CULINARY ARTS VIDEO & FINAL PROJECT

Its about that time. The end of the semester and our final project is here! I can't believe its almost done. Unfortunately our culinary arts video did not turn out the way my group and I were hoping for.

After we finished interviewing Chef Pierini and started importing our video onto iMovie we noticed that the student who previously used our camera did not erase footage they previously recorded. 

Almost 15 minutes of our 25 minute video was completely unusable and destroyed. This was the heart of our interview that was completely gone. So, we had to use what we could with what we got. With a frustrating few days ahead of us we got it done and to be honest, it was not too bad. There are some awkward pauses and some bad editing on our part and due in part to the poor quality of the video but in spite of our challenges we got it done and within the time frame that Mr. Cameron wanted it to be. 

                     CULINARY ARTS & CHEF MICHAEL PIERINI 

FINAL PROJECT: TALON MARKS REPORTER & MULTIMEDIA REPORTER 

Our final project for the semester will be working with a student from a different class. We will be working with the Talon Marks reporter from the newspaper class on a feature story for the end of the semester. It is a really nice bow tie finish for this class. Next semester I will be in the Talon Marks Newspaper so this will give me a taste of what I will be getting myself into. 

I am not sure who the reporter is that I will be working with but I will be working on a feature story of the Art Department at Cerritos College. I will be bringing a Multimedia perspective to his story in the paper. I am thinking of a slide show video for this project so that we can feature every artist in the department without having to cut anyone out. 

Perhaps we can interview an instructor and a student who will be graduating or transferring to an Art Institute or University pursuing an art degree. Feature their work and it can give me the creative outlook I have been craving all semester to do. 

More updates to come on this project. 

SLIDESHOW PROJECT 

I apologize for the delay but I never put my final slideshow project up to see. I have to say I am particularly proud of this turnout for this slide show. I hope you find Pedro's story as powerful and moving as I do. 

                                              MEET PEDRO THE LABOR DAY WORKER

                                      

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON IS OFFICIALLY APART OF THE MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSE.

Its a simple matter. What we have all learned in class and in doing class projects and experiments is that we learned to update our potential readers and followers with a Twitter account. Did you know that Bill Clinton just got one? Until just recently he has not been apart of the multimedia web users and journalists unofficial club.

He talked with Comedy Centrals Stephen Colbert on April 6th at the Clinton Global Initiative that he did not have a Twitter account and only facebooked and text.


Colbert announced that he had set up a Twitter account for the nation’s 42nd president, saying that because more obvious handles were taken, he had chosen @PrezBillyJeff.
(Los Angeles Times by Seema Mehta click here for full article)

It is nice to know that we are not all on the same page with constant updates in the cyber world. Even former Presidents of the free nation do not keep up with the modern age. If you would like to follower Bill Clinton on twitter, it is now possible! Click @billclinton  to follow former President Bill Clinton on Twitter.

UPDATE ON INTERVIEW WITH CHEF PIERE & FILM STOCK FOOTAGE OF CULINARY SCHOOL AT CERRITOS COLLEGE

Yesterday Michael and I went to film stock footage of the culinary department at Cerritos College. Unfortunately Anthony was unable to make it due to an exam he had at the time.

What I learned about filming the culinary students was something as a bit of surprise for me. No one liked us being there. In fact, more than twice we were almost kicked out. This could be due in part to the recent health inspection rating the kitchen got a week or so ago. They are a B rated restaurant due to a possum getting into the kitchen. How did this happen? Good question. I would assume that the kitchen is quiet clean and from personal experience of visiting the kitchen and the department they are all quite clean. This could have been a simple mishap of a student leaving the door open at night or a window. That is all it takes for an animal looking for food and shelter needs.

Michael and I wanted to interview some students and ask them about their experience at the culinary department, how much they have learned, and what they expect to achieve with their culinary certificate. Myself and Michael did not personally feel it was a good idea. After some negative encounters with more than two students we agreed it was best to get our filming done and leave them alone. Although, after leaving I regretted this.

Being a journalist requires you to make people feel uncomfortable sometimes. Not everyone can feel cordial and comfortable when trying to get facts that may be hidden to the public. It is my job to get the truth and to get the story even if that means being put in an uncomfortable position. Next time, I will push the envelope.

Today (4.25.13) My group and I will be interviewing Chef Piere and asking him a few questions regarding his position at the culinary department, what he offers, and his background in the culinary world. The interview is at 12:00 and will last perhaps 30 minutes.

CHEF MICHAEL PEIRINI & UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday my group have made an appointment with Chef Michael Peirini to interview him on film for our group project. We are going to ask him about his background in the culinary field, discuss his program at the school and the reputation he has built. We are very excited! 

Tonight I will be filming some footage from a city council convention that will be here at Cerritos College in the auditorium today (Tuesday 4/23) at 4:00pm. 

Updates to come. 

SLIDESHOW PROJECT FINNISHED AND VIDEO INTERVIEW BEGINS. NEW BEGINNINGS AND A FRESH START.

My group and I finished our slideshow project together. It was down to the wire with us trying to get it finished. What I learned from this project is timing is everything and so is translation. Our interviewee does not speak a word of English! Luckily, we had two translators with us to help us translate our interview from Spanish to English. The project turned out to be such a great success.

Our interviewee’s name is Pedro. He is a labor worker in the Labor Work Area on the 133 highway in Laguna Beach. He is an undocumented worker living in between San Francisco and Santa Ana. His story was more than just moving; it was eye opening experience for everyone in the group to understand how fortunate we all are to be American citizens.

One of the things that Pedro discussed with the group was something that I will never forget. He said that his hands bled and he cried from the pain of hard labor, that it is depressing and lonely. He said that people forget why they are out here and get into drugs and alcoholism. He said he always remembers that he did this for his family and is devoted to give them a life better than his.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the life you or I have. Whenever we think that we have a hard life there is always another person who has it harder. I am able to go to school full time, work, and eat everyday. I never go a night hungry nor worry about what I am going to do about money the next day. That is just enough for me.

What I did realize and take from the interview is that this is where I am meant to be, writing the untold story from the people that suffer the most. 

VIDEO RECORDING INTERVIEW WITH CHEF RAMERIEZ AT CERRITOS COLLEGE

I have a new group and a new project to do. I am excited for a lighter side to journalism. The new people in my group are Michael and Anthony 

They are both really nice guys and have some great ideas. I am excited to work with them and see what we can come up with. We decided on going to Cerritos College Culinary department and talk to some culinary students about their experiences learning and being a cook at Cerritos.

We also wanted to interview the main Chef that runs the school to get an inside scoop to how the program works and what cooks look to achieve going to school in the Culinary Program. We also wanted to get his background on the restaturants he has worked at and what brought him to Cerritos College.

More information about this topic will be coming soon. Tomorrow we are going to talk to the Chef to start filming.

MARK MAZZETTI: THE WAY OF THE KNIFE

Mark Mazzetti is a New York Times journalist that investigates government operations in the CIA during wartime. He just recently came out with a new book called THE WAY OF THE KNIFE which is about post 9/11 CIA spy operations and assassinations. The way the government conducts their wars. 

I just briefly wanted to discuss the topic of Mark Mazzetti. He is a great example of a multimedia Journalist because he does investigative journalism, he writes books, publications, won the Pulitzer award for his investigative journalism and expertise in CIA operations. You can follow him on Twitter, read his articles on the New York Times, read his blogs, and read his books. He is constantly updating the news that he covers and he is good at what he does. 

There is a big misconception of Journalists today that they are liberal and skew the news in order to get a big reaction out of the public when that is really not the case. These people care about bringing the news to the public that no one might know about. Its about connecting with people and taking risks in order to expose the truth that can sometimes be ugly. Journalists carry a tough burden of being the messenger, they must be unbiased in their work, they must report nothing but the truth, and they must do this in a quick, smart, and timely manner. News five minutes ago is old news. 

Mark Mazzetti talks about what the CIA is like pre and post 9/11. What president Ford signed in order to stop assassinations. The CIA issued drone attacks on allied countries they had close relations to in order to capture targeted suspects of Al Qaeda. 

The book has just been released, I have it coming to me in the mail and I would highly suggest it for any of my fellow classmates to read. I will update everyone when it arrives and the details the book makes in this extremely controversial topic of how the American Government conducts their business behind the scenes. 
Interview with Mark Mazzetti on The way of the knife

WORDS ARE POWERFUL BUT PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND RECORDED INTERVIEWS IMPACT A READER EMOTIONALLY.

Everyday I try to keep up on the current news to understand what is going on in the world and better understand journalism and what its all about. Articles are great to read because sometimes reading something gives you a better understanding then just listening to someones words.

If a reader is listening to a video or a podcast he/she may misinterpret what the newscastor was saying and through word of mouth may have a complete misunderstanding of the news he/she just watched. Words can be powerful and less misunderstood by a reader. Although this is true, hearing someones story, looking at their photographs, and watching in motion of events that occur brings people closer together and a connection can be made between the reader, the journalist, and what message they are portraying.

A good example of this is the current project I am working on with my group called SOUNDLISDES SHOW this project, as I stated before is a recorded interview with a person who has an interesting job and who can tell their story and how they got to that particular career choice. Myself and my group went to Laguna Beach and interviewed two people so that we can chose which person we thought interviewed the best and who we decided to use in our presentation. My group felt the first interview we did was the most powerful and will have the biggest impact on its viewers as it did to us.

This emotion I hope viewers (my classmates) will get from this slideshow presentation will impact them as much as it did me and my group. This same emotion is what I felt watching just 25 seconds of the beginning of a video clip by the news segment DEMOCRACY NOW!
within those first few seconds of the introduction I saw horrific animal curelty done to pigs, cows, and chickens in farms across the nation. Something we as American consumers never have to think about, how the animals are treated right before they are taken to slaughter houses. For those 25 seconds I did want to become a vegetarian...just for those seconds!

The news segment today was just the example of the project we are working on in class. It is meant to shock you and perhaps open the viewers eyes to something they never knew exisited, or never gave much thought before. Our actions have consequences and its a journalists job to expose that to mass audiences and remind us all that we can make a difference in our own society and cultural way of life.



In case you were curious about the news segment I discussed, here is a shortcut to Democracy Now! as of today: April 9th 2013

Democracy now! Tuesday, April 9th 2013

RECORDED INTERVIEW PROJECT: TALKS WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND SHELTER COUNCILOR

Today was the most rewarding day I have had in all my life. I always knew no matter what I wanted to do with my life I always wanted to help people. Yesterday, we were given an assignment to go out and interview someone with an interesting job. My team and I had a few ideas. 

I immediately thought of something that I have always wanted to do. Since I can remember I have always wanted to interview and talk with illegal immigrants and tell there story. Ask questions that maybe no one has asked in the past. 

Another idea of someone to interview came from a personal past. I work across the street from a shelter called "The friendship Shelter" and in a previous attempt to help a loved one get into the shelter I talked to the leading psychologist. She was kind, clam, and very kind. I would have loved the chance to get to talk to her more and to interview her about her daily life and her life. 

Our third idea was going to an elderly community and getting someones story. There are a lot of elderly people that have an amazing story to tell. Some people have lived somewhat normal lives and gone through normal struggle. But theres always one person, a veteran, a detective, a firefighter, an activist, living out their days and no one knowing what they have gone though. I would love to tell their story. 

So, today we got two out of our three interviews done. We talked with a man who wanted to be anonymous because he was an undocumented worker. His life story was tragic and heartbreaking. Something that will be edited and heard for people to know the struggle most of these people endure everyday. 

The second interview my group and I were able to interview a woman who was a counselor for a homeless shelter for homeless adults. We asked her what compelled her to help people and the stories and amount of people she has helped. Her job was hard but rewarding and she truly felt that she was making a big difference peoples lives but most of all, her life. 

There is a lot more to come after this. Expect updates. 

BASSEM YOUSSEF & MULTIMEDIA REPORTING FREEDOMS IN THE USA

It has been a while since I have blogged last. For that, I apologize. My interview with Professor Rigby was very suceessful and I am going to try and get my short interview presentation online as well as the full interview (which is very interesting) here as well.

I wanted to discuss this hot topic that is circulating around the world right now. Bassem Youssef's arrest by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for making satiric jokes about the presidents rule and authority of Egypt. This is a very big deal for Egypt and for the world to witness the critical situation that is happening in Egypt.

Bassem Youssef is a political satirist and conducts his show in a comedic backdrop that discusses the hot button issues going on in his country. He is often compaired to Jon Stwart and he is a highly favored comedian in Egypt. He stands for the political activists, bloggers, and reporters in Egypt being persecuted by the Egyptian government for speaking out about their surpression.

You can find the full report on every major news station and multimedia website but my main source for this information has come directly from the Los Angeles Times. To see the full report, click here. 

The comedian was arrested and interrigated Sunday for almost 10 hours about his latest show that pokes fun at the president. He is accused of insulting Islam as well, these accusations made against Youssef are misleading and the citizens of Egypt are outraged by the authorities arrest against him. What seemed like thousands of Youssef's supporters were outside the jailhouse shouting for his release.

Youssef's opinion on the interregation against him are "We are not the ones who insult religion," Youssef told a TV station Saturday. "All we do is expose the channels that have misused religion and harmed it more than anyone else. If there is anyone who has insulted religion, it is those who use Islam as a weapon for political reasons." (LATIMES REPORT)

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MULTIMEDIA REPORTING

I brought up this topic for several reasons. It is a hot topic issue right now and it is known throughout the world, there are more updates to come from this, and Bassem Youssef is a political activist. He in a way is a multimedia reporter because he reports on the news within his country, his delivery of the message may be different, but that is the beauty of the multimedia world. It is a means to dilver the news through different outlets.

This situation that has happened has made me realize my personal freedoms as an aspiring reporter. I sometimes have to remember how greatful I am for being a United States citizen. It means that I can write about anything I want and my rights are protected under the constiution. This is something we all know, its not news. But to someone like Bassem Youssef who is being persecuted for his words really makes one think about the things we can sometimes take for granted.

In developing countries like Egypt, freedom of speech is not a privilage they have. There are poeple that fight for that right when we as Americans don't even think about it.

To learn more about Egyptians human rights visit the Amnesty International: Egypt.