Comments on: Backpack journalism toolkit

By: Amanda Determan

Amanda Determan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:51:21 +0000

wow. i shoot with the same camera is this journo, and i can’t imagine using it with TAPE and NO NOTES. at my newsroom, we’ve got 60 gig external harddrives that connect to the camera via firewire. while i’m filming, everytime i hit REC, a new .avi file is created. if it’s usable, i jot down the handy dandy file name as it’s displayed on the harddrive. any shoot that i go on where i’m unable to take notes like that — the editing process afterwards takes twice as long. in my video training sessions, shotlogs are a MUST.

By: Scott Broom

Scott Broom — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:50:35 +0000

No notes: Scotch the notepad. No time. Not enough hands. I shoot name tags, ID badges, and desk placards to visually slate subjects… or I say and spell names and critical facts out loud on tape. Additional key facts, important numbers — I say out loud on ch-2 audio as video notes at end of interviews or during events — as long as ch 1 is hot on subject.. When turning lives for as many as 4 shows on a tough day, plus updating to web — notes are a luxury I often must do without.

PS. Don’t even think about wasting time on tape with long narratives and information overload by interview subjects. Your shooting news — not a NOVA doc. If its not leading up to a usable bite — don’t hit REC. Use a tripod, shoot competent tight sequences — get your bites and get out. Only way to survive.

By: Videojournalism on a budget « Advancing the Story

Videojournalism on a budget « Advancing the Story — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:09:15 +0000

[...] Top Posts Ten tips for writing TV newsApostrophe loveVideo shooting tipsAnd the Oscar goes to…Using nat sound onlineBackpack journalism toolkit [...]

By: Helio Yoshida

Helio Yoshida — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:13:40 +0000

Very nice post!

By: A 30-pound backpack with $10000 in gear | News Videographer

A 30-pound backpack with $10000 in gear | News Videographer — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:34:01 +0000

[...] Deborah at Advancing the story has a cool post about the gear that NBC’s Mara Schiavocampo use…. … she now travels with a 30-pound rolling backpack filled with $10,000 worth of gear–about one fifth of the cost of a full size Sony digital Betacam. [...]

By: Deborah Potter

Deborah Potter — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:00:01 +0000

I’m not at all sure about the “no notes” policy, myself. As photojournalist Rich Murphy always says: “A camera is not a notebook.” He believes that taking notes is essential to make editing go faster because you don’t have to screen everything you’ve shot. The trouble is, it’s almost physically impossible to take notes while shooting active interviews solo. My compromise: shoot first, take notes immediately after while it’s all still fresh in your mind.

By: Karen Kefauver

Karen Kefauver — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:41:37 +0000

Fascinating to hear her say she does not take notes – because it is all captured on camera. I shoot digital photos and am just dipping into video. With print journalism background, hard for me to imagine being a written-notes free journalist. Great post and video. Thanks.

By: Angela Grant

Angela Grant — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:02:37 +0000

I love that video! I’m going to publish something on it tomorrow.

By: localtvnews

localtvnews — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:14:45 +0000

Great, informative story. Posted a link to my site…

Mark