Last Post

It's been a rough couple of weeks, and I really haven't been keeping up with this blog very much. I've just been so distracted with two funerals and two wakes and everything in between. Luckily I did end up finishing my final project , and I think it turned out well considering the circumstances. So here it is. I'm signing off of this blog, and will be making another one to show the process of healing from my mother's death, as well as another for professional use. I will link both of those here when I make them.

So here it is. Thanks to Michelle Kelly, who was so great about this whole project!

Final Project from A Beland on Vimeo.

A New Trend

So from now on, I'm going to be updating this blog everyday until December 2. I haven't really been doing a great job with updating it, and I want to make it clear that it's not because my project isn't going well. Though, I have had some pitfalls. First, I got a text from Michelle yesterday saying that the immigrant that I was supposed to photograph with Michelle for my project has expressed discomfort in being recorded. This is a HUGE pitfall, considering that a week ago this woman said it was okay to photograph her, and I was planning on adding pictures of them interacting together into my presentation. Michelle's work with an immigrants is HUGE part of my project on CORAJ, since that is a major piece of what CORAJ does. So, I have to figure out a way, I can fill the gap in my project. I've seen some pictures that other people have taken of members of CORAJ working with immigrants, so its a possibility that I could use those, but I would honestly rather use pictures that I took. Also, another pitfall is that some of the woods pictures I took of Michelle are going to need a bunch of editing to make them clear and bright since I took them without a flash, (stupid me), and in the woods at sunset. SOOO, that's where my project stands at this point. I'm going to be taking time, a lot of time, during Thanksgiving break, to get it done. Till tomorrow then!

Project Updates

Sorry I haven't been updating my blog, I've been really tied up with driving back and forth to manchester to help my mom, working, and homework. At least I'm here now, right?

Well, I've decided to do a profile piece on Michelle Kelly from CORAJ. We've talked several time, and taken a bunch of photos. Yesterday, we explored her favorite piece of woods on campus, and I took some great photos of that. Unfortunately, there wasn't a CORAJ meeting last week, so I had to wait till this Wednesday to take pictures of Michelle at CORAJ until after the rough draft is due. I also am only able to meet with the woman she is helping untill next week due to my am packed schedule.

YES! I forgot to mention this. One of the main reasons I decided to stay with this project idea was that Michelle was still meeting and helping an immigrant worker she worked with over the summer. Michelle talked with this woman, and she said she would be fine with me taking pictures of them studying and talk with him about working with Michelle for the project. I'm not sure if I will use the audio, but I defiently want to use the photos.

Also, Michelle talked about how much she likes going to Bluegrass nights in Dover, so I thought I would drop by their and take pictures of her dancing and signing. I thought that would be a great way to show her personality and her fun side.

As of right now though, all I have is audio and woods pictures. I'm disappointed with myself for not getting more material, but this was really the best I could do under the circumstances. I think the project will be about 3 to 4 minutes long. I'm working on my project in Final Cut, but will be able to present it using a conversion to an mp4.

That's all I got right now, I apologize for being so emotionless, I feel like I'm drained and exhausted at all times.

Class Work

I talked with my group today, and Sandy the other day and I've changed my project idea from Healthcare for the Homeless to a profile on a memeber of CORAJ. The HforH program wanted to give me only an hour on the van and I really didn't think that was enough time to film the shots and footage I think I need to make a really great presentation. I have my frist meeting with CORAJ tonight, which I'm both excited and nervous about. I asked my group questioned on my project and I think they got the wrong idea of the way I was going with it. I guess it was my fault for not saying anything/correcting them. It's weird that I didn't, that's not really like me. But, I think i want to focus on alittle bit of their life as a student at UNH, but more of how they got involved in the program, and how they are making an impact within the program. This video project is going to be the final story in a three part series on students at UNH making an impact on campus. I think I'm going to do a video component on each person for the TNH website as well. We'll see how that goes though. See you later for now.

Video Project Thoughts

This week we had to tell a story through video. I decided to tell the story of a MUB Building Manager because I feel like many people, including myself, thought they really don't do much and spend most of their time just walking around. So I contacted Carol Tuttle, who is their boss, and set up a time yesterday where I could follow two of them around during their shift/rounds and video them doing what they normally too. Needless to say, i was wrong, and they defiently do have many more responsibilities than most people think.


This defiently wasn't my first time using video, so I wasn't worried about the quality of my shots, or what shots I wanted. Through experience, I usually just think of the shots I want literally 10 or 15 minutes before the shot, and just position myself in a way to get them. I decided to use a SCAN camera because one, i don't have alimit on when I have to return it like the Multimedia Center, and two, I figured there wouldn't be many if any of the Multimedia cameras left. The general manager was pressuring me to use one of the really good cameras from SCAN's collection, but I decided to go with a simple and old handheld canon. I did this because I wanted to prove that the size or price of the camera shouldn't affect what type of shots etc. you can get. Instead, it depends on the mind and creative spirit of the person behind the camera.


So I followed two building managers for 40 minutes, doing a 10 minute interview with them at the end. i think it went well. One issue I came across was the ability of the canon to adjust focus when I zoomed. At some points, I really wnated just the hands of one of the building managers, or just their feet, and whne I zoomed in on those body parts, the picture became blurry for longer than I anticipated before adjusting its focus. As a result, I missed a couple decent shots as a result. Also, some of the shots of me walking behyind the building managers are alittle shaking because I had to walk alittle quicker than my normal speed to keep up with them.
Overall, I think the project went well. I have a nice story to tell, and the building managers were really open about showing me what they did on a daily basis and for being explanatory during the interview. Now, it's just a matter of cutting 40 minutes down to 10 minutes. That might be the most difficult part for me. I using final cut instead of Imovie because I just don't like some of the features of Imovie. Also, I know how to use final cut better than I do Imovie. Plus, the SCAN server is 16 tera bytes, which is alot larger than the space I have on the Multimeida Lab. Therefore I don't have to rent out a hard drive and carry it around with me.

My final project

For my final project in my multimedia class I hope to put together a piece highlighting the Healthcare for the Homeless program on the seacoast, a traveling healthcare system that stops in designated stops along the coast every week or month.. This program provides healthcare and access to low cost community services to those who are living on the street, in a shelter, in temporary housing, or even those who are coach surfing at friends houses. These services are provided through Medicare or private insurance if the patient has one of those aides. But, if the patient does not have insurance of any kind, the services are provided for free. I hoe to show the benefits of the program through this presentation, as well as the services they provide and who they are exactly helping in our seacoast community. I think this presentation would be newsworthy because it is very timely with the healthcare debate currently still in discussions. I have yet to talk with the program coordinators, but I would want to sit on the bus ALOT and talk to people who work there and use the services, and get to know their stories so I could implement their experiences in my piece. The message I want to get across is that not only are there many people living below their means who can't afford healthcare, but that there are programs in the area that are working to solve that problem. I'm apprehensive about doing something like this, because sometimes people are too proud to talk about not being able to afford things, or about being homeless, but i hope by sitting on the bus and getting to know them, I can ease their egos and gain their trust. I hope it turns out well!

These are my before and after pictures of Val. The before one, top, was taken in Ham Smith, while the after picture, bottom, was taken at Val's house. I like the after picture more, but I wish that I had remembered to put my finger over the flash box in the front of the camera, so I could still have a flash, but have it be not as harsh.