Visual journalist Ricardo Lopez visited my online journalism class and taught us about basic video shooting skills. He said that video is all about emotion and telling a story. Video for the web should be between one to two minutes and the shots that you want should be planned before you physically go to shoot.
When it comes to shooting:
Look
Frame the shot
start recording
hold 10-15 seconds-let the action unfold in front of the camera
stop recording
Remember:
Don't zoom...move
lock your exposure
5:1 rule- five minutes of coverage for every minute of final video
Everything in video is also about sequencing. Everything is a little piece of a sequence.
More technical information will be discussed in my next blog so don't miss it.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
A Good Investigation
I was browsing Mindy McAdams site and saw that her last post featured some winners for most innovative multimedia storytelling. I was intrigued by the title Broken Trust by The Herald Tribune in Sarasota. Considering that this is the only Florida paper that won one of the awards I think it is worth browsing :http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?CATEGORY=MULTIMEDIA0202
I would take note of the cool box-like changing of pages and how different the page set up is. Also I loved the map idea for the case flow. The data search was was well put together and complete as well. Although there is no sound or video, I feel that it was a good call since the subject could be a delicate one.
Overall I think that this just shows what the future hold and how much fun it is to receive information in this manner.
Other winners:
24 Hours in Lawrence-http://www2.ljworld.com/news/24_hours_in_lawrence/2007/may/
A People Torn-http://www.startribune.com/local/11608761.html
Do you have any cool multimedia stories you would like to share?
I would take note of the cool box-like changing of pages and how different the page set up is. Also I loved the map idea for the case flow. The data search was was well put together and complete as well. Although there is no sound or video, I feel that it was a good call since the subject could be a delicate one.
Overall I think that this just shows what the future hold and how much fun it is to receive information in this manner.
Other winners:
24 Hours in Lawrence-http://www2.ljworld.com/news/24_hours_in_lawrence/2007/may/
A People Torn-http://www.startribune.com/local/11608761.html
Do you have any cool multimedia stories you would like to share?
Friday, February 22, 2008
From Ordinary To Extraordinary
I have to admit that I am freaking out because I have to create a web page for myself and I have never done that before. The good news is that since there are programs like Dreamweaver I don't have to worry about the code and it will do it for me. Instead I have to think about what I want my page to look like and tell someone who is a designer to help me make it happen. This brings me to alternative copy or what things I could do in order get hits and and keep my readers engaged. I started to look around and I think it's worth looking into the EyeTrack07 results. Read and watch the video: http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=120458
It is probably not the most current study, but it is a good place to start for those of us that haven't done much research in the area of studying readers. I think it is safe to say that no matter what we can't forget about incorporating alternative copy styles into our work in order to keep readers engaged for longer than what they would be with a safe story of just regular text. Especially with online work it can be fun to always keep readers involved by having cool new ways of presenting information.
It is probably not the most current study, but it is a good place to start for those of us that haven't done much research in the area of studying readers. I think it is safe to say that no matter what we can't forget about incorporating alternative copy styles into our work in order to keep readers engaged for longer than what they would be with a safe story of just regular text. Especially with online work it can be fun to always keep readers involved by having cool new ways of presenting information.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tips For Bloggers
Yay! A guide on how to blog! In case you haven't read it already check out this link on Poynter: http://poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=137327
On my first blog I wrote about feeling so new to the concept of blogging and a few weeks later now I am realizing that there are smart ways to blog in order to create more traffic on your page. On the site Ellyn Angelotti wrote about a conversation she heard Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia journalism professor, with David Kohn, reporter for The Baltimore Sun, on tips for blogging that she heard on Sreetips radio.
The Basics:
1) Get out there
2) Create a series that will be useful to a specific audience
3) Post frequently
4) Ask questions
This last one, "ask questions" is interesting and I know its intention is to get people to comment on your blog. Because of comment issues now there are people like Mindy McAdams blogging about comments on blogs and how to deal with weeding out the bad and insulting comments. You should read this:http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/6-tips-for-comments-on-stories-and-j-blogs/
I hope this helps...
On my first blog I wrote about feeling so new to the concept of blogging and a few weeks later now I am realizing that there are smart ways to blog in order to create more traffic on your page. On the site Ellyn Angelotti wrote about a conversation she heard Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia journalism professor, with David Kohn, reporter for The Baltimore Sun, on tips for blogging that she heard on Sreetips radio.
The Basics:
1) Get out there
2) Create a series that will be useful to a specific audience
3) Post frequently
4) Ask questions
This last one, "ask questions" is interesting and I know its intention is to get people to comment on your blog. Because of comment issues now there are people like Mindy McAdams blogging about comments on blogs and how to deal with weeding out the bad and insulting comments. You should read this:http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/6-tips-for-comments-on-stories-and-j-blogs/
I hope this helps...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Classic News
The New York Times is taking it back old school with its Op-Classic series. It consists of featuring commentary from The Time's archive in an attempt to give new, yet old, perspective to current issues. I think this is genius. Check out the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/opinion/10opclassic.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I am not entirely sure if this is is limited to the website, but if it were I think it will create yet another opportunity for users to comment or create discussions. I think that people quickly forget the chronology of most issues or events so I can see this as being a great step for not just the online world but for journalism as a whole.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/opinion/10opclassic.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I am not entirely sure if this is is limited to the website, but if it were I think it will create yet another opportunity for users to comment or create discussions. I think that people quickly forget the chronology of most issues or events so I can see this as being a great step for not just the online world but for journalism as a whole.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Online Identity
It's somewhat daunting to think about the fact that if I have a Facebook, MySpace and Blogger account I have an online identity. Although I am not freaked out by this because I grew up with the internet, I still have the comfort of knowing that I can somehow control my image and up the privacy settings if I need to. I think it is somewhat ironic that people create these online identities only to hide them from the world. What are we so afraid of? I am not sure, but I find myself in similar situations and know for a fact that many of my accounts are on private. An interesting article on Poynter got my juices flowing about the topic. A part that really hit home for me was a comment that NBC cameraman said in the article about how posting photos and videos of himself online was not just a hobby but a necessary step toward securing his future in journalism. I guess unless a journalist is ready to expose him or herself to their audience then they probably won't have as much credibility, and this is probably going to happen within the next couple of years. The bottom line... get off of private and start being accountable for yourself not just your work.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Multimedia Storytelling With Sound
It's amazing how sound affects people. Not only does it propel a story but it creates stronger emotions than images alone. Freelance photographer Allison Diaz gave a few pointers on how to succeed in obtaining the best sound quality possible for multimedia use. She said that finding a quiet area where there is not too much echo is ideal and checking for ambient noise using headphones, to hear things that perhaps were not noticed before, is important too. If an Edirol recorder, an industry standard, is not easy to come by than any recorder will do, but you want to make sure that you have a great microphone. After all, the less ambient noise you get the better editing experience you will have.
I am not going to lie but I could probably spend hours messing with the pitch and speed of a voice while editing. Ideally once you get over the childlike playing, you should focus on getting what is most relevant and what will make a powerful statement when combined with images. Learning to use these tools, along with editing smarts, is essential to the success of putting together a strong multimedia package.
I am not going to lie but I could probably spend hours messing with the pitch and speed of a voice while editing. Ideally once you get over the childlike playing, you should focus on getting what is most relevant and what will make a powerful statement when combined with images. Learning to use these tools, along with editing smarts, is essential to the success of putting together a strong multimedia package.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Citizen Journalism
I took a look at an article on Poynter Online by Steve Outing about citizen journalism. He brings different steps for incorporating this new trend into the newsroom. It sort of goes from very conservative exposure to a complete merging with the professional world. For example, going from allowing comments by readers to a stand-alone site with up to 70 percent of the content reported by everyday people.
One of the last "layers" of incorporating citizen journalism into the newsroom is publishing both professional and citizen reports side-by-side. So if there was a story about a murder that occured in a neighborhood a reporter would cover the beat but then another story would be written by a person that lived in the neighborhood themselves. The way that I interpret this is that it is like a quote from one of the neighbors but times a thousand. It gives the reader a full understanding of what happened through several lenses.
I like this. Offering different perspectives is always a great thing and how can we be serving the public if we do not do everything possible to give them every angle uncensored? The only thing that uneases me is when I think about how accountable and accurate citizen journalism really is. Also, if the population gets involved does it mean we are all out of jobs? Perhaps it is selfish to a certain extent but it should be a concern for the future of a career in this field, and I don't think anyone can answer that question at the moment with absolute certainty. I just hope that at some point the bar is raised for the professional journalist in order to maintain a career of it.
One of the last "layers" of incorporating citizen journalism into the newsroom is publishing both professional and citizen reports side-by-side. So if there was a story about a murder that occured in a neighborhood a reporter would cover the beat but then another story would be written by a person that lived in the neighborhood themselves. The way that I interpret this is that it is like a quote from one of the neighbors but times a thousand. It gives the reader a full understanding of what happened through several lenses.
I like this. Offering different perspectives is always a great thing and how can we be serving the public if we do not do everything possible to give them every angle uncensored? The only thing that uneases me is when I think about how accountable and accurate citizen journalism really is. Also, if the population gets involved does it mean we are all out of jobs? Perhaps it is selfish to a certain extent but it should be a concern for the future of a career in this field, and I don't think anyone can answer that question at the moment with absolute certainty. I just hope that at some point the bar is raised for the professional journalist in order to maintain a career of it.
Friday, February 1, 2008
From Print To Online
I heard Suzanne Levinson, Director of Site Operations at The Miami Herald, speak last night about online journalism and the future of printed news. This is what I learned:
In print the news will eventually be an extension of online work.
The word "edit" will be your best friend
We should become masters of scanning our audience and knowing what they want and how long they want it for.
Headlines should be written in a manner that they can easily be found by a search engine.
Content and trust is what will keep people coming back to your site.
Reporting is being done through database entries to create a quicker process and work for GPS purposes.
Good writing is still good writing and accuracy and fairness still count.
The 5 W's ( who, what, where, when and why) are more important than ever.
If you understand the difference between video on televsion and video on the internet, sound clips and radio, among other skills distinguishing the typical use of something in relation to its use online, then you can bet that you are in a minority group and will get the job over others.
In print the news will eventually be an extension of online work.
The word "edit" will be your best friend
We should become masters of scanning our audience and knowing what they want and how long they want it for.
Headlines should be written in a manner that they can easily be found by a search engine.
Content and trust is what will keep people coming back to your site.
Reporting is being done through database entries to create a quicker process and work for GPS purposes.
Good writing is still good writing and accuracy and fairness still count.
The 5 W's ( who, what, where, when and why) are more important than ever.
If you understand the difference between video on televsion and video on the internet, sound clips and radio, among other skills distinguishing the typical use of something in relation to its use online, then you can bet that you are in a minority group and will get the job over others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)