Final Project Details

Final projects are due on Friday, December 14 at 9 a.m.

I know it's a busy time, but please keep this in mind as you work: The goal of this project is to produce a multimedia piece that you will be proud to show future employers. That means that it needs to be as professional and as compelling as possible for that reason, above all else. The job market is increasingly competitive, as you know, and people will want to see your work rather than how many points you got in a class. Please use this week's class to consult me on any questions you have about how to make your work stronger before you turn in the final draft. And I will be giving feedback on the finals, and I encourage you to make changes to the project even after the term is over and the grade has been given -- and re-upload that to your own personal Web site, resume, or portfolio -- so that you will have it to show anyone who you want to convince that you can tell stories in multimedia form.

 Here are some boring but important details about logistics:

 

Post your final project to the class blog (unless you used SoundSlides). The title of the post should include: Your Name Final Project: Headline.

The headline is important, so make sure to include one. 

Post videos to YouTube or Vimeo first and then paste the embed code into the blog post.

For those of you creating an audio slideshow in SoundSlides, bring your output files in person to our classroom on December 14 and I'll copy them to my flash drive so I can grade them. Make sure you include a headline (which SoundSlides lets you add in the presentation itself).

There is no set length for the final project, but most will generally run between 2:00 and 4:00 minutes.  

Your final project will be a work of journalism. That is, it will tell a story, (ideally a compelling story) not simply document an event, just as we have been talking about all semester. I'll be looking for a hook and a story arc. I'll also be looking to see that you've followed all of the composition and technical guidelines we've covered. There will be significant penalty for late work.

Do not use music in your project unless you clear it with me first.  You can use "found footage" if it helps tell your story, providing it does not violate copyright laws. In other words, if you are profiling a student band, you can use a short clip from their music video if they give you permission to do that. Such footage cannot make up more than 15 percent of the running time of your piece. (Most projects don't have such footage, but it's an option.)