CNN iReport Critique

Upon visiting the CNN iReport website, I think it's a good idea because it experiments with journalism from unlikely sources - the community. In my opinion, the news tends to focus on topics regarding the upper and middle-classes, and ignore a lot of news regarding lower class, news overseas, and other things that would hit close to home. However, there are plenty of things news directors don't find newsworthy that could save plenty of lives, and keep the public more aware. Members of the community providing news will create depth, covering topics that otherwise wouldn't be covered.

What I liked:
- The ability for those of the community to give their input.
- The website offers a tour when you sign up.
- That you can also mark "favorites" like Twitter, and share stories via social media like other news station websites.
 -  Intertwined with CNN's main website.
- You can create your own interest groups.

What I disliked:
- Pretty simple and boring, but what can you expect from CNN?
- Not very intriguing. I don't expect to actively use this.

Audio Slideshow - Anthony's Diner

Elyssa Ellis & Courtland Hanley

Intro to Multimedia Storytelling

Dan Williams

Due 10/23/13

 

Audio Slideshow - Anthony’s Diner

 

After our original plan to do an audio slideshow on Paddy Cakes & Candy fell through, we set our sights on Saint Johnsbury Academy’s Hilltopper Restaurant. The Hilltopper soon fell through as well, as they are only open three days a week, for less than two hours.

 

After driving around Saint Johnsbury, we decided to set our sights on Anthony’s Diner. We came back to campus, and looked at some reviews to see what people had to say about the place. People seemed to love the atmosphere, the service, and most of all, the food.

 

At the age of 24, Anthony Proia opened his own restaurant, Anthony's Diner, in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont. A year later he would marry his wife, and in 1979 the couple relocated to Railroad Street in Saint Johnsbury. 

 

34 years, and hundreds of thousands of customers later, Anthony's Diner is one of the most popular diners in Vermont. Known best for their Woodsman Burger, Anthony's Diner stresses the use of fresh, local produce, including grass-fed beef from New England in all of their burgers.

 

Anthony's interest in the food industry dates back to his teenage years. Anthony worked in hotels, dairy barns and diners throughout Connecticut, before moving to Saint Johnsbury to work at his grandmothers' grocery store. 

 

Anthony would then go out on his own, opening Anthony's Diner on June 6th, 1975. They started with fewer than a dozen employees, open from 8am-11pm daily, before expanding to a 2am close-time on weekends.

 

While the menu has changed a half-dozen times since the opening, the Woodsman Burger has been a staple on the menu all along. The Woodsman burger is a six ounce pattie, with American cheese, mayonaisse, two slices of Applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The burger was originally $3.75, but the price has climbed to $9.95. 

 

The Woodsman Burger is so famous, fans from as far as Australia have come to try the burger. Anthony recalls a specific time two months ago, when six people from Australia who had heard about the burger through facebook came to visit Anthony's, and before they sat down, they already had their orders placed.

 

Anthony's Diner serves between 250-1000 people daily, with their busiest time of the week being weekday lunches, and Friday nights. As far as the busiest time of year, Anthony says that from June until mid-October, the restaurant is almost always full. 

 

If Anthony wasn't the owner of a restaurant, he would still be in the food industry, likely as food service salesman for Sysco. 

 

 

Photos: Elyssa Ellis

Photo Editing: Elyssa Ellis

Audio: Courtland Hanley

Soundslides Editing: Elyssa Ellis

Text: Courtland Hanley

Audio Slideshow Synopsis

Courtland Hanley, Elyssa Ellis
Intro to Multimedia Storytelling
Dan Williams
Due 10/16/13

Audio Slideshow Synopsis

For our audio slideshow, we would like to visit a local bakery or food-related business, and get a cooking lesson on one of the business's best-selling foods. Right now our number one choice would be Paddy Cakes & Candy in Saint Johnsbury. For this project, Elyssa will be taking pictures, while Courtland will be receiving the hands-on cooking lesson. We will record sound through Elyssa's phone, and then transfer it to her computer. We plan to record nat-sound pops of food being made or sizzling, and any other nat-sound that presents itself. We will interview owners Cindy and Patrick Poginy, so they will provide our other voice during the slideshow.

As far as shots go, we plan on getting close shots of Courtland's and Cindy's hands interacting with the food, as well as medium and further-away shots of Courtland talking with Cindy.

We also plan on using rights-not-reserved music. Courtland will focus more on writing the 400-word feature story, while Elyssa will focus on editting the story. However, we will both help each other.

If Paddy Cakes doesn't work out, we plan on doing this project at the Hilltopper in Saint Johnsbury. 

Slideshow Test

Slideshow & Photo Gallery Critiques

Photo Gallery:
I chose a photo gallery on one of my favorite athletes, Rob Gronkowski. The gallery features a couple of pictures of Gronk when he was younger, some of when he played football at Arizona, but features pictures mostly from his time with the New England Patriots. The photo gallery serves as a decent story telling tool, but isn't a preferred method of mine. Pictures are nice, but you can't really get a full story without words and sound.

Silent Slideshow:
The silent slideshow I chose to critique runs down the 10 worst signings in Boston Red Sox history. The slideshow was of particular interest because this is one of my favorite topics to discuss regarding baseball. I was actually visiting the site to watch a different slideshow, but this one was much better. This slideshow did a better job of storytelling, because each slide came with a few paragraphs discussing the value of the contracts, and exactly why they were so bad.

Slideshow with Sound:
For the slideshow with audio, I chose a New England Patriots slideshow. The slideshow features "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys. This song is played at many New England-based sporting events, so it was very fitting. I think sound, whether it be music or natural sound, adds another necessary element to any good slideshow. However, this slideshow didn't have words. A slideshow that combined the best elements of each of these three websites (great pictures, detailed writing, and  music) would make for the ultimate slideshow. I don't think any three of these are the best storytelling tools, but they are decent enough.

Slideshow

Courtland Hanley's Blog