Digital Magazine SYLLABUS—Fall 2016
(Section 001) This course was created by Professor Mary W. Quigley, and the syllabus was developed by Josh Davis.
Course Description
While the rows of glossy magazines on a newsstand grab our attention, magazine reporting and writing exists on a variety of platforms: Tweets, online posts, blogs and features, listicles, and multimedia, from slideshows to videos. Magazine publishing is a two-way street where the “book” needs to reach out to readers by marketing the piece on social media, encouraging feedback and sharing.
“Digital Magazine” will teach students how practice magazine journalism on various platforms. The semester will include multimedia skills: conceptualizing, shooting and producing photos, slideshows and video. We’ll also focus on digital skills such as using social media for research and reporting as well as branding, and data visualization.
Hashtag: #DigiMagNYU
We’re on Instagram!
Professor
Josh Davis | jmd18@nyu.edu
Bio/portfolio | LinkedIn | Twitter
Sept. 6 - Dec. 6; Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Room 652, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, 20 Cooper Square.
Office Hours: By Appointment, Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.
Student Responsibilities: Basic
- Attendance is mandatory. Unacceptable excuses include job interviews, routine medical appointments, transportation issues, work schedules…you get the idea. Unexcused absences will seriously affect your grade. In the event of an emergency and you cannot attend class, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the professor ASAP. Medical and family emergencies will require written documentation.
- Prompt attendance is required. Do NOT be late to this course. Missing class time will lower your grade and seriously affect the quality of your work.
- Deadlines are precious, and you must meet them. Assignments turned in even one minute late will be deducted a full letter grade. You will lose one letter grade every 24 hours until the assignment is turned in. This is journalism, and you will be held to the same standards that your instructors are held to in their newsrooms.
- A core component of this course includes group discussions and workshop-style critiques. So speak up! We want to hear what you have to say. Please be respectful of others and do not talk over your classmates or dominate the conversation.
- Attentiveness while class is in session. All personal chats, messaging, phone conversations, web browsing, and side discussions will not be tolerated inside the classroom. If you are frequently distracted, distracting others, OR if your head is frequently buried in your laptop during class, it will be the first thing I remember when asked for a recommendation and it will be reflected in your class participation grade (25 percent of final grade).
- Laptops must be closed during critiques of student work.
- Your classmates are a resource. So is the web. Before you contact me with a problem or question, does someone else already have the answer? Please do not contact me with a problem without proposing a potential solution.
Student Responsibilities: Multimedia
- Students taking this course must devote a significant amount of time outside of class for photo and video shooting and editing.
- Group Work: Students will work in groups for the Pinnacle project. All group members must pull their weight equally and to act respectfully and professionally at all times. Do not email me to complain your group is bickering, you are adults and it’s your responsibility to resolve small issues. You should contact me ASAP if there is a major issue such as if a group member feels threatened or is acting in some way contrary to NYU’s Ethics and Student Conduct policies.
- Multimedia Ethics: “You have to be careful that you’re capturing reality and not creating reality.” This class is firmly rooted in journalism. We will NEVER stage photo or video shots with the exception of portraits and interviews. Read more about Multimedia Ethics from the NPPA.
- You will need personal Medium and Instagram accounts for uploading and posting class assignments.
- In addition to demonstrations in class, you are responsible for reviewing online resources to assist you in learning how to use NYU cameras, audio recorders, and Adobe Premiere. A terrific guide for all NYU Journalism gear and software is available here. More great resources such as Lynda Trainings, Archival Footage and Stock Music are available here. If you need individual support outside of class, Mike Shade and Adrian Mihai are available weekdays.
- We’ll be using Slack for ALL class communication. NOT email. You will need to sign up for an account within 24-hours of our first class.
Tools of the Trade:
The purpose of this course is to learn the skills required to produce multimedia content, not to master any particular piece of technical equipment. We will focus on the following gear for instruction, since it is what the Institute has chosen and has stocked.
• For photos, students will use Canon Rebel camera and Adobe Photoshop.
• For audio, students may record with video cameras or with Zoom recorders. Audio editing: Adobe Premiere
• For video, Vixia camera kit from the “cage.” Video editing: Adobe Premiere.
Required
• A 500 GB, 7200rpm, firewire 800 or USB 3 hard drive
• 16GB or 32GB Class 10 SDHC Card for audio and video recording
• Students are required to purchase a $150 rental insurance policy to borrow equipment
• Smartphone and various apps for mobile media production, details to be announced
Ethics
As a New York University journalism student, you are part of a community of scholars at a university recognized for its research. A scholar’s mission is to push forward the boundaries of knowledge; a journalist’s mission is to serve the public by seeking out and reporting the facts as accurately as possible. Good journalists and scholars share a commitment to the same principle: integrity in their work. Be sure to read and sign the ethics pledge: http://journalism.nyu.edu/about-us/resources/ethics/
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities will be accommodated according to her or his needs. Please discuss any disabilities with the professor during the first week of classes. A letter explaining any disability can be obtained at the Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CDS), located at 240 Greene Street, 4th floor (212–998–4980).
THE COURSE
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with tools and techniques required to produce photojournalism and video for the web. Students will master the fundamentals of:
• Video and photojournalism shooting and reporting methods.
• Photo and video production workflow.
• Writing photo captions, video lower thirds and text slides, and project summaries.
• Shareable publication tools including Medium.
This course represents a meaningful opportunity for professional growth. The work you will produce in this class will be part of the portfolio you will use to apply for jobs.
This course offers meaningful opportunities for professional growth. The work you produce in this class will be part of the portfolio you will use to apply for jobs, internships and advanced learning opportunities.
Grading Components
- Class Participation (250 points)
- Assignment: Instagram (25 points)
- Assignment: Mobile (75 points)
- Assignment: Photojournalism (100 points)
- Assignment: Video 1 (100 points)
- Assignment: Video 2 (125 points)
- Assignment: Data Visualization (extra )
- Assignment: Pinnacle Project Pitch (25 points)
- Assignment: Pinnacle Project Rough Cut (100 points)
- Assignment: Pinnacle Project Final (200 points)
Grading Policy
A (1,000–940 points) A- (939–900 points)
Student work is exceptional, and meets deadline and publication criteria. Class participation is outstanding during discussions and critiques. Student not only understands the material at a high level but also assists fellow classmates in need.
B+ (899–870 points) B (869–840 points) B- (839–800 points)
Student has successfully completed all class projects. Student work is near to industry standards for publication, though requires more edits. Student did not contribute to all discussions and critiques either because of lack of participation in-class or unexcused absences.
C+ (799–770 points) C (769–740 points) C- (739–700 points)
Student has only a satisfactory completion of all class projects. Student work does not meet industry standards, and requires significant edits. Student missed multiple in-class discussions and critiques either because of lack of participation in-class or unexcused absences.
D (699–680 points)
Student did not complete all class projects. Student missed multiple in-class discussions and critiques either because of lack of participation in-class or unexcused absences. Student did not adequately respond to the instructor’s feedback to make their work publishable.
F (679 points and below)
Student did not complete all class projects. Student missed multiple in-class discussions and critiques either because of lack of participation in-class or unexcused absences. Student did not adequately respond to the instructor’s feedback to make their work publishable. Student may have also been found guilty of an ethical breach such as libel or plagiarism.
CLASS PROJECTS
1. Photojournalism — “Document a Location” — still images, text
Students will document a specific location in still photography using the photojournalism techniques that we learned in class. The subject matter must relate to a geographically defined space. Students will shoot at least 80 original photographs and turn in an edit of 8–10 pictures that tell a story. Captions are required for each photograph.
2. Video 1 — “Slideshow” — stills, audio (Details TBA)
An introductory assignment to allow for student practice in editing video and recording audio. Using original photos and recorded audio, students will assemble a short (1–2 minute) audio slideshow to convey a sense of place, depicting it in photos and natural (ambient) sound.
3. Video 2 — “In the Mood” — video, audio (Details TBA)
Students will use video techniques learned in class to convey a mood.
4. Data Visualization
After practice with basic data visualizations, students will produce a feature report incorporating their choice of tools learned thus far.
5. Pinnacle — stills, text, video, audio, data visualization, narration, social media (Details TBA)
CLASS SCHEDULE
(Note: The schedule is subject to change. Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due at THE START OF CLASS. All video assignments must be turned in using our NYU Digital Magazine Vimeo account, it MUST include an updated word-for-word script, and all “written journalism” requirements (TBA). All other assignments will be posted on the appropriate Medium publication before the start of class).
(Class 1) Sept. 6: Intro to multimedia tools. Examples of excellence. Story elements matched to tools. Knowing when to use text v. photo v. video. Evaluating story ideas for visual and audio tools.
Begin to consider story ideas. Look out over the course and start to develop possible story ideas for each assignment. Social media as a professional (vs. personal) tool.
- Assignment: Create a Medium account and follow our class publication Digital Magazine.
- Assignment: Complete all readings listed in the #readings channel on Slack.
- Assignment: Instagram — Post one photo a day on Instagram between now and our next class (seven total) using the techniques learned in class; you must use the hashtag #DigiMagNYU on your photos; If you do not have an Instagram account, or if you have yours set to private and do not want to make it public, you will need to create a specific account for this class.
- Assignment: Within the first 24-hour of class, you must (1) Join our class Slack (be sure to use your real name and upload a profile photo) (2) Share your Medium account via Slack (3) Share your Instagram account handle via Slack.
- Assignment: Come to next class prepared to pitch rough story ideas and possible elements.
(Class 2) Sept. 13: Review preliminary story ideas for development. Photography: Students will learn how to use DSLR cameras. The emphasis will be on learning how to find and take photographs that convey information. Students will learn the basics of what constitute a “good” photo in terms of journalistic value, ethics, and photographic composition and quality. (Adrian Mihai will demo technical operation of of DSLR camera)
- Due: Medium and Instagram accounts are created and shared, and join our class Slack (All due 24-hours after the first class).
- Due: Instagram Assignment
- Due: Complete all Readings (posted in Slack)
- Due: Pitch story ideas for development
- Assignment: Photojournalism (shooting)
(Class 3) Sept. 20: Photo Editing Workshop. (Adrian Mihai will demo Adobe Bridge)
- Due: Photojournalism (shooting — students will come to class with their footage and hard drives).
- Assignment: Photojournalism (editing — student will students will turn in an edit of 8–10 selects from the Photojournalism Assignment for grading).
(Class 4) Sept. 27: Sound workshop and Interview Techniques. We will cover recording field audio, including ambient sound and interview audio. We will cover interview techniques for in-depth, nonfiction storytelling. (Adrian Mihai will demo audio gear, Vixia camera, and editing audio and stills using Adobe Premiere).
- Due: Photojournalism Assignment (8–10 photo edit)
- Assignment: Video 1 (Photo slideshow)
(Class 5) Oct. 4: What makes good video? Deconstructing web video narratives and video shooting techniques. (Adrian Mihai will demo video editing with Adobe Premiere).
- Due: Video 1 (Photo slideshow)
- Assignment: Video 2 (Mood)
(Class 6) Oct. 11: Critique of Video 2 assignments.
- Due: Video 2 (Mood)
- Assignment: Pinnacle Project Pitch
(Class 7) Oct. 18: Intro to data visualization basics. Using Google tools (and others) to make maps, timelines, charts and graphics. In-class data viz. assignment.
- Due: Final Project Pitch
- Assignment: Data Visualization
(Class 8) Oct. 25: Review Data Visualization. Workshop Pinnacle Project Pitches.
- Due: Data Visualization
- Assignment: First contact to ensure access and First shoot
(Class 9) Nov. 1: Review Pinnacle Projects. In-class workshop.
- Due: First contact to ensure access and First shoot
- Assignment: First Draft of Pinnacle Project
(Class 10) Nov. 8: Review Pinnacle Projects. In-class workshop.
- Due: First Draft of Pinnacle Project
- Assignment: Second Draft of Pinnacle Project
(Class 11) Nov. 15: Review Pinnacle Projects. In-class workshop.
- Due: Second Draft of Pinnacle Project
- Assignment: Third Draft of Pinnacle Project
(Class 12) Nov. 22: Review Pinnacle Projects. In-class workshop.
- Due: Pinnacle Project is due!
- Assignment: Develop ideas for mobile project. Have a good Thanksgiving!
(Class 13) Nov. 29: Mobile video, audio and editing — and live elements
More on mobile tools and techniques.
- Due: Ideas for mobile project
- Assignment: Mobile Project.
(Class 14) Dec. 6: Review mobile/live project or element. Finalize all portfolio pieces.
- Due: Mobile project
- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! YOU’VE EARNED IT!
