For my individual project I decided to create a podcast. Coverage of cinema is a passion of mine and podcasts allow for a relaxed environment to talk about films in a less highbrow manner.
Typical arts and culture shows which would be broadcast on the radio or TV are very structured and don’t allow for much improvisation or variation from the schedule. Continue reading
When thinking about what the future of online media holds, one thing which is on almost every list is wearable technology.
Smart watches have been around for a few years now with android compatible devices leading the way. They’ve found a small market so far, with many people claiming they’re nothing but an expensive toy, lacking in practical usage. Continue reading
Join Jake, Rob and Corey as they babble on about Mad Max, James Bond, Star Wars and even Pixar.
This Guardian article explains the ins and outs of data journalism, and how it can be useful for finding big scoops.
It’s not just the ability to analyse the data though, it’s how the data is presented to the reader in an understandable way.
Take this article by The Washington Post for example. They use data to show people the extend to which the US Government spend on intelligence.
By combining this data with visual journalism, the reader is able to easily comprehend the data without being overwhelmed or confused by it, as is evident by this graph from the article.
Social media storytelling involves curating from social media sites to help tell the personal stories of bigger events.
Here are two examples by Storyful and The Wall Street Journal
Visual story telling has become a popular way to report news and inform readers in the online media. When used effectively, the visuals can make a story more understandable and more impact full.
Some of the best examples include:
New York Times explanation of ISIS
AL Jazeera America comic book style explanation of terms and service
Live blogging not only helps cover events as they happen, like in the event of an unfolding news story, they’re also a way to provide instant opinion for readers.
Here are some examples of different kinds of events which benefit from liveblogging.
Unfolding news:
BBC coverage of the Boston Bombing
Guardian coverage of Ferguson riots
Live blogs are ideal for unfolding news, however it is important to ensure no rumours are posted as facts.
Live TV Shows:
Digital Spy live blog The X factor Final
Live blogging reality TV has become a popular way for people to read instant media opinion on the events as they unfold.
Sports Events:
The Telegraph live blog the Wimbledon Final 2014
Sports events lend themselves well to live blogging. They can act as the commentary, providing interesting facts and analysis, or they can keep people who cannot watch the event updated with the goings on.
Awards Shows:
Similar to reality TV blogging, award show blogs are mainly for opinion, but can also be a good way to find out the winners if you cant watch the show live.
Press Conference:
IGN cover the PlayStation E3 conference
Popular with tech related conferences. People need to know the biggest announcements as they happen.
In today’s session we explored the world of online video journalism in the morning and podcasts in the afternoon.
Online video has boomed over the past decade, especially on mobile platforms. As screen sizes become bigger and mobile internet speeds get faster, video viewing on mobile is only going to increase.
Some prominent video journalism content creators include VICE or the New York Times Video. However almost every online media outlet utilizes video in some manner and in most cases video is used to complement written pieces.
Video journalism allows stories to be told in a more engaging way, but is also more appealing to users who, having been made lazy due to the nature of the internet, no longer have the patience to read a long article.
Podcasts have also experienced a rise in popularity, offering to many a way of creating audio content for more niche audiences.
Ranging from edited versions of live radio shows to radio drama style audio novels, podcasts allow audio to be reached by more people due to the accessibility of the web.
Podcasts are also often just some people having a chat. Examples include The Empire Podcast, The Yogpod and The Rooster Teeth Podcast. This relaxed style of the podcast generates easy listening for the audience.
According to new figures released by Appfigures Blog, last year Google Play grew to be larger than Apple’s App Store for the first time. This is big news, since Apple’s store has had the most apps and app developers on its platform since it reached 10 million downloads in it’s first weekend. Apple had a big head start over Google, even Steve Jobs said at the time “It’s going to be very hard for others to catch up”. And it has taken a while, but here we are with Google Play ending last year with 1.43 million apps compared to IOS’s 1.21 million.
Google Play has had more developers than Apple since 2012, and 2014 saw the number of app developers on google to almost 400 thousands. But would this (as some people are suggesting) be enough to make people move from IOS devices onto ones running Android? Probably not, and here is why.
The fastest growing app categories on the IOS store are Bussiness, Food and Drink, Lifestyle and Social Networking. Whereas the Android store’s fastest growing app categories are Games, Photography, Music and Entertainment. I think, based on this data it is clear to see that each platform’s average users are interested in different things. Iphone users are business and lifestyle oriented, whereas Android fans like entertainment. Therefore it would be safe to assume that those who use Apple’s phones will not be swayed by the greater number of apps alone, they care more about what the app does.
Furthermore, app developers are not going to be so quick to jump from IOS to Android since OS developers still make far more money than their Android-based counterparts. Even though Android downloads were 60% higher on Android, iOS developers still made 60% more money. It could be said that Apple users seem to be far happier to shell out cash for apps, compared to Android users, who like all their apps to be free. So don’t expect this new data to change anything drastically in the near future.
For my video project I decided to make an interactive documentary, meaning I would be seen on screen, almost like becoming a character of the film. The reason for this was due to existing films which I enjoy, by film makers like Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield, who also use this mode of documentary. The topic of the film was inspired purely by what I saw around me. The bins in my kitchen are always filled to the brim, and the recycling bin is filled with items which cannot be recycled. Furthermore when walking around the streets you can see litter everywhere. I then decided to do some more research into the littering and recycling problems in the UK and decided there was an interesting and important story to be told on the subject. One of my flatmates kindly offered to help film the project which helped greatly, and increased the quality of the filming. I laid out the basic narrative of the film, being: Littering is bad – people should use the bins – then again it would just go to landfill – the real answer is to recycle. Whilst thinking of idea’s for shots, I decided to incorporate some humour into the film, to make it more engaging and memorable, and hopefully make the films messages more impactful. We went to the centre of London on a Saturday to film. I had written a script and knew the things we needed to film in order to link the images to the voice over. We also did some interviews with people in London to be used as vox pops. Unfortunately I messed up, and forgot to take some pro-recycling posters which were to be used in the ending scene. This meant we had to obtain some pickup shots the next day. The ending of the film was intended to be humours, for reasons mentioned previously. But also because of films by Michael Moore, in which he usually ends his films with some kind of stunt, such as putting crime scene tape around wall street, or asking politicians to sign their sons up for the army. With all the filming done, I spent the next few days editing it together. I had to obtain some archive footage of landfills, which were quite easy to find online. One of the hardest parts about making the film was asking people for an interview on camera. Perhaps we chose a bad area of London, but people just didn’t want to be interviewed. We did manage to interview quite a few people but it was certainly a hassle. Other than that the experience of filming and editing the documentary was very enjoyable and rewarding. The aim of the documentary was to show people how much litter is actually being thrown onto the streets, and the issues that come with it. For example the cost to tax payers to clean it up, where most of the litter comes from, different types of litter, etc. I then wanted to show people that just throwing litter into a bin wasn’t good enough, and that people needed to really make an effort when it came to recycling. I used audio in the video most importantly in the voice over, to deliver all the facts and drive the narrative forward. This technique is often referred to as “The Voice of God” as the viewer is inclined to believe what’s being said purely because it’s a voice over. Furthermore I used music in the film to add to the viewer’s feelings and thoughts. For example during the images of landfill I used eerie synths to make them seem sinister and bad. The video shows examples of what the voice over is saying most of the time. It’s also used to show a narrative, specifically at the end. Furthermore, it’s supposed to shock the viewer, making the overall message more impactful. I like to think the video turned out well, without much needing to change. If the film could have been longer I perhaps would have included more information about recycling. Also the ending could be changed slightly to shorten it without losing the meaning. Finally I misspelled “Written” in the credits, and didn’t notice until after I uploaded it to YouTube, so I’d probably change that. Over the module I’ve learned how to film interviews properly; I’ve learned to not be afraid to ask random people for short interviews and that having a variety of visuals are important for an engaging and interesting documentary. I feel my story is very similar to one that would be seen in something professional. For example BBC News once ran a news package about the rise in litter in the UK. The video itself is probably less able to stand up to professional work, but I feel it does get quite close.
Littering has been an issue in Britain for a while, but what is the extent of the problem?
And how long can we go on throwing littter on the streets, instead of disposing of it in the correct manner?
Corey Armishaw 