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Multimedia Minutes: When to Appear on Camera
October 24th, 2010
How do you decide when a reporter should appear onscreen during a report? When is a stand-up more appropriate than reporter narration?
NBC’s award-winning national correspondent Bob Dotson responds:
In every story there is important information that may be difficult to visualize. That’s what I put into my stand-ups. I once had to do a piece on the NBC Nightly News about skyrocketing meat prices.
Visually, pretty boring stuff. I figured out how much stew meat you could buy five years ago for five dollars. Tossed the meat onto a butcher block, picked up a cleaver and asked, “How much would five dollars buy today?” WHACK! Half the meat was gone.
That was much more powerful.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 3 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: On-Camera Storytelling for Facebook, Website
October 23rd, 2010
This is something you rarely see — on-camera storying just for Facebook and website.
“Learn the Lingo” was the idea of WNEM-TV/Saginaw News director Ian Rubin for reporter Bill Walsh.
WHY THIS BLOG IS VALUABLE: WHAT A GENERAL MANAGER SAYS
Regarding the blog videos, I’d say the most value is in their regularity and frequency. It’s good having something like that coming at the younger talent in the news room because it not only helps them in their growth, but makes them feel they’re on the “inside” and we’re engaged with them. — Greg Raschio, General Manager, KVAL-TV/Eugene, OR
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 17 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Effective Use of Nat Sound + On-Camera Storytelling
September 19th, 2010
Natural sound effectively communicates the feel of the story.
Also, on-camera storytelling works well — shot in a moving car in a story about game day gridlock.
While viewers don’t believe a reporter or multimedia journalist needs to be visible in every story, they do appreciate show-and-tell on-camera storytelling to help them better understand the story. Also, they would much rather see the reporter on camera from the scene on tape than generic video, which puts them to sleep. In short, sometimes you can be your best video.
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From Professor Ken Kobre who teaches photojournalism at San Francisco State University and author of Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach.
Free Tips from Bob Kaplitz’s Multimedia Minutes
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 WestVisit Kaplitz’s blog for free videojournalism lessons from a pro.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 6 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Creative Stand-Ups
July 20th, 2010
Your stand-ups can reveal your creativity. And they beat shooting and voicing over boring video. Plus on-camera storytelling from the field helps build your identity.
For many more Multimedia Minutes, click on the links to the right under Recent Posts.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 38 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Can You Do Too Many Standups in a Story?
July 10th, 2010
Can you do too many standups in a story? Watch this, and judge for yourself.
For many, this story worked well. The on camera storytelling helped viewers better understand the information.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Stand-Ups that Stand Out
July 6th, 2010
One of the most frequent requests is for examples of strong on-camera storytelling.
Here are a few standouts from our files.
Viewers value on-camera storytelling because the reporter helps them experience what it is to be there — an opportunity for first person reporting. Also, on-camera storytelling engages viewers far more than generic video, video of court documents, meetings, and buildings. Don’t be shy. As a multimedia journalist, you can be the best video in those cases.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Another Strong “Reality Check” Example
June 7th, 2010
Separating fact from fiction — like WCCO does with Reality Check — is a powerful way to separate yourself from the competition and build your ratings.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 4 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Short Can Sell
April 27th, 2010
Cut the fat in your writing — especially for teases. Here’s an example from our files of a very short “sell” we tested with our Real Time Response methodology. You can see second-by-second interest by viewers and news people rise during the promo.
Here’s the short video. Watch carefully. It goes by fast but engages viewers. The first few seconds shows the above graphic, then the spot.
TAKEAWAYS
Use your best video, but on-camera “sell” can be effective.
Focus on the viewer benefit.
Get to the point fast when possible.
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Increase your value as a multimedia journalist by learning from the videos to your right — fast-becoming the largest library of MMJ learning videos on the planet.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Show-and-Tell
April 20th, 2010
One of the most effective tools in a multimedia journalist’s tool box is the opportunity for show-and-tell. Here’s a practical and easy-to-do example from ABC News.
Look for opportunities for show-and-tell in your upcoming stories. Demonstrations take the pressure off your video and provide meaning for numbers and information.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Distinct or Extinct
April 20th, 2010
You need to be good at visual storytelling, but also you should deliver on a brand of journalism. Valuable brands survive while commodity news — just covering the news of the day — will become extinct. It’s about being distinct in a valuable way.
Here’s an example of delivering on the viewer advocacy brand — like Taking Action for You or On Your Side — through various stages.
While it was originally based on viewer perceptions of anchors, it’ll work for multimedia journalists, too. Which stage are you in?
What do you need to do to get to the next level?
How will you eventually become a Brand Ambassador so you don’t disappear in a Sea of Sameness?
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 2 Comments »
