Week 5: Moving on to Video Scripts

Today we went over some mechanics and formatting issues in the radio essays; please be sure to download and refer to the Mechanics Errors handout in the sidebar.

We also reviewed syllabus policies re: grading, rewriting papers, and what to do if you miss a class. Please review the syllabus if you weren't here for that today.

Homework for this week is on the syllabus; Assignment Sheet #3 is in the sidebar.

NOTE: If you're absent when I hand back work, the work will be waiting for you to pick up in the BECA office. Please pick it up as soon as possible so that you can incorporate my feedback and corrections into your next assignment.

Week 4: Digital Storytelling, Part I

Today we shifted gears from radio to digital storytelling. This week you'll be reinventing your radio essay as a digital storytelling piece — that is, isolating a moment or an emotional/psychological aspect of the story and "unpacking" it through the use of images as well as sound.

In class, we looked at some video pieces that illustrate different possible approaches to this assignment. Some combine video and narration in direct, literal ways; others use a more experimental video approach.

You are free to craft your video assignment any way you choose: You can keep or leave out the narration, dialogue, and SFX you used in the radio piece; you can change the format from narrative to open letter, meditation, etc. The important thing is that the video expands and deepens something about the original radio piece; by watching the video, the audience gets something it didn't get from the first version.

Full instructions and format example are given in Assignment Sheet #2: Digital Storytelling (download from left sidebar).

You may also do this assignment in video form rather than turn it in on paper. Be sure to host the video somewhere I can access it online next week.

Here are the videos we looked at today:

• Momnotmom by Thenmozhi Soundarajan
• Looking at Things by Jay Dedman
• The Phone Call by Charles Patterson
• Open Letter by Adriana Aguilar

You can find lots more examples by following links from the videos above (Streetside Stories, the Center for Digital Storytelling). The best way to find new things is to start with a video you like, and see what that person has linked to (blogrolls, favorites/playlists on YouTube, etc.).

The tech tools we looked at in class today were Eyespot (video editing) and Odeo (sound recording). You can find lots of video and audio resources at the Ourmedia Open Resource Directory.

Week 3: Radio Essay Workshop

Today everyone had a chance to hear their radio essay read aloud by someone else, and to hear feedback and ask questions in a small-group workshop. Each essay was also closely read and given written feedback on the Reader Feedback Sheet (available in the Documents sidebar).

The syllabus has changed a bit to reflect our upcoming collaboration with Skye Christensen's video production class; please download the new version.

Remember, as you revise and polish your radio essays this week, there is no such thing as a perfect first draft. Ever. : )

Happy writing; see you next time.

Week 2: Radio Essay

Today we scrutinized some personal essays from the NPR Story Project, looking at what makes a great story. We talked about three-act structure, rising action, increasing tension and obstacles, and the connection between the hero's character and the nature of the crisis/change in status quo (which creates dramatic need).

If you'd like to listen to more examples, check out the NPR Story Project archives.

The assignment sheet is in the Documents sidebar (#1: Radio Essay). Happy writing!