Meagan L Digital Story Treatment
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Summary
Title: Battle Hymn
Description: I decided to modify my initial idea just a tad and focus on only one particular song the Redcoats play. Since there is so much emotion in this song alone, I felt that only using a fraction of it would not give the full effect. Also, the song is exactly 1:54 and the perfect length for this project. My narration and pictures (hopefully) convey the depth of emotion this song holds for all Georgia fans everywhere, but also especially for the members, past and present, of the Redcoat Marching Band.
Media Assets
While I went through my pictures I had taken while I was a member of the Redcoat Band, I decided to use only photos taken by David Bloomquist, the official photographer for the band, once I obtained his permission to do so. A link to the archive of band photos can be found down in the copyrighted materials section of my treatment.
I also chose to focus my video on only one school song, Battle Hymn. Since this is also copyrighted material, I obtained permission to use it from Dr. Michael Robinson, the director of the Redcoat Band.
Pacing, Rhythm, and Juxtaposition
I aimed to pace the transitions between my images to accompany the background music as closely as possible. Therefore, my transitions in several places have a definite rhythm as they coincide with musical changes, most notably the more dramatic portions of Battle Hymn. I tried to choose images that accurately reflected both my the music and my narration. At a suggestion from Dr. Tripp, I removed some images I had used in my rough draft and used more images of members of the band actually playing their instruments.
Narration, Dialogue, and Text
Title screen: "Battle Hymn" in red words on a black background.
Narration: The crisp sound of a single trumpet pierces the air over the Tate Center bridge. It's the Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation—the call imploring the Bulldog faithful gathered in Athens to embark on the pilgrimage from tailgate sites to the stadium. It's nearly time for our beloved Dawgs to tee it up between the hedges. For those of us in the Redcoat Band, Battle Hymn is an especially emotional song. That first note is enough to pump our adrenaline and chase away thoughts of sweat rolling down our backs beneath wool uniforms. The strains of Battle Hymn flow in our very blood, conjuring up images of seasons long past and reminding us that through all of the Dawgs' most memorable triumphs and most miserable defeats, the Redcoat Band has been their support for over 100 years. We are part of something larger than this one season, this one edition of the band. We are bound to our predecessors by a common spirit and a cry that radiates across decades. Go Dawgs.
Reflection
So far, the way I'm envisioning this in my head, I think it has the potential to turn into something pretty cool. As far as feedback/help, it would be nice to know if other people think this is a good idea or not. That would be a great start.
11/8: I am so incredibly pleased with the way my story turned out. It came a long way from the initial idea to the finished product, and I think I have expressed quite well the emotions I was seeking to express. As of right now, I'm thinking about sending the link to Dr. Robinson.
Draft Media
Here's my rough draft. Some of the timing on the changes isn't quite perfect enough for me yet, so I'm going to continue to work on tweaking that. I'm not sure about the quality, either, and if I should try working on improving that.
I have ended up not using any of my own photos for this video, since mine pale in comparison to Mr. Bloomquist's. The entire archive of photos he has taken for the band, as well as a link to an mp3 file of "Battle Hymn," can be found here.
And finally, here is the final version of my digital story.
Copyrighted Materials
Everything used in this video is copyrighted. I obtained written permission from the director of the Redcoat Band, Michael Robinson, to use "Battle Hymn" for my background music. I also obtained written permission from David Bloomquist, the official photographer of the Redcoat Band, to use the photos he puts up on the Redcoat Band website every week.
