Multimedia — Due Sunday, July 20
July 15, 2008
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Hey Chipsters!
Please share a tip or question involving the practicalities of multimedia.
Examples of tips: When I’m recording, I try to make sure to ask questions that get my sources to elaborate rather than “yes-no” questions. And: When I’m shooting video of something that involves a process (an emergency drill; a county/state fair animal/plant/mineral judging, etc.), I try to make sure I get footage of each step in the process.
Examples of questions: When I report for an audio slide show, how/when do I switch among notebook, camera, recorder? And where do I physically put the two that I’m not using at the moment? And: Can anyone direct me to an example (or Web site) of a particularly excellent journalistic audio slide show and/or video?
If you can answer a colleague’s question as this thread goes along or elaborate on a tip (including the above), please do! That’s the point of this thread. Thanks! — Your Coach
Dont say “uh huh.” Biggest no no i think. I spent one week with the online department and while i was interviewing (over the phone, which you can hear them so much clearer) I caught myself saying ‘uh huh’ a lot. I almost had to keep a hand on my mouth because i was saying it so much. When i went back to edit the audio, luckily, i was able to cut them out. I would have hated for my source to have an awesome quote and the “uh huh” in the back of his voice.
Where I am now, being a reporter and photographer and videographer is not really encouraged. It seems they prefer us all to stay within our specialties and sometimes get offended if we want to experiment. Is it always going to be that way? And if so, what can be done about it?
I think nytimes.com has good examples of audio slide shows and video. I tend to check out the style section, but it has good examples of interesting, concise videos. Also check out the front page videos.
Be sure to collect enough b-roll footage. And I’m not talking about filming some trees or a road. Really consider what could be interesting footage while cutting from filming your source. B-roll keeps the footage visually interesting and breaks up interviews that may be long. Also, think of filming like writing. Most videos for the Web should not be long. They should be short, concise and interesting.
With photos, I have learned to click until my fingers hurt, which works pretty well, considering I can pretty much re-live the scene when I am writing the story and luckily for me, I have a good enough memory where I can repeat their quotes to myself and then remember it for the story later. At this point, when I’ve taken the right photos, I go after the interviews and repeat the quote that I remembered to them to CQ myself. I’ve only used this tactic once, since my newspaper hasn’t really followed through with my request to do more.
I’m not sure that I can give any great advice at this point because I haven’t done too much multimedia here in Salem. The one photo gallery I contributed photos to was put together by the photo editor (I imagine). The helpful suggestion one of the photogs gave me when shooting in a scenario where it may be difficult to get everyone’s name was to try to focus on one or two people and then move on to another select few people in between getting photos of larger groups. Here, if there are more than 5 people in a photo, they don’t expect you to have everyone’s name.
Otherwise, I’ve heard other experienced multimedia reporters say to keep quiet on audio and video recordings so you don’t have the ‘uh huhs’ to try to edit out like Candace has experienced. I feel like until after training in Nashville, I may not have too many other suggestions about the topic
I’ve been told to focus on other aspects of the person you’re interviewing, like their hands or a profile shot, to liven up the clip.
No idea if that’s correct, as I have almost no experience with multimedia, save one class i took that was very, very basic.
Got this tip from a workshop at the paper: if you’re doing an interview with someone for a story, do the interview first and do all your note taking. After you’ve gotten everything you need, then ask the person whether they can help you out with giving a 30 second summary on video of the main points of what they said. Then you won’t have video clips that just drag on into eternity.
Another thing: when recording audio, make sure your cell phone isn’t near your audio recorder. Otherwise when you get back to the office excited that you’ve recorded great audio and convinced that it’s going to land you a full-time job at x paper, you’ll hit playback and your recorder will say: BEEP CHHHHHHHHK BEEP BEEP CHHHHHK BEEP WAAAAAARGH GSSSSSSSSSUH (i.e. omg I can’t believe you put me next to your cell phone — I was getting interference like crazy!!!).
Hey Friends. The following post is from our own multimedia expert, PRINCELLA PARKER. The blog is not allowing her to directly post this particular comment (must be intimidated by her skills!), so I’m giving it a whirl. Her wise words are followed by a generous offer. Thanks Princella.
Before going out to video shoot, photograph or collect audio I suggest getting inspired by the wonderful stories already out there. The best advice I can give you is to get your hands on the camera and equipment, test it in the newsroom and just practice your shots until you feel comfortable going out in the field. Ask people how to use the equipment-ask ask ask! Then do-do do!
Basically you want people to tell the story for you so ask them questions to get answers for your video for the beginning middle and end.
Sequences:
Having them will make your story better! A sequence for video is getting a shot of wide, medium and tight. I’ll use my archeology story as an example (http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VideoNetwork&pid=3e944957de2313079d0b256de6dd7da395ac4d75&videoid=791013286)
To show partners working on a site I took a wide (them working with the field behind them) a medium (a closer shot of them working and shoveling) and a tight (pieces of slag in his glove)
Sequences help the story go along visually.
Tips:
be sure to pack extra batteries and tape in case the interview goes over
make sure you have all your equipment right before leaving: if doing a video piece make sure you have a tripod and a base plate (it connects the video recorder to the tripod)
make sure you are getting audio on the tape or your whole effort is wasted. (I saved a story of a Power plant tour by doing a voice over- but it could have been a lot better with natural audio and a tripod…http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VideoNetwork&pid=3e944957de2313079d0b256de6dd7da395ac4d75&videoid=791013286)
wear sunscreen if doing an outdoor piece
to flatter your interviewee get at a higher height to shot them from. this prevents the unwanted shots up the nose and double chins.
realize what makes good video or photos such as:
(http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=1827262)
Get enough detail shots to fill over people talking (just as if you were to describe it in the written story)
Treat the video camera as if it’s a still camera: think moving photos…
To get inspired go to:
http://mediastorm.org/
http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/blog/author/dsugano/page/3/
http://www.montanalove.net/
and just see what different newspapers around the country are doing…you can start with my Community Quilts Story at the News-Leader:
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VideoNetwork&pid=3e944957de2313079d0b256de6dd7da395ac4d75&videoid=791013286
Anything I can help with feel free to email or call me!
(princellaparker@gmail.com)
Where I am the photographers do all the video work. In my spare time I’ve gotten myself a bit familiar with the editing system, but I’m expected to write stories instead of going out to shoot them. So needless to say I haven’t done any multimedia here yet.
However, from previous experience with video, I do have a tip. Don’t be afraid to ask the same question in different ways until you get that one really good quote. It usually doesn’t hurt to explain this to an interviewee either. One of the best ways to do this is the post interview trick. Don’t stop the camera when the interview’s over, keep it rolling and keep talking and you’ll usually get something really good.
After attending the AP intern meetings in NYC this past week, hours of editors, multimedia-istas, photographers, buisnessies, and reporters talking and discussing the future of the AP and journalism, it is safe and clear to report that we will benefit by adding multimedia skills to our tool bag (as if we didnt know). Even if we dont see much change in our respective departments at our local papers, the internet is not going away nor our or connection speeds slowing down, these skills will help you land the job, plus its actually quite fun and not that hard.
I think PRINCELLA PARKER pointed out many skills and techniques to pay attention too while learning these skills, so I will not waste our precious attention spans.
The AP has launched Moblie News Network (MNN), it is a “APPs”-lication for the iPhone and other similar devices, which are expected to take over the cell phone market. They plan on turning it into a huge money making news machine. Like Google search, AP’s MNN is trying to be the first one stop/one touch news feed for these devices. Its is a pretty cool app, you get news video/photo/text: you set your preference for the zip codes you want and you get instant feeds from that area plus other world/national breaking news; all from one of the most reliable news sources on earth.
So with that said, and depressingly watching newspapers cut its staff in half, the only advantage we have as upcoming journalists is to learn as much multimedia. LEARN video and Final Cut, and develop a good understanding of quality audio, learn how to tell stories w/ these tools; this is what online users are expecting from us, especially on these little hand held devices……..this is what Val is going to be teaching us in Nashville……see you soon.
Mimi, maybe suggest a video for one of your future stories and follow through by suggesting you would like to shoot the video yourself, although this might be difficult since a lot of us are still new to video technologies. I’m not really sure what can be done about it since my newspaper is also the same way, but I would just suggest you continue to show an interest (verbally) to the photo/video editor and your own editor. And what to do about it? Well, that’s what Nashville is for.
One tip for shooting video is as you aim the camera, tuck your elbows in to your sides. It helps keep the shots still instead of bouncing around all over the place.
I agree with Kelly, b-roll is important for a good video. No one wants to sit and look at a person talk for two or three minutes. It’s a good idea to take mental notes as you do an interview of some images that may match the audio. For example, if someone says “When I start studying chemistry, it helps to take a lot of notes on flash cards or Post-its so I can memorize equations,” you would want to take shots of a stack of index cards, pencils, pens, a chemistry book, etc., as well as shots of that person actually using those items.
The hardest thing to do is shoot video outside – which happens pretty frequently in this business – because wind will completely destroy your audio. One tip I learned from our multimedia guys here at the paper is to try to shield the mic on the camera a bit with your finger – place a finger in front of the mic, but don’t hold it down. It helps shield any wind that may blow across the mic that would warble the sound. Otherwise, try to do interviews inside or in a quiet place with minimal background noise.
As far as trying to get your paper to let you try some video, perhaps you may just have to try it on your own. If you have your own digital camera that does video, take some shots on your own when you do a story, then show them to your editor and discuss how the final package would look and how that would enhance your story. I definitely think you should get a handle on Final Cut Pro – it takes some time to master, but getting that foundation now as you start out will give you a huge advantage in your career.
The only experience I’ve had with multi-media is shooting photos to accompany a story — a skill at which I, admitedly, have no talent. But even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes, as my father likes to say. So I shoot as many pictures as possible, while crossing my fingers in hopes I get lucky. The one rule I DO know is that you should avoid border mergers or infringement. Aside from that, I let the copy-editors work their cropping magic, and it seems to work out.