48:064: Alternative Forms
August 31, 2006

Two assignments

1. Design your videoblog

First draft due: September 7^th (10 points)
Finished design with working feed due: September 19^th (20 points)

Customize your blog design in a way that creates a personality that captures you and what your vlog will be about. Adjust the template, colors, text, links, images, background, blog masthead, and any other areas you see fit. Also set up a working feed in Feedburner (we’ll discuss this in class) and test it using iTunes or another aggregator.

Criteria:

· Attention to the look and “personality” of the site

· Efforts made to customize several areas of the design (e.g. color, links, title, masthead, etc.)

· Design shows inventiveness and personal style; not just a generic template

· Design is clean, clear, and user-friendly

· Attention to spelling and proofreading

· Links and feed work

2. First post—Direct Address

Due: September 12^th (10 points)

For your first post, you will explore the approach of direct address, that is, talking directly into your camera to communicate with your viewer. There are no limitations on your subject, style or approach, but your post must explore this popular form of videoblogging. Cutaways and secondary sequences are allowed as long as direct address is incorporated into the piece. Post is due on your blog before class on September 12^th.

Videoblog Assignment Criteria

For all posts, the following criteria will be considered in grading:

· Posts must be at least 30 seconds and no longer than 4 minutes in running time.

· Video includes a slate at the end with the URL for your blog

· Post gives attention to exploring your unique vision, interests, concerns, point of view, voice, and style—the hand of the maker is evident in the work

· Attention given to creating work for that embraces the small format, intimate viewing experience, international audience, and interactive nature of videoblogging

· Post is contextualized and made more meaningful through text and titles accompanying the video on the blog

· Every technical aspect of image and sound contributes to aesthetic meaning and overall meaning and intent of video

· Post is treated with seriousness as a work of filmmaking for a broad audience—pushes beyond the fleeting entertainment of viral video

· Attention to maintaining high production values, even when exploring low-fi equipment and approaches

· Video is cleanly compressed and posted, free of technical errors