Knowing how to convey a great story is important. But if you want to really raise the bar, break the TV news model. This MMJ from WUSA-TV/Washington, DC does it.
Of course, you should run this idea by your news director, showing how much more productive you can be.
Find other insights from Scott at:
On-camera storytelling that engages viewers can be a challenge. But if you watch the work of this multimedia journalist, Joe Little of KGTV/San Diego, he makes it look easy.
How does Joe do it? He outlined the steps to Poynter’s Al Tomkins.
1. Plan out what you want to see. (For this exercise, let’s say you want two images of yourself in a room — one of you smiling and one of you frowning.)
2. Frame up your camera (on a tripod) wide enough so that there’s room for two images of you that don’t overlap.
3. Lock the tripod in that spot.
4. In the viewfinder (this is easier if you can flip it over), find a marker near the middle of the screen. It can be a lamp, the edge of a picture frame, whatever. This is your barrier that you cannot cross.
5. Hit record.
6. Stand on one side of that barrier and smile for a few seconds. Do not touch the camera. Let it roll.
7. Stand on the other side of that barrier and frown for a few seconds.
8. Stop recording. You’re done shooting.
9. You can edit this tape-to-tape by simply wiping halfway, basically putting that wipe on the barrier. Same for non-linear editing.
10. Lay your first shot of you smiling on the first video line (V1). Now, lay the second shot of you frowning right on top of it on the second video line (V2). Using whatever tools your system has, wipe to that barrier. For Final Cut Pro users, go to Motion, Crop, Left (or Right) and start cropping toward that barrier until you see both images of yourself.
————————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
You can improve your TV storytelling if you write your Web version first, according to Washington, DC multimedia journalist Scott Broom.
Yes, Scott is driving during the Skype interview, but he kept his eyes on the road.
More insights from Scott Broom:
——————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
Major market multimedia journalist Scott Broom says one of the “secrets” to great storytelling is “Forget the Italian shoes.” I interviewed him via Skype between stories he was reporting and shooting for WUSA-TV/Washington, DC.
More insights from Scott Broom:
——————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
“What makes a great sweeps story?” is a question on the minds of many multimedia journalists. Here are ideas based on viewer research.
—————————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
What’s the key to writing better packages? Is it writing the story first in your head? We asked those questions via Skype to WUSA/Washington, DC multimedia journalist Scott Broom, who’s been on the cutting edge of the new technology.
You might enjoy some of Scott’s stories:
Also, the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz wrote about Scott in “In lean times, TV reporters must be jacks of all trades”: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/07/AR2010030702506.html
—————————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre, who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
Multimedia journalists frequently ask for tips to improve their spot news coverage. Watch this strong example of storytelling from one of KSBY-TV’s newest MMJs.
Sharpen your skills as a multimedia journalist by watching learning videos under Recent Posts — fast becoming the largest library of MMJ learning videos on the planet.
————————————————————————–
From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University:
We found a terrific resource for videojournalism instruction — and it’s free!Bob Kaplitz is a principal and senior strategist for Audience Research & Development (AR&D), a TV news marketing firm which he joined in 1980 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, which included reports on the CBS Evening News.
He’s created a slew of excellent short instructional videos that offer tips for improving your video. He offers these “Multimedia Minutes” on his blog.
What makes them especially valuable is that Kaplitz uses actual footage from pros, and has annotated it with superimposed text that crisply points out the attributes and deficits of various aspects of the video and audio, as you’re looking and listening to it.
It’s like having the teacher right there at your side, critiquing it as you watch.
Among his topics:
* How to Use a Hidden Camera
* Creatively Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Take Control of a Story
* The Most Important Word in Storytelling
* So You Want to Save the Best for Last?
* How to Spice Up a Story
* How to Use Words Sparingly
* Shooting Your Own Standups
* How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot
* Asking Better Questions with Facts
* How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them
* Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling
* From Ho-Hum to Engaging Storytelling
* A Lesson Thanks to Jay Leno & Kanye West
Visit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
What impressed me about Galen Culver’s profile of a ten year old “Lil’ Rapper” from Oklahoma City was how open and comfortable the girl looked and talked on camera.
Galen, a multimedia journalist for KFOR-TV, has been producing “Is This a Great State or What!” since 1991. He partners with me in the training of multimedia journalists at client stations.
What’s your “secret” for getting people to be so open and at ease on camera?
There’s nothing like a one person crew to connect with the person you’re interviewing. It’s just you and your subject. I like the informality of just ‘coming over’ to someone’s house, sharing a cup of coffee, talking things over.
Two or three people and a lot of equipment can feel like ‘company’. An MM journalist feels more like a friend dropping by. It’s more intimate. Great for good interviews.
An MM journalist has all the power. For every great experience reporters and photographers have together there are probably an equal number of horror stories where someone you work with doesn’t know what they’re doing or care.
They miss a shot or mangle the language or they’re just plain hard to be around. Working alone is a simpler process. You get what you need. You’re as creative as you want to be. You make the decisions. There’s more responsibility, no one else to blame when something goes wrong, but if you work hard then good things usually happen.
What’s your favorite experience?
Some of my favorite experiences as an MM journalist have come late at night or very early in the morning when I’ve felt as though no one else has ever done what I’m doing with my camera. No one else has ever captured this kind of moment or been here at this spot to take a picture.
Those experiences come through initiative alone. They don’t involve asking the desk to OK the overtime for a photographer or having to wait around for a reporter who didn’t feel the need to get up so early. It’s just me and hopefully a very interesting person to talk to and learn from. Those are the kinds of stories I recall most fondly.
What’s most challenging?
Physically, the MM journalist’s job can be demanding. There might not be anyone available to help carry equipment. On something like a downtown shoot, in a government building, or hospital it’s a long walk to and from the car. Shoulders and knees take a beating if you don’t have a luggage cart or someone nice enough to help you nearby. I carry a cart with my news unit for just such occasions.
Logistically, an MM journalist can find themselves at a numerical disadvantage when it comes to certain stories. Big events where there are lots of other two or three person crews are tough. There’s no way to compete with extra boots on the ground. Court stories can be especially challenging if you have to listen to testimony and try to get pictures at the same time. It can be done, but not as well as the traditional two person local TV crew.
Safety can also become an issue on certain stories. A one person crew is wise to have trusted escorts in certain neighborhoods or when door to door canvassing. I try to keep a police officer in sight when covering spot news, and there have been instances where the police have cleared a crime scene and I refused to shoot anything because I was concerned for my safety.
Writing, shooting, editing is more difficult in many day to day instances. It can take longer especially if you’re on a learning curve but it’s not as hard as it used to be and it’s never been impossible.
Personally, I have to make a special effort to stay connected with the rest of the newsroom. Working alone, there are times when I miss the camaraderie good reporters have with good photographers. I’m usually the last to hear good ’scuttlebutt’. As the only MM journalist in the shop it’s easy to become the forgotten man.
More About Galen
In 1991, Galen began a unique assignment to find and showcase amazing Oklahoma sights and stories. Since that time the “Is This a Great State or What!” segment has aired nearly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on various NewsChannel 4 broadcasts.
Prior to joining NewsChannel 4, Galen worked as a reporter, photographer and weekend anchor in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
He broke into the television business a reporter and photographer in Missoula, Montana. Galen earned his degree in Journalism and Communications from Washington State University.
Galen has received many photojournalism accolades including the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. His coverage of the first Gulf War won an Oklahoma Associated Press Award for Best General Reporting.
Galen is married to NewsChannel 4 anchor and producer Tara Blume. They and their Oklahoma born daughters, Evelyn and Holly, live in Oklahoma City.
————————————–
Sharpen your skills as a multimedia journalist by watching the short videos listed under Recent Posts. It’s fast becoming the largest library of MMJ learning videos in the world.
Viewers don’t think TV news people report fairly and accurately. So how can you set yourself apart?
Improve your skills as a multimedia media journalist by watching the learning videos under Recent Posts — fast becoming the largest library of such videos on the planet.