Category Archives: Media

Media and sports video

Leaves are falling, the wind is blowing, apples are being picked, and football is being watched, the sure signs that fall is upon us. For many Americans, fall just means football and, personally, I’m one of those Americans.

I can’t get enough of the football season and I love that I can use sports media outlets to catch up on any missed highlights or news. When it comes to sports, it’s one thing to read about a game or play, but another to actually see what happened. That’s why I find the sports video side of media to be so important. Seeing a well made highlight reel or game recap can make one fell as though they missed none of the action, and I admire that ability.

Recently, I have gotten involved in doing this myself to see how much really goes into delivering a short yet fulfilling recap. Through The Daily Illini I have begun to work on producing highlight reels for various sports. I have already discovered that it’s far from easy.

The entire process of making even a one minute highlight reel takes several hours. Every single clip taken from a game must be evaluated to see if it delivers something that was important to the game or worth watching. The amount of clips can be in the hundreds for sports such as soccer and football, and editing them makes it feel as though you are watching the game all over again. After the best clips are taken out, there is a good chance that more than half of those won’t even be used because they either don’t fit smoothly or make the video too long. Then starts the real editing process of trimming down clips and adding audio, which is followed be an overall “clean up” of the video making sure it all flows appropriately.

Now that was just a short summary of what an average sports highlight reel creation looks like, but many smaller, time-consuming components are involved. When all is said and done, you have a one minute video sitting in front of you that really tells a two to three hour long story. I imagined the process was a tad tedious, but I never imagined how long it can actually take. However, the finished product gives such a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

I have nothing but enormous respect for those that do such videos for companies like ESPN and NFL.com. These videos help us gain any information we missed and feel as though we actually watched the game. I am now aware of the grueling process that goes into delivering this information. I suggest that maybe next time you go to watch a recap of the Bears game, think about all that went into the making of that short video that made you feel like nothing was missed.

Two sides to every story

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One of the powerful aspects of media is the fact that it allows so many varying view points. No matter the subject, one can typically find either very hot or cold opinions and interpretations. In a sense, this can be taken negatively because we might always be receiving biased information. However, these different interpretations are somewhat necessary with all the mindsets that roam throughout our world.

When looking at nearly any news, the difference in opinion is extremely evident. Let’s take a look at a recent noteworthy event, Trevor Noah taking over The Daily Show. This past Monday, millions of viewers tuned in to watch South African comic Trevor Noah’s debut as host of The Daily Show and expectations were high as he took the place of Jon Steward.

The following morning reviews and articles filled the internet and the contrasting opinions were everywhere. The New York Times, for the most part, praised Noah for keeping The Daily Show DNA and having a rather good debut episode. Although, if you look at other news outlets like Deadline you’ll see a rather negative view point touching on everything from his stage presence to how his jokes fell flat.

Opinions can also fall somewhere in between, but when looking at this example a reader who may not have seen the debut could be influenced either way instead of having their own true opinion. This isn’t necessarily always a bad thing because certain interpretations target certain people and thus they feel as though they are being understood or their voice is being heard. However, it can be a tad overwhelming to see all the conflicting ideas and certain people may not know what to believe or think.

The example of The Daily Show debut is rather simplistic, but it demonstrates a bigger message that can be seen amongst many news stories and even outlets. Obviously, getting information from Fox News is going to be extremely different than receiving news from MSNBC and these contrasting outlets will ultimately influence a person perception on daily life events.

I challenge anyone to start taking a closer look at where they are getting their news and how they are interpreting it. Does your news outlets correlate with your everyday beliefs? Does it correlate because you target the outlets that are similar to you, or has that outlet transformed your thinking? Begin to take these two questions into consideration and see how much of an influence media’s differing news interpretations have on you.

Just Married!

Computer wife

My life revolves around my computer. I’ve learned through college life that everything and anything important rests within that singular device. I knew a computer would obviously be an important component when coming to college, but I never thought my entire life would rest in its keyboard. See what I did there?

All my homework, notes, review guides, and overall material are on this machine. It makes me feel as though I should have it locked in a safe instead of carrying it in my backpack 24/7. Being a media major, I assumed that my computer would become my best friend, but I didn’t think it would become my life partner.

When you look at it, the relationship I have with my computer isn’t that much different than the relationship one has with their spouse. We are typically always together and right by each others side, we eat meals together, and sleep in the same bed. Also, I cherish my computers friendship;  we always laugh and cry together through things like Youtube and Netflix. I suppose we have a few little fights here and there, because maybe my computer is taking too long to load a page, or, perhaps, gives me the silent treatment and shuts down. However, we typically stick with each other through good times and bad times, through sickness and in health.

This strong relationship I have with my computer is very necessary. It makes academic work and entertainment a lot easier and more accessible. It allows me to just sit down and get work done anywhere at any time. If anything ever happened to my computer, I know it would be a huge hit to my productivity and happiness.

My computer usage definitely tops all other media outlets, and the fact that I even use it more than my phone is shocking. I believe that as the years go on, my relationship with my computer will just continue to grow. I really hope there is no possible divorce anytime soon.

 

Snapchat has affected all of us

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Personally, I was never been a selfie taking guy. A lot of my friends used Snapchat, sending ridiculous pictures to one another barely even holding a conversation. I thought it was childish and a tad silly, just not for my mature self. However, I came to college and that changed in a heart beat.

All of a sudden, I could be seen walking to class wide eyed and mouth open staring at my phone camera. I don’t exactly know what changed in me, but my snapchat and selfie game has gone up significantly. I’ve learned that Snapchat is just basically a more intimate way of texting. Since we are actually seeing one another’s faces or location, we feel closer to that individual. I think that’s great and all, but what I really think Snapchat is doing is either making us look absurd or a lot more attractive than meets the eye. Now, let me explain myself.

Think about the type of Snapchats you send (exclude the ones of the floor, sky, or random furniture you use when just trying to have a real conversation). Your Snapchats probably fall under either one of these two categories “ugly” or “attractive.”

You’re “ugly” ones probably just go to your friends because you bond by seeing who can have the most chins. Everyone who uses Snapchat has sent an “ugly” snap before, and it is quite amusing to think how comfortable we are doing these odd faces to, normally, nothing but a camera. If you were walking down the sidewalk and saw a man trying to create a record breaking eight-chin while giggling to himself, you’d be relatively alarmed and might begin to walk the other way. Although, if this man had a phone in his hand it would automatically become justified.

The other type of Snapchat sent out is considered the “attractive” ones. We all know these quite well; these are the ones that take you about six or seven tries to finally get right. These special snaps go to acquaintances or people you’re interested in. I look at “attractive” pictures the same way I look at tampered-with evidence: falsified! This isn’t the real deal. You just sent an “ugly” snap to Eric, we all know it, but then Bridget gets the one of you biting your lip and looking up. No. One of those pictures is not the real you, and it is pretty safe to assume that it is the one that was just sent to Bridget.

Anyways, I won’t become too passionate about the bias of “attractive” snaps and hierarchy of Snapchat. It really is an entertaining app that has taken the social media world by storm. It will continue to grow in popularity and advance in its uses. If one thing is for sure, it is that I will continue sending “ugly” and “attractive” snapchats alike for many years to come.

#TwitterUse

Twitter

When coming to college I never expected there to be such a stressor on the use of Twitter. Contrary to what I thought, Twitter isn’t a dying social media platform, but rather it is a changing one. I probably should have expected to use it more considering the fact that I am in the College of Media, but it wasn’t too popular back home. Now, however, several of my classes emphasize the fact that all of us should be on Twitter for, what seems to be two main reasons, news sources and networking.

After using Twitter more often, I have realized that it is a great news source. The amount of content and stories you can find is extremely vast, and while the news provided may not be the most detailed right off the bat, it is short and sweet. It is a fast and easy way to hear of all the current news, and if you are intrigued to learn more, typically, there is a link to a longer story. Also, there are all types of news outlets for all types of special interests. If you desire to have all the latest hard-hitting news about soil production, it is most likely only a follow away.

The second great aspect of Twitter is its networking ability. A major amount of businesses are using Twitter to connect with customers, competition, and the general public. Twitter is a fast and efficient way to get an idea and product out there. Also being a student in media, it has already proven itself to be a helpful tool in connecting with other businesses. Tweeting twice a week in class has already gained me 20 or so followers, which include news networks, anchors, sports blogs and more. I have found myself retweeted, favorited, and even engaged in “Twitter exchanges” with them. Twitter throughout my four weeks here has already proven to be a great networking tool that i’ll for sure use in the future.

Twitter has grown into much more than just a sharing site, and today we see it being used mainly for business purposes. Getting a brand out over Twitter and connecting with followers is simple and the word limit keeps it short and sweet. The news side of Twitter is very versatile, and it delivers fast, simple information. I don’t necessarily think Twitter is the social media outlet of the future, but I do believe that it will continue to keep doing the job it does today for years to come.

Media controls us

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Did you ever track how many hours you’ve spent on your phone over a five day period? Right off the bat, you’re probably thinking one of two things: one, starting this blog entry off with a question was a poor hook decision, or two, why the hell would someone ever do that? Well, recently in my Media and Society class, we were assigned a project in which we had to track our media usage.

At first I thought to myself, “Huh, this assignment shouldn’t be too hard. I barely use media, and I was thinking for the next five days I’d give transcendentalism a try anyways.”  Well, it turned out I use a lot more media than expected, and surprisingly, transcendentalism didn’t fall through.

What I discovered through my five days of glorious research was that media controls my life. I spend hours upon hours utilizing numerous media outlets. Most of my time, roughly sixteen hours, I spent doing school work on my computer. Other than that, I spent all my time either on my phone browsing social media, texting, or doing other various things on my computer.

The project acted as a very eye opening experience because I had the opportunity to look way more in-depth at how much of our lives can be controlled by media. I definitely recommend tracking your media use for at least a day. Chances are you’ll be very surprised by your findings. I also recommend attempting a project like this if you have a sudden urge to feel as though you have no self control!

At first I looked at my data thinking that I should perhaps lower my media usage; however, when thinking about it more, I came to the realization that I am a media major. If I were to lower my usage, it would be rather contradictory. Instead, I should embrace everything that media has to offer me.

Our world moves fast, and it isn’t slowing down anytime soon, especially in terms of media. I don’t believe spending a large amount of one’s time using differing media outlets should necessarily be viewed as negative. It is a growing part of all of our lives and should instead be, as stated previously, embraced. We should look forward to the future and all that media will have to offer.