2. What event did you choose/Why did you choose it?
We originally chose the Shaker Ameer protest, but upon arrival we found that there
was a more active demonstration going on next to this, several groups were protesting
within it. We chose to focus on the BRP - Baluchistan Republican Party, and how they
are being sidelined and killed in their country of Pakistan. Essentially, the BRP want
independence from the state of Pakistan.
When did it happen?
The protest took place on the 29th of October.
Did you do any research into the event beforehand, and if so, what?
Yes, however this research was on the Shaker Ameer protest, so we covered the BRP
protest without knowing too much about the topic, which in hindsight isn’t a great idea.
We ran in to issues of having to decipher who was protesting about what, but when it
came to editing the photographs and video this became clearer.
Did you make a plan for your event - and if so, what was the plan? / How did you
organise your team? How did you organise and allocate roles?
As mentioned in the last question, we had a plan but it was centred on the other
protest. We did have set roles though, I was the videographer, Sabian was the
interviewer and Ameet was the photographer. These roles allowed us to cover every
aspect of the protest without having to worry about who was doing what.
Nathaniel
3. Did you look at any other multimedia websites to get ideas?
Humans of New York definitely had an influence on the photography style, this
being a portrait and a few words from the subject. In terms of the video and
interview style, influence was taken from VICE style reporting, with us choosing to
adopt an approach that wasn’t too polished or cleanly executed but instead asking
a few basic questions and using those to lead on to other topics, and shooting
handheld with a Canon 600D to achieve a more organic look.
What did you do when you first got to your event?
When we arrived at Parliament Square, we took the immediate decision to cover
the Baluchistan Protest, rather than the Shaker Ameer demonstration, purely
because the former was much more active and lively. We then had to decipher the
leaders of the protest, and got video and audio interviews with them to learn more
about the campaign.
Nathaniel
4. How did you undertake your tasks throughout the day – who did what? How did it
work out?
To start with, Nat undertook filming, whilst I interviewed protesters. Ameet also
interviewed a few protesters independently. After that we decided to gather
individual bits of multimedia, be it instagram, audioboom or twitter updates. This
went quit well as we managed to amass much content and were then able to
determine what is relevant to our agenda.
What digital tools and equipment did you use? How did it work out?
We used Instagram, audioboom, bambuser and twitter. All of the apps with the
exception of Bambuser were very effective. We had an operational issue with
Bambuser, which prevented us from using the app.
How did you identify people to interview?
We were aware the leader of the Baloch Activist Party was in attendance and felt
that we should interview him. He also suggested others who were personally
affected by the issues that we could interview.
Sabian
5. How many people did you interview? Who did you interview? Why did you
choose these particular people? What did their perspective bring to your
coverage?
(need to review as group)
How did you identify what to film?
Nat: 90second video of the protest, a vine video and photos
Sabian: Instagram videos, photos, tweets, Thinglink
Ameet: Tweets, photos, videos, instagram photos and TimelineJS
Talk us through your page
(See Web Page)
Did you publicize via social media and if so, did you get any traffic?
We used Twitter, Vine and Instagram for live feed. These each got some likes
and followers. The video featuring Mansoor Baloch has been issued to the BRP,
received around 50 likes on Facebook and will be featured in their own
multimedia as we have kept contact with Mr. Balooch. The wordpress page has
62 hits, all over the UK.
Sabian
6. Individually, what multimedia did you produce?
I used Timeline JS to outline the history of the Pakistani region of Baluchistan
and where the conflict began, using dates, facts and images to create an
interactive aspect to the website.
I used Twitter as a means of live updates at the demonstration, @kingsjourno. It
offered precise, clear information which could easily be updated
I used Instagram to publish key photos; portraits of activists, with quotes in the
text space.
Individually, what text did you produce?
My primary research involved interviews with protestors; including party leaders &
asylum seekers. I used the interviews to include text with images, explaining the
individual’s impact on the demonstration and personal motives.
My secondary research was online, in which I found information about the history
of the conflict, which I included in the timeline.
Individually, which photos did you take?
I took portraits of individual protestors which I interviewed, as well as some
scenic images. They were published in the gallery section. I created a ‘humans
of’ style publish in the live feed between interviews.
Individually, who did you interview?
I interviewed asylum seekers; political party leaders and families of
demonstrators. The most notable were Aqeel Ahmed, an asylum seeker who fled
the conflict, and Mansoor Balooch, president of the BRP.
Ameet
7. 7
Individually, what multimedia did you produce?
I produced a 90 second edited video with Mansoor Baloch, the president of the
BRP, outlining the aims of the protest. I also took multiple photographs, both
through Instagram and through my Canon 600D. I also used Vine to make an
introductory video to our live coverage. Lastly, I produced a ThingLink that
contained an article written by a news agency on the conflict.
Individually, what text did you produce?
My aim was to keep text to a minimum, as illustrated through the video interview
with Mansoor; I could have written up what he said as an article, but thought
audiences would prefer to watch rather than read. I did caption my Instagram
videos, and wrote a short introduction to the website.
Individually, which photos did you take?
I took multiple photographs which are displayed on the gallery page of the site.
Individually, who did you interview?
I was mainly the camera operator, but did set up interviews and approached
Mansoor and his colleagues for Sabian to interview.
Nathaniel
8. Individually, which tasks did you take in preparation?
I prepared by researching Shaker Aarmer, and his involvement with the Battle of Tora
Bora. However, on the day we had to take the initiative to change the protest covered.
Did the assignment go to plan?
The assignment did not go plan initially, however, we adapted towards the most fitting
aspect and created a good site.
What worked well?
The interactive elements work well, including the timeline and Thinglink, as well as a well-produced
video. Our interviews were also in depth, we discovered emotional stories from
asylum seekers which made maintaining objectivity difficult. As a result we will be sending
media to the BRP for their campaign.
What was difficult?
the inability to prepare meant that we had to learn about the cause whilst we were
covering, which proved to help as we felt more in depth with the cause. The rain also
made note taking etc. difficult.
Improvements
We could have been more knowledgeable about the campaign, however, learning about it
whilst covering gave us an angle. We had some issues with Wordpress such as Timeline
JS not embedding. We also could have gained some objectivity by getting a stance on the
issue from a British official such as a politician.
What have we learned?
We learned the motives of seeking asylum in the UK, not just as a haven, but also a place
where people can protest and have their voice heard. We also learned how to use many
new multimedia tools. Ameet
