221 Eighth @elleclairehoffman - Tumblr Blog

PREACH

Hey everyone,

If you want to watch my blog posts for next week make sure to follow the KCOU tumblr for SXSW content. While I will be making a few updates here, I will be almost constantly posting about SXSW for KCOU. I will also be posting instagram pictures for them, and they will be fed onto the tumblr page also.

Looks to be an AWESOME week.

#KCOU #SXSW #Check us out

With a Little Help from My Friends

So today, after a long, LONG day I was walking to Shakespeare's from some wonderfully caloric comfort food with my roommate and I almost cried thinking about all of the things I need to get done. Sunday at 3 I am leaving for Austin Tx. for a week to represent KCOU (of which I'm music director) and also provide coverage of the festival and bands. Needless to say, I am incredibly excited for this seeing as I am a huge music fan and want to do entertainment journalism in the future. Because of this though everything else I need to do is crunched into far less time than is healthy. Other than the things I need to do for SXSW I also have to turn in my internship application for my study abroad in London over the summer, and do a ton of homework for next week that I can't do while I'm in Austin. I also work 7pm-2am tomorrow night, so yeah, everything is a bit crazy right now.

Having all of this was such a great weight on me that I was talking to my roommate about it on the way to Shakespeare's. While I'm talking she just looks at me and says "Why don't you put it in perspective. You're going to SXSW, you're getting ready to study abroad. These are wonderful things, you're in a good place. You're ok." It just hit me that she was right, things are actually pretty great. I hate that all the due dates and stress often get in the way of enjoying how great things really are. While I try to keep things in perspective I am incredibly grateful that I had a person there to ground me, and get me out of my own head for a bit. You know, they say it takes a village to raise a child, sometimes I think it takes a village just to be a functioning human.

#Me #Abigail being awesome as always

lizlemonincarnate

elleclairehoffman

This weeks soundtrack.

"Rumours" ~ By: Fleetwood Mac

An old standard that never gets old.

The first album I learned every word to…way back in 1st grade. Thanks for that mom and dad.

Every song is completely solid and sometime's Stevie Nicks' and Christine McVie's vocals are so amazing I have a hard time believing that humans can actually make sounds that beautiful.

Truly one of the best albums ever recorded.

#Weekly Soundtrack #Fleetwood Mac #Rumours

lizlemonincarnate

365 Films: 19/365 "Amour" (A Not-So-Humble-Brag)

elleclairehoffman

I'm doing a 365 films in 365 days project on another blog and this post is from that project. I know this doesn't quite fit the theme of this blog, but we're supposed to brag about our work right? I reread this earlier tonight and I was just really proud of the review I did here. It's a bit informal, and more tailored to my style, but I think it really says something about the film. I want to do arts journalism (specifically film and television) so I just wanted to share an example of that facet of my work.

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Overall: 9.5/10

Beautiful. Honest and realistic to a fault. Rife with unwavering realism and subtlety. One of the best of the post There Will Be Blood minimalistic storytelling films.

There is so little shown and said, yet so much being seen and understood. I had a similar situation with my grandfather and there was a 15 minute period where I was silently sobbing. The film is by no means “easy” but it is rewarding.

There is nothing grandiose or sensationalized about the film which i find wildly refreshing. This situation (I will not explain further due to potential spoilage) is often over played in film in order to oscar bait or draw emotion from the audience. While this film is emotional for most, it comes from a real and visceral place, not a place you are lead to by huge dramatic moments, overt mourning, and cascading scores. The situation these two characters face is, in reality, faced in the small moments, and they are quiet and sad and difficult. There is no gloss to this film, yet it is beautiful in many ways.

Most shots last about 15 seconds longer than they “need” to (or than they traditionally would), yet it is not a fault, more a strength of the film. In real life, scenes do not cut conveniently when we have reached our exposure level…they continue. The climax of the film lasts much longer than it would in most films and it makes us uncomfortable but I loved it. In the character’s reality the scene would not cut, and thus it shouldn’t for ours.

I also want to commend the film on what it does with so little. For those familiar with TV the film is more or less a “Bottle Episode”, or a piece requiring only one set. Most people knock bottle episodes because they become static very quickly. You can only make one location interesting for so long, right? Not the case with “Amour”. The film (with the exception of the opening shot of the theater audience) never leaves the couple’s apartment but the set never seems confining or like a hindrance. You get the sense that this is their world. This is also reinforced by the all but lack of other characters, and those that do appear are incredibly distanced from the two leads. Even their own daughter in distanced in many ways. This is what really reinforced the title and idea of the film to me. These people truly love each other. While they don’t exactly wax poetic it is obvious that their world and all they really need is each other inside of their home. While this is not overtly expressed, I definitely get this feeling after a few hours of consideration.

Overall, the film is a beautifully visceral study of two people and the events that change their lives forever. It is subtle and nuanced, but never arrogant or pretentious. The film is wonderfully serviced by a FIRST RATE cast and crew. Without the spot on directing, editing, cinematography, script, and acting the film could have failed at myriad points. Bravo to all involved.

#Amour #365Films

The Best Four Days of the Year: How Documentary and Journalism are Intertwined

Well, it's over. The filmmakers, journalists, critics, and fest goers have gone home, leaving me and my fellow Columbians stumbling around downtown in a post festival haze. That's right, True/False is over.

It's no secret I like film, nay, LOVE film. I want to write about film. I could wax poetic about "Drive" for a good 2 hours. I saw Antichrist and loved it and all it had to offer (that takes some real cinematic stamina...but more on my love of Von Trier some other day). I love True/False because I learn, I feel like I'm constantly learning. If I'm volunteering, waiting for a film, watching a film, or attending a party theres always something for me to learn. Theres always someone around to have an interesting conversation with. I met filmmakers, and talked to arts journalists about what I want to do and how to get there among other things.

Despite all of this, the one thing I'm left thinking about is the role of the journalist. Where is the line separating the journalist and documentarian, and when is it crossed? I honestly couldn't tell you, especially in the modern media landscape where we're all trained in videography and editing.

Maybe it's just the films I saw? Right? "The Invisible War", "Dirty Wars", "Which Way is the Frontline from Here?: The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington", and "Winter, Go Away!" are all journalistic (on varying levels, of course). Two of these movies even feature journalists as their main characters. I was watching these movies and thinking...don't we do that to? Isn't this my goal? To cover a story and make people think, feel, consider? Isn't that what I'm doing now (or at least strive to)?

I'm inclined to think that journalists and documentarians share a much closer relationship though. For one, I saw a few numbers that are not journalistic in the traditional sense, that really made me feel like I was watching an incredibly well crafted journalistic piece. Most notably so would be "Cutie and The Boxer", the story of the two main characters is told in a way I believe we would approach a multi-media piece.

This idea is somewhat discussed (though indirectly) in "Which Way is the Frontline from Here?" which chronicles the life and career of fallen combat photojournalist Tim Hetherington. It becomes evident that Tim sees himself as a person and human, before a journalist. He does things that many would not consider doing, but still manages to maintain integrity and objectivity. I like this. I feel that today's "objectivity" is outdated and a little restrictive. This is also supported by "Dirty Wars" in which (although muddled by some questionable directing that is not his fault) combat journalist Jeremy Scahill discusses his work and is findings as a person. He does stray a bit from objectivity, but it is maintained that he is delivering fact and merely interpreting the info he finds, as we all do. I like that we see the journalist as a person and not this white-washed entity.

While this is incredibly reductive sometimes I feel that the only things separating journalism and documentary are time limits and cinematography. I think we could both learn and gain incredibly useful and important things from each other. I know I will look to documentary when doing multimedia, maybe even print. In today's mass media jungle, I little objective cinema-inspired drama couldn't hurt, right?

#truefalse

A commentary on leads

Over the past few days I have been paying attention to the quality of leads in news stories. As a writer who prefers to practice a more narrative driven format, I tend to go toward things that are "flashier", or less dry. Which is either a good or a bad thing, not really sure yet.

I decided to challenge myself in finding good and bad leads by going to my favorite news source in pursuit of them, NPR.

The Good.

"In a cavernous hall, I found a long counter dripping with steaks, chops and ribs. A sign at the end of each aisle advertised the animal on display: lamb, cow, goat and, toward the back, horse."

This lead comes from a story discussing the fact that horse meat is commonplace, even a delicacy, in Kazakhstan, despite recent outrage over the use of horse meat in the western world. I think this does a great job of putting a human spin on something that could have been a hard news story that simply discusses the fact that people in the world actually eat horse meat (and have for centuries, but whatever that has nothing to do with this).

I also like that halfway through the lead I already feel like I have been transported somewhere new. I think this was a very creative way to cover a topic that has been more or less covered ad nauseam in the past few weeks.

The Bad.

"Scientists believe a little girl born with HIV has been cured of the infection."

This is the lead to NPR's story on the child that is believed to have been cured of HIV. Pretty big moment right? Well....thanks for all of that information in the lead. I see that they might have been going for a shockingly simple statement type of thing, but it doesnt work. This could be one of the biggest stories/developments of the last 30 years, and after I read that lead I felt like changing the page and moving. SO boring.

This story has so many things feeding into it. The history of HIV/AIDS, the epidemic that changed the world in the 80's, the fact that it's a child, etc., etc. and they go with the blandest lead possible. Quite literally anyone could have written it. I like NPR because they often add a human element to hard news and try to find the emotional and or societal relevance in a story, kind of analyzing this new information and what it means while still remaining objective, and I definitely feel they missed an opportunity here.

One of the many reasons I will never be F. Scott FItzgerald

I'm not going to lie, blogging is hard for me. It's not that I'm not introspective, I am, I'm basically constantly psychoanalyzing myself. I'm just not comfortable writing about myself without some kind of professional objective. I am best when I'm writing movie or music reviews and I freely use my own opinion, but I have some prism through which to write about myself.

I can watch a movie and write a solid 3 page review in no time, I enjoy writing articles, but when it comes to unhindered self-reflection I get writers block of the worst kind. I think part of it may be my fear of coming off pretentions or self-centered.

One of my favorite authors/people is the great F. Scott Fitzgerald. He had an incredibly difficult time adjusting to the 1930's and the depression that plagued the nation. He was a man so defined by the opulence, and beauty of the 1920's that he lost himself and all faith in his abilities when the nation fell to pieces after the stock market crash. He was basically a one man representation of America. His response to this was a wonderful, self-reflective piece called "The Crack-Up" in which he questions everything about himself.

While I do not think this was an easy task for Fitzgerald, my mind always recalls the piece when I go to blog. The fact that he could write a personal piece with such sincerity and at such great length is impressive. As a writer, it's also a skill that I just do not posses.

In today's media climate blogs are almost a necessity, so hopefully one day I will find a way to get personal without having to use an external topic as a gateway.

An Adventure In Awkward "Selfies" (AKA Orientation Assignment)

This week we were given an orientation assignment, basically a columbia-wide scavenger hunt meant to orient us with town and areas we may be called upon to cover during our tenure at the Missourian. Well, a quarter tank of gas, 5 hours, and many awkward "selfies" (The 2010's low-brow equivalent of a self-portrait) later, I have the following account to share.

First things first, These are a few things I learned:

1) Columbians aren't a big fan of parks in February. It is very cold.

2) I found some new running trails (always a plus).

3) Columbia has a really great parks and rec system and we're all very lucky and probably don't take advantage of it enough (at least I don't).

4) Most of city government is conveniently located on or around Broadway.

5) Where the fairground is located.

6) The Columbia Farmer's Market is quite elusive in February. Looks like I will not be buying that handcrafted bread anytime soon.

Second things...second: A narrative retelling of my excursion.

Last weekend, I got up, begrudgingly acknowledged the 30-something temperature, threw on some clothes, got in the car, threw on The Black Keys "El Camino" (with which I feel significantly awesome) and set off about my beloved "CoMo".

First, I went to the Activity and Research Center (or ARC) because I knew where it was, and thought it was a good place to start.

Above: The exterior of the ARC as seen from the main entrance. This photo was taken at 2pm on Saturday February 9.

While at the ARC, I looked around a bit, although I was already familiar with the facility. I had used the ARC to go swimming over the previous summer. I then spoke to Erika Coffman, the Recreation Services Manager at the ARC. I asked her about winter usage and what seems to be the most popular in the winter, and the type of traffic seen in winter months. She told me that all of the facilities seemed to be equally popular. She also told me that they were very busy during the winter and that they often had an influx after New Years. The most interesting thing she told me is that they get a lot of older or "alternative" students in the ARC. She said that this often happens because they do not necessarily like the atmosphere at Mizzou's Rec Center, or feel out of place due to the younger patronage. She also commented on the fact that a lot of those student live closer to the ARC than the Rec. I think that this might be an interesting story, if not for us, then maybe someone on education? I do not know if it would pan out, but if so it could be an interesting story.

Next, I took a picture of the field where the Columbia Farmer's Market is held. The outdoor market is closed for the season, but it usually held in the large field directly in front of the ARC.

Above: The field where the Columbia Farmers Market is held. This Photo was taken at 2:30 pm on Saturday February 9.

I then decided that I should start at one of my farthest destinations and then work from there. Next I went to Rock Bridge State Park. While I had previously been to the Devils Ice Box area, I had never been to the main recreation area so I chose to go there (This is where those awkward "selfies" come into play)

Above: A picture of myself in front of the Rock Bridge State Park sign on February 9.

What? It's a really tall sign, that picture was so much harder to take then you could imagine. I also don't have a very wide range of faces I'm comfortable making in pictures so don't expect me to have a very dynamic screen presence.

While here I tried to find someone to talk to, but seeing as it was a drear 32 degrees, people weren't exactly milling about. This would have been a much more interesting post if it were done a few months from now, or if I didn't have class 9-5 on weekdays, but it is what it is. As a journalist, you have the make the best of what you are given, which I'm quickly learning isn't often ideal.

Next I went in search of the Gans Creek Recreation Area, which happened to be just a few miles down the road. I looked up an address online (that ended up not existing), and on the way I passed a few trailed named after Gans Creek. I should have just stopped there...but oh, no, I just HAD to follow apple maps (not always the smartest decision) and ended up going on a 10 mile roundtrip wild goose chase. When the original address ended up being an empty fenced off field, I went back to this area...so I'm hoping it's the right one.

Above: A picture of myself at the trailhead of the Gans Creek Recreation Area on February 9.

While here, I saw one other car parked in the parking area so I waited for that person to, hopefully, come back from running, or walking their dog, or just generally gallivanting about the wilderness...no dice.

My next destination was Hinkson Creek. This was perhaps the most complicated location on the list. Since there is no one location for a creek I had too google search for access points. One of these points is Capen Park, so I chose to go there.

Above: A picture of myself on the bridge over Hinkson Creek in Capen Park on February 9.

Ok, so this picture isn't the best. Realistically, It was probably the most complicated picture to get. Blindly trying to get both my face and enough creek in the background to discern it was a creek is difficult to say the least.

As soon as I got up from taking this beautiful picture, I saw a man approaching a bridge and thought "Hallelujah! There is a person in this park!" I approached the man, and asked him what he was doing in the park and asked his name. He told me that his name was Nick March and that he was in the park bird watching on his lunch break. We then chatted about what birds he sees most frequently (woodpeckers), why he chose Capen (it's close to his work), and if he had friends who ever joined him (Yes). I don't know if this would be important to our beat, but it could be an interesting personal story that could be covered. I took down his contact information if we wanted to pursue it as a story.

Next I made my way to Stephens Lake Park, another place on the list that I was familiar with. A few years ago I lived in a duplex on old 63 and would run there and back to work out.

Above: A picture of myself at Stephens Lake Park on February 9.

This is probably the most successful picture of the bunch, don't you think? I mean look at that moody lake background! No?...moving on...

While here I was really hoping I would see someone because it is such a popular running location, but alas...my hopes were dashed.

My next destination was the Boone County Fairground/Mid-Missouri Events Center. I have never been here before and had no idea where it was, but had wanted to see it after hearing about it when we met with the County Commissioners early in the semester.

Above: A photo of myself taken at the Boone County Fairgrounds on February 9.

See?! I tried to mix up the poses here, aren't you proud of me??

One thing I think might be interesting is to cover what has been done to transform the location, as the commissioners described, or even discuss what events occur here or what they are hoping to do with it. Maybe this is because I am somewhat isolated as a college student, but I didn't even know that Columbia had a fair grounds until the meeting we had with the commissioners.

After this I had some prior commitments so my journey was discontinued...

Fast forward to Saturday February 16, after one of the busiest weeks of my life, during which I subsided on PB&J's and protein bars out of necessity and lack of time, I was able to continue my journey.

First I went to the Gentry Building.

This is one of the few locations on the list that I was not aware of before this assignment. Although I had walked past this building man times, I had never bothered to learn what purpose it served. Due to this assignment I now know the name of the building (and also the location of the Gentry building if someone were to reference it) along with the fact that it houses Parks and Recreation among other things.

The next location on my list was the Daniel Boone Government Center. The picture is better because this time I had my roommate Abigail, also a reporter at the Missourian, with me so no "selfies" were necessary.

Above: A picture of myself in front of the Daniel Boon City Building Sign on Saturday February 16.

I am familiar with this building, this is where I pay my utility bill. My monthly visits are very important.

The next location was just across the street, the Howard Municipal Building. I noticed today, more than ever, how centralized the city and county government buildings are in Columbia. This is incredibly convenient and must ease the governing process by having all of the government employees and bodies within reach of one another. Back home things are spread about town, which doesn't exactly help with government cohesion.

Above: A photo of the Howard Municipal Building taken on February 16.

This is another building that I had often passed but rarely paid attention to. I know now that it is the Howard Municipal Building and houses the municipal courts of Columbia, among other services.

I then went to the Boone County Courthouse.

Above: The Boone County Courthouse as photographed on February 15. Doesn't it look majestic.

Really though, I had never really taken a moment to appreciate how nice our courthouse looks.

The final destination was the Boone County Government Center. This is a place that I have been to twice already in the course of reporting and expect to visit many more times in the future. It houses the county government, including the commissioners offices among other things.

#Mine #Orientation assignment

I got to write a story today for the Missourian about "Lumen" the robot sculpture from the "Ragtag Needs Robots" campaign. I really enjoyed writing it and I think it turned out well.

#Columbia Missourian #Ragtag Cinema

Here's the link to the local government blog run by the Public Life beat of the Missourian. This week I was responsible for researching and compiling the Daily Dish, which is a daily aggregation of the biggest stories in state, and local government.

lizlemonincarnate

elleclairehoffman

Reporting Soundtrack of the Week (01/28-02/01)

Part of what makes a blog great is that it gives the reader a chance to know the writer on a more personal level. I don't really think there are too many ways for me to get on a personal level with people that are better than sharing my music with them. Music is a massive, defining, formative part of my life. I am a music fan and lover in the truest and most sincere way. Every week I am going to share the album/playlist/artist that I am spinning the most. What am I listening to while I blog, walk, write, work, drive?

This week it is Local Natives sophomore album "Hummingbird", which was released today. Their debut "Gorilla Manor" is easily in my top ten favorite albums, but this is definitely giving it a run for it's money. This is a beautiful compliment to almost any day and definitely made my harried, dreary day a lot brighter.

"An Education"

Like Abed from Community, in my internal dialogue I relate to my life through the prism of movies and television. Yes, I just used a simile from television to introduce the simile from film I'm about to use. I may have just reached a whole new level of Meta-fandom. Moving on. This week as been a lot like "An Education", a coming of age film in which Carey Mulligan, in her break out role, portrays a high school girl in 60's London. The film is called "An Education", but none of the education the protagonist receives is actually administered in a classroom, or formally administered at all.

While the character in the film learns by fumbling through her relationship with an older man, widening her social group, applying for colleges, and meeting her parents lofty expectations, I'm learning in different ways. I have learned more about myself, my future, and my goals in the last week and a half than I have in the last 2 years combined. My relationship is not with an older man, it's with reporting (but who's to say that's really very different at this point). I have been thrown into the practice of journalism in a more intense and realistic way than I have ever experienced. I'm also grappling (gracefully as possible) to find my place in the newsroom, with my colleagues and with my sources. While I have a long way to go and years ahead of me, I have made bigger strides towards discovering my identity as a journalist in the last week than I have ever before.

Continuing with the my simile. While I am in challenging and engaging classes this semester, most of my learning in the past week or so has been outside of the classroom. One of the first things I learned was how to deal with sources. I will admit I was a bit nervous making my first 5 or so calls but I've gotten pretty confident now. I also see my line of questioning getting better and more natural with every interview. I have also begun to actively look for stories in all places. I am currently involved, at least tangentially, in four stories. I've also begun to feel out my place amongst my colleagues, with my editors, and in the newsroom overall. I'm also starting to flesh out realistic expectations for myself while I am at the Missourian this semester.

The biggest thing I've learned is that my lifestyle will completely change as I become involved with journalism. Reporting requires one to be ever on their toes; to be ready to report, observe, interview at any given moment. If a source calls you and it isn't "convenient" you can't always call them back or if you do, you may end up playing phone tag for 24 hours and possibly delay your story. Twice in the last week I have had sources call me outside the newsroom and I had to get my notes and interview them at a moments notice. Firstly, I was talking to my mother and walking home from the newsroom thursday evening and a source called me. Since I had been waiting all day for them to return my call I quickly switched lines and began the interview while walking. As soon as I got to the nearest academic building I walked in, sat my backpack down on a bench, pulled out my notebook, and started writing. I did this all while continuing the interview. The second time I had just gotten home and as soon as I placed my bike against the wall I received a phone call from another source. Still slightly out of breath from my commute I slung my backpack on the dining table, dug my notebook and pen out of my bag, sat down, and started writing all in the frame of about a minute. A journalist is never really off the clock.

Ultimately, I am probably still processing all that I have learned since the semester started. I definitely see this semester as part of my coming of age as a journalist, my literal and figurative education.

Determining My Perspective...

So, I'm writing this inaugural post of my Missourian journey after my first big step as a journalist. It was nothing big, but most beginnings aren't. A few minutes ago, for the first time, I made a phone call and was able to identify myself as a "reporter with the Columbia Missourian" and it felt pretty great. Embarking on work at legitimate news outlet is far more gratifying that I anticipated, but it also carried a weight.

I feel the need to serve and my editors, fellow journalists, and most importantly, the people of Columbia. I feel that carrying this weight is a good thing, it makes me a better journalist and holds me accountable. I'm pursuing journalism because I enjoy it and I feel I am good at it, but I don't think journalism should come from a selfish place.

When journalists become self-serving that's when they tend to lose perspective and often slip up. The responsibility I feel towards my community and my publication is my impetus to do well.

My goal during my tenure at the Missourian is to make my community and colleagues proud. If I can do this, then I will feel like I have succeeded.

Chinese Lotus Shoes accompanied by an X-Ray of what bound feet looked like. The ideal length for bound feet was three inches.

#J2150F #Mobile Assignment

Women's shoes from 1900 made in the Philippines display the difference in cultures when compared to Chinese Lotus Shoes. Lotus Shoes were still in use in China while this style was popular in the Philippines.

#J2150F #Mobile Assignment

"Shoes From Six Continents Showing At MU Museum of Anthropology Through July 1"

The University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology is currently showing an exhibit displaying shoes from world cultures. "We chose this exhibit because we wanted to display the Chinese Lotus Shoes, which are made of silk and deteriorate quickly," Said museum curator Candace Sall. The exhibit contains many types of shoes but the focus is the Chinese Lotus Shoes. Lotus Shoes were the shoes worn by Chinese women who bound there feet until the practice was outlawed by the Chinese government in the early 1900's.

#J2150F #Mizzou #Mobile Assignment

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