Screening ONA Entries - Breaking News

All those years of sitting in a black room at the POYi and CPOY judgings and looking at thousands upon thousands of photos, listening to the clicks of the judge's pressing their vote buttons and finally hearing someone say 'in' or 'out' is paying off.

Out. Out. Out. Out. In. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. In.

Finally. I have been able to employ those skills as a screener for the judges for the Online Journalism Awards given out by the Online News Association.

I couldn't find anything on the site about confidentially, but I am going to make the assumption that it would be poor form to discuss the specific sites. So, I will write about the generalities that I am seeing.

I have been through four packages so far in the Breaking News category, and I have to say that the two biggest things I am seeing are site issues in Safari and a lack linking to related elements. It is like all the elements exist, they are not navigable from another element's page.

If I recall correctly, on the first four that I looked at I said...

Out - definitely. Out - definitely. Out - borderline. Out - borderline.

Depending on the package. I am spending anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes with each package.

As for now, I am going to evaluate one more entry, then I am going to walk up to the store, grab a coffee or five and continue. I will update again if there is anything interesting to note.

One last thing - for god sakes people do your video kits not have mono pods or tripods? Please use them. I have never gotten car sick before, but somehow watching too much web video shot without a tripod makes me ill.

CATEGORY: VIDEO/MIXED MEDIA (CPOY 62) FINAL

This is the second viewing of the VIDE0/Mixed media round, with judges' comments.

Film Camp - GOLD
U.S. Border Patrol - OUCH, this was mentioned as an Award of Excellence, but then they decided to pull back and voted it out.
Diagnosing Love - OUT

CATEGORY FINISHED.

Correction to early blog posts

I have a correction to an earlier posting. The category on Thursday afternoon was INTERACTIVE not VIDEO/MIXED MEDIA. The judges switched the schedule, without notification. The blog titles affected have been corrected.

CATEGORY: VIDEO/MIXED MEDIA (CPOY 62) ROUND 1

This is the first viewing of the VIDEO category

A New Life - OUT
ICOM828 - OUT
No Title Provided - OUT
Extra Innings - OUT
5th Inning - ? - I missed it.
Stream Team - OUT
Staying Young - OUT
Airsoft (OHIO) - OUT (I thought it it was entertaining if that counts for anything.)
Futvolly - OUT
The Art of Glass Blowing - OUT
Old Creek Ranch Vinery - OUT
Film Camp - IN
WATER POLO PLAYER - OUT
BINGO - OUT
DRUM CIRCLE - OUT
U.S. Border Patrol - IN
E-BAY Train Ride - OUT
Daniel Johnson - OUT
1/34 BCT Returns to Sauk Centre - OUT
New Cadet Week - OUT
Virginia Tech Tragedy - OUT
Acting Class - OUT
Redirecting Their Energy - OUT
Diagnosing Love, Energy - (Loading problems)
The Teaching Hands of Deaf Basketball - OUT
Pulling Together - OUT
Daughter of Cancer - OUT

Diagnosing Love - They are having problems loading this video. There is nothing they can do about it, because this is how they received the file.... Like 10 minutes later. They are playing Jack Johnson in the background.

Diagnosing Love - IN - Watched only partly,because of loading issues

ROUND 1 - END

CATEGORY: Still/Audio Story (CPOY 62) FINALS

AWARDS:

GOLD: The Mac
SILVER: News Cadet Week
BRONZE:Lennie Edward, A New Future

Awards of excellence:
Hunting for Friendship
F is for Failure
The john Deere Shuttle

FINALIZED - This category is complete

CATEGORY: Still/Audio Story (CPOY 62) SEMI-FINALS

7 left from 78.

Judges begin podcasting - this blog includes some of their comments. Three will pass along to the next round?

INs
New Cadet Week - good pacing, good rhythm, good photos, doesn't rely solely through the audio, there was ambient weaved in.
Hunting for Friendship - audio was sophisticated, but the images weren't as good as New Cadet, original story, this could have been a tighter story, could have had better sequencing and editing
F is for Failure - Too esoteric, the photos didn't do anything for me, the audio was good, it surprised and engaged me, I want to like this a lot more, people can learn from this one - for pacing, there is more room in multimedia for personal story telling like this, this reminded me of This American Life, I wasn't wowed by the photography, This would have been gold if this was another subject, if we want to send a message about what resonates emotionally, then this is it, but the photos are not that great, it's too long, the problem with most of these projects is that they used a formula that didn't work that formula is ... "my name is blah blah blah and I blah blah blah."
The John Deere Shuttle - some audio is over modulated, the audio picked up this project... "Hi, my name is Joe Blow and .... "
Lennie Edwards, A New Future good photos, if the person doesn't have a colorful voice, then don't do an audio slideshow, not everything is multimedia, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip
The Mac - I am all about the Mac, good audio, suffered from a little pacing, great photography, it is a strong piece


OUTs
Volkwagon Buddies I wanted to hear the car, I wanted to hear the metal, I wanted to hear from that guy was an expert, its too long, it is the music that brings you in, they relied too much on the audio, the photography could have been stronger

CATEGORY: Still/Audio Story (CPOY 62) ROUND 2

These projects have made it past the first round of judging:
New Cadet Week
Hunting for Friendship
F is for Failure - Judge said that they need to have discussion about stills as video. The tone in his voice was apprehensive.
The John Deere Shuttle
Lennie Edwards, A New Future - This one was only watched about 1/3 the way through. It began to buffer at that point. Judge said that they should move on, the project won't recover.
The Mac
Volkswagon Buddies WOOHOO! Mizzou kid and currently one of my students made it through. CONGRATS!

Lennie Edwards, A New Future - Reopened - it is still buffering. Judges take a break. One judge explains that if an image is prepared in correctly, Sound Slides can freeze and there is nothing that they can do on there end.

Judges take a short break.

Lennie Edwards, A New Future - was being viewed from the Smoky Mountain Stories project, not the original entry, because of the technically difficulties associated with the other file.

END ROUND 2

CATEGORY: INTERACTIVE (CPOY 62) ROUND 1

I came into this category an hour after the judging started. There are 17 entries, and they have gotten through 6 or 7.

There is a discussion going on of what roll can faculty advisers pay in an entry. The consensus is that faculty members can advise and direct, but they can be shoot video. A project was just eliminated, because a faculty member shot video. On the following project, the judges asked to see the "ABOUT" section from the beginning.

The Haiti project has been voted out.

Smoky Mountain Stories | CPJW 2007
A judge said, that a lot of the names (titles) are new and that they are easily identifiable in the broadcast world, but not hear.
Videos watched:
1. I missed the name.
2. A boy and his goat. (The Judges appear to be entertained. They are laughing.)
3. Country store at crossroads.
VOTING - IN

White City Stories
First, they viewed the ABOUT section.
Question brought up by judge (and their conversation) - design and functionality is just as important as content. How do we know if someone is a faculty member or not? Because we take this account in another project, because we know who the people are. How do we treat projects where there is a list of names that we can't recognize?
1. Cloistered for Christ
2. Inca Ice Maiden
3. In the Shadow of Ubinas
4. Life of a Miner - It is interesting that one story is subtitled and the another is voiced over.
VOTING - IN

Stories of Katrina's Aftermath
It was noted that David Leeson II participated in this project.
1. MISSED TITLE
2. Valerie Washington
3. Katrina Archive
VOTING - IN

Missed name - File name "sport.mov"
There is a quicktime movie. There is no page layout or presentation. Judges laugh when they find out the guy who wrestles is a principal.
VOTING - OUT

On The Line: Economic Hardship in North Carolina
About section viewed.
1. To Hell With Society - watched fully (note: this is a rarity, movies, picture stories and interactive are usually watched for only a few seconds at times before they get canceled out.)
2. An Uncertain Future
3. Timeline
4. Turning a Life Around
VOTING - IN

Everything's Bigger in Texas - Childhood Obesity
1. Jaclyn's story - watched fully
2. Ki-Aira's story
3. Romero family's story
VOTING - OUT


UPDATING HAS BEEN CANCELED. 11:04 PM
I was working on the print graphic for tomorrow's front page, and now I got to get the interactive done.

..................

UPDATE - News is whomever did the Skatopia Picture story won the Portfolio category. This is secondhand information.

CATEGORY: PORTRAIT (CPOY 62) Final

I haven't been able to get this data yet. From my understanding the judges stayed late today, and I wasn't able to catch up. There also has been some difficulties with the podcasting. I think the Portrait category was one that was effected by the podcasting troubles. This evening the judges did an extra session discussing the Feature section winners from yesterday, because of the problems. These comments were not the exact comments that the judges made during the judging.

This is all second or third hand information, so I wouldn't put a lot of weight into these updates.

I did hear the University of Missouri students took 1st, 2nd and 3rd some of the Sports Categories. Congrats Ben Reed and Tully! MU also took first for illustration.

I will probably not attend any judging on Wednesday, because there is a database I need to work on. I will try to post any info I get on finalists that may come my way. Here is a copy of the judging schedule.

Because of my person interests, I am going to try to attend Individual Video/Mixed Media Story or Essay. I am interested in this addition. I am also going to try to attend as much as I can on Friday, which is Individual Still/Audio Story or Essay and Interaction Multimedia Project.

Blogging about CPOY judging - Taking Requests

Surprising, I have had quite a few visitors that have been stopping by for updates on CPOY. The two locations that I have had the most visits from are Ohio and Kentucky.

Because, I can't blog through the whole competition this week, because of course work and a lack of a place to plug in my laptop, I am taking requests. If you are interested in a particular category's progress, post a comment, let me know and I will see if I can arrange to attend that judging.

CATEGORY: PORTRAIT (CPOY 62) Round 2 - Reconsideration

INs that are added to the original list of INs. These are the ones that I missed.
IN - Color photo, black bg, A man has his hand over his right eye. There is light that is falling on his eye.
IN - BW photo, of a 20 something male on the far right hand side of the frame. The image has an ethereal feel to it. The man is dressed in dark clothing but the rest of the image is white.
IN - there is one more - more info to come.

Images that are reconsidered from the outs
The outs are being viewed at 9 to a screen. Images that are viewed for a 2nd time are blow up and looked at individually. Judges are the ones who stop and ask to see the image a second time.
2nd time - image of a woman pilot, most of the image is sky, caption is read, she carries a charm
2nd time - caption read, Adam Crawford after a fight, something about Hooters - Judges said that it has a very Diane Arbus feel to it.
2nd time - caption read, Amber Hickleman, drag race, Michigan - Judge said very nice caption.
2nd time - Margret Stephens had her golf cart stolen, image from the outside of the house looking in through one window. most of the frame is the siding on the house - Judge said very nice caption.
2nd time - when brothers fight, only escape, Gaza strip, man floating in the sea, there is a beach behind him and half the image is sky
2nd time - (Just out of curiosity - Judge) caption read, iLatex series, studio shot, white bg
2nd time - Laquisha Jones made to the top American Idol something or other, from Flint, Michigan
2nd time - Katya, Russia Film something, photo taken in Switzerland, there are huge dark birds in the image (IMAGE WAS ADDED TO INs)
2nd time - Katie Tutle, Chilocothe, OH, She is a photo student who makes a 45 minute commute to Athens
2nd time - Man with Budweiser tat on the bad of his head (IMAGE WAS ADDED TO INs, Judge said that it was the captain that made difference.)

The end of reconsideration - checking for podcast preparations.

My battery is dead. You will have to get the winners from the podcast. I will try to do a updated winning post later.

CATEGORY: PICTORIAL (CPOY 62) Gossip

This judging was on Sunday evening. Word is on the streets (of the University of Missouri) that the image that won GOLD was not exactly ... hmm... I am wondering how to write this, while still remaining to be PC. Some of the photo students disagreed with the judges choice for GOLD.

CATEGORY: PORTRAIT (CPOY 62) Round 1

Judging resumed.

There maybe typos, because I am blogging while I am looking at the screen, as not to miss photos that may pass as "IN". I am not really watching the computer screen.

There are a lot of outs. It is expected. There are thousands of images.

IN - Woman on the water, looks like a beach. The water is blurred and in motion. There is a pier in the background. It is sunrise or sunset.
IN - Little, maybe asian looking out a train or bus window, a green statue in the background maybe the Statue of Liberty.
IN - I missed it because the other two prior to this one and this one were very close together.

IN - B&W image of of a person with a large mohawk. The person is facing to the right. The background is dark/black. There is a light source coming in from the right. They are leaning there head backwards.

IN - Elderly man with a walker in front of a brightly lit window. He is behind a bed. Overall, it is a clean shot.

Judges take a break - After making it through the 2nd 300 images in the Portrait Category
Judges return - 300 more images to go

IN - Personal with an leathery face, only head up, wearing a black hat, the image is B&W, quasi-out-of-focus BG

IN - Woman with big orange hair in the water up to her shoulders, she is in the 3rd lower part of the frame. She has a small dog on a small boogie board or small surf board.

IN - There is an black boy looking slightly upward. He is either scene through glass or there a reflect on the glass behind him. There are a lot of other people in reflection. The reflection is blurred.

First round Portrait is done. There are 10 images that are IN. From here on out, the judges will go through all the outs in mass, looking at multiples ones, 12 to 16 at a time on the screen to see if there was anything they passed up. Then they will go to the INs and kick out anything that doesn't deserve to be an IN.

Judges take a brief break. Bad music fills the room, while people chat and/or grab a beverage.

No more updates to this blog.

CATEGORY: PORTRAIT (CPOY 62) First Round

I showed up after class, during the middle of the first round of portrait judging. All images labeled "IN" have made it for further consideration. There are some that made "IN" before I showed up, so this list is not all inclusive.

Judge 2's button is sticking. The judging is paused for a second for technical difficulties.
Judging has been paused.

Did any photos pass that may have been voted in, but were voted out, because of the malfunction?

CATEGORY: FEATURE Finalists (CPOY 62)

The judges have decided to award the following photos:

GOLD: Vietnam orphanage
SILVER: Couple kissing on Charles bridge
BRONZE: Woman in kentucky with 30+ cats
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Family of 14 in a car
Boy entering inflated balloon earth
Boy and brother flipping from truck into hay in Mexico
Teens in Seattle hanging out in front of yellow wall
Elderly couple kissing

CATEGORY: FEATURE (CPOY 62) Judge's comments

We have two car pictures and two from the Vietnam orphan edge.
The family of fourteen is much richer.
The kid going into the tent...
It's a photograph that I could live with on my wall.
The suburban kids..
You know what hurts it for me, the kids on the left... (this picture) feels so fifteen like there is nothing to do.
Great color. Great color.
It's very now.
Can someone talk about the cow?
The hamburger, I don't get.
The kiss, it is a great moment, but technically....
This is a Missouri picture. This is POY picture. It is a black and white moment.
We all respond to this on a human level.
I care.
I don't want to knock it.
There is a fair amount of frustration that something was missing.
Why are you frustrated?
The basics are the moments.
The intimacy. The emotion.
The human condition.
This one is okay. It does what it is suppose to do.
In illustration it was all about perfection. Here it is about intimacy.
Especially in a feature situation
Even if it is just eating at the table.
It lacks intimacy.
What is the moment there?
It is a child being a child.
It puts you there.
In
In
In
Out
In
In
Out
Out
Out
In
In
In
You have 8 in.