• Multimedia Minutes: “Secrets” to Help People Open Up on Camera

    March 9th, 2010

     

     

    galenculverrapgirlsmiling 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. 

      galenculverwebsitephoto

    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.

     

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    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. 

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism | 10 Comments »

  • Multimedia Minute: Tip for Faster Editing

    November 9th, 2009


    Question:  “How can I save time editing?  I’m pushing my deadlines and once missed my slot in the newscast.”

     

    One basic approach is to avoid shooting an interview and “B” roll separately.  When possible, shoot the person describing the subject of the story.  You may still want to get additional video to be sure, but if you plan well in the field, you’ll save editing time.

     

    These examples are from KFOR-TV/Oklahoma City multimedia journalist Galen Culver.

    galenfan

     

     

    gelenartist2

    Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

  • Multimedia Minutes: How to Take Control of a Story

    November 6th, 2009

     

    You sometimes have to take control to get the best shots as you’ll see in this story with limited visuals.

    Multimedia journalist Galen Culver discusses this story at a three day AR&D training workshop at KSBY in San Luis Obispo, California.

    From a viewer’s standpoint, “Don’t change reality.”  Capture what the person does, but don’t tell him to do something else to get better shots.  TV news needs to show what’s really happening.

     

    We welcome your comments.

     

    For more Multimedia Minutes, look at Recent Posts in the column on the right.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

  • Multimedia Minutes: How to Shoot a Story that’s Tough to Shoot

    September 28th, 2009

    Here are tips for photojournalists and multimedia journalists on how to shoot a story that’s hard to shoot.

     

    You may also learn from a series of recent videos you can access by clicking on the column to the right.  For example, “How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them” and the “Action-Reaction Approach to Storytelling.”  They contain information you can use whether you’re an experienced multimedia journalist or just learning.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 70 Comments »

  • Multimedia Minutes: How to Lure Viewers and Hold Them

    September 25th, 2009

    Learn how to engage viewers through pictures, sound, and writing.  Apply what you learn to stories you’re covering today by watching this short Learning Video. 

    Look at “Recent Posts” in the column to the right for several other Learning Videos for multimedia journalists, including “From Ho Hum to Engaging Storytelling” and “Action-Reaction Approach to Strong Storytelling.”

     

    And send us your questions and examples.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »

  • “It’s Not About Me” — Smart Advice from Video Journalist

    May 5th, 2009

     It’s Not About Me is sage advice from video journalist Darren Brown at KWTV/Oklahoma City. 

     5 TO REMEMBER

     

    • Doing a quality story almost ALWAYS takes more time than you planned on.  Traffic, a wrong turn, chit-chat, rain, snow, ice, heat, etc.  Sometimes all these things will conspire against you.  Just realize that it will happen.  Use your time wisely.

     

    • Don’t be afraid to “kill some puppies.”  Isn’t that terrible?  It’s not mine—I got it from reading OMB tips from Lynne French at KPHX in Phoenix.  She warns that to keep your story “lean and mean” you gotta let go of some of those precious SOTS and shots that you went to great lengths to get.  The viewers don’t know the time and effort that you went to, and therefore, really don’t care.

     

    • Keep it simple..or maybe a better term would be concise.  See above.

     

    • Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Yes, this is a business, and therefore subject to all manner of business-like-not-fun-stuff.  But we get paid to TELL STORIES—we’re not splittin’ the atom.

     

    • Remember I.N.A.M.  “It’s not about me.”  Sometimes clever writing is MUCH BETTER than a clever standup. 

     darrenbrown4

     

    5 TO AVOID

     

    • Don’t overshoot.  This is a tough one when you work by yourself.  You can’t take notes while you’re engaged in the interview AND checking your shot AND formulating your next question AND monitoring your audio.  But you can’t let the camera become a gigantic notepad either.  You have to leave room for b-roll, and you don’t wanna get back with 120 minutes of stuff for a 2 minute pkg.

     

    • Shaky video.  There’s really no excuse for it.  You have a tripod for a reason.  And if you don’t have one, you should raise a stink until you get one.  Just because you’re used to seeing hand-held video on Youtube doesn’t mean that it’s right.  Of course, having said that—-not EVERYTHING needs to be, or should be, on a tripod.  Just be smart about it.

     

    • Avoid “talking heads.”   Not the band, of course, you certainly wouldn’t want to avoid them.  What I’m saying is, try to interview your subject  while they are doing what they normally do.  It makes no sense to talk to a wheat farmer about the drought while he’s sitting on his couch. 

     

    • Avoid “reporter speak.”  Viewers are sick of reporters who don’t speak like real human beings.  The trick is to be professional—but also be yourself.

     

    About Darren Brown

    Darren Brown has worked in television for over 20 years.  Brown first worked as a camera operator and a tape operator, but found his true passion in TV news photography. In late 2007, Darren moved from TV news photography to become a videojournalist for News9.com.

    An Oklahoma native, Darren graduated from Rose State College and the University of Oklahoma.  Darren has worked at NEWS 9 three times, as well as KAUZ in Wichita Falls, Texas, KOKH in Oklahoma City and KOB in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    As a videojournalist, Brown sees and experiences events and people the general public doesn’t usually get to see, and feels it’s his responsibility to bring those experiences home to the viewer. 

    Darren believes storytelling is the essence of his job, and strives to convey every story he does in the best way possible.  “Some stories have great visuals, and others just have great characters,” Brown said.  “Some have neither, but they’re stories that just need to be told.”

    Darren Brown is excited to have moved to News9.com  as a videojournalist.  He plans on bringing the same journalistic integrity to the website that viewers have come to expect from NEWS 9 over the years.

    “Stick around, we’re just getting started!” he said.

     

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | 18 Comments »

  • Hand Over Your Camera For Great Video

    May 3rd, 2009

     

    That’s exactly what KFOR-TV/Oklahoma City multimedia journalist Galen Culver did to capture a story about bikes.

     

    Galen, who created “Is This a Great State or What!” in 1991, points out:  “This is a nice point of view story shot with a small hand held camera. The bikers took turns holding it in different positions and trading it back and forth. It made for a nice story element.”

     

    Sometimes you need the help of the subject of your story to capture the most memorable angles.

    galen_bike_doublepix_small 

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | 3 Comments »

  • The Coolest Job + Job Security

    April 30th, 2009

     

    galenbackgrounddarrenbrown1Darren Brown, multimedia journalist for KWTV/Oklahoma City, says he has the COOLEST job in the place.

    Sample his work through the links below, and you’ll see several effective storytelling techniques.  They include effective use of the background in an interview, shown here,  and encouraging the interview subject to show-and-tell.  You might also appreciate Darren’s candor.

     HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

    I got into the VJ/OMB thing about 4 years ago.  I started in production way back in ’87.  Started with studio camera, then tape room stuff, etc.  But I always thought the photogs had the COOLEST job in the whole place.  I started shooting in ’94 and, truth be known, I think that I have the COOLEST job in the place these days.  I’ve been shooting/reporting for our website News9.com for almost 2 years now.

     

    I get a kick out of reading message boards and blogs that decry the whole VJ/OMB movement as blasphemy.  The guys who write that stuff are either ignorant or just plain scared, or both.  It’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s called JOB SECURITY.  I wanna be the guy who management says “Now wait a minute, if we lose him, we lose a photog, a reporter, an editor, a writer, and one of our helicopter shooters.”  

     

    BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

     

    Often my biggest challenge working by myself is time management.  Luckily, my deadlines are nothing like they used to be in news.  However, working alone, it’s easy to get caught up in what I’m shooting and lose track of time etc.  Sometimes, it would be a great help to have someone else there to occupy the subject while I’m getting my b-roll.  I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten about 20-30 miles down the road and realized “Damn! I forgot to get an exterior.” (Or a CU, or any manner of great shots)

     

    Since I work alone, there’s no one else to blame if my product sucks.  Sometimes that can be very humbling.  But I try to learn from it.

     

    The biggest reward for me is knowing that I did the story “my way.”  All those years I was shooting, I always thought “Well I would do it THIS way.”  Of course, I wouldn’t be rude enough to tell that to a good reporter.  Be careful what you ask for.

     

    WHERE CAN OUR READERS ENJOY YOUR WORK?

     

    Here’s a sampling:

     

    http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=10263667

     

    http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=9939740

     

    http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=9831751

     

    http://tinyurl.com/ccgpfb

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | 1 Comment »

  • Shoot Where it Ain’t

    April 29th, 2009

    To a beginning photographer or multimedia journalist, this concept doesn’t make a lot of sense.  But it soon will.

     walkingintoframe1

    If you have a story that involves one person and they’re moving from place to place, let the person walk into the viewfinder and walk out of the viewfinder.  Don’t follow.

    “The more you do this, the more freedom you’ll have to mix and match your shots in the editing process,” says multimedia journalist Galen Culver of KFOR-TV/Oklahoma City.

    Those of us who have edited video appreciate the flexibility this approch allows when deadlines are tight and your slot is coming up fast.

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | No Comments »