Here are the notes I used for my lecture today about tips for video, which I put together from a webinar from News University. Speaking of which, the webinar's host gave approval for me to show some highlights in class. I plan to do that on Thursday.
I paid about $25 to be able to watch the podcast that was recorded on Sept. 25. Howard Finberg, NewsU’s director of interactive learning, hosted. Regina McCombs, a Poynter faculty member who has worked as a senior producer for multimedia at startribune.com and a producer and photographer from KARE-TV, served as the presenter.
Here are my notes (I’m more detailed than usual because I’m new to all of this):
I. The Basics of Video:
A) Simple video techniques
“Find, develop and deliver stories that speak clearly to the viewer’s mind while connecting with viewer’s mind while connecting with the viewer’s emotions. [Video] teachers principally through emotions.”
-- Al Thompkins, TV and video instructor at The Poynter Institute
• Telling a complete story needs an emotional component, it could be humor or pathos.
1) Sequences: the story’s visual building blocks. There are 3 types.
• Wide, medium, tight (and cutaway)
a) Online videos especially don’t get tight enough. Beginners need to be able to get close enough to show sweat.
b) Cutaways are transitions between thoughts. They let you avoid jump cuts, which is when the same person appears in two adjacent shots in different positions. For example, they show a woman playing a piano, cut to a man listening in the audience and then a woman standing up talking to the audience.
i) You always have to think about shots and how the story works. Always know where you’re headed.
ii) McCombs says text slides, in most cases, don’t work because they stop the action. The right story or transition is necessary.
iii) Some general tips:
• Keep shots steady.
• Use a tripod if possible
• Avoid pans and zooms (looks like home video)
• Get a camera close to a subject
• Think about your opening and closing.
iv) When using a Flip Video — never zoom — walk closer. Zooming degrades the image.
• Matched action
a) Movement feels seamless, compresses time. Basically, these are short snippets of people doing the same thing or different doing aspects of a something. Within the story, it allows your subject to leave or enter the frame. It’s helpful to find someone who is repeating himself or herself and who is excited, such as a mom cheering for her child during a high school sporting event.
i) An example given for how this could be used was discussing someone who makes coffee. You could boil down that several-minute process in seconds by shooting the various aspects.
• Action/reaction
a) Best for news. The reaction often tells the story. For example, a crashed car showing victims tells something different than a crash test dummy. It can work for features too, such as an example of people who attended a wrestling match on Xmas.
• Importance of sound, some tips
a) It’s just as important as video. Get close to the sound
b) Use a wireless mic, if possible.
c) Monitor audio, if possible. (Using an earpiece or headphones)
d) If on-camera mic, find a quiet place for interview.
2) Organizing the story
• Always think about your story structure. It’s important to be able to go from one scene to the next.
a) Opening
b) Closing
c) Themes (no more than 3) You should be able to say the story in one sentence. Like a nut graf in a news article.
3) Editing concepts
• Here’s where transitions start to become important, such as dissolves and straight cuts (“We dream in dissolves and think in cuts.”) There’s also a fade to black (rarely used because it’s so jarring unless at the end of a story).
• Don’t be afraid to write scripts. When you add, it’s important to include what’s not in the footage. Also the scripts should be conversational, like you are talking to a friend.
• A rule of thumb is 20 minutes of video can produce 1 minute of edited coverage.
4) Growing your skills
• Have someone look at it. (pro or average person can help).
• Give it time, go back and look at it.
• Critique sessions with others
5) Misc questions/points
• TV reports typically 1:10-1:30
• Web site can be longer, but only if the subject matter warrants. A good length tends to be about 2 minutes.
• Video with stills can be jarring. It can work with good transitions.
• iMovie and its Windows counterpart aren’t good for editing, such as laying in voiceovers. Programs such as Avid, Final Cut and Adobe Premiere are better.
• It’s good to engage the subject in conversation beforehand to make them comfortable before shooting.
• Other free seminars available
a) 5 steps to multimedia story-telling
b) Reporting across platforms
c) Covering breaking news
d) Introduction to ethical decision-making
I. The Basics of Video:
A) Simple video techniques
“Find, develop and deliver stories that speak clearly to the viewer’s mind while connecting with viewer’s mind while connecting with the viewer’s emotions. [Video] teachers principally through emotions.”
-- Al Thompkins, TV and video instructor at The Poynter Institute
• Telling a complete story needs an emotional component, it could be humor or pathos.
1) Sequences: the story’s visual building blocks. There are 3 types.
• Wide, medium, tight (and cutaway)
a) Online videos especially don’t get tight enough. Beginners need to be able to get close enough to show sweat.
b) Cutaways are transitions between thoughts. They let you avoid jump cuts, which is when the same person appears in two adjacent shots in different positions. For example, they show a woman playing a piano, cut to a man listening in the audience and then a woman standing up talking to the audience.
i) You always have to think about shots and how the story works. Always know where you’re headed.
ii) McCombs says text slides, in most cases, don’t work because they stop the action. The right story or transition is necessary.
iii) Some general tips:
• Keep shots steady.
• Use a tripod if possible
• Avoid pans and zooms (looks like home video)
• Get a camera close to a subject
• Think about your opening and closing.
iv) When using a Flip Video — never zoom — walk closer. Zooming degrades the image.
• Matched action
a) Movement feels seamless, compresses time. Basically, these are short snippets of people doing the same thing or different doing aspects of a something. Within the story, it allows your subject to leave or enter the frame. It’s helpful to find someone who is repeating himself or herself and who is excited, such as a mom cheering for her child during a high school sporting event.
i) An example given for how this could be used was discussing someone who makes coffee. You could boil down that several-minute process in seconds by shooting the various aspects.
• Action/reaction
a) Best for news. The reaction often tells the story. For example, a crashed car showing victims tells something different than a crash test dummy. It can work for features too, such as an example of people who attended a wrestling match on Xmas.
• Importance of sound, some tips
a) It’s just as important as video. Get close to the sound
b) Use a wireless mic, if possible.
c) Monitor audio, if possible. (Using an earpiece or headphones)
d) If on-camera mic, find a quiet place for interview.
2) Organizing the story
• Always think about your story structure. It’s important to be able to go from one scene to the next.
a) Opening
b) Closing
c) Themes (no more than 3) You should be able to say the story in one sentence. Like a nut graf in a news article.
3) Editing concepts
• Here’s where transitions start to become important, such as dissolves and straight cuts (“We dream in dissolves and think in cuts.”) There’s also a fade to black (rarely used because it’s so jarring unless at the end of a story).
• Don’t be afraid to write scripts. When you add, it’s important to include what’s not in the footage. Also the scripts should be conversational, like you are talking to a friend.
• A rule of thumb is 20 minutes of video can produce 1 minute of edited coverage.
4) Growing your skills
• Have someone look at it. (pro or average person can help).
• Give it time, go back and look at it.
• Critique sessions with others
5) Misc questions/points
• TV reports typically 1:10-1:30
• Web site can be longer, but only if the subject matter warrants. A good length tends to be about 2 minutes.
• Video with stills can be jarring. It can work with good transitions.
• iMovie and its Windows counterpart aren’t good for editing, such as laying in voiceovers. Programs such as Avid, Final Cut and Adobe Premiere are better.
• It’s good to engage the subject in conversation beforehand to make them comfortable before shooting.
• Other free seminars available
a) 5 steps to multimedia story-telling
b) Reporting across platforms
c) Covering breaking news
d) Introduction to ethical decision-making
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