Final JOU 367 - Mobile Journalism Assignment - Spring 2026

Shooting sequences and b-roll are essential for advancing emotion, clarity and the timeline of a story. They help us show, not just tell. In this assignment, students practiced capturing a variety of phone video to learn how strong sequences make a narrative clearer, tighter and more engaging.

One of the key shots in a sequence of b-roll images is the details shot, also known as the extreme close-up (ECU). It happens to also be the shot that students struggle with the most. For that reason, this assignment will focus entirely on the details. In every video I have ever shot, I never once said "Wow, I shot too many details." Also known as cut-aways, they also come in very handy as an editing tool when you need to cover a cut in an interview.

Interviews are one of the most crucial parts of a video for two reasons. The best interviews have clear audio without distraction and they have high visual quality including composition and light and stability. Students will be practicing both of these things in this assignment.

This assignment requires students to record and edit an audio-focused interview about a favorite song, emphasizing clear audio collection, thoughtful questions and careful editing of levels and transitions using CapCut or Adobe RushCC.

For this assignment, students were tasked with seeing light and combining techniques such as perspective, light, and composition, to make improvements in our photos.

For this photo assignment, students were tasked with focusing on rule of thirds and perspective when taking photos with mobile devices.