Mulvaney: Newspaper video has to improve
April 5, 2010 in industry news, Training, video
Colin Mulvaney writes an excellent post on his blog: Video at newspapers needs to improve – that I want to highlight because it’s as good a summary as any of the ways that newspaper-produced video needs to go to reach the storytelling heights that still photojournalism has reached in the past. #
He identifies the following problems with much of newspaper video: #
- Storytelling
- Bland Videos
- Structure
- Editing
- Journalism
- Narration
- Collaboration
A lot of this mediocrity is doubtless self-inflicted. Stories that work in print don’t work so well in video. Stories that benefit from video don’t always get the time they deserve to get it right. #
But the greater point is that people (especially student journalists) who want to be videographers for newspapers need to spend a lot more time honing their craft. That includes paying attention to broadcast videographers. While I firmly believe that web-based video necessarily is different from broadcast video, the fact is that broadcast videographers have a lot to teach in terms of video storytelling. #
Some of that honing of skills should come through classwork. But a newspaper journalist might only get a few weeks of video training in an intro class. The rest must come from practice and DIY learning (including some of the workshops Mulvaney mentions in his post above). To that end, below are several sites I’d recommend for more advanced DIY training: #
Edit Foundry: Shawn Montano’s site hosted by NPPA focuses very sharply on the depths of video editing. What I like about the site is that Montano breaks down a concept – say, Video editing transitions – complete with detailed commentary across the entire video, along with screen grabs. #
News Videographer: Angela Grant continues to explore videography from a newspaper veteran’s viewpoint, despite her career developments. An excellent resource. #
Mastering Multimedia: Mulvaney’s blog is another excellent resource, which takes a more theoretical approach to multimedia storytelling. Even though he spends less time shooting video, his thoughts are worth the time to absorb. #
Multimedia Shooter: Originally set spinning by Richard Koci Hernandez, this site is chock full of tutorials, advice, and inspiration. Not just about video, but a range of multimedia (see Multimedia Rules to Live By and Seven Steps to Train Yourself). #
I’m sure there are other excellent sites around the web that focus on video gathering and editing. These are some I’m familiar with and enjoy reading. There are also some excellent sites (Mindy McAdams, among others) who devote some time to video, but also examine a much broader vista of multimedia and online journalism. #
Got a favorite site for learning video techniques? Please let us know in the comments. #
Hi Bryan. This is a very important subject and one we really need to pay attention to. With the propagation of video dslrs in newsrooms it is critical that shooters understand the increased complexity of shooting good video. I think one of the initial mistakes new vid shooters make is the assumption that they can operate these cameras in the same way they shoot stills. Shooters need to prioritize in this order when they are in the field: Content, Audio, Tripod, Video. I would highly suggest newspaper videographers consistently read the following blogs: <a href="http://www.dslrnewsshooter.comhttp://www.dslrnewsshooter.com<br />http://hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/http://philipbloom.co.uk/blog/http://www.tomguilmette.com/wp/my-bloghttp://blog.vincentlaforet.com/http://nofilmschool.com/
Newspapers are struggling to figure out how to survive, since they seem to have missed the bus to the modern era. People are trying to save money where they can, accessing news at the click of a button online – for free, and spend more time watching video clips than reading. We have become a audio visual society or at least more so since the birth of the Atari and Nintendo generations. The rise of the internet offered opportunities for business, media, and industries to change, some took the opportunity and others, such as the press, stayed the on the traditional path. So how do newspapers catch up and find ways of generating revenue? There is an interview series of professional journalists and media specialists you should check out, that covers an array of topics, similar to this, currently affecting the future of journalism.http://www.ourblook.com/index.php?topic=future_…..
Newspapers are struggling to figure out how to survive, since they seem to have missed the bus to the modern era. People are trying to save money where they can, accessing news at the click of a button online – for free, and spend more time watching video clips than reading. We have become a audio visual society or at least more so since the birth of the Atari and Nintendo generations. The rise of the internet offered opportunities for business, media, and industries to change, some took the opportunity and others, such as the press, stayed the on the traditional path.
So how do newspapers catch up and find ways of generating revenue?
There is an interview series of professional journalists and media specialists you should check out, that covers an array of topics, similar to this, currently affecting the future of journalism.
http://www.ourblook.com/index….
Newspapers are struggling to figure out how to survive, since they seem to have missed the bus to the modern era. People are trying to save money where they can, accessing news at the click of a button online – for free, and spend more time watching video clips than reading. We have become a audio visual society or at least more so since the birth of the Atari and Nintendo generations. The rise of the internet offered opportunities for business, media, and industries to change, some took the opportunity and others, such as the press, stayed the on the traditional path.
So how do newspapers catch up and find ways of generating revenue?
There is an interview series of professional journalists and media specialists you should check out, that covers an array of topics, similar to this, currently affecting the future of journalism.
http://www.ourblook.com/index….
Newspapers are struggling to figure out how to survive, since they seem to have missed the bus to the modern era. People are trying to save money where they can, accessing news at the click of a button online – for free, and spend more time watching video clips than reading. We have become a audio visual society or at least more so since the birth of the Atari and Nintendo generations. The rise of the internet offered opportunities for business, media, and industries to change, some took the opportunity and others, such as the press, stayed the on the traditional path.
So how do newspapers catch up and find ways of generating revenue?
There is an interview series of professional journalists and media specialists you should check out, that covers an array of topics, similar to this, currently affecting the future of journalism.
http://www.ourblook.com/index….