Taking inspiration from the “Draw My Life” video trend, a group of students in Lucie Amberg’s course MED 130, Fundamentals of Media Convergence, used a class assignment to share their Missouri State stories.

Collaboration, multimedia skills lead to dynamic video

The six students — Alec Gura, Carter Williams, Collin O’Hara, Megan Burke, Hill Zhang and Ryan Chaney — created the video for their final group project that punctuated the skills they’ve learned this semester in collaboration and multimedia  — audio, video, web and social media, Amberg said.

“(The course) introduces the foundational skills to start thinking collaboratively … and understanding how you fit into a larger team as a media professional, the roles you’ll play and the media you’ll be working with.”

The course is required for all media, journalism and film students.

Students’ stories resonate with university

Amberg said all her students produced noteworthy work, but this video particularly hits on something that resonates with the department: Why is Missouri State and the media, journalism and film department a great place for students?

The topic is also close to Amberg’s heart. In addition to teaching courses, she works for the for the university as a new media specialist, often responsible for developing recruitment materials.

She did not, however, influence the content of the video. Instead, she offered broad instructions for the assignment — everyone has to contribute to a timed multimedia project that incorporates storytelling techniques — and let them go to work.

“I saw them at the whiteboard, doing their thing, and I asked them if they wanted me to know what they were doing or just see the end product. They wanted me to wait,” she said. “It came together beautifully. And it turned out to be a great recruitment piece for MSU.”

What is your MSU story?

Find the College of Arts and Letters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share your MSU experiences.