Closing Up Shop

Though our Wix page may not yet reflect it, the convergence group for alternative medicine has been doing some great work lately. With four excellent interviews from medical professionals and great multimedia representations of all of those interviews, we think we're doing Manhattan a great service by helping expose them to new information. Excited to finish up strong!

Gotta Get Them Points

After having a difficult time finding and contacting sources over the last week, my convergence final project group is having a regroup session that will serve to get us back on track. We're working on getting our website layout in order, and that will help us dictate the content we include moving forward. We're dividing work up amongst us so that we may most efficiently inform the public.

Sensitive Subjects

After a few days of scrambling to organize this project, I've come to a settlement on a topic that is relevant to the arts, politics, and culture in general. I'm going to work with K-State freshman Clay Massingill and follow him through his preparation for performing in the K-State theater production of Columbinus. The play focuses on the tragedy of the Columbine school shootings, and Clay portrays Eric Harris, the leader of the massacre. I'll attempt to capture the emotional hardships he endures throughout his research, preparation, and performance of his part. I've been granted access to shoot a dress rehearsal of the play tonight, and Clay and I will work on an interview and some lifestyle work tomorrow. It should be a great piece.

"Better Late Than Never" and Other Useful Cliches

After a whirlwind week of trying to set up an interview with Morgan, we got everything sorted out and set to work. Honestly, I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Morgan had a great story to tell, and it was genuinely fun to work with her.

I'm in the process of arranging the soundbites I want to use to tell her story, and tomorrow I'll set to realizing them in Audition. Should be a good story when all things are said and done.

MC 580

To whom it may concern:

This will now be the website at which I post my thoughts concerning MC 580: Convergence Reporting. Previously, this site had been used as a canvas for my musings on Computer-Assisted Reporting. The times, they have a-changed.

There is much to be learned regarding convergence reporting. I do believe I've developed many skills in media production, but I have a lot to practice on with respect to reporting and content generation. Time to break out of the shell and start asking the tough questions.

That's It, Folks

Story's done, graphics are done, and everything checks out. Now it's just time to throw everything up on the website and do some design for that. Though I was pretty skeptical about the class to begin with, I ended up being pretty happy with the result. My grade isn't good. That's a fact. I missed a lot of work because I didn't take most of the class as seriously as I should have. However, I recognized from the beginning that I had an opportunity to do a unique story, and I've dedicated myself to it throughout the class. As long as I pass the class, I'll be happy with the final product. I'm not sure it's a great idea to make the final project only 10% of the grade when it's such a large project, but I'm satisfied with the results of my time in computer-assisted reporting.

Closing Time

Graphics are looking good. I've put together a map that features the locations of the last ten Metal Museum national metalsmiths of the year. The map is intended to give some graphical backing to the idea that metal art is strong all over the country (though it does seem to have quite a strong backing in Wisconsin...). Metal art is not concentrated. It's global.

Final Draft Looking Close

Put the finishing touches on my final draft last night. It reads nicely, and I think all of my information is properly attributed and super supportive of my story. Because the story is pretty experimental, it's really important that my data and quotes back up my information. I don't want to be making an argument; I want to be telling a story.

Finishing Up

The story has really come together in the past couple weeks. After starting as an amorphous blob of ideas (both good and crappy), the words started flowing like sweet cherry wine (which I'll admit I've never had, but I've heard good things). I'm planning on turning in my final draft in the next couple days. A couple more things to do with graphics and web design, but things are looking up.

Revisions

The first draft of my story has been looked over, and I'm very pleased with the feedback. While most of it was positive, I felt that the constructive criticisms were very helpful in creating a complete final product. I clearly need to be more precise about my attribution, and it is obvious that a lot of my story may be construed as analysis, which, as any educated reader knows, is not news. By taking care to ensure that the remainder of my work on this story is strong in regard to supporting my statements, I'll be creating a story that may actually make an impact.

Halfway There

My story is really starting to take shape. It's a little ambitious and a little bit out there. I wouldn't qualify it as news, necessarily, but it is certainly a report. It's a dichotomy of how metal plays in current events, both on the behalf of those trying to enact social change and those trying to uphold the current structure. Hopefully it turns out.

A Coat of Primer

After compiling the extensive research I had completed up to this point, I found that my story would take another shape. It's now changed considerably to be reflective of metal's role in society as both an economic and social construct. Metal and metalwork can be used for social stability and social change, and I now intend to illuminate that opposition.

Getting It Going

It's crunch time for CAR. Getting all of my information compiled has been a time-consuming but rewarding process. Outlining my work is giving me a pretty nice framework to draw from as I begin my journey toward completing a story that enlightens readers as to the art of an art. I've only been able to complete two in-person interviews, which has presented many difficulties. The art professors are among the busiest I've ever attempted to speak to. It's also been difficult to find data that supports my story in a strong way. I think things will work out, though. Here it goes!

Behind the Curve

This week has been a stressful one. Class and extracurricular obligations have collided in a big way. Because of it, I'm a little bit behind on my work for computer-assisted reporting. There are a lot of points to be made in the next month, though, and I'm dedicated to making sure I do good work that does the class justice.

I have two interviews completed with two more later in the week. I've compiled a solid list of sources of all kinds. My FOIA request was denied, but I feel that I will have sufficient data to make a story that is both effectively gripping and informative. The response to my FOIA request was disappointing. I anticipated that the information I requested would be of great benefit to my story.

The next two weeks will need to be very productive for me to be successful in this class and as a reporter.

First Timer Over Here

Welcome to the first edition of "Tailored to Specifications," a blog site dedicated to tracking my progress in MC336 "Computer-Assisted Reporting" at Kansas State University. I'm in the process of constructing a story covering metalsmithing and its progression throughout both art and utility history. To date I've conducted two interviews, gathered a considerable number of resources, and collected a good amount of video for the project.

I intend to approach this class with a convergence media perspective, trying to create both a written story and a video story to accompany it. I believe providing both will draw attention to both the art of metalsmithing and the process of its creation. In doing so, I hope to help create a public appreciation for the art, as well as a greater understanding of its function in society.

Follow me on this quest through art, form, history, and function.