Katie Coen

After a course heavily focused on audio and video design, I feel so much more prepared to go into the workforce. Throughout this class, I was given the opportunity to use my creativity and production skills again after a long break. With a journalism undergraduate degree, I came in having a lot of experience making podcasts, videos, and covering news. I spent years taking classes focused on producing everything from montages to full documentaries. Plus, I took a whole class about podcasting where I started my own series. When I switched to my masters degree, I stopped being the one physically behind the camera or in the editing booth. This class allowed me to put my journalism hat back on, using all the knowledge I had and building on it. There were some things I had forgotten about, like crossing the line in filming and editing. I also hadn’t set up an interview using three-point lighting in years. Reviewing how to do these things made me remember even more tricks I have learned in the past.

Lighting was definitely the most useful technique I reviewed in this class. As a journalist making packages, I always think about lighting, but had not used artificial lights for a long time. Now if I want to conduct a sit down interview indoors, I know what to do to prepare.

With my experience, most of the projects were fun for me to create. It had been a few months since I used Adobe Audition for podcasting. Remembering all the kinks of the editing platform and how to use certain features was difficult, but I used resources from this course to help. 

I do work as a news producer currently, but my goal is to be a reporter. In that role, I would make packages everyday that need to have perfect video and sound to go on TV. Audio and video both work together to tell stories, which is so important in the industry. I will absolutely use the audio, video, and editing knowledge I gained in this class when the time comes to switch jobs.

Research to Inform

When making a documentary or news package, there are editing techniques that help bring the story to life. A “L cut” or “J cut” are some examples. L cuts are when you see the video change before the audio. The video is carried over from the shot before, but the audio switches. Here is an example from “The Princess Diaries.”

At 58 seconds, you can hear the voice of one of the characters that is not on screen at the time. The shot changed from her to a close up of two other characters in the room, but you still heard the same audio. It works well here because the L cut continues to show the action of handing the papers over from a previous shot while pushing the scene forward with a new topic of conversation.

A J cut is when the audio changes before the video. You hear new sound before the new video cuts in. This is an example from “Baby Driver.”

At 1:55, you can hear the car driving and honking before the video switches to the next scene. The J cut works well in this instance because it transitions from one scene to another smoothly. It gives the audience a hint of what is coming next before they know what is going to happen. J cuts are often used to push the plot forward.

News Package: Antisemitism at QU

To show off all the knowledge I have gained over the past seven weeks, I created a news package about recent antisemitic acts on Quinnipiac University’s campus.

To make this package, I conducted two interviews. One was with the university’s rabbi and the other was with a Jewish student. I set up three-point lighting on the interview with the student. I also took various shots of campus to match the writing in my script. That way the visuals would correspond to what the narration is talking about.

While editing, I incorporated L and J cuts. A L cut is used at 1:15 when the student appears before her audio cuts in. A J cut is used at 1:02 when video is seen instead of the rabbi when she is talking. After a few seconds, we see her on screen.

Making packages is a passion of mine and something I want to pursue in my career as a news reporter. Although this is a difficult topic to cover and the university would not do an interview, the experience making this content was enjoyable.