Each form has its advantages and disadvantages. Newsrooms and journalists need to decide which works best according to company goals, personal goals, staffing, other resources, etc. Not every story is a multimedia story. Not every story will or should result in a long, narrative package. Each takes time to plan and produce. Management needs to understand and support this. Journalists producing packages need to understand and expect problems and potential failure. They need to accept this.
Remember that the Web is infinite but my time is not. The bottom line is to provide compelling, valuable content in a tight package. Make it worth my while to click on a play button. Don’t waste my time.
Audio
Video
audio slideshow
Glossary
A-roll- The interview. Your subject’s voice. The narrative.
B-roll- supporting audio. Details. Ambient audio from a scene or event.
Mic- Microphone. There are two types, condenser and dynamic. Each has advantages and disadvantages in certain situations.
Condenser mic- Needs phantom power. More fragile but wider frequency response.
Dynamic mic- No power needed. Rugged. Less of a frequency response.
Audio recorder- Anything that will capture sound. Ipod, small digital voice recorders, professional-level digital recorders
Audacity- Currently the software program that we use at The Telegraph to edit audio. Sound files are imported and appear as wave forms. Those forms can be sliced up and combined with other audio to form a finished audio file suitable for posting on our Website.
.wav file- A file extension. Windows-friendly format. Uncompressed and higher quality.
.mp3- A file extension. Multi-platform friendly. Compressed. Somewhat diminished sound quality.
Voiceover- For this document, a reporter’s narration either in an intro or in the main part of the audio package.
You can be as simple or complex with your audio reporting as you want. It may depend on the story, time available, gear available and how versatile it is, etc. Your projects shouldn’t mirror your print stories. Maybe the audio is the answer to one compelling question. Maybe it’s ambient audio from a particular place or event with a voiceover introduction. Maybe you want to produce a piece with lots of depth. You’re not necessarily aiming to produce an NPR-style radio piece. I do suggest, if you don’t already, you listen to how they build their packages as there’s some very good storybuilding examples out there. Whether you go on to build complex audio pieces from there will depend on your abilities, time and goals.
Remember this. Make sure what you pick to do audio on is worth it. Will anyone find it interesting? Does it have value either on its own or in combination with your print story?
Key to all of your audio work is this- think of your time together with your subject as a discussion, not an interview.
Something quick about gear-
We currently have two ways of
capturing audio,
The
The Marantz recorders (PM-670 and
PM-660 units) are well-suited for field work.
The 670 is larger and can be usually found in the multimedia editing
room equipment locker in
Ask: Who, What, Why, When,
Where, How
Why?
What happened?
Then what happened?
Then what happened? (II)
What did you see?
What went through your
mind?
What would you say to
someone who...?
What did that tell you?
Why did you care about
that?
How did/would you
respond (to something)?
What makes you care
about that?
Why was that important?
What picture remains
most vivid?
Imagine you’re back at
(the scene), how did you feel?
What did you see?
Describe the scene.
What did it smell like?
What stands out the
most?
What are the consequences
of...?
What’s the (best, worst)
possible scenario?
What do you fear?
How did/does thataffect
you?
How did you deal with
that?
How do you know?
How does that make you
feel?
What went through your
mind?
What did he/she/they
say?
What were the options?
How would you describe
that?
If you’re interested in something with a
little more punch then you’ll need to gather B-roll. This is the supporting audio that will
enhance what your subject has told you.
Say you’re talking with a blacksmith. You have you’re A-roll on what they do and
why. Your B-roll may be the hammering,
the fire roaring, loading the stove, clanking of the metal, etc. You’ll combine the best of both into a rich
piece that will put the visitor to The Telegraph’s site right there with your
subject.
Your ambient sound has to be authentic. We can’t give the impression that any sound
built into the piece wasn’t recorded during your discussion. We can’t build an audio package with music
that wasn’t playing during your recording session. If it’s in the background
when your subject is talking, fine.
Be authentic. Be truthful.
Perhaps your audio piece is simply
interesting, ambient sound that lends depth to your print story. You may want to do a voice over as an intro
or otherwise narrate the piece. Again,
from The Poynter Institute-
“What’s in a Good Script?
A good script is,
physically, easy to read. It has larger type, more space between the lines. It
is divided into helpful sections. It is marked to indicate pauses or emphasis.
It supplies pronunciations.
A good script is
well-written for the ear, not the eye. The sentences are shorter and less
complex, which may look remedial, but that sounds natural and is easier to
follow. Listeners can’t go back and re-read if they get confused. This does not mean you “dumb down” your
story. You are simply crafting your work to the demands of oratory, so that your
listeners will follow the drama of your piece without a hitch.
Practice with editing, like sound gathering, will make you a better Web audio reporter over time. Like with much in multimedia now there aren’t many rules but there are some solid dos and don’ts. Refer to the Audacity primer for specifics but in general-
And-
Don’t worry about making mistakes. You’ll learn a lot.
Glossary-
A-roll- see above
B-roll- see above. Substitute the word video for audio.
Timeline- The section in your video editing software where the story’s built. The story from beginning to end.
Nat. sound- Natural sound
Composition- the arrangement of elements in the shot
Mini DV- the type of tape we shoot. Mini digital video. You record onto tape and transfer it as digital information onto your computer’s hard drive.
Non-destructive editing- The original file, or information captured during recording, is not changed during the editing process. It remains intact as you build your story.
Post production- Editing. Work done once you’re back from the field.
Transitions- Changing scenes in your timeline. The two types you need to concern yourself with are-
straight cuts- Straightforward changes in scenes. Also referred to as hard cuts.
dissolves- A gradual fade from one scene to another.
Wireless microphones- Often referred to as lavalier, or lav mics. A body pack is worn by your subject. The miniature mic is attached to this transmitter. The receiver is plugged into your camera. It allows distance between you and your subject. Good for voice. Bad for ambient though it can be used in unconventional applications to gather nat. sound. VHF units are cheaper than UHF units. UHF are better.
Shotgun mic- A microphone often attached to a video camera that has a narrow field of focus. Often referred to as a hyper-cardoid mic. Not “telephoto” but highly directional.
Ambient light- The available light in a given scene.
White balance- Ensuring accurate color rendition. Removing color cast. Whites appear white. Crucial first step before shooting.
Zebra pattern- An option in some video cameras that display moving lines on highlights in the viewfinder, warning of potential overexposure.
Shooting to edit- Purposefully gathering different shots to follow a story line. Planning for your needs in the editing phase of the process.
Package- Story, including sound.
HD- High definition. Superb picture quality.
SD- Standard definition.
Frame grab- a still image exported from a timeline during editing. That still image may appear in the paper much like a photograph from a still camera.
3 chip v. 1 chip cameras- Three chip cameras can capture more data than one chip.
Sequencing- Showing a process or compressing time by shooting a series of tight, medium and wide shots edited together.
Video is popular on newspaper Websites now. There are different thoughts about the hows and whys of doing it. Some say give everyone a cheap camera and shoot just about anything. Others say it’s quality over quantity and save your video for certain projects. Regardless of the side of the street you stand on video does certain things well. Strong visuals are crucial for good video. As always content is king. Truly strong video for the Web comes from practice. This document can’t fully go into how to shoot and edit strong narrative video pieces.
You do have some options. If strong visuals exist you can
There’s a strong need to shoot to edit (see above) if you’re tackling a narrative piece. Just like when writing, you gather gobs of information with the goal of assembling the various pieces into a coherent story. It’s the same with video though the elements are moving pictures and solid sound.
Shooting to edit is an important concept. If you don’t pursue and successfully capture the necessary moving pictures and sound then you could very well find yourself in the editing process without a crucial piece of the package.
Video editing is non-destructive and non-linear. We can cut apart video from its accompanying audio and run it at a different place in the package, or, not at all. You don’t have to shoot in a chronological order. Pictures and sound can be moved around as long as the finished product paints an accurate and truthful picture.
Something quick about gear-
We currently have three different kinds of cameras at The Telegraph. A Canon ZR800, the video equivalent of a point and shoot still camera, two 3-chip mini DV cameras (Canon GL2 and a Sony VX2100) and a Canon HV20 HD.
The ZR800 is easy to use. In the easy mode you simply turn it on, point it at the action and roll. Though an external mic input is available there’s a microphone built in. This camera has its limitations but for simple packages it works fine. It’s easy to carry.
The GL2 and VX2100 are more versatile. They’re outfitted with shotgun mics, onboard audio mixers and have more features. Being 3-chip cameras still images can be taken from a shoot and used in the paper if necessary. These kits are more complicated to deal with and haul around.
The HV20 is compact and yet offers many features found in larger cameras, such as the crucial external mic input and headphone jack. It can capture video in high-definition, resulting in a superb image. This camera’s easy to cart around.
Visuals rule with video. If there aren’t strong visuals it probably won’t work as a video. If you’re going to include video reporting with your piece think about what you’re going to show. What’s so compelling about the story or video sidebar that will get people to click and watch? If you’re on to something and you decide to capture some video remember-
There’s much to consider when shooting video. What the story is, sequencing, gear, weather, sound, etc. As with audio your videos don’t have to be comprehensive but they do have to be complete unto themselves. Don’t mirror your print story. A good rule of thumb to start is to describe the video story in one sentence. Can’t do it? Maybe rethink your idea.
Pre-planning is essential. Be honest with yourself about the possibilities of good video. Examples with strong potential would be a feature about a farmer who works with draft horses, Ultimate Frisbee players. People working to restore an old barn. Not so much potential- an accountant at work. A barn.
Don’t forget. This is fun. It’s not necessarily about doing more with less. It’s about doing different with more. Take your time. Make mistakes and learn from them. Take the time to become more comfortable with the gear. Rework your day or week to fold in new habits. Check your priorities to allow time to learn these new techniques. Follow the basic rules, learn the technology, combine it with good journalism and strong, valuable online storytelling will be the result.