Digital Storytelling and Introduction to Sound

Here is a quick video I made to experiment with digital storytelling:

http://animoto.com/play/5dlfhr2vM1rYpzSTF4Nz6A


This week was fun for me because I got to use a few programs I have been interested in trying. I have never used iMovie before so it was interesting to experiment with it and learn a few tricks. I have used garageband a few times in the past but I had never explored the podcast feature. I love how all Mac programs allow for easy convergence between programs like iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, etc, I guess that is why they say "Once you go Mac, you never go back."

This week was also interesting because we learned about digital technology and how it's used. For example, we were taught the difference between analog (electronic, chemically induced, magnetic, or vibration sensitive) and digital (the conversion of the original source into numeric data). The best way to describe the difference in these two processes is to relate it to photography. In traditional (analog) photography, there is a light sensitive, chemical process. In digital photography, light is captured onto CCDs and is then turned into numerical data. Digital is the best way to go because processing costs are virtually eliminated (still have to pay for print-outs), allows viewers to print high quantities of pictures at a lower cost, and allows for immediate viewing and manipulation.

This week's content will definitely be used in my major. In addition to learning about analog and digital, we learned about pixelation and compression. Both pixelation and compression will be important concepts for me to understand in journalism. I will have to understand the effect of pixelation on my graphics and the effects of compression on videos I may try to upload to my station's website. I will also have to understand the various encoding methods like uncompressed (flexible file formats that store a combination of bitrates), lossless (encodes silence and sound which requires more processing time that uncompressed but is also more efficient in space usage), and lossy (makes process easier by using compression). I will definitely use the lessons we learned about audio, digital and analog.

We are currently in a digital age but Polaroid is breaking that trend. Polaroid filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and many people were saddened to hear that those old cameras and their magic film would be disappearing. Fortunately, a new company has purchased Polaroid and will open a photographic paper factory in Holland so that the "quaint devices from the analog era" can thrive once again. Here's the link to the Business Week article:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2009/10/analog_in_a_dig.html