Multimedia package in the making

On February 5th, the department of Music and Dance at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst celebrated the performances of three Springfield elementary schools and the D.C. based step dancing group STEP AFRIKA!

UMass, Amherst journalism students, along with some High School of Commerce journalism students covered the event. We got video footage of the three schools that performed, as well as written notes and recorded audio interviews with some of the dancers after the show.

So.. what's the hook?

This event was at the beginning of the month, but in the next two weeks comes the deadline for submissions of videos to a contest offered by UMass, Amherst. The contest is calling for people to make a video showing why UMass, Amherst is SMART.

I'm going to produce a video that demonstrates how smart UMass Amherst really is.

Together we'll make a video that demonstrates how UMass journalism professor Nick McBride has enabled a team of journalism students to go to Springfield and volunteer their skills and knowledge (their smarts) teaching journalism and promoting higher education.

My audience is the panel of judges that will determine who the winner of the $500 first prize is. They'll find this interesting because they are looking for how we are smart and we will give them a video showing us effectively creating a vortex of education.

Three people I will likely interview are:
1. Nick McBride, the UMass journalism professor who graduated from The High School of Commerce and is now sending recruits back into the city with the mission of helping underpriveleged minority student populations attain higher education.
2. Brian Duffey, the UMass Amherst Alum and Commerce English teacher the UMass students work with.
3. Students from Commerce and students from our Community Journalism class that currently work with the students of Commerce.