Williams and Tollett's two chapters on good and bad Web design point out an important truth: Communication, not just beautification, is key to good Web design.
Headlines shouldn't be disguised as buttons and vice versa. Headlines should be kept close to their associated text so that people aren't confused about what is connected and what isn't.
Having said that, I disagree with their assertion that Web sites shouldn't include sections that say things like, "This page is best viewed with Internet Explorer 6." This is particularly offensive to me because we're in the news business. It's not our job to hide things from readers. If a Web page would best be viewed in a particular browser, or if a video can only be seen in a particular format (such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime player, etc.), it is not only a good idea but imperative to tell readers about this. Otherwise, you'll lose people very quickly, which means less traffic to your Web site and, in the long run, fewer advertising dollars.
Having said that, the best approach would be to design a Web site in a way that can be viewed across a wide variety of browsers without problems that could be easily fixed. It's a good idea to test a site on several browsers.
I learned that you should align all elements in relatively the same way — all left, all centered and so forth. It's a great idea, simple and effective, and I hadn't really considered how this element could play such an important role before reading these.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
writing for a visual medium
Shook's "Writing the Package," was very helpful in explaining the breakdown of how to write, capture, and prepare for a visual story. It is important to think of every little detail. The process might have to be rushed sometimes depending on the story and your job, but if you miss detail it could lead to a poor story. I like how he explained hte studio lead-in--it shouldn't be an intro to the story about to come, it should be instant intrusive, a dive right into the story. Afterall, you aren't given much time to tell the story, so you must make hte most of it.
Also, "visual proof" is essential to the story as a whole. This story relies on the visual, with words to explain and back up what the audience is seeing. The end is especially important. It should be a visual, if possible, one that you picked out at the beginning when you arrived on scene and that you are working toward as an ending goal. It should be an obvious end to the story.
Finally, I know I need to work on my planning before I hit the scene. Shook talks about how you should have a storyboard or ideas about the way the story will be organized, but should always be prepared to have your organizational method or your ideas change on the scene. Having an idea set in stone before you arrive on scene can lead to laziness.
visual medium writing
When writing for the visual medium it is important to be as detailed as possible. Detailing storyboards before filming is crucial because it mentally prepares the cameraman/camerawoman for the task ahead. It provides the cameraperson with an idea of the types of shots they are going to film and idea of what they will be filming.
Another imperative aspect of writing for the visual medium is organizing the shot sequence for the journalistic piece. Shot sequence determines what story the viewer sees and interprets as news. There are many ideal shot sequences. All of these sequences feature the importance of B roll. B roll is crucial because these cutaways are excellent transitions in between clips. They also provide context to the story. In sports stories they are used as a to break between highlights in the package. This allows the viewer to digest the highlights they just saw. It also prevents the viewers from being bombarded with information. B roll shots should be five seconds long and still add to the story, as opposed to distracting viewers from the real issue.
Writing for a video package is very similar to writing for an audio package. The good journalist wants to provide great sound bites and information. They also want the story to be told by the people for the people. The reporter should only put the story in context.
Writing a good video package is composed of focusing on the shot sequence. storyboarding the filming, good B roll, and letting the interview subjects tell the story.
Another imperative aspect of writing for the visual medium is organizing the shot sequence for the journalistic piece. Shot sequence determines what story the viewer sees and interprets as news. There are many ideal shot sequences. All of these sequences feature the importance of B roll. B roll is crucial because these cutaways are excellent transitions in between clips. They also provide context to the story. In sports stories they are used as a to break between highlights in the package. This allows the viewer to digest the highlights they just saw. It also prevents the viewers from being bombarded with information. B roll shots should be five seconds long and still add to the story, as opposed to distracting viewers from the real issue.
Writing for a video package is very similar to writing for an audio package. The good journalist wants to provide great sound bites and information. They also want the story to be told by the people for the people. The reporter should only put the story in context.
Writing a good video package is composed of focusing on the shot sequence. storyboarding the filming, good B roll, and letting the interview subjects tell the story.
writing for a visual medium
The readings concerning writing for a visual medium primarily focused on, well, finding a focus. This makes sense, and it's a common theme among writing for all mediums. In the past, most of my experience has been in news writing; I've written a lot of news/arts/etc stories, and the semester I write editorials. And in every one of these writing situations, I've had to find a focus; if you can't come up with one sentence to effectively summarize the point that you're trying to make or the intent you're pursuing with a story, you may need to rethink about whether the story makes sense.
Anyway. There are a lot of things that writing for a visual medium has in common with writing for print, but there are also a lot of key differences. Most of these are structural; when writing for a visual medium, you have to concentrate on making the entire piece engaging, but you don't necessarily have to have the most important fact first. You don't have to follow inverted pyramid structure all the time, as you should with print news stories. A person is more likely to watch an entire 1:30 news package than they are to read a really long story with lots of information, so you can rest assured they'll probably watch the whole thing and you don't have to make the ending/conclusion the least important. However, since you have less time than space to cover your issue, every soundbite, standup and piece of natural sound should have a purpose. And because its a visual medium, every picture should be carefully thought out; every piece of video should be shot for a reason, and should not only add to a story but, really, construct it. It's most important to keep in mind that you're doing the story visually for a reason; do what you couldn't do through just a print story.
Anyway. There are a lot of things that writing for a visual medium has in common with writing for print, but there are also a lot of key differences. Most of these are structural; when writing for a visual medium, you have to concentrate on making the entire piece engaging, but you don't necessarily have to have the most important fact first. You don't have to follow inverted pyramid structure all the time, as you should with print news stories. A person is more likely to watch an entire 1:30 news package than they are to read a really long story with lots of information, so you can rest assured they'll probably watch the whole thing and you don't have to make the ending/conclusion the least important. However, since you have less time than space to cover your issue, every soundbite, standup and piece of natural sound should have a purpose. And because its a visual medium, every picture should be carefully thought out; every piece of video should be shot for a reason, and should not only add to a story but, really, construct it. It's most important to keep in mind that you're doing the story visually for a reason; do what you couldn't do through just a print story.
Writing for a Visual Medium
When writing for a visual medium, it is important to always think about what images you are going to use to match your words. The images take precedence in a visual medium and the words are just there to add clarification or to back those images up. It is important to be concise in your writing since the focus is on the images. People will all too easily zone out if narration and sound bites go on for too long. Language should grab attention and be easy to understand and the images must relate to what the reporter is saying.
Shook gives a blueprint of what your package should look like. He says that it is first important to find the focus of your story. From there you can write your studio lead-in and the package lead. At first I was confused about the difference between the lead-in and the lead. I know that the studio needs a lead-in before the package starts, but I believe that you need to be careful so that your studio lead-in and package lead are not too repetitive. They should both convey the central thought of the story, but they also need to be distinct from one another. This part of writing the package seems like a great challenge.
Integrating dueling elements
Writing for video is essentially an art of combining two mediums. I like to think of the video element as a supplement to the writing because the story still depends on the reporter's lead, transitions, and contextual setup. The sound bytes replace the quotes of a story, which aren't the reporter's creation anyway. So video to me is supplemental to the traditional way of storytelling, not a new way.
Obviously writing for the video will be different. You are limited to the context of the footage you were able to capture and to the time frame of the piece. But the readings give guidelines that mimic the structure of most any guide to writing straight news. Tailoring the video to the story is the challenge I think. It requires intense editing and constant reflection and therefore revision.
Apparently the focus statement is among the most important tasks to achieve in a visual story. It ties in all of the elements and directs the viewer's attention to what will be going on so they can funnel what they see and hear into one coherent concept.
Obviously writing for the video will be different. You are limited to the context of the footage you were able to capture and to the time frame of the piece. But the readings give guidelines that mimic the structure of most any guide to writing straight news. Tailoring the video to the story is the challenge I think. It requires intense editing and constant reflection and therefore revision.
Apparently the focus statement is among the most important tasks to achieve in a visual story. It ties in all of the elements and directs the viewer's attention to what will be going on so they can funnel what they see and hear into one coherent concept.
Writing For a Visual Medium
Before taking this class, I thought writing for a visual news story would be a lot easier. I thought since you could see what was happening right before your eyes, that what needs to be said would be obvious. Editing our 30 second clips made me realize that this isn't really the case. Although we didn't have to add voice overs or really write a lot of it on our own, I could tell that adding the voice overs and writing for it wouldn't be as easy as I had imagined.
For a visual news story, the interviews, b-roll and reporter narration all have to tie together in a way that is clear and meaningful. All of this, along with editing the video clips and making everything follow an order that makes sense can be very challenging. The reporter has almost no control over what sources say in the interview, so until you get their answers to your questions, you can't begin to write in the other parts. When it comes to b-roll, you probably don't want to describe exactly what is going on (because that's obvious if the viewer can see it) but it can be difficult to find something truthful and relevent to say during those clips. Overall, I've realized that writing for a visual story isn't obvious and that there are several things to remember before you start.
Writing for a Visual Medium
When I first started writing for the different aspects of media on my webpage, I thought it would be the same as writing for print. You sit down, tell the story in a succinct yet informative manner and send it off to be published or printed or whatever you're doing with it. This is not the case at all. Writing for a visual medium requires a reporter to be slightly more creative. You have to be able to make your readers want to view or listen to the story you're trying to tell without giving it completely away, and you don't have much space to grab their attention in. When they're actually viewing your story, you have to know just how much to tell them and just how much to show them without overwhelming them with information, and how to make the different aspects of your story balance so the viewer doesn't feel they're getting all reporter and no interview or vice versa. You still have to be able to get your point across in a succint and informative manner, but you have to remember there are other mediums telling your story besides writing, so it has to be decided what needs to be written out and said and what can be shown. You don't want to make your viewer feel stupid, like you as a journalist are spelling everything out for them, yet you want to make sure you're doing your job and getting the story told. It's a narrow line to walk, and one that's taking me personally lots of practice and experience to figure out the best way to handle different stories.
Break Down the Process - Tomeka Weatherspoon
The readings were especially helpful, in terms of organization and technique when creating video stories. As a viewer, I didn't think to pick a part a video story to see its framework. The process is a lot more complex than it appears. Part of the point is to make the story appear seamless. The viewer shouldn't be able to see the process, just experience the story.
Creating them still a form of storytelling, but they sometimes get a bad reputation for being overly simplified and fragmented. Those are the ones that have not been planned sufficiently. They did not break down the process and give appropriate appreciation for individual components, such as sound. This is one of the benefits of having developmental stages. It gives you a chance to focus your attention.
Writing for a Visual Medium – Precisely Concise
As I read the different reading materials for class, I couldn’t help but journey back to that moment a couple of weeks ago when I was sitting in front of a computer in the Futures Lab, thinking over how I was going to edit my captured video clips. We weren’t supposed to have any words or captions, but probably as everyone else, I was sort of making ‘unseen’ scripts of my own just to get a glimpse of how my short piece of video would turn out.
The most important thing in visual media is obviously its asset to be able to tell a story. Thus, I believe that writing for a visual medium should be able to focus on the story, basically in the same principle as writing on paper as a reporter. However, unlike writing on paper and guiding people through a story with your mighty pen from the very beginning, I think writing for a visual medium has more to do with getting all the pieces of the puzzle together. By puzzle pieces I mean we as convergence reporters have more tools in our hands to actually “plan” the focus or attention emphasis of readers (viewers). To elaborate, think of a reporter who has a camera or a video camera. This reporter, after getting the footage or photo, has to decide how to use and match this media information with whatever he/she is going to write. Now, I guess that’s how we have been working so far as students of a fundamentals class. Get your media first, and then think about how to make it all work together by editing them. However, I think as skilled convergence reporters, I think we will have a better sense of how to tell the story, and with that blueprint be able to handle all our tools of storytelling to make fit the pieces we need. I believe that the writing part will act as one of the vital pieces of the story, the only catch being it must always be as concise as possible.
I have been writing some kind of piece all my life, whether it is a paper for classes, an essay for the school paper, diaries, letters, you name it. But I have always found myself writing a bit longer than I had hoped to (just like in this blog entry). I think my convergence training and experiences will definitely give me a good lesson in not rambling on and on about a story. I think conciseness and precisely getting to the point is very important in writing for a visual medium, since you are trying to ‘aid’ people who can already ‘see’ parts of your puzzle pieces, like I mentioned earlier. That I would definitely like to get better at.
The most important thing in visual media is obviously its asset to be able to tell a story. Thus, I believe that writing for a visual medium should be able to focus on the story, basically in the same principle as writing on paper as a reporter. However, unlike writing on paper and guiding people through a story with your mighty pen from the very beginning, I think writing for a visual medium has more to do with getting all the pieces of the puzzle together. By puzzle pieces I mean we as convergence reporters have more tools in our hands to actually “plan” the focus or attention emphasis of readers (viewers). To elaborate, think of a reporter who has a camera or a video camera. This reporter, after getting the footage or photo, has to decide how to use and match this media information with whatever he/she is going to write. Now, I guess that’s how we have been working so far as students of a fundamentals class. Get your media first, and then think about how to make it all work together by editing them. However, I think as skilled convergence reporters, I think we will have a better sense of how to tell the story, and with that blueprint be able to handle all our tools of storytelling to make fit the pieces we need. I believe that the writing part will act as one of the vital pieces of the story, the only catch being it must always be as concise as possible.
I have been writing some kind of piece all my life, whether it is a paper for classes, an essay for the school paper, diaries, letters, you name it. But I have always found myself writing a bit longer than I had hoped to (just like in this blog entry). I think my convergence training and experiences will definitely give me a good lesson in not rambling on and on about a story. I think conciseness and precisely getting to the point is very important in writing for a visual medium, since you are trying to ‘aid’ people who can already ‘see’ parts of your puzzle pieces, like I mentioned earlier. That I would definitely like to get better at.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Making words match your medium
Writing is essential to great journalism; it's the foundation, the bigger picture, and the main thing that brings a story to life for a reader. I've always known that writing is the most important thing for papers, but I believe my experience here at MU's J-School has really shown me that writing is important for all types of journalism, including the newest member to the J-family, convergence.
My main reason for switching to convergence this summer was to gain some extra skills to make myself more marketable as a broadcast journalist upon graduation. I thought there would be more Internet training and maybe some more use of more different types of equipment. While we haven't focused heavily on the writing for these different mediums, the examples we've seen in class and our own stories have used more writing than I first assumed.
One of the main things I've taken away from this class thus far is that writing for these different journalism mediums is that writing includes so much more than actual words on a paper. Writing for a story with pictures means taking a scene setter shot, a profile shot, and a close shot to paint a full story. Writing for an audio story means incorporating natural sound, interesting sound bites, and your own observations to describe a story with only sounds. As we focus more on our video stories, I am looking forward to the way our pictures, B-roll, and voice overs will help take our viewers to the story.
The bottom line is that writing is very important for visual mediums, but that the writing in this sense includes more than just printed words. Writing for visual or even audio mediums calls for using pictures, sounds, and your imagination to bring a story to life in a creative and interactive way.
Harder than it looks - Kate Chizek
I am going to be honest; before entering journalism school and interning for a broadcast news medium this summer, I thought writing and reporting for a visual medium was relatively easy. I just assumed that reporters could sit down, pinpoint their story, and write the copy easily; the interviews would be easy to get, and most,if not all, would support the story being told. I have quickly found, especially in 4802, this is not the case. First of all, your sources shouldn't support your story; good reporters go in without pre-notions of what they are looking for. They have questions prepared to ask, but they don't only dig for what falls in the scope of their intended story. They ask questions and see the big picture, withholding all bias they may have had.
In the Poynter article, Al Tompkins states that journalists should, "Connect your eye, your heart and body to journalism." Journalists have to be passionate and willing to go the extra step. Finding the perfect words may be hard, but they have to dig to nail a story. I like how Poynter discusses focusing within a "story-in-a-sentence." I think this is wise - if you can't sum up your story in one sentence, your readers will be confused. If there is too much going on with the visual aspects and the copy, no one will be able to follow the story nor will they care.
In our use of natural sound, the reading from Chapter 9 says you must use it "liberally" because it helps establish the news environment. After the NPR radio story, I know I personally have to remember that the natural sound really must fit the story. If I use it just to have natural sound, it may confuse readers. In the visual medium, this natural sound can also be captured with images, making the viewer feel as if he or she is there. Obviously, more thought is necessary for the visual medium than I originally thought!
In the Poynter article, Al Tompkins states that journalists should, "Connect your eye, your heart and body to journalism." Journalists have to be passionate and willing to go the extra step. Finding the perfect words may be hard, but they have to dig to nail a story. I like how Poynter discusses focusing within a "story-in-a-sentence." I think this is wise - if you can't sum up your story in one sentence, your readers will be confused. If there is too much going on with the visual aspects and the copy, no one will be able to follow the story nor will they care.
In our use of natural sound, the reading from Chapter 9 says you must use it "liberally" because it helps establish the news environment. After the NPR radio story, I know I personally have to remember that the natural sound really must fit the story. If I use it just to have natural sound, it may confuse readers. In the visual medium, this natural sound can also be captured with images, making the viewer feel as if he or she is there. Obviously, more thought is necessary for the visual medium than I originally thought!
Thinking Critically
One of the things I had trouble with for the thirty second video assignment was time. I had so many good ideas and strong footage, but not enough time to include everything I wanted. I thought about it some more and it became a real conundrum. How does a multiplatform journalist respect the alotted time without sacrificing content? After reading the Poynter online article, I found the answer is pretty clear.
A multimedia journalist must critically analyze what needs to be in the story, and shorten it into a sentence. We must keep a very narrow focus to our stories, or else run the risk of having a forty minute video. It's easy for us a visual storytellers to get distracted with some of the visual schematics of our job. I think to solve my problem I will more closely scrutinize my stories and go in to a story having done more research.
It's important for us to know what angle we're going for. Again, and I've found this throughout my time in this class so far, journalism is very mental. Once we really know what the stories needs, we can better plan for what we will get. I think by reading these articles, I will know how to better manage my time in videos without abandoning sound videographic principles.
A multimedia journalist must critically analyze what needs to be in the story, and shorten it into a sentence. We must keep a very narrow focus to our stories, or else run the risk of having a forty minute video. It's easy for us a visual storytellers to get distracted with some of the visual schematics of our job. I think to solve my problem I will more closely scrutinize my stories and go in to a story having done more research.
It's important for us to know what angle we're going for. Again, and I've found this throughout my time in this class so far, journalism is very mental. Once we really know what the stories needs, we can better plan for what we will get. I think by reading these articles, I will know how to better manage my time in videos without abandoning sound videographic principles.
Coherency
A successful journalist will heed the advice of the Visual Edge in Doug White's piece and "focus" on the topic at hand. The "Focus" itself is covered in both readings, and is defined as a sentence summary, containing the entire story. If one cannot summarize his or her story like this, it is said to be too long. It's this nutshell premise that keeps the story easily digestible for viewers. For instance, it's key to think about the subject and be sure that all possible nooks and crannies are concisely covered. Interview subjects in ways that challenge them to be creative and open with responses. Visuals should match the topic of the speaker whether it's the narrator or the interviewee. Shoot each shot from different angles and make the information as easy to digest as is humanly possible.
"Writing the Package" by Fred Shook is a guided resource for those looking to take the advice above and apply it in easy ways. Shook's skeleton proceeds as follows; each journalist should lead with a Focus statement/Studio lead-in that highlights the point of the story and captures the viewer's attention, then he or she should proceed to the package lead in a main idea to communicate and a visual to prove it, from there we move to a body or middle segment which should highlight four ideas that compose the topic, finally we have a final visual, closing sound and voice over to cap the story off.
After reading the articles, I've concluded that the most important thing for a story in a visual medium is cohesion, or the perfect union of words, sound and visuals. Without context, or visual confirmation, words and ideas puzzle an audience. Or worse, do not register. Stories need to be coherent to communicate their topic, as do any other type of non-abstract medium.
Kevin Ornduff
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Nate Birt - Writing for Visual Mediums - for Oct. 21
After reading about writing for a visual medium, I am going to make a concerted effort to introduce and close the story I produce by myself without allowing a source to do it for me.
According to the piece titled "Writing the Package," it's important to carefully fuse voiceover content with the actually visual content of the video. If you're talking about people eating chili at a fundraising event, for example, you wouldn't want to show the outside of the building at that time. Instead, you'd want to show the people eating their chili and having a (fun/enjoyable/fill-in-your-choice-of-adjective) time.
I didn't know that so much advanced planning went into a TV news story, though I suppose it's only natural. Even for a breaking news story, this chapter notes, reporters can take the time to get to understand the story and frame it appropriately.
I plan to use the idea of building a script for my piece and writing out the script. It seems like it will be rather difficult to time things — for example, how long it takes to do a particular voiceover and then transition into interview footage, B-roll and so on, but I'm sure that after a few rounds of practice (something we discussed in class), it will go more naturally. I'm also wondering how we will insert a voiceover into our videos, but it's something we'll probably be learning about soon.
According to the piece titled "Writing the Package," it's important to carefully fuse voiceover content with the actually visual content of the video. If you're talking about people eating chili at a fundraising event, for example, you wouldn't want to show the outside of the building at that time. Instead, you'd want to show the people eating their chili and having a (fun/enjoyable/fill-in-your-choice-of-adjective) time.
I didn't know that so much advanced planning went into a TV news story, though I suppose it's only natural. Even for a breaking news story, this chapter notes, reporters can take the time to get to understand the story and frame it appropriately.
I plan to use the idea of building a script for my piece and writing out the script. It seems like it will be rather difficult to time things — for example, how long it takes to do a particular voiceover and then transition into interview footage, B-roll and so on, but I'm sure that after a few rounds of practice (something we discussed in class), it will go more naturally. I'm also wondering how we will insert a voiceover into our videos, but it's something we'll probably be learning about soon.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sportscenter minute
ESPN.com is the leader in sports convergence journalism. The world wide leader in sports is also the world wide leader of sports on the web. The ESPN Sportscenter minute is a staple of the successful website. The Sportscenter minute gives a minute or two briefing of up to the minute sports news, complete with highlights and an anchor reading the news.
The Sportscenter minute has an advantage that a written story does not. While a written story only satisfies the visual sense, a video package satisfies both the visual and audio senses. By satisfying more of the basic human senses, the online video package provides a more enjoyable experience to the webpage’s visitors. It also relieves them of the strain of having to read a story.
By providing a brief synopsis of the occurrences in the world of sports, it allows them to know the important facts immediately, without having to spend 10 minutes reading a story. ESPN also provides a story online, if visitors want more information on a particular topic/issue.
I found out that Adam “Pac-man” Jones had once again been suspended indefinitely by the NFL and heard expert opinion on the issue, within one minute of visiting the site. These results are amazing. The internet is truly the best way to find information fast. That is the reason why I am in convergence because it provides information quicker than any other medium.
The Sportscenter minute is a top notch web video that provides information quickly and satisfies more of the five basic senses than a written story. This is the reason why the internet is the top destination for news, and sports highlights.
The Sportscenter minute has an advantage that a written story does not. While a written story only satisfies the visual sense, a video package satisfies both the visual and audio senses. By satisfying more of the basic human senses, the online video package provides a more enjoyable experience to the webpage’s visitors. It also relieves them of the strain of having to read a story.
By providing a brief synopsis of the occurrences in the world of sports, it allows them to know the important facts immediately, without having to spend 10 minutes reading a story. ESPN also provides a story online, if visitors want more information on a particular topic/issue.
I found out that Adam “Pac-man” Jones had once again been suspended indefinitely by the NFL and heard expert opinion on the issue, within one minute of visiting the site. These results are amazing. The internet is truly the best way to find information fast. That is the reason why I am in convergence because it provides information quicker than any other medium.
The Sportscenter minute is a top notch web video that provides information quickly and satisfies more of the five basic senses than a written story. This is the reason why the internet is the top destination for news, and sports highlights.
Chicago may get 'gay-friendly' high school
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/13/gay.friendly.school/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
I watched this story having no idea about whether or not there would be good visual representations, really. I figured that since it was an issue story, it could go either way and it could be difficult to capture appropriate B-roll since the school hadn't already been constructed. I wasn't really surprised to see that the visuals were limited to graphics and to some sporadic B-roll of school-age students and classroom activities, but I was a little disappointed at how visually uninteresting it was. They could have had more footage of students meeting or doing activities as part of a school's GSA, or something, really.
In this case, there was a text version of the story, and though I feel like video can do more to attract the senses and tell stories sometimes, this was not one of those times. The text and a few still photos really told the story better.
In both cases, though, the story was good— but it wasn't meant for a video.
I watched this story having no idea about whether or not there would be good visual representations, really. I figured that since it was an issue story, it could go either way and it could be difficult to capture appropriate B-roll since the school hadn't already been constructed. I wasn't really surprised to see that the visuals were limited to graphics and to some sporadic B-roll of school-age students and classroom activities, but I was a little disappointed at how visually uninteresting it was. They could have had more footage of students meeting or doing activities as part of a school's GSA, or something, really.
In this case, there was a text version of the story, and though I feel like video can do more to attract the senses and tell stories sometimes, this was not one of those times. The text and a few still photos really told the story better.
In both cases, though, the story was good— but it wasn't meant for a video.
Maher accused of trickery
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/showbiz
A story on Bill Maher's documentary "Religulous" caught my eye since it has a chance of being nominated for an Academy Award. The story reports on subjects of the film who are now complaining about being tricked by Maher into doing interviews that they did not know were connected to his comedic documentary about religion. The man who directed "Borat" also directed "Religulous" which adds credence to the claim that the subjects were tricked. The video's b-roll consists of clips from the movie, which gives viewers an idea of what Maher's documentary is about so that they can follow along with the news report.
The video quotes one subject, Rev. Jeremiah Cummings, but never shows an actual interview with him. I realize that he may not have wanted to be shown on camera, but since he is such a big source in this story, that interview would have been a good addition. I was also disappointed that the report used what looked like an old interview with Maher and the director where they admit to lying to people to get interviews. However, the report pulls only a soundbite from the pair and I think the piece should have at least included an explanation from them on why they lied to subjects. The piece is very one-sided since we don't directly hear from Maher.
I don't think this story would be that hampered by being "text only." The only benefit of video in this case is that the report can show clips from Maher's documentary. Those clips do give us a better idea about the content of the film, but a few sentences in a print story could also clear that up for us.
Asian Stocks Rally
Zach Wade
http://www.cnn.com/video/?iref=videoglobal
In this video, a CNN correspondent in Hong Kong outlines the unprecedented nature of a global economic bailout. The coverage however mainly focused on the market reaction to the economic stimulus plans proposed by G7 governments. The visuals were relevant to the story, but were mundane, cliche and boring. Most of the shots were simply of stock tickers which tell us very little in scope and only repeat the information that the stock market was doing better on the news. There was also some footgae of the NYSE floor, but it was so generic that it might as well have been stock footage.
A little bit of ticker is fine, but I owuld prefer to see something that reveals a little more information. I would have included clips on government meetings and federal reserve shots. Also, the transitions in video were a little odd. The story was about the Asian stocks rallying last night, but occassionally they would include a shot of the NYSE without a clear enough segway. CNN needs to assume the viewer knows nothing about the markets and should explain or imply what they are seeing on the screen.
If the story were written in plain text, it would read fairly choppy. The reporter used a lot of "Well, And, So" transitions that makes sense in speech, but not on paper. The pauses that exist in the audi/video format are necessary, but those who read it straight through in print may find thatwithout the necessary pause, the story is choppy. Obviously written stories and audio stories are two different animals.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?iref=videoglobal
In this video, a CNN correspondent in Hong Kong outlines the unprecedented nature of a global economic bailout. The coverage however mainly focused on the market reaction to the economic stimulus plans proposed by G7 governments. The visuals were relevant to the story, but were mundane, cliche and boring. Most of the shots were simply of stock tickers which tell us very little in scope and only repeat the information that the stock market was doing better on the news. There was also some footgae of the NYSE floor, but it was so generic that it might as well have been stock footage.
A little bit of ticker is fine, but I owuld prefer to see something that reveals a little more information. I would have included clips on government meetings and federal reserve shots. Also, the transitions in video were a little odd. The story was about the Asian stocks rallying last night, but occassionally they would include a shot of the NYSE without a clear enough segway. CNN needs to assume the viewer knows nothing about the markets and should explain or imply what they are seeing on the screen.
If the story were written in plain text, it would read fairly choppy. The reporter used a lot of "Well, And, So" transitions that makes sense in speech, but not on paper. The pauses that exist in the audi/video format are necessary, but those who read it straight through in print may find thatwithout the necessary pause, the story is choppy. Obviously written stories and audio stories are two different animals.
It always seems better to be able to ‘watch’ sports news
For the sake of trying something different, I tried searching Korean websites for journalistic videos. One thing I kept in mind in my search was that the journalistic piece should have some merit for being a video-type one. That is why I chose a sports news piece.
Website URL : http://news.naver.com/vod/vod.nhn?office_id=214&article_id=0000082974§ion_id=107
This video (a clip from the nine o’clock NewsDesk, an evening news program by one of Korea’s largest nationwide networks MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Company), is titled “The Olympic Heroes Do it Again.” The news story (1:43) is about Korea’s National Athletic Games which is going on right now and Korean olympians who won medals in the Beijing games participating in it. The medalists, including Park Taehwan (swimming) and Jang Miran (weightlifting) were victorious in the domestic games, overcoming their rivals by huge margins.
I think one thing this video story lacks is coverage on some other Olympians who faced strong opponents that struggled. It looked almost as if it was a PR video, one that advertises the two Olympic medalists. There are such athletes who triumphed in the Beijing games but were on the wrong end of an upset from other talented domestic competition. Perhaps this could be whole another story, but for some people who are only able to catch this news video, it might have been more diverse to add about 20 seconds and add that aspect to the story.
If this story was a “text-only story,” I think it might not even have caught the attention of may news spectators, especially because it’s about sports. One great thing about visual coverage of sports is that it is always more exciting and gives you a sense of actually being there. Also, through video and familiar scenes (for example, Park swimming past the leader to finish first) reminiscence of these figures and their accomplishments could be duplicated, thus making it a story with more impact. I think that’s why we have more analysis and projections in the text version of a sports story.
Website URL : http://news.naver.com/vod/vod.nhn?office_id=214&article_id=0000082974§ion_id=107
This video (a clip from the nine o’clock NewsDesk, an evening news program by one of Korea’s largest nationwide networks MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Company), is titled “The Olympic Heroes Do it Again.” The news story (1:43) is about Korea’s National Athletic Games which is going on right now and Korean olympians who won medals in the Beijing games participating in it. The medalists, including Park Taehwan (swimming) and Jang Miran (weightlifting) were victorious in the domestic games, overcoming their rivals by huge margins.
I think one thing this video story lacks is coverage on some other Olympians who faced strong opponents that struggled. It looked almost as if it was a PR video, one that advertises the two Olympic medalists. There are such athletes who triumphed in the Beijing games but were on the wrong end of an upset from other talented domestic competition. Perhaps this could be whole another story, but for some people who are only able to catch this news video, it might have been more diverse to add about 20 seconds and add that aspect to the story.
If this story was a “text-only story,” I think it might not even have caught the attention of may news spectators, especially because it’s about sports. One great thing about visual coverage of sports is that it is always more exciting and gives you a sense of actually being there. Also, through video and familiar scenes (for example, Park swimming past the leader to finish first) reminiscence of these figures and their accomplishments could be duplicated, thus making it a story with more impact. I think that’s why we have more analysis and projections in the text version of a sports story.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Video Example Critique
I watched a news video on CNN.com entitled "Healthy fast food." It presented Atlanta Area Fresh 'n Fit Cuisine, a healthy fast food-to-go option, focusing on Tiffany Hoffine's experience with the business. The reporter interviewed Hoffine and showed clips of her walking out of the a discount nutrition store with the food, getting in her car, bringing it home to her husband, and eating it at the table as a nice meal. She also interviewed the chef at the company, showing the kitchen and the food being made, along with an interview with a registered dietician. It was a pretty good video. I would have liked to see interviews withe more Fresh 'n Fit Cuisine customers. Does this company just benefit a couple with no kids? Could a family use this? Hoffine mentioned that she had already lost ten pounds and the chef said that the company caters to 1,200 and 2,000 calorie diets. Is this for people who want to lose weight or is that just a side benefit?
As for the B-roll, I feel like it was a little unnecessary to show Hoffine physically walking out of the store with her food, opening her car door, getting into her car, etc. I think it would have been a better visual to show all of the different food options in the store and show her deciding which to buy. They also could have included in the story different places were the food is available.
It was a little corny also when Hoffine used lines such as "Honey, I'm home!" when she brought home the food to her husband and "Bon appetit!" when they sat down to eat it. It seemed unnatural, like she was clearly acting for the camera. The camera didn't seem to be merely a fly on the wall.
This story would not have been as strong as a text only story. People need a visual of food; something they are going to be eating needs to look appealing. It was also important to get a look into the kitchen. The food appeared to be high-quality and the fact that the couple sat down in the dining room with the food on their nice plates, drinking wine added an element that would have been harder to pick up on with just words. If the story was only told in words it would have to rely much more heavily on sensory words and descriptions.
"The Milkman"
As I went to search for multimedia videos, I found many Associated Press examples or actual clips from a local broadcast news station. I did not want to critique these because they were not solely meant for the web. You could find them on TV, just by turning on the nightly news. Instead, I turned to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and found a video of a story by Elie Gardner - titled "The Milkman."
http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=2279691
This story discusses a male "lactation" counselor at a children's store in St. Louis. While a text narrative could have given us more information about the store and Eric Nemens, the counselor, it would have lost the visual effect of babies being fed by their mothers; with bright eyes and happy faces, it's easier to understand what Nemens is discussing about the bond with a baby. The reporter timed Nemens' questions perfectly about being a father - she added ambience noise of babies cooing and crying, as well as excerpts from Howie Day's song, Collide. It gives a strong visual about the bond between a parent and a newborn.
I wish the reporter would have covered more about the irony of having a male as a "lactation" counselor; this appears to be unique, so how do the mothers feel asking him for advice? Where is their voice within this story? It becomes very one-sided. While we learn about why Nemens enjoys working with children, we completely lose the aspect of the unique situation. I think more interviews would be needed. While these interviews may be in a text form of the story, at least some short clip would have been beneficial.
Additionally, it would be nice to see some interactions between Nemens and the new mothers. As viewers, we can see the mothers conversing with one another, but that isn't what the story is about. We need to see a better visual of Nemens, and I think that would lead to a better overall understanding.
I like the way newspaper websites are trying to stay up-to-date with our modern age. With opportunities for readers to visually see their stories, newspaper corporations can stay alive in our fast paced world!!
http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=2279691
This story discusses a male "lactation" counselor at a children's store in St. Louis. While a text narrative could have given us more information about the store and Eric Nemens, the counselor, it would have lost the visual effect of babies being fed by their mothers; with bright eyes and happy faces, it's easier to understand what Nemens is discussing about the bond with a baby. The reporter timed Nemens' questions perfectly about being a father - she added ambience noise of babies cooing and crying, as well as excerpts from Howie Day's song, Collide. It gives a strong visual about the bond between a parent and a newborn.
I wish the reporter would have covered more about the irony of having a male as a "lactation" counselor; this appears to be unique, so how do the mothers feel asking him for advice? Where is their voice within this story? It becomes very one-sided. While we learn about why Nemens enjoys working with children, we completely lose the aspect of the unique situation. I think more interviews would be needed. While these interviews may be in a text form of the story, at least some short clip would have been beneficial.
Additionally, it would be nice to see some interactions between Nemens and the new mothers. As viewers, we can see the mothers conversing with one another, but that isn't what the story is about. We need to see a better visual of Nemens, and I think that would lead to a better overall understanding.
I like the way newspaper websites are trying to stay up-to-date with our modern age. With opportunities for readers to visually see their stories, newspaper corporations can stay alive in our fast paced world!!
Pay It Forward
I found a video article on CNN.com entitled "Man fills strangers gas tanks". The title is interesting in itself because it leaves the consumer asking questions and therefore increases the probability that they'll click the link. One may wonder why would a man do such a deed for someone he barely knows in today's self-centered society but questions such as this are immediately answered as "Dave" of Portland, Oregon is revealed in the two-and-a-half-minute clip.
The video tells the tale of a man who fills strangers' tanks randomly on his own time, only asking the recipients to "pay it forward" or "do what they can within their budget for someone else". What makes this clip work is the fact that the man's actions are so genuine and rare they produce opposite positive emotions. And hopefully positive actions by the recipients in the future.
I enjoyed this story because it was an easily digestible at 2:37 and offered a complete picture of the situation. Missing information included David's last name, names of interviewees, among other small things. But overall, the story is very satisfying and complete.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?JSONLINK=/video/us/2008/10/11/natpkg.or.gas.pay.forward.kgw
Kevin Ornduff
Video Example Critique - Tomeka Weatherspoon
The New York Times has a video story called, "The Women of Parkour," which is on their Web site. Parkour is defined as the art of moving efficiently. The story focuses on a select group of women who have been invading the sport. The men and women practice in a park-like atmosphere, performing various stunts and acrobatic moves.
It is a very visually appealing, while still offering a solid explanation of the sport.
There were weak spots in the interviews and lack of basic information about the story's setting. Though men and women were featured doing stunts, only women were interviewed. Of those only one name was credited. Specifics such as location and date were simply left out. These could have quickly been explained using narration.
The story would not have translated well through text. The most interesting aspect is in how unique their techniques look. It may be impossible to explain those kinds of images using words.
You can find the story here: http://video.on.nytimes.com
Journalistic Video
To analyze a piece of journalistic video, I chose to view something a little less hard-hitting and impactuful. I chose to watch a short interest story from MSNBC. The story was about a 14-year-old eagle that was captured and raised in captivity. But the owners decided to release the bird into the wild, even though the bird had never flown. The owners trained for a year on hang-gliders and finally released the eagle from the top of a French mountain while gliding alongside it.
The visuals in the story are absolutely stunning. Helicopter shots set the scene around the mountain and a videographer clearly rode in a hang-glider as well to capture some amazing footage. None of the shots lasted for longer than 5 seconds, which kept the audience interested and engage.
The narrator was simple and clearly and concisely told the story in an effective way. I would, however, liked to hear some more original voices in the story. This was meant to be a quick and painless story, and I understand that, but why couldn't the network interviewed at least one person. They had video of the person, so I think a sound bite should have been included. Original voices bring an authenticity to the story I feel is lacking thus far. I would have liked to know the outcome of the flight also. The scene was wonderfully set, but then not really explored through to completion.
I quite enjoyed this brief story, but clearly there is room for improvement.
The link to the video story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27163150#%2327163150
The visuals in the story are absolutely stunning. Helicopter shots set the scene around the mountain and a videographer clearly rode in a hang-glider as well to capture some amazing footage. None of the shots lasted for longer than 5 seconds, which kept the audience interested and engage.
The narrator was simple and clearly and concisely told the story in an effective way. I would, however, liked to hear some more original voices in the story. This was meant to be a quick and painless story, and I understand that, but why couldn't the network interviewed at least one person. They had video of the person, so I think a sound bite should have been included. Original voices bring an authenticity to the story I feel is lacking thus far. I would have liked to know the outcome of the flight also. The scene was wonderfully set, but then not really explored through to completion.
I quite enjoyed this brief story, but clearly there is room for improvement.
The link to the video story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27163150#%2327163150
New York Times Video
http://video.on.nytimes.com/
I watched a video on the New York Times website ("Financial Crisis Hits Teens") about a New York City high school. There were interviews with the students and teachers about the economy and how it is starting to affect the younger generations. I thought the story was done well, the interviews with students who had specific examples of seeing their parents try to save money, or discussing things that they always taken for granted but now are not sure about (getting a mortgage on a house like their parents did) helped drive the point of the story home. The principle talked about the students finding money for college, something else I thought was a very real problem that many students are facing. However, this was one private high school, and I think it may have been interesting to also get a look at this from a public school's perspective since it would have been a good opportunity to get even more varied backgrounds.
Had this story been done text only it would have been an interesting story. It would have gotten the point across and given some good quotes from students and teachers experiencing the changing economy. But by doing the story as a video, it made the students people who you could see and relate to. It made them real. You could see how attentive they were in their economy class, knowing how important the lessons would be, and see the worry on their faces as they discussed their options and the changes in their lives.
I watched a video on the New York Times website ("Financial Crisis Hits Teens") about a New York City high school. There were interviews with the students and teachers about the economy and how it is starting to affect the younger generations. I thought the story was done well, the interviews with students who had specific examples of seeing their parents try to save money, or discussing things that they always taken for granted but now are not sure about (getting a mortgage on a house like their parents did) helped drive the point of the story home. The principle talked about the students finding money for college, something else I thought was a very real problem that many students are facing. However, this was one private high school, and I think it may have been interesting to also get a look at this from a public school's perspective since it would have been a good opportunity to get even more varied backgrounds.
Had this story been done text only it would have been an interesting story. It would have gotten the point across and given some good quotes from students and teachers experiencing the changing economy. But by doing the story as a video, it made the students people who you could see and relate to. It made them real. You could see how attentive they were in their economy class, knowing how important the lessons would be, and see the worry on their faces as they discussed their options and the changes in their lives.
Video Storytelling
I chose to watch a video on the Detroit Free Press's website about a couple who is losing home due to foreclosure. It's one of three families that the Free Press is focusing on in its short series about the national economic crisis.
The link is: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VideoNetwork
I really liked the way this short video was done, and the timing was great. It was just long enough so that I felt like I got a true glimpse into this couple's life, but it wasn't so long as to bore me in the process. The Dearborn Heights couple bought the house about three years ago, and they realize now they probably got a better loan than they were afforded. The video features the couple packing up their things, sharing a meal, looking off into the distance, and talking with friends on the front porch. For the most part I really liked it but there were a couple of things I would have done differently.
The pictures and video must have been taken during the evening because at times you can't see the actions very well. This setting works well for some of the photos like when Alona is looking off into the distance or there's a shot of the sunset, but at one point Ernie is working on his car and you can't even see his hands because of the shadow. I would have changed this. Another aspect I might have done differently is the dinner scene. The couple is sitting down at what looks like their living room table to eat KFC for dinner and the following shots show close ups of the coleslaw, cups, forks, etc. while Ernie talks about the appraisal of his house. I thought that these shots and the conversation didn't match, and that I would have shown other shots of the house while he was talking about its appraisal value.
On the other hand, right before that scene was a shot of the couple saying a prayer before they ate. I thought that this was well done and gave an insight into their lives and their mindsets during this difficult process. At one point they prayed for the house and thanked God for their love for one another and the gas in their car. I thought this was very humanistic, and showed an insight to this couple that had nothing to do with the economy. I also liked the close of the piece with Alona talking about not being discouraged being matched with the shot of the sunset. It fit well to tie the story together and end the story on a nice note.
This video story is definitely different than a written one because it gave a lot of great natural sound and video of regular people doing regular things that might not be conveyed in a print story. There's one shot of Alona putting on her shoes and it shows her feet are a little raggedy (no offense) and something like that never would have fit within a print story, but gives some more detail about the life she leads. Again the prayer before they ate was a poignant touch, but in a print story would have probably been edited out. More than anything, this story is more appealing than a text only story because it really personalizes the economic issues that we're having in this country right now. It shows a day in the life of a single family that people can relate to. I think it was a job well done!
The link is: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VideoNetwork
I really liked the way this short video was done, and the timing was great. It was just long enough so that I felt like I got a true glimpse into this couple's life, but it wasn't so long as to bore me in the process. The Dearborn Heights couple bought the house about three years ago, and they realize now they probably got a better loan than they were afforded. The video features the couple packing up their things, sharing a meal, looking off into the distance, and talking with friends on the front porch. For the most part I really liked it but there were a couple of things I would have done differently.
The pictures and video must have been taken during the evening because at times you can't see the actions very well. This setting works well for some of the photos like when Alona is looking off into the distance or there's a shot of the sunset, but at one point Ernie is working on his car and you can't even see his hands because of the shadow. I would have changed this. Another aspect I might have done differently is the dinner scene. The couple is sitting down at what looks like their living room table to eat KFC for dinner and the following shots show close ups of the coleslaw, cups, forks, etc. while Ernie talks about the appraisal of his house. I thought that these shots and the conversation didn't match, and that I would have shown other shots of the house while he was talking about its appraisal value.
On the other hand, right before that scene was a shot of the couple saying a prayer before they ate. I thought that this was well done and gave an insight into their lives and their mindsets during this difficult process. At one point they prayed for the house and thanked God for their love for one another and the gas in their car. I thought this was very humanistic, and showed an insight to this couple that had nothing to do with the economy. I also liked the close of the piece with Alona talking about not being discouraged being matched with the shot of the sunset. It fit well to tie the story together and end the story on a nice note.
This video story is definitely different than a written one because it gave a lot of great natural sound and video of regular people doing regular things that might not be conveyed in a print story. There's one shot of Alona putting on her shoes and it shows her feet are a little raggedy (no offense) and something like that never would have fit within a print story, but gives some more detail about the life she leads. Again the prayer before they ate was a poignant touch, but in a print story would have probably been edited out. More than anything, this story is more appealing than a text only story because it really personalizes the economic issues that we're having in this country right now. It shows a day in the life of a single family that people can relate to. I think it was a job well done!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Web video blog for Oct. 14
After watching a cooking video at NYTimes.com, I decided to pursue a more news-based post for this particular blog.
I visited the Detroit Free Press' Web site, Freep.com, and watched a video from its "Michigan's Band of Brothers" series.
What struck me most about this particular video, "Remembering a Michigan soldier" (presumably that's what it's called — the site formatting makes it hard to read the whole title), was that many sources, and not once the reporter, told the story:
It's particularly powerful because these videographers had interviewed this Marine, Pfc. Tarryl Hill, on the job, before his death, and used that footage paired with footage from his funeral. Instead of focusing on a memorial video for Hill, the videographers chose to focus on the reactions of people in the audience to the video, which was particularly powerful. Relatives laugh and cry in response to the words they're hearing.
I would recommend just brushing up some of the text at the end of the story so that the viewer can read all of it. Additionally, one might stretch a headline across the top of the video so that it's easier to read. The gunshot near the beginning of the video I thought might have been a bit too loud in comparison with the surrounding audio.
If this were a print story, the reporter likely would have focused on some key thing someone said in a speech at the funeral, and then interview family members and friends in attendance, provide background on Hill and then end it. Video enables the reporter to let the viewer see and hear the person before and after death, as opposed to recounting what this person was like through sources other than the soldier. The video allows us to see what the people in attendance at the funeral saw, as opposed to giving us a summary that's bound by length restrictions.
I visited the Detroit Free Press' Web site, Freep.com, and watched a video from its "Michigan's Band of Brothers" series.
What struck me most about this particular video, "Remembering a Michigan soldier" (presumably that's what it's called — the site formatting makes it hard to read the whole title), was that many sources, and not once the reporter, told the story:
It's particularly powerful because these videographers had interviewed this Marine, Pfc. Tarryl Hill, on the job, before his death, and used that footage paired with footage from his funeral. Instead of focusing on a memorial video for Hill, the videographers chose to focus on the reactions of people in the audience to the video, which was particularly powerful. Relatives laugh and cry in response to the words they're hearing.
I would recommend just brushing up some of the text at the end of the story so that the viewer can read all of it. Additionally, one might stretch a headline across the top of the video so that it's easier to read. The gunshot near the beginning of the video I thought might have been a bit too loud in comparison with the surrounding audio.
If this were a print story, the reporter likely would have focused on some key thing someone said in a speech at the funeral, and then interview family members and friends in attendance, provide background on Hill and then end it. Video enables the reporter to let the viewer see and hear the person before and after death, as opposed to recounting what this person was like through sources other than the soldier. The video allows us to see what the people in attendance at the funeral saw, as opposed to giving us a summary that's bound by length restrictions.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Avoiding Frauds
It should be obvious to anyone thinking of becoming a journalist that the job entails several important qualities: patience, curiosity, dedication and above all, integrity. We are employed to go out and capture the truth, whether it be with a pen, camera, video-camera, or a mic. This requires a certain integrity so that the instinct to "stage" never crosses the journalist's mind.
Staging was described in detail in Dave Wertheimer's article, "Stage, Staging, Stages". He leads off the article describing a situation in which a journalist was shooting an NFL draft party and a videographer from a local news station showed up and started setting up fraudulent shots of party-goers celebrations. This is clearly a journalist in the wrong. Setting up shots for the sake of creating a quasi-authentic situations is unethical.
The line gets hazier when one considers the fact that most stories are warped when the pressure of the interviewer's presence or camera coerces people into not opening up and giving status-quo answers. But how does one create authentic shots with advanced photography and video equipment that tends to scare subjects into not acting like their true selves? Dave offers some good advice that I will take to heart when conducting future interviews. Look interviewees in the eye, smile, make them feel comfortable, use wireless mics, leave the room if you have to.
Because a story lacking authenticity is a dead story.
Kevin Ornduff
Make the Person Forget the Camera is There
I read the “Staged, Staging, Stages” article by Dave Wertheimer. I had done some video shooting last weekend, so this article acted as a stinging reflection to look back on my experiences with the camera.
By a stinging reflection I mean what is stated in the title of this blog. The trick of the trade, as I have heard many times, was to “make the person forget the camera is there.” However, when I was shooting video at a parking lot where John Crokatt was working, he was so conscious of the camera that he kept looking back and forth to find out whether I thought he was doing a good job. He was willing to do things over and over again, if I told him to.
Although he had agreed to being interviewed, he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the camera at first. I felt very helpless, because there was not much I could do to make him feel more comfortable, more like himself. It could have been because he was an old man (74 years old), but still I wanted to make him feel better, which would obviously make my video story much better, too.
However, after about 20-30 minutes, as we began talking about his family and his job off the record, he really seemed to forget that the wireless microphone was there, and I was able to start shooting with a question to which he gave a smooth answer to. I was really glad that I had developed into such a phase with my interview subject.
Now, here is the question: In that first part of the interview where he was mumbling and pausing, and also was willing to pretend over and over again that it was the first time he heard the question or did something, should I have allowed that for a better quality? I think not, and I am proud of not pulling off such a “stage video” of my own; to work with what I have to make a story will definitely help me more to be a better journalist in the future.
By a stinging reflection I mean what is stated in the title of this blog. The trick of the trade, as I have heard many times, was to “make the person forget the camera is there.” However, when I was shooting video at a parking lot where John Crokatt was working, he was so conscious of the camera that he kept looking back and forth to find out whether I thought he was doing a good job. He was willing to do things over and over again, if I told him to.
Although he had agreed to being interviewed, he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the camera at first. I felt very helpless, because there was not much I could do to make him feel more comfortable, more like himself. It could have been because he was an old man (74 years old), but still I wanted to make him feel better, which would obviously make my video story much better, too.
However, after about 20-30 minutes, as we began talking about his family and his job off the record, he really seemed to forget that the wireless microphone was there, and I was able to start shooting with a question to which he gave a smooth answer to. I was really glad that I had developed into such a phase with my interview subject.
Now, here is the question: In that first part of the interview where he was mumbling and pausing, and also was willing to pretend over and over again that it was the first time he heard the question or did something, should I have allowed that for a better quality? I think not, and I am proud of not pulling off such a “stage video” of my own; to work with what I have to make a story will definitely help me more to be a better journalist in the future.
The Psychology of Motion Pictures
Zach Wade
Both the visual and editing chapters were enlightening to me, not just because they demonstrated the correct methods and techniques of capturing and producing visuals, but also because the articles outlined how these practices affect the psychology of the viewer. For instance, the angle of the camera on the subject can either prop up their image or diminish them in the eyes of the audience.
It is apparent that video editing and shooting is much more involved than still camera photography. When you add the dimensions of sound sand movement, there are a million more requirements that must be taken into consideration. I will most likely be overwhelmed with the machine at first when trying to keep all of these tips in mind.
After reading the articles I was left with the impression that the editing process is even more crucial than the initial filming. It states that all people edit reality in their mind, so cutting and pasting a new reality is relatively easy in the editing room and can have incredible impact on the attitudes of the viewership toward the object of interest.
Both the visual and editing chapters were enlightening to me, not just because they demonstrated the correct methods and techniques of capturing and producing visuals, but also because the articles outlined how these practices affect the psychology of the viewer. For instance, the angle of the camera on the subject can either prop up their image or diminish them in the eyes of the audience.
It is apparent that video editing and shooting is much more involved than still camera photography. When you add the dimensions of sound sand movement, there are a million more requirements that must be taken into consideration. I will most likely be overwhelmed with the machine at first when trying to keep all of these tips in mind.
After reading the articles I was left with the impression that the editing process is even more crucial than the initial filming. It states that all people edit reality in their mind, so cutting and pasting a new reality is relatively easy in the editing room and can have incredible impact on the attitudes of the viewership toward the object of interest.
Video Ethics
Editing video for news comes with a different set of video ethics than does editing video for filmmaking. My own background is in editing film which is why I've been finding myself having to be very careful in what we're editing for class so far. In film editing, you have a great deal of freedom to manipulate the images and audio to tell your story and get your desired end result. In editing news, you have to be careful not to manipulate the words or meanings of your subjects even if that would get you a more effective end result.
Even though some ethics differ between news and film, the techniques of film editing can still be employed for news stories. Video Editing: The Invisible Art (Chapter 3) talks about the use of parallel cutting. Even though this is a device regularly used in film to show simultaneous actions and to add suspense, it can also be used in news such as in hostage situations where many things are happening at the same time. It enhances continuity.
Sean Pooley on video editing
When editing video it is imperative to maintain journalistic integrity. Editing statements to fit the context of the story is acceptable as long as it does not transform the overall message of the person’s statement. A prime example of this would be if someone were to say, “ It’s not like I support the war.” Hypothetically, if a reporter’s story was about people supporting the war, they could edit this statement to say, “I support the war.” However, this would be irresponsible. This reporter could be sued for slander by the interview subject.
Proper journalism is reporting the truth. This is extremely important to remember when editing video. With the editing software available, it is easy to manipulate quotes to fit a story better. When a reporter manipulates or changes quotes they open themselves up to a potential lawsuit. It also hurts their chances of working in the news reporting industry ever again. If they continue to work as a journalist, their reputation is completely damaged. A prime example of this is the New York Times reporter who was faking his stories. It is impossible for people to believe him now. If I were his editor, I would scrutinize everyone of his stories and fact check rigorously to ensure the truth.
In conclusion, it is crucial to ensure journalistic integrity is being upheld when editing video. People need to be able to trust the news they see on television and video editing is a key part of making stories believable.
Proper journalism is reporting the truth. This is extremely important to remember when editing video. With the editing software available, it is easy to manipulate quotes to fit a story better. When a reporter manipulates or changes quotes they open themselves up to a potential lawsuit. It also hurts their chances of working in the news reporting industry ever again. If they continue to work as a journalist, their reputation is completely damaged. A prime example of this is the New York Times reporter who was faking his stories. It is impossible for people to believe him now. If I were his editor, I would scrutinize everyone of his stories and fact check rigorously to ensure the truth.
In conclusion, it is crucial to ensure journalistic integrity is being upheld when editing video. People need to be able to trust the news they see on television and video editing is a key part of making stories believable.
Staging
The "Staged, Staging, Stages" article was a really good thing to read before we shoot our video clips. Wertheimer gave some really good examples of staging in TV news. I was shocked when he said that even setting up lights in someone's office is considered staging, since it isn't the natural/everyday lighting. It's easy to let yourself do things like that, but the article pointed out the more subtle ones and really explained a lot about how important it is to film events as they happen.
He also talked about the benefit of using wireless mics. I wasn't sure which mic I would use for my story, but now I'm definitely using the wireless ones because of the natural sound and thoughts you can capture with them. His technique of actually leaving the room and coming back in was really clever, because it gets people to forget they're even wearing the microphone, which produces more natural and truthful thoughts. The more natural the person feels, the more honest they'll be, and the stronger the story will be as well.
Ethical vs. Commercial Quality - Tomeka Weatherspoon
Delivering news with authenticity requires journalists to be aware of the way they construct stories. The public depends on us to interpret and re-deliver information. The problem becomes keeping our own interpretations and creativity in check. I think when we try to convey what we've learned, there is a natural temptation to explain in a way which is either more interesting or biased. Editing video includes reconstructing for visual coherence. It requires manipulation, but does not have to involve deception. Artificial effects such as speed modification and adding audio add a tone to the story. Adding as little of these as possible is a way to avoid spreading subtle messages to the viewer.
It can be very difficult to avoid these editing techniques because they can make stories more interesting, which many people interpret as higher in quality. The stories that make it to wider audiences, e.g. on TV, are these types. There seems to be a clear distinction between stories that sell and stories that maintain authenticity. I believe the mainstream media approach is one of the reasons Americans are becoming more uninformed. Advancing technologies have only resulted in more manipulation of the news.
Monday, October 6, 2008
seek truth and report it
I think what it all comes down to is "seek truth and report it."
Which means that even when the truth isn't 100% laid out for you to write down, photograph, record or tape, a reporter should be searching for new ways to find or to present information. If a photographic moment has passed, you'll need a replacement photo that shows what happened afterwards; if a source isn't available for a quote or won't answer questions the way you wished they would, you have to make do with what you have and look for other sources elsewhere; if you can't get quality video that captures an ideal moment you have to get creative B-roll from somewhere else. Journalism is about investigation, creativity and thought.
Staging is unacceptable, whether in photos or in video. And if you're taking a picture with lights and other equipment that affects the visual aspects of a situation, its a photo illustration— and should be noted as such in your work.
Journalistic ethics come down to common sense, really— don't mislead the public, and have honest, well-meaning intentions throughout your work. Not staging visuals is a large part of that.
Which means that even when the truth isn't 100% laid out for you to write down, photograph, record or tape, a reporter should be searching for new ways to find or to present information. If a photographic moment has passed, you'll need a replacement photo that shows what happened afterwards; if a source isn't available for a quote or won't answer questions the way you wished they would, you have to make do with what you have and look for other sources elsewhere; if you can't get quality video that captures an ideal moment you have to get creative B-roll from somewhere else. Journalism is about investigation, creativity and thought.
Staging is unacceptable, whether in photos or in video. And if you're taking a picture with lights and other equipment that affects the visual aspects of a situation, its a photo illustration— and should be noted as such in your work.
Journalistic ethics come down to common sense, really— don't mislead the public, and have honest, well-meaning intentions throughout your work. Not staging visuals is a large part of that.
ethical line
These two articles were very helpful in helping define those shades of grey between right and wrong. Honestly, I can't believe that the photographer mentioned in the "Staged, Staging, Stages" article actually asked the athlete to recreate his exciting moment for the camera. I would feel embarrassed to do such a thing, although this must be an extreme example. Dave Wertheimer really seems to go above and beyond in making sure he presents the truth. Giving the truth means going the extra mile even when it is inconvenient and could cost you time, such as when he went back to the flower shop to get the story as it naturally happened. Basically, it seems like if you have to say to your subject, "Can you do this?" or somehow influence their actions, it is crossing the line. The subject should never have to recreate an action or feel like they are being told to act in a certain way. Wertheimer says he tries to be a "fly on the wall" which seems to be the best way to approach it. You might end up getting some extra footage, but it is all real and not fixed to appear a certain way to match the idea for a story in your head.
On another note, "Sliding Sound, Altered Images" really hits the note about how the images a photographer presents to the public can dramatically affect the outcomes of events, families, and individuals. The article talks about using file tapes sparingly and how even altering the lighting or angle of a photo can present the subject as one way or another, such as in the O.J. Simpson example. When you alter the mood of something it can easily get into the minds of the viewers or listeners and affect them without them even noticing.
I think Al Tompkins presents a perfect way to help the reporter distinguish is he or she has made an ethical blunder. If you would feel completely comfortable telling your editor (or teacher) exactly how you edited and got the material for the piece, then you are probably ok. But if you would be wary to truthfully reveal your methods, then you probably crossed the line somewhere.
Accidental Staging
I really liked the advice given in the readings about staging and editing our pieces. I found myself thinking about what was ethical and was I pushing the boundaries of journalistic ethics with my audio clip by changing the order of responses from that which I asked them in. While these readings had more to do with video editing and staging, the advice could still be transferred to audio. They also gave me good advice for my video work, how to set things up and how not to go about setting things up. I really wasn't sure even where to begin with my story, and this helped me gather my thoughts and formulate something of a plan. I liked Dave Wertheimer's advice about setting things up, micing the interviewee right away, and then stepping back and just letting things happen without trying to force anything.
"The Front Page Frisk"
In Tompkin's article, Sliding Sound, Altered Images, he asks if "How willing would you be to explain your editing process if the local newspaper called you and started asking you questions for a front-page newspaper story? How willing would you be to reveal your editing techniques to the public?" I had to sit back and ask myself this question - how would I critique my own methods of visual/audio storytelling? Are they authentic, portraying my subjects in their natural light, or unethical and staged (like the photographer covering the NFL draft)?
I'd like to go with the former, but as a young, inspiring journalist, it is easy to ask the subject to do something and to attempt to capture what we want to see (even if this is not the full truth). I look back at my camera assignment, I know I asked my subject to show me specific things. As Dave Wertheimer says in his article, this can be fixed by prefacing the soundbite or adding a caption to a photo that says something to the effect of "'We asked so and so to show us how they .......'". This can give subtlely tell the viewer that what they are seeing/hearing may not have been 100%, but as close to it as the journalists can get to showing what they want. Most people will even overlook this hint, but it is more ethical to put the preface in then leave it out.
As I go out to tape my :30 clip tomorrow night, I hope to keep these principles in mind. Rather then telling my subject what to do, I am going to put a wireless mic on her and observe. Another problem is the editing - I hope to never make the mistake KLAS Las Vegas made in Tompkin's article. I definitely see how putting in false audio for a silen survellience video. I know that my ethical dilemmas may not be this large (or on a high market station), but this little concepts remind me that there is always something important to remember in journalism - seek the truth and report it. An unethical impluse may seem like a good idea at the time, but in the end, it won't pass the "Front Page Frisk."
I'd like to go with the former, but as a young, inspiring journalist, it is easy to ask the subject to do something and to attempt to capture what we want to see (even if this is not the full truth). I look back at my camera assignment, I know I asked my subject to show me specific things. As Dave Wertheimer says in his article, this can be fixed by prefacing the soundbite or adding a caption to a photo that says something to the effect of "'We asked so and so to show us how they .......'". This can give subtlely tell the viewer that what they are seeing/hearing may not have been 100%, but as close to it as the journalists can get to showing what they want. Most people will even overlook this hint, but it is more ethical to put the preface in then leave it out.
As I go out to tape my :30 clip tomorrow night, I hope to keep these principles in mind. Rather then telling my subject what to do, I am going to put a wireless mic on her and observe. Another problem is the editing - I hope to never make the mistake KLAS Las Vegas made in Tompkin's article. I definitely see how putting in false audio for a silen survellience video. I know that my ethical dilemmas may not be this large (or on a high market station), but this little concepts remind me that there is always something important to remember in journalism - seek the truth and report it. An unethical impluse may seem like a good idea at the time, but in the end, it won't pass the "Front Page Frisk."
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Editing Psycho
I never realized editing was so psychological. Chapters 2 & 3 of the Eres article opened my eyes as to how editing can almost be considered a science. I learned so many new things about how the audience perceives things and how the eye is sometimes fooled by the editing journalists employ. Journalists need to be careful in how editing is done as not to abandon the key philosophy of not deceiving the audience.
Good video shooting, I found out, must relate to how the eye works. It's fascinating to know that people, when shooting for TV, movies, or news shoot with the knowledge of how the natural eye works, and how best to appeal to that. Establishing the scene, for instance, is what our eye naturally first does, so its nice to know to add a wide establishing shot near or at the very beginning of a piece.
One heading of the chapter read "Composition reveals meaning". After thinking about it for a little bit, I agree with this, in that people or ideas can subliminally be portrayed as inferior or superior simply by where it is in the frame. I found that very interesting.
Journalists tread a fine line between storytelling/interest, and fact, and I think editing practices need to relay a devotion to truth as printwriting does, otherwise people will even more so scrutinize the media.
Good video shooting, I found out, must relate to how the eye works. It's fascinating to know that people, when shooting for TV, movies, or news shoot with the knowledge of how the natural eye works, and how best to appeal to that. Establishing the scene, for instance, is what our eye naturally first does, so its nice to know to add a wide establishing shot near or at the very beginning of a piece.
One heading of the chapter read "Composition reveals meaning". After thinking about it for a little bit, I agree with this, in that people or ideas can subliminally be portrayed as inferior or superior simply by where it is in the frame. I found that very interesting.
Journalists tread a fine line between storytelling/interest, and fact, and I think editing practices need to relay a devotion to truth as printwriting does, otherwise people will even more so scrutinize the media.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sometimes, truth hurts
I felt a bit guilty after reading Al Tompkins' piece on video editing ethics, not because I've tried to deliberately con my listeners but because I wonder, after reading his piece, whether I crossed any lines in my 2:30 audio piece.
While I didn't deliberately try to pair completely disparate interviews and sounds, I did include duplicate natural sound in that piece, and I'm wondering now whether I should have, instead, simply taken the entire 2+ minutes of natural sound I recorded and just run it as one long piece under the various interviews I conducted. I'll plan to use the information I learned here so that I don't make the same mistakes in my video piece.
Dave Wertheimer's piece, "Staged, Staging, Stages," provides a great example of completely unethical behavior — asking someone to replicate their actions as though they were doing it in real life. As he also points out, I've found that people quickly forget they're wearing a microphone and are able to speak freely. I don't agree with his technique of not asking questions (though I'm guessing he does on occasion). While it's good to ask open-ended questions so that people open up about their lives, you can't be so vague that your subjects don't know how to respond to issues relating to the story at hand.
These pieces were worthwhile and helped me solidify what I should and shouldn't be doing.
While I didn't deliberately try to pair completely disparate interviews and sounds, I did include duplicate natural sound in that piece, and I'm wondering now whether I should have, instead, simply taken the entire 2+ minutes of natural sound I recorded and just run it as one long piece under the various interviews I conducted. I'll plan to use the information I learned here so that I don't make the same mistakes in my video piece.
Dave Wertheimer's piece, "Staged, Staging, Stages," provides a great example of completely unethical behavior — asking someone to replicate their actions as though they were doing it in real life. As he also points out, I've found that people quickly forget they're wearing a microphone and are able to speak freely. I don't agree with his technique of not asking questions (though I'm guessing he does on occasion). While it's good to ask open-ended questions so that people open up about their lives, you can't be so vague that your subjects don't know how to respond to issues relating to the story at hand.
These pieces were worthwhile and helped me solidify what I should and shouldn't be doing.
How far can staging go?
I really liked this short article about staging and the ethics a journalist crosses when he/she decides to stage an event or story. I believe a lot of people think that unless you actually make up an event or create false names that other details of a story can be "fudged" a little. I think this is very tricky ground and that no journalist, no matter what the subject or the minuet detail, can make up anything that does not happen as you see it.
About a year ago my father was on the cover of the New York Times (we were all so proud of him!) in an article about the failing housing market. The reporter wrote that he and my mother were being kept apart (she was in Phoenix at the time, he was in Detroit) because our house wasn't selling. The truth was that our house wasn't even on the market at the time. This was a huge error and an example of improper fact-checking.
I think the reason the journalist chose to say our house was on the market was to make the story more dramatic. The real fact that my Daddy was still in Detroit and my mother was in Phoenix was because my father was still working at GM. But that didn't make a sensational story. I think of this same type of thing when I hear about staging. Chances are the journalist or photographer or whatever isn't actually trying to dupe the reader, but trying to enhance their story. Regardless of your reasons behind making anything up, the bottom line is that a lie is a lie, and lies are never excusable in the work of journalists.
About a year ago my father was on the cover of the New York Times (we were all so proud of him!) in an article about the failing housing market. The reporter wrote that he and my mother were being kept apart (she was in Phoenix at the time, he was in Detroit) because our house wasn't selling. The truth was that our house wasn't even on the market at the time. This was a huge error and an example of improper fact-checking.
I think the reason the journalist chose to say our house was on the market was to make the story more dramatic. The real fact that my Daddy was still in Detroit and my mother was in Phoenix was because my father was still working at GM. But that didn't make a sensational story. I think of this same type of thing when I hear about staging. Chances are the journalist or photographer or whatever isn't actually trying to dupe the reader, but trying to enhance their story. Regardless of your reasons behind making anything up, the bottom line is that a lie is a lie, and lies are never excusable in the work of journalists.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)