Tips for the final

Hi all,
As you work on your final projects this weekend, I want to remind you a few things to help you nail this assignment.

First - mantras mantras mantras! Do not forget all the things you learned in the exercises, i.e. wide-medium-tight, shot-n-move, cutaways, action/reaction, enter frame. KEEP them in your head the whole time you are shooting and you will have the goods on the tape for editing.

Second - as always, find the sweet spot of effort. Do not over think this but do not phone it in either. You will probably not be able to get everything you need in one shoot with your subject. Plan on asking to come back to get the best opportunity for capturing your story.

Third - remember the commitment statement. So and so is interesting because ____________. Working that sentence alone will help frame your efforts.

Fourth - similarly, remember the big circle exercise we had in class. What part of this person's daily haps best tells the story you laid out in the commitment statement?

Fifth -this actually should be the first suggestion CHECK YOUR CAMERA AT CHECK OUT. Do not leave the lab without knowing the camera and batteries are good to go.

Alright everyone, if you really get in a bind - call me 952-270-7375.
Be brilliant and have fun!

julie

Bagel Wednesday

Can you say BACON? Oooops, I mean BAGELS?

Hi all

Starbuck's muffin remains on computer
with Panera bagel website. Union Square
Hilton. PHOTO: Julie Jones 

  Hopefully you are having fun with your mini, silent movies.  As I write that I get the feeling to remind the corner group not to go over board. Do your best to hit around one minute; 50 seconds works, 1:20 works, 1:30 or more does not work.  To get ready for Wednesday, export them out as a full QuickTime file and label them with your group name.  BTW,  have fun naming your team. Drop the file into the drop box.  We will watch them after the presentations on Wednesday.

If it is presentations it is bagels!  I will post the Google survey later on today.  Go to the link and tell me what bagel you want on Wednesday. I will check it Tuesday night.

So, to recap, Wednesday class will begin with bagels, then presentations, then your silent movies. Those who do the best on the presentations get extra credit points and the team with the best movie will get an extra something.  No, it is not fresh shrimp from Fisherman's Wharf, but I was there yesterday. Ok, it is a lot of fun here, but I have to dash to present research.  So, wish me luck, have fun, and email if you need me.  Otherwise, we will catch up on Wednesday.

Have fun guys
julie

Sun sets on the Golden Gate bridge and Pier 39 in San Francisco. PHOTO: Julie Jones

News from PC World

Hi all,
Here are a few articles that I thought I would share with you from PC World:

Magazine Lifts Blogger's Article, Tells Her to Be Grateful for the Edit

Apple Scolds Ellen Over iPhone Ad Parody - on this one, make sure you click on the video.  We will talk about it in class.

5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media - is this from Mashable.

If you have the time, read through two of these. Each has a different take on the digital world you will be working in.

julie

Ray Bribiesca- Monday's speaker

Hi all,
Watch this video on our speaker before Monday.

Wednesday's Grammar Points

Hi everyone
I have asked some Gaylord faculty members to share with us their top 5 pet peeves of writing. Note the last word - writing. These are common grammar or AP style mistakes they have seen repeated to the point of frustration. For the next few Wednesdays you will be able to see their suggestions here on our blog. I am calling the franchise Wednesday's Grammar Points.

Our guest this week is Judy Gibbs Robinson. As you know, Judy is the editorial advisor to The Daily. Since she spends her time advising and teaching instead of reporting, one part of Judy that might be lost to you is the standard of excellence she brought to her own writing.  Lock down Judy's 5 in your mind if you want to become a writer of standing. Or, if you need more direct pressure, before you land in JMC 3013.
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Judy’s Top 5 Writing Peeves

Judy Gibbs Robinson at her desk in Copeland Hall.
PHOTO: Eunyoung Bang

1. Wasted words. Comb through your copy again and again to weed out those little words that contribute nothing to meaning. And keep in mind that 99.9 percent of the time you do not need the word “that” -- as in “he said that...” Other examples:
raised up = raised
descended down = descended
gathered together = gathered
provided benefits = benefited
referred back = referred
made a formal apology to = apologized

2. Intensifiers. This peeve is really simple to explain: It is very unnecessary and quite silly to sprinkle “intensifiers” through your writing (as I am doing in this sentence.)

“Intensifiers” are adverbs that are meant to add emphasis but usually weaken your writing instead. Look at the examples above. The words in bold provide no relevant information. The sentence without them is stronger and more direct. So be on the watch and zap intensifiers like these: The City Council has been extremely supportive the problem is very limited last much longer.

[Julie note: To make it more apparent in this blog format, I italicized and bolded the intensifiers Judy is pointing out from her sentence.]

3. Verb parts belong together. It’s almost tragic to see a lonely helping verb separated from the main verb it lives to serve. So don’t be heartless. Place the adverb before or after the complete verb. Examples:
had barely begun = barely had begun 
could completely understand = could understand completely (but do you need “completely”? See “Intensifiers” entry.) 
had probably not gone = probably had not gone

4. Nouns and pronouns that don’t agree. The problem is almost always singular-to-plural or vice versa. For example: OU led in the first half but they fell behind in the third quarter...

If you want to say “OU,” fine. But then you have to use the pronoun “it” because “OU” is singular. Don’t like the way that sounds? Write “Sooners” instead. Make it part of your copy-checking routine to underline every pronoun, find the noun antecedent and be sure they agree.

5. Abbreviations. AP is clear on this one: Avoid alphabet soup. Don’t use abbreviations that are not instantly recognized. Period. That means don’t use them in parenthesis behind the full name on first reference. And don’t use them standing alone on second reference. Here are some abbreviations that I daresay are not widely known yet have appeared in The Daily:
MSA for Muslim Student Association
CCEW for Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth
CESL for Center for English as a Second Language


However, note that here at OU, The Daily’s local stylebook allows “OU” and “UOSA” on all references.

--jgr
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Here are a few links to get to know Judy and her mad writing skills better:

Former JMC 3003 student Eunyoung Bang profiled Judy for her assignment on someone whose job she wanted in the future.  

Visit two of Judy's stories from the Oklahoman to see good writing in action:

http://www.newsok.com/article/2925872?searched=Arabic%20Language&custom_click=search
http://www.newsok.com/article/3060182?searched=%22Judy%20Gibbs%20Robinson&custom_click=search


Thank you Judy for helping JMC 3003 students become all they can be ;-)


jj

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