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Top 10 Tips for Multimedia Journalists

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Multimedia Journalist Alex Dunbar’s top five Do’s and Don’ts, which he keeps in mind in his work at WSTM-TV in Syracuse, NY.

 

 

 

Do’s

 

  1. Always check your microphones out in the field before recording anything. (I’ve been burned on this and it can completely ruin a day.)

  2. Get a few more shots than you’ll think you’ll need. Those extra wide shots or close ups can really save you in a tough editing session.

  3. Use natural sound whenever possible. It’s a great way to give a story a little more depth.

  4. Try some creative shots from different or unusual angles. If you don’t like it when you get back, you don’t have to use it but it can give you some ideas.

  5. Shoot sequenced action. A wide shot to a close shot or a reversal can blend beautifully. Medium shots stacked on top of each other usually looks dull.

 

Don’ts

 

  1. Pan without a purpose. If you’re using a pan in a shot, make sure it has a reason or a natural end. Meaningless pans don’t add anything.

  2. Leave your tripod behind. Classic Murphy’s Law – if you don’t have it, you’ll need it.

  3. Auto Focus, Auto Iris, Auto almost anything. What can seem like helpful features will often cause more problems than they cure.

  4. Forget an extra battery and tape (or P2 card) There’s nothing worse than watching your last camera battery go down to it’s last bar while you’re still shooting.

  5. Use your shutter when fluorescent lights are around! Everybody gets burned by this once or twice. (Probably even more than that for me….)

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 2:18 am and is filed under Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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