Project 1: Profile

The profile requires photography and audio as well as writing. Each student will interview another student in the class, make an audio recording of the interview, and take digital photos of the interview subject. The completed profile consists of a photo, a sound bite and a very brief text. Students will be given a template for the online package and shown how to use it.

1. Interview

Conduct your interview with two things in mind: (a) an audience of journalism students and instructors; and (b) your classmate, who does not want to seem either idiotic or totally boring.

2. Audio

You need to make a clear recording of the entire interview. From this recording, you will select 30-90 seconds (60 would be great) to put on the Web page. The audio on the Web must not have your voice in it -- only your subject's voice. Make sure you get good audio quality.

Audio Notes >

3. Photo

Take a lot of shots. Take care that the background looks okay. Do not use a cameraphone! The final JPG file for the Web will be edited to a height of 400 pixels. The width should be between 400 and 750 pixels. Keep your subject to the left side of the frame and have him or her look toward your right.

Photo Notes >

4. Text

Make sure you get the correct spelling of your subject's name. Check your facts for accuracy. You will be formatting the text in a plain text file for the Web. Length should be about 200 words. Make it snappy and interesting. Avoid passive verbs! And -- very important -- DO NOT replicate the information in the audio file!

Text File Notes >

A Real Live Example

Open this Web page to see what your final product will look like. The page template is already complete, so do not concern yourself with the design. You may change the color of the text background rectangle on the right-hand side, but you cannot change anything else.

Create Three Files

All you need to do is:

What to Bring to Lab

On the day Project 1 is DUE, you will have one hour to edit your audio file in the lab. That means ALL your other work should be completed before you come to class, or you will not have enough time to edit your audio well. Bring these files with you on a USB drive:

  1. The finished plain-text file (copy.txt), in the proper format
  2. The finished photo file (pic.jpg), already edited to the correct height and width
  3. Your audio file, in WAV format, unedited but copied from your recording device to your USB drive

NOTE: DO NOT save the WAV file to a CD that is formatted as an "audio CD"! Do not bring your audio on a Compact Flash card, MiniDisc, or other portable media used by the recording device! Transfer the file to a USB drive BEFORE class.

Grading

This assignment is worth a maximum of 10 points (out of 100 for the whole course).