J209 Multimedia Bootcamp – August 26 and 27

This is a required two-day intensive multimedia training workshop at the beginning of the Fall semester to equip all first-year graduate journalism students with basic knowledge of digital storytelling techniques as well as the use of multimedia equipment. The objective is to train all students—regardless of their planned area of specialty—with some foundational digital skills to be applied during their reporting for the school’s local online news sites in the J200 Intro To Reporting class.

Workshop instruction begins with how to properly approach a news assignment for publication. Students also learn how to use DSLR still cameras, and instruction on techniques for shooting quality photographs. Students then are sent into the field for 4–5 hours to practice the skills. All the gear used by students (video cameras, photo cameras and audio recorders) is supplied by the school, so students do not need to buy any equipment of their own.

Students then learn software for editing photos like Photoshop, as well as other online tools they can use during J200.