Developing+Streaming+Media+for+the+English+Department+Web+Site


 * [[image:Jing.jpg]] || Dear Peter, David, Josh, and Robert,

Welcome to your group wiki page for developing a streaming video that will be posted on the departmental site. It is my hope that you can accomplish all you work by depositing anything you need on this page. You will be allow and expected to work on the project and communicate with each other through this space. It allows for interaction without physical presence, thereby, allowing group work without the necessity have having to set up group meetings. I will be adding information on the over all home page on a regular basis. In addition you will be able to peruse the other two groups' pages also. This will allow for interaction even though you are working on different projects. If you have any questions, please let me know, and thank you for using this wiki.

Michael﻿ ||
 * || October 18th

Dear Group Members,

Thank you very much for your work on this project initially. Peter, this is an outstanding Gantt Chart; both the design and the color coding make it a very usable document. Josh, I am still looking for the user personas, which are the first piece of the puzzle that need to be accomplished. David, as you are thinking about scripts, I think it is certainly reasonable to put out some ideas prior to the actual script to illicit feedback from the rest of the group. Robert (Bobby), I know you have experience, but you might post some samples as well as develop some small examples to provide a venue for ideas and feedback.

Thanks for your work.

Michael || Here is the link to my Gantt Chart, it will open in Excel. If there are any questions or comments about anything I have scheduled please let me know. Notes are also at the bottom of the chart. - Peter

Dear Group Members,

I see most of your work is in the discussion board. I think this is a good way to manage the work; however, could you post the documents that are required on this first page as Peter has done. For instance, Josh, I do not see the personas for the different people that might use this video. Those personas should be posted here as part of the overall project, as well as answer the questions I originally posed. David, I know that you are working on content and again, I see some questions in the discussion board, but will you have some sort of intro that needs to lay out the video or verbiage that should be on the web site itself? Again, I think your give and take in the discussion board is helpful, If you have questions about my posting here, please let me know.

Michael To: Group and Dr. McCully From: Joshua Myer, Usability Coordinator About: English Department Informational/Recruitment Videos
 * Memo: Our Persona

Before we start drafting scripts or shooting footage, we’re going to want to think about how our video will be seen in the context of genre. The reason for this is two-fold. First, we have been assigned to pre-write based on the notion of our persona (I’m linking the concept of genre here as an extension of classical rhetoric much in the way Kineavy uses Aristotle’s triangle … in regular English that means genre seems to be a catch all term for the association of various conventions used to determine both a generalized sense of identity in modern media). Secondly, I really believe that we could benefit from opening up our discussion of how to make these videos effective with the idea of pathos.

We’ll want to keep a few things in mind. Film is very imagistic; first impressions in film can be much trickier than in writing. The attitudes and impressions we establish in the opening scene will most likely govern the strategies we use for the entire video. Music is a plus. Good recording quality is always nice. We’ll probably want to record the sound first and then pair up imagery to match the sound, that way we can fill in bits that would be boring (yet necessary to our purpose) with interesting images.

The audience we will be appealing to is very broad. We want to appeal to successful people (and soon-to-be-successful ones) who will promote our institution but our primary goal is to attract English majors who will give money as alumni; I recommend we try a somewhat sentimental portrayal that doesn’t sacrifice our image as a modern University (or compromise the English department in any way). We’ll want to interview a lot of people in order to get a balance between capturing truly genuine testimonies and compelling bits of imagery. Although we can’t make our institution more or less appealing, many students choose a college based on a perceived sense of community. We’ll want to include viewpoints from students, faculty and alumni (we should shoot more footage than we need, so we don’t have as much to shoot after preliminary editing). Keep in mind that what matters here most is that we portray the English Department here in a compelling fashion to students seriously considering Bloomsburg.

That having been said, what makes these videos actually work is the manner in which the filmmakers approach the task of informing students about the English Department. If the video seems dry and uninspired, the prospective students will assume the same is true for our department. Conversely, if it seems like a joke, only jokers will want to come here. We want future teachers, creative writers, and English majors with career plans. Let’s start recording testimonies ASAP! One of the key points I'm trying to raise (admittedly in a roundabout fashion) is that most of our clarification of purpose will come from the arrangement, editing, and re-visioning of stock footage. I will work with the script writer as much as they would like my input with regards to our purpose, but I must emphasize that any plan we develop at this stage must essentially remain liquid enough that we can adapt it so as to incorporate only the best, the most genuine and appealing footage/ interviews that we capture. I'm sorry if this falls short of the assignment guidelines, but this is the advice that best aligns with the purpose of our endeavor (our personae). ||
 * =﻿Question Set Sample= ||  ||
 * Students-** What is a typical English major? Is there such a thing?

Why be a part of the English Department? Why did you choose to be an English major?

What is your review of the English department through your college career so far? What do you find valuable to your progress through the major?

What skills or assets do you think are important for a student in the English Department to possess?


 * Alumni-** What kind of jobs are out there for majors in the English Department?

How did BU's English Department prepare you for your career?

What advice would you give to prospective students looking to join BU's English Department?


 * Faculty-** What sets BU's English Department apart from other universities?

What kind of jobs are out there for majors in the English Department?

What brought you to the English Department here at BU?

What skills or assets do you think are important for a student in the English Department to possess?

**Video Intro**
I threw this together quickly to get some ideas for an intro. We can cut stuff out or add text to it as 36 seconds is quite long. Also youtube absolutely destroyed the video quality but I will work on that because the camera in shooting in HD []


 * Progress Report**



Above is a copy of my progress report. -Peter