This semester I...

Became a Final Cut Pro pro!


For my internship with Virginia Tech's EcoCAR 2 team (p.s. I created that website with my outreach team.. shameless promotion), I've had to create multiple videos throughout the semester.


I first started out with Final Cut Pro in the fall and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Luckily, Tech has a multimedia creative lab that offered lessons in Final Cut Pro. Slowly but surely I learned how to import, cut, clip, render (the bane of my existence) and export files to make a video.


This is the first video I created for the team (Jan '12); an intro video that was a competition deliverable meant to inform the viewer about Virginia Tech's team and the competition in general.

At the time, our team was elated by the final product. To be truthful, it's decent for a first video. 


There were several curve balls during this process. Here are a couple things I learned from this first experience:

1. Much like with a PR campaign, you should have a strategic plan for the video before you set out to film it.
2. Make sure to double-check microphones before you film. In the scene with Dean Benson, the audio only came out of one speaker causing several people to think there was no audio during that clip.
3. Think of creative spaces and angles to film clips.
4. B-roll is super important to maintain the attention of the viewer.
5. Don't get too fancy with transitions.
6. Filming in HD really does make a difference.

Now, keeping in mind the first video and the points I just mentioned, take a look at the most recent video (April '12) I created highlighting the team's relationship with Virginia Clean Cities (yep that's me in the thumbnail).

I don't know about you, but I noticed a pretty big difference. Let's review my earlier advice:

1. Much like with a PR campaign, you should have a strategic plan for the video before you set out to film it.
1. Our outreach team made sure we had our overarching idea for the video ahead of time so we knew what we were doing and didn't waste time filming other footage.
2. Make sure to double-check microphones before you film. In the scene with Dean Benson, the audio only came out of one speaker causing several people to think there was no audio during that clip.
1. All of the audio is perfectly clear and streams out of both speakers.
3. Think of creative spaces and angles to film clips.
1. Our team found different and creative locations/angles to film rather than our go-to move of "film in front of EcoCAR 2 sign."
4. B-roll is super important to maintain the attention of the viewer.
1. Infusing b-roll over static clips of people talking will provide the viewer with more interesting content and not lose their attention.
5. Don't get too fancy with transitions.
1. Right after completing the first video (which I think I mentioned I was extremely proud of at the time), I attended a workshop on filming video for the competition and the presenter specifically said not to use fancy transitions like the 'cube spins' and 'page peels' I seemed to be so fond of in the Intro video. In this one, however, the team and I stuck to simple, non-flashy transitions that didn't distract or diminish the value of the content.
6. Filming in HD really does make a difference.
1. Did you notice a difference in quality? We specifically decided to rent an HD camera from the computer lab to make sure all of our film was as clear as possible. The camera we used was also much smoother, so that even if the camera moved, the shot wasn't shaky.

I think filming videos was one of my favorite aspects of my internship this past year. I'm going to have to figure out a way to have access to Final Cut Pro in the future without paying $$$$$ for it. I may be graduating, but I am still on a budget!

Hey there.

Well, if you look at my last post and look at the time lapsed between then and now, you would think I was busier than last semester. Not once did I blog this past semester.

Was I busier? No. Was I lazy? Perhaps. I haven't been sticking to my PRiorities (haha...). Anyway, I've been meaning to get back on the blogging grind for a while and here I am... at 11:30 PM a week before graduating college. 


I have actually been blogging all semester, just not here. But here for my internship with Virginia Tech's EcoCAR 2 team. If you are interested in sustainability, the environment and even automotive engineering check it out. 


I miss blogging for pleasure, though. So that, along with attempting to learn how to cook, is what I intend to accomplish this summer. Blogging for me. Maybe I'll start a cooking blog, too!

What I hope I won't look like trying to cook. Dan Ackroyd as Julia Child.
Photo credit: dvd.ign.com

Reflection of an overbooked semester

You know how can overbook a concert or a movie by exceeding capacity? That's kind of what I did with my semester.

I have been absent from this blog, save one post, for the semester. This blog, among other things, was neglected by my due to spreading myself too thin these past four months.

I thought I could do it all. Turns out I was wrong.

At the beginning of the semester I was a double major with a minor enrolled in 16 credit hours, 3 hours of undergraduate study, a brand rep for ReadyU, an outreach coordinator for the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech and President of the Public Relations Student Society of America. I barely had time for myself, let alone all of these activities.

At the end of September, I finally decided to drop a class, easing myself down to 13 credit hours (still 16 with the undergraduate study). I invested myself in all of these opportunities thinking all these activities were great opportunities and my resume would be amaaazing.

Well, when you overbook yourself it takes its toll. I couldn't focus on everything, so the work I was doing was only mediocre. I barely managed to scrape by doing all of these activities, and certain things (like my personal life) were placed on the back burner. I managed to get everything done, though, and I don't think my GPA is actually going to suffer that badly, somehow.

In an effort to de-stress myself next semester and put more effort into my activities, I've decided to drop my minor. Really, it's just a cognate (a term made up by the Comm Dept that allows you to make up your own minor). At VT, there's no such thing as a minor in Marketing & Management. There's not even a marketing minor anymore. Although I only have two classes left, those two classes next semester would be adding much unnecessary stress.

I've also decided to not continue as a brand rep with ReadyU. While it was a great opportunity to get more experience in marketing and event planning, its just not my priority right now. Someone else who needs the experience deserves it.

I am continuing with (what will soon be) my dual degree in Communication (PR) and French, as well as my position as outreach coordinator for HEVT and my undergraduate research (which will be Independent Study next semester). My New Year's Resolution is to be more committed to the activities I am involved in, but also leave time for myself.

Happy Holidays!

Glow Out TONIGHT with ReadyU!

This semester, I am a brand ambassador with ReadyU, Procter & Gamble's college platform. My job is to market ReadyU's brands, such as CoverGirl, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice and more to the student population on Virginia Tech's campus. I do this by hosting different events to engage the students on my campus and get them excited about ReadyU.

ReadyU's next event is taking place tonight from 7-10 p.m. in the main area of Downtown Blacksburg. Read below for more information!

TheReadyU “Search Engine” Scavenger Hunt is going full-steam ahead and taking over the downtown area of the Virginia Tech campus on TONIGHT from 7 p.m. to midnight. Students will race to the cyber finish line while uncovering clues about the Virginia Tech campus and scoring ReadyU prizes and coupons along the way.

As teams arrive to every pit stop, they must perform the appropriate tasks to rack up as many points and check-ins as possible. Lead the pack and win the “Search Engine” Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize, ReadyU products and campus gift cards. Hit the gas and don’t look back!

Students will race to the four following prominent campus locations:

· Squires fountain
· Moe’s
· Top of the Stairs
· Jimmy John’s

Teams will first check in at headquarters on the corner of Main St. and College Avenue to get started!

Join the amazing race and have ReadyU help you live your college years in the fast lane! Check out the pictures and videos of your pit stop at www.facebook.com/readyu.

FINALLY!

When I logged in this morning to my Twitter account, I was immediately bombarded by this giant announcement:

I don't know about you, but I've been wondering when the day was finally going to come that Twitter would became savvy enough to implement their own picture function.

Before, if I wanted to upload a picture from my computer, I'd have to go through Twitpic. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't that big of a hassle, but you are going to encounter people who don't think the process is worth it and would rather post the picture on a site who's function is easily embedded, such as Facebook and now Google+. For Twitter this wasn't great news either, as Twitpic is a client site, so people were navigating off of the Twitter site to post photos.

I'm aware that a large percentage of people who are uploading pictures to Twitter are doing so via smartphone. I could be wrong, but I believe the majority of these pictures are ones that were taken directly from the phone and easily uploaded with the click of a button. So this new picture function will not affect people who upload solely for that reason. I do use my phone a lot to upload pictures I have taken, however, when I want to share a picture from my computer, it is usually from a website. Now Twitter has made it a whole lot easier to share pics from the web for me and anyone else who falls into this category.

I have no doubt that this new feature was in part a strategic move against Google+. Last month, I read an article from Business Insider debating whether Google+ would be a bigger threat to Facebook or Twitter. The argument was that most people who were able to get in on the early field trial were treating the new platform more like Twitter than Facebook. The "circles" feature rivals Twitter's "lists" in the sense that you can selectively choose who you are receiving information from. However, "circles" goes one further to let you decide who you want to see what you are posting out there. Google+'s "resharing" feature is pretty much a copycat of the "retweet" feature introduced by Twitter (however, it is important to note Facebook's "share" button as well).

In this sense, Google+ was able to beat out Twitter by allowing users to easily embed a picture into their post. They still have the upper hand on video embeddings, as Twitter has yet to offer this, but both offer geo-targeting functions and link embeddings. Although Twitter has (somewhat) recently restructured their links by shortening them within your tweet to provide more space, it still takes up a certain amount of characters. And of course, there is no character limit to your posts on Google+. But hey, that was the original idea of Twitter in the first place wasn't it? It was meant to be no longer than the length of an SMS text.

The Role of Social Media in the Criminal Landscape

The recent events of the Osama raid has gotten me thinking about the increasing role of social media being used as a source of data, evidence, proof, etc in situations such as government take-downs or criminal cases.

TIME magazine reported that a resident of Abbottabad, Pakistan, who just happened to live a stone's throw from the Osama compound, actually detailed the event via Twitter without knowing what events were occurring.

Upon learning what he was reporting on his Twitter account, Sohaib Athar, the Abbottabad resident, tweeted, "Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it." And while some might be excited about living out their 15 seconds of fame, Athar didn't seem to be jumping for joy:

Athar unknowingly, yet successfully, detailed the attack from a civilian's point of view and became a reference point for many media outlets and civilians just looking for more information on the raid.

This is what got me thinking about the role of social media: how are platforms such as Twitter and Facebook increasingly being used to detail attacks or provide evidence in trials?

According to The New York Daily News, Twitter was being used as evidence in a murder trial in January 2010. The suspect, Jameg Blake, reportedly had "beef" with long-time friend/victim Kwame Dancy that possibly led to the latter's murder. The NY Daily News reported, "A police source said the messages may be subpoenaed to bolster the theory that there was bad blood between the two old pals." While tweets alone are not nearly enough to convict someone of a crime, this just goes to show how social media platforms are beginning to play a role in these types of situations. The Tech Herald reasoned that while this is most likely the first time Twitter has played a such role, "...as most and more people flood the various social sites with comments, opinions and even arguments, this might not be the last time Twitter is linked to a criminal case."

Federal Computer Week also reported how social media is being used to catch criminals. In an article dating April 5, the publication described how police forces are combing through social media sites for evidence or for information on how to track suspects. According to FCW:

On the flip side, the article also argued that police officers need to be careful about protecting themselves on these sites. Because gangs are becoming more savvy about social media platforms, they can look at photos to recognize officers and track GPS postings, which leaves officers more prone to an attack.

Some police departments have been efficient at using social media platforms as a source of PR to boost the public's morale.

I'm interested to see how these social media sites will continue to shape the landscape of the criminal field.

Quack Quack, AFLAC!

Aflac announced the new voice of its fair-feathered duck friend yesterday. Thirty-six year-old father of three, Daniel McKeague was chosen out of a pool of over 12,500 applications.

Aflac fired comedian Gilbert Gottfried after he tweeted some ill-mannered thoughts about the tsunami in Japan last month. According to Ad Age, Japan is Aflac's largest market, so they were wise to dump the not-so-funny comedian. Shortly after, Aflac launched a campaign titled "Answer the Duck's Call" to find the new voice.

Tom Amico from Kaplan Thaler Group, one of Aflac's agencies, was a bit of a jokester when asked what he was looking for during auditions. "I'm just looking for somebody who makes me laugh, so it's very subjective. And then I hope to impose my subjectivity onto... the American people." But in all seriousness, he said, "We want it to sound similar, but different."

Well, look no further. McKeague's slightly burlier voice is not, in my opinion, too far of a stretch from Gottfried's annoying duck quack.

McKeague is a Minnesota resident and a sales manager of a couple local radio stations, so his voice is already used to a bit of local fame. Below is a video of him receiving the news he is the new voice of the webbed-toed icon.





My favorite part about the video is the fact that CEO Dan Amos, President & COO Paul Amos and Senior VP-CMO Michael Zuna are all hunched around a desk bearing American and Japanese flags. Aflac is sending the right message to their Japanese viewers by telling them that the company, and its new voice, don't support the tweets by Gottfried.

Many people were worrying that no one could replace Gottfried's signature quack, but I think McKeague will do just fine. Want proof? Check out the commercial that aired last night debuting his Aflac quack: