We'd call it 'multimedia' back in the day - how to put together a great job app with audio and video
March 26, 2011 2:13 AM Subscribe
Putting together an application packet, mostly text and images but includes 1 mp3, 1 short avi. How do I do this in an elegant, interesting way? Details below.
I'm putting together an application for a program I really, really want to get into, and I've finally sorted out all the kinks of what I'm going to include. Final application has to take the form of a zip file no greater than 10mb. My plan is to put together a PDF of my portfolio, CV and response to the question, with a folder containing the mp3 and avi. I spoke to a friend familiar with the industry, and he bluntly told me that this isn't good enough - the people going through the applications just won't bother to open the other files. He said I needed to think of a more creative way to present these materials.
The problem is my technical skills extend to a bit of Photoshop and enough html and css to keep my Wordpress blog ticking along. I've considered putting together a dirtstyle HTML file, complete with glitter graphics and dancing babies, making a screencast-type video... and that's about it. My inclination is to keep it simple and focus on what I'm good at, writing and ideas, but I have this nagging concern that I should be doing more with the presentation of my application.
So how would you go about this, hivemind?
I'm putting together an application for a program I really, really want to get into, and I've finally sorted out all the kinks of what I'm going to include. Final application has to take the form of a zip file no greater than 10mb. My plan is to put together a PDF of my portfolio, CV and response to the question, with a folder containing the mp3 and avi. I spoke to a friend familiar with the industry, and he bluntly told me that this isn't good enough - the people going through the applications just won't bother to open the other files. He said I needed to think of a more creative way to present these materials.
The problem is my technical skills extend to a bit of Photoshop and enough html and css to keep my Wordpress blog ticking along. I've considered putting together a dirtstyle HTML file, complete with glitter graphics and dancing babies, making a screencast-type video... and that's about it. My inclination is to keep it simple and focus on what I'm good at, writing and ideas, but I have this nagging concern that I should be doing more with the presentation of my application.
So how would you go about this, hivemind?
Embed video and audio to some page in your Wordpress install, style it appropriately, and send them a link.
Incidentally, is there a reason the audio and video are separate? Are they not directly related?
posted by asciident at 7:22 AM on March 26, 2011
Incidentally, is there a reason the audio and video are separate? Are they not directly related?
posted by asciident at 7:22 AM on March 26, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for your responses, guys. I'm a bit reluctant to put something online and send them a link, as they specifically ask for a zipped folder, and I don't want to irk the selection committee by ignoring the only requirement they have. To clarify, by 'application' I mean 'application for a professional program I want to get into.'
Asciident, I'm not sure I follow your question. The mp3 is of an interview I did with a podcast, the avi is a video I made. At the moment I'm just writing up my Crappy Second Draft in Word (... I know), just to make sure I get all the content written and organised, and my initial impulse is to work with a graphic designer friend to make it into a cohesive, nice-looking pdf. Obviously, I can't embed a video or an audio file in a pdf, which is why I'm trying to think of a different way to do it.
posted by nerdfish at 8:12 AM on March 26, 2011
Asciident, I'm not sure I follow your question. The mp3 is of an interview I did with a podcast, the avi is a video I made. At the moment I'm just writing up my Crappy Second Draft in Word (... I know), just to make sure I get all the content written and organised, and my initial impulse is to work with a graphic designer friend to make it into a cohesive, nice-looking pdf. Obviously, I can't embed a video or an audio file in a pdf, which is why I'm trying to think of a different way to do it.
posted by nerdfish at 8:12 AM on March 26, 2011
Best answer: Actually, you can embed a video in a .pdf file. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Pro.
posted by Houstonian at 8:17 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by Houstonian at 8:17 AM on March 26, 2011
Response by poster: Really?! Man, I'm so technically incompetent. Houstonian, you've just sent me down a really productive googlehole. Thank you!
posted by nerdfish at 8:18 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by nerdfish at 8:18 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Here are the instructions and more information.
posted by Houstonian at 8:24 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by Houstonian at 8:24 AM on March 26, 2011
Sorry; from your original question, it wasn't really clear that the audio and video files weren't related (e.g. the voice over track for your video or something to that effect). I was suggesting that you could combine them into a single embeddable video, but obviously that won't work in this case.
posted by asciident at 10:11 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by asciident at 10:11 AM on March 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:32 AM on March 26, 2011