Briggs; Journalism Next: Chapter 8

March 22, 2012

Video Journalism

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.

video captures the whole story; it immerses the viewer in the moment and conveys the story of the subject in a way which not even photography can.

The advent of cheap digital video cameras and free video-editing software has revolutionized the role of video. It’s no longer an expensive medium reserved for news crews with large budgets; now all it takes is a digital camera or phone and a standard computer and anyone can be a video journalist!

A few tips to help you along your path to becoming a video journalist:

• storyboard: it’s important to have some sort of plan before you start filming so you can get all the material you need for your story
• mix your shots: a video shot from a single position and angle gets very boring, very fast. Try to create variety in your shots. the BBC 5-shot method is a great basic formula to follow.
• learn effective video interviewing: try to engage your subject and move them away from simple answers which don’t make for very interesting video
• mix in still images: still photographs haven’t lost their place in journalism and they certainly have a place in video. Including still shots creates variety in your video.

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