beginning of the video, which is the sound of turning a car on. I felt like this would be a clever detail linking to the theme of the digital story.
Credits:
White Sentra by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
Frank by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
Tanner by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
Nico by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
Hussein by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
Sentra Side Profile by Hussein Tajeddine: CC BY 4.0 DEED
“Hermann The Jealous Thespian” was created by Paul Griffith and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. It was created using OpenShot video editor using creative commons resources and homemade actors. Videos from the public domain were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and audio resources were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and CCMixter. Dialogue and narration were recorded using Audacity.
Synopsis:
My goofiest idea was my strongest idea! Hermann and Pierre are two players at a local theater troupe. Hermann has been there longer, but Pierre is a charismatic and kind new lead who commands the respect and admiration of everyone he meets. Hermann seethes and develops a tragicomic plan of sabotage… but will he have a change of heart?
Production software:
I assembled the entire project in OpenShot, which I developed an early preference for in the course while comparing it to Shotcut. The intuitive method of dragging and dropping images, audio, and video in sequence was perfect for this project which called for juxtaposition. Juxtaposed with the old videos of Shakespeare interpretations were pictures and a video of ceramic clowns as actors, taken by me on an Android phone and edited within OpenShot.
One of the greatest challenges was abandoning the attempt to import oval transparencies into the video editor, instead choosing to use rectangular pictures which were only partially saturated in mono to match the background videos. One of the background videos had green, purple, red, etc. film instead of being entirely in black and white. Like Nosferatu, sometimes different colors were used to depict different settings or times of the day. I edited the movies to be uniform in saturation, although they could not be uniform in quality.
Audacity was a good tool for audio recording. I recorded Hermann’s pieces with my webcam mic and Pierre’s pieces with a donner podcard mic which has built in reverb and equalization for variety and clarity of speakers.
“An Artbringing” was created by Heather Page and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The video was edited using Adobe Premiere Pro and iMovie, exported as an MP4 file at 1080p and uploaded onto YouTube. Video clips are sourced from Pexels and Videvo, as well as Music audios in the video are sourced by freesound and voice narration I recorded myself on my iPhone 11.
Synopsis
This story is told from the point of view of a woman’s painting supplies attempting to reconnect their relationship with one another. The woman’s life is centered around both school and work and doesn’t feel like she has the capacity anymore to make art. The painting supplies, missing their mutual friendship, takes matters into their own hands to remind their owner all the positive experiences they’ve had together.
Synopsis: A law student struggles to balance becoming a lawyer for financial stability and his passion for painting. He works hard during the day but at night he indulges in his true passion–painting. The story is told from the law student’s point of view.
Content & Creation: For the Final Project, I used a mix of videos provided on Canva and videos that I recorded myself. I also utilized Canva to edit my digital story. If an audio clip was not compatible with Canva, I utilized Audacity to convert the audio clip to MP3. The content I filmed myself includes the law student painting and studying, the law student’s paintings, as well as the law student walking in front of University of Miami Law School. The content I pulled from Canva includes the videos of the alarm clock, the man tying his school, traffic, Florida law books, the professor lecturing, the student taking an exam, and the boy going to bed. The content pulled from Canva was either free on Canva or included in Canva Pro.
Love Letters to the First Lady by Christopher Rubio was created with Adobe Premiere Pro, exported as 1080p H.264. It is licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED.
Synopsis
This story covers an experience of my grandmother (Marilynn) when she was in high school. A man she was smitten with had been sent out to fight in the Korean War. She wanted to take him (Mark) to her prom so she wrote Mamie Eisenhower requesting that she help get him home for the event.
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