iReport Critique

iReport is a portion of cnn.com where amateurs post stories they have reported about. It is a place to explore what is going on in the world, discover new stories and possibly wonderful reporter, and to share your own content.

Personally I do not like the website layout. I think the idea of iReport and the content could be served in a better layout. It is confusing to travel around the website. Some of the content is very raw and unprofessional. On the other hand some content is very professional and on point.

I think iReport serves the public well. It just needs a little upgrade.

Red Tin Box Feature

For our audio slideshow project, we decided to focus on Red Tin Box. Red Tin Box has been a band since 2011, and met at Lyndon State College in common Music Business Industry classes. Ever since then they have taken steps to creating music, gathering a fan base, and performing. Up until this 2013-2014 school year, they played mostly local and college venues and events. Just recently, the band went on their first tour during Lyndon’s October break. Mike, one of the band members, worked alongside Tyler Kittleman. Mike wanted help setting up a tour, and turned to Tyler for assistance. Throughout the tour, Tyler eventually took on the position of band manager, fulfilling a personal goal of his own. They travelled to various locations in Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and Virginia. Tiana Thompson, a Lyndon State Student, went to Higher Ground in Burlington on Red Tin Box’s last tour date to see them perform. Tiana is a huge fan, and is a symbol for the loyal fan base that Red Tin Box has acquired at Lyndon. Tiana and the band members share a relationship based on the bands twiiter page, and interact regularly. Kittleman took on the jobs of general manager, tour manager, and production manager all in one. “I’m basically like all of their dads, I’m their daddy,” said Tyler. He describes his job as driving them around, booking their shows, and making sure they get there on time. “I make sure they comb their hair, I make sure they’re wearing the correct suits because you don’t want to watch Garret come in with dog poop on his boots…gotta make sure they look nice,” said Tyler. Tyler and Mike sat down to figure out the tour, and Tyler decided he wanted them to play a show every night of the week. Tyler felt a sense of accomplishment in himself and the guys for being able to play a venue every night of the week. The guys wanted to stop and see their girlfriends, but Tyler said no, “This isn’t a girlfriend tour, we want to make this into something.” Tyler personally sees himself staying with the group after college, and the real question he faces is if they want to stay with him. He hope they can continue to see eye to eye after graduation, and he can continue to work for them. Tyler sees Red Tin Box going pretty far, and would like to be a part of the success and the experience. Both members of our group contributed: Photos: Rachel Veitch and Red Tin Box Photo editing: Rachel Veitch and Camille DeLongis Audio: Camille DeLongis and Rachel Veitch Soundslide Editing: Rachel Veitch and Camille DeLongis Text: Camille DeLongis and Rachel Veitch Music: “I Killed the Captain” by Red Tin Box

Audio Slideshow Synopsis

For our project we would like to highlight Red Tin Box. Red Tin Box is a band here at Lyndon who play many different events both on and off campus. We would like to do our slideshow on the band so we can share the story of how they got started, what they have been doing and are currently doing, and where they plan to go in the future. It would be an attention grabbing piece because so many students here are interested in the band. 

We plan to have an interview the band for sound bites to incorporate throughout the slideshow. We are going to ask them to play a song for us for additional audio. We would take pictures of both the interview and the performance. 

For this project, Camille will be interviewing the band and recording audio of the interview and performance, ad Rachel takes the pictures. We will be working together to create the four hundred word accompaniment. 

For our accompaniment we will be talking about the tour that they just went on over October break. We may also interview their manager for his perspective on the tour, and a fan who went to one of the shows, for the four hundred word story.

Audio Slideshow Practice

Slideshows and Their Connection to Storytelling

Slideshows and photo galleries are unique ways of telling a story. Over the break I researched slideshows and found many different styles and executions of slideshows and photo galleries. Here are my favorites!

Audio Slideshow
I found this inspiring time-lapse about Disney Land on Jacksgap. It is a collection of 20,000 pictures showing at a small time so it looks as if it was a video but it is indeed photos edited together to make this fast paced, amazing slideshow.

Silent Slideshow
While researching I found a silent slideshow featuring frogs, snakes, and lizards on Nature.org. The slideshow is a nice collection and presentation of the pictures that were taken. It moves slow enough to get a good look at each photo and fast enough so you don't want to click forward.

Photo Gallery
I stumbled upon a photo gallery on tumblr.com. It was very easy to scroll through and look at the pictures rather than look at small thumbnails and then have to click on it then click back to look at the rest of the gallery. It was interesting to see all the pictures, however, I wish there was a little more organization to it.

Critique on Slideshows and Galleries.
Personally I think slideshows and photo galleries are great storytelling tools.

Slideshows can present a period of time in one collective place, such as a road trip or a vacation. They can also be edited in a way that makes it look like a video, for an example stop motion photography, or simply to be presented in a unique way.

Slideshows with audio are much more intriguing and fun to watch because music has a way of moving us and in some cases gives more meaning to the photos.

Photo galleries can also tell a story. It can be a gallery of a wedding, which will show the whole day in its entirety. Plus you can view all the photos at your own pace.

I think that audio slideshows are better fit for telling a more compelling story because the audio can either explain whats going on or just add an extra "wow factor" and move the viewer.

Slideshow Practice

Hohli Website Practice

Many Eyes Data Set Practice