Please continue working with your group to draft your stories. You should do this in a google doc and email me a link no later than by Wednesday, March 20 at 5PM.
Your story should specifically begin in New York City, and it should offer a human connection to the subject and issue you’d like to explore. From there you should write down the next steps in your story’s progression: you can write this is script form, as a narrative, as a narrative that includes bulleted points, scenes you have in mind, or questions you’d like to ask.
If you are unsure about where to incorporate data, science, or experts, do not worry! Please include your questions and your concerns in your draft (no more than 2 pages). Try and have fun. Go ahead and let your personalities come through.
Harriet and I will read them in advance of our class session on March 22. Vallerie and Jasmeene might join us as well.
Please note our March 22 class session is important! We will refine your stories and then you’ll have a workshop on using the iphone kits from CUNY TV that you will need to use for your b-roll. We will also make a schedule for shooting a-roll with Harriet.
Did I mention that our March 22 class is important? It is important. Please plan to arrive on time and ready to work—please bring your laptops or tablets, if you have one.
We are happy to announce the CUNY Immersive Research Experience – Climate Scholars program (CIRE-CS) application for the 2024-25 cohort is now open. We invite you to apply.
CIRE-CS is a highly competitive program. We seek passionate, determined, and serious-minded students committed to making a positive impact on our environment and our society. We encourage you to apply if you are interested in mitigating climate change, preparing for a vibrant future, and expect to pursue a climate-focused career in areas such as renewable energy, environmental policy, sustainability, climate science, climate policy, environmental justice, and climate journalism.
The CIRE-CS program will run from August 22, 2024, through April 30, 2025. CIRE-CS Scholars will present their research at the Baruch Creative Inquiry and Research Expo in May 2025 and at the CIRE Research Symposium in June 2025. CIRE Climate Scholars participate in mandatory didactic sessions held via Zoom on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 am. During the fall semester, CIRE Climate Scholars participate in a three-month climate research lab experience and meet with middle school and high school students to discuss climate challenges and solutions. During the spring semester, CIRE Climate Scholars participate in a three-month NGO or corporate climate change internship*. In-person and field experiences are included in the CIRE-CS program. Valuable CIRE networking events and workshops will be announced regularly, and CIRE Climate Scholars will be encouraged to attend. Each applicant must be able to commit 20 hours per week for the full duration of the program. Each CIRE Climate Scholar will earn up to $7,500 for their participation. Funding for the CIRE-CS program is provided by the CUNY Office of Research, the CUNY Research Scholars Program, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mr. Paul Rothman, and the State of New York.
To apply to the program, please fill out the form below and submit it by March 22, 2024, at 5 pm.
If your application is selected, you will be scheduled for a group interview to be held via Zoom between March 27 and April 8. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@cunyclimate.org.
We look forward to receiving your application and wish you the best of luck in your academic and career pursuits.
Y’all were amazing last Friday! Harriet confirmed you looked and sounded really good in the footage you made in your practice camera session. And all of our guests told me how impressed they were about your presentations, ideas, and your enthusiasm. Of course, I concur. We threw y’all into the deep end and you swam!
You’ll see on our syllabus, that Harriet and I made some slight changes. Most immediately, we’ll focus on refining your stories in class this Friday. Please also be sure to read as much as you can from the “Colonialism and Reparations”content assigned for the syllabus, especially the essay from Olufemi Taiwo, “The Fight for Reparations Cannot Ignore Climate Change.” We’ll spend the first hour of class discussing these readings.
In the remaining two hours, you will have a chance to work on your stories in your groups. Please bring your laptops and/or notebooks. We’ll spend some time workshopping your stories so that you can leave the class session with an assignment to start planning how you will communicate your visual stories with evidence.
Harriet will join us to help us think and plan. We’re both excited about the next steps!
You can borrow a Sony o5100 digital camera with a 16mm or 5o mm lens, USB charger and AC Adapter for 7 days with your Baruch library account. Please visit the 2nd floor circulation desk or the 3rd floor technology services desk (Monday-Friday).
You can also borrow Mac laptops that are loaded with the Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes the Premier editing suite.
All of the computers in the campus computer labs are loaded with teh Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes all of the editing software you might need for your projects. Labs are open Monday-Sunday, from 8AM to 10PM.
HUGE thanks to Journalism Professor Emily Johnson for sharing this information with us as we work on our documentaries: With video, we build on the compositional techniques of photography and the structural, storytelling aspects of audio with one obvious additional element: Motion.
How does video storytelling for the web and mobile differ from TV and film?
Need to be CLOSER to your subject. Web videos are smaller and more compressed.
A large percentage of online viewers bail on a video within 10 seconds. So you don’t have a lot of time to grab your viewers and make sure they stick around.
SO IMPORTANT. If you have low-quality video and good audio, the video will still be watchable. If you have gorgeous visuals but terrible audio, it will not.
Shooting Your Video
There are two main components to any video: your interviews and your B-roll. The rules of composition we learned for photography (thirds, colors, patterns, symmetry, etc.) all apply here, but you also need to keep an eye out for motion. Tracking shots involve following the action with your camera, while static shots involve keeping your camera still, but that doesn’t mean there’s no motion involved; you might just be letting the action go in and out of the frame.
Things to keep in mind while you’re shooting B-roll:
Shoot more than you think you’ll need.
Get a variety of shots. Close-up, medium, wide, detail shots, static shots, tracking shots.
Use a tripod whenever possible. If you don’t have one or you’re shooting in a mobile, chaotic situation, be resourceful about stabilizing your shots.
Think about your interviews and let them inform your B-roll shooting decisions. Look for shots that illustrate what the person is talking about.
Hold your shot longer than you think you need to. A good rule of thumb is to hold it for at least 10 seconds (AFTER it’s already steady).
Things to keep in mind when you’re shooting your interviews:
Frame the shot with your subject on one of the thirds, angled so that they’re looking slightly INTO the frame. Have them look at you, not at the camera, so be mindful of where you are sitting. It’s a bit intense when someone looks directly into the camera.
Prioritize good audio.
Make sure their face is lit, but not too harshly.
Think about composing the shot in a way that allows for some negative space where the Lower Third will eventually go.
Lower Third example:
The classic sequence that every budding videographer learns when starting out is the five-shot sequence.
Close-up on the action (often on the hands).
Close-up on the face.
Medium shot.
Over the shoulder shot, mi the POV of the subject.
One additional creative angle.
Starting with the close-up on the action creates a sense of intrigue. Editing the sequence in this order prompts questions that are immediately answered. “Whose hands are those?” Immediately we see a close-up on the person’s face. The tight shots make you wonder about the setting. “Where is this person?” The next shot, a medium wide shot, pulls back enough to show the person in their environment. Etc.
You won’t always edit things in this exact way when you do a sequence in the real world; sometimes it’ll only be three shots, or it might be ten, and they might be in a different order. But the five-shot sequence is a useful framework for thinking about depicting an activity clearly and engagingly with video.
Vall and Jas are still buzzing about the time they spent with you all on Friday. They said you all are “AMAZING” and “beautiful,” and I couldn’t agree more!
So this week, you are on your own working independently and in groups. Here’s your assignment:
Visit The Climate Museum before March 8. Please pay attention to how the museum tells the story of the energy transition. How does the exhibition teach viewers about key words and concepts? Can you identify how the visual, oral, and narrative parts of the exhibition work together and separately? How does the exhibition use data to advance an argument? Are there any tips, tools, or concepts you can use for your documentary projects? Please take a selfie while you’re there. This is the only way you will get credit.
Please consider this visit as a research trip. You should explore its website’s resources before you go. There are also two short readings posted on the “course materials” page of our class site.
The Climate Museum is free. It is located at 105 Wooster Street, between Spring and Prince Streets. It is open Wednesday-Sunday, from 1-6PM. From campus, you can take the 6 train downtown to Spring Street.
Working in your groups, please start planning the topic and story for your mini documentary. Our classroom will be available during our regular class time, so if you’d like to meet in person, you can use the space. Of course, you’re also welcome to make plans to meet on your own time, via Zoom, or whatever works. Here are some things to consider:
What is the personal connection to the climate justice and/or environmental justice topic and story you want to tell?
What is the problem and proposed solution you’d like to educate your viewer about?
What are the key terms and concepts?
How does your story connect to an issue in New York City?
What kinds of research and data do you need?
How can I help?
Our class on Friday, March 8 will be busy: Harriet Hirschorn will give a camera workshop for the first hour. In the remaining two hours, you will practice filming as each group presents their planning so far. Please plan to make a 10-minute group presentation. Each group will then receive 10 minutes of feedback. CUNY TV will be filming b roll while you make your presentations and while you practice filming. Vall and Jas will come too! This class session will be a practice session, so don’t stress too much. I am hoping y’all feel supported as we take the next steps. The goal is for you to feel good taking risks as you learn all these new skills.
I will be in my office (VC 4-281) on Wednesday, March 6 from 12-4PM, and on Thursday, March 7, from 3-5PM. If you’d like to talk about your group projects, I can meet you then. In person, or via Zoom. If you’d like an appointment, please let me know.
I will write you again next week.
Take care,
Professor Eversley
p.s. South Africa is beautiful, and the new biological family have been lovely. A monkey that snuck into our Airbnb and stole a mango!
As promised, I’ve added updates to our syllabus. I’ve attached it here. You can also read it on our class site, where a download is also available.
This Friday 2/23, my Dream Team (Jasmeene Francois and Vallerie Matos) will take over and lead you in an importantinteractive storytelling workshop. Please plan to arrive on time and ready to get into it. In order to prepare, you’ll find a short reading, listen, and video to watch. All are posted on our class site.
The following week, on Friday 3/1, you all will be working independently in your groups. Jas and Vallerie will give you prompt you can work on together during class time, on Zoom, or at another time that works for your group. Please also plan to visit the Climate Museum before our class meeting on Friday, 3/8. Please be sure to take a selfie when you’re at the Climate Museum.
If you haven’t already, please use this link to join our Slack channel. You can get the Slack app for your phone, desktop, or laptop wherever you get your apps. Here is a guide, if you are having trouble joining.
Sadly, I won’t be able to keep office hours on Wednesday. If you’d like to meet next week on Zoom, please write me directly and we can set up a time.
I am very excited to see everyone on March 8! Our class session will be full of activity. You’ll meet Harriet Hirschorn who will give us all a camera workshop. Guests from CYNY TV and NYC Climate Justice Coalition will join us at noon. Your group will have a chance to pitch your initial plans for your mini documentary and our guests will be present to offer feedback and advice. CUNY TV will do some b roll filming.
Please write me if you need me. I will be 7 hours ahead of you.
