Online video for TV journalists

“A video should be as long as it needs to be absolutely compelling.”
Andrew Fitzgerald oversees the online news efforts for Current TV. His view on video for the Web was echoed by the AP’s Kevin Roach and YouTube’s Olivia Ma. All three took part in RTDNA’s “Video-Free-For-All” webinar.
One of the fundamentals expressed is that the [...]

Shooting your own stand ups

Our text, Advancing the Story, details strategies for solo journalists who need to shoot their own stand ups.  One approach involves using your light stand as a stand-in for your body as you frame your shot.
Bob Kaplitz of the consulting firm of AR&D has created a short video explainer of the technique, along with an example [...]

Making Flip cams do more

We’ve written here in the past about traditional TV journalists finding Flip cams useful for certain types of newsgathering.  The lack of an external mic creates challenges, but the video quaility is quite high.  However, the camera was not designed for getting sweeping, panoramic wide shots by any means.
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention [...]

Why can’t local TV win online?

OK, this is our second year of tracking this and the question still remains:  Why are local TV stations nowhere to be found on the list of Online Journalism Award nominees?  I mean really, when the AARP is winning more awards for great video than local TV stations, it may just be time to hang it [...]

Critiquing a TV news story

Multimedia journalism is a lot like baseball, the way the Tom Hanks character describes it in the movie A League of Our Own. “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it.”
But with practice and coaching, you can improve your baseball skills. The same goes for multimedia journalism.
I’m often asked [...]

New ways of thinking about online video

By Peg Achterman, University of Washington (former KING-TV photojournalist)
Given Interpret LLC’s new research and their attempt to apply a new model of engagement when analyzing users’ attention to web video, this seems a good time to lay out some general guidance for those new to the production of online video. I aim this framework primarily [...]

Six video tips for multimedia journalists

When you’re trying to do it all, as many journalists are, suggestions that can save time and money are particularly valuable. Multimedia journalist Adam Westbrook not only shoots, writes and edits his own stories, he shares what he’s learned on his blog.
In a new series he’s calling 6×6, Westbrook has weighed in on how to [...]

Judging the success of online video

As part of our ongoing discussion of what makes online video different than what we see on TV, you might want to check out new research from Interpret, LLC.  The survey focused on more than 2,000 broadband Internet users between the ages 13- 54 who had watched a video online in the past 24 hours. 
Researchers found that most [...]

New intel on Web video

As multimedia journalists try to figure out how the Web changes video storytelling, it’s important to stay on top of research on the topic. Frank N. Magid Associates recently released results of a study that seems to indicate that TV stations need to develop a Web video strategy and fast.
Overall, the most-watched online videos [...]

Journalism advice on YouTube

YouTube’s new Reporter’s Center is already getting lots of attention from journalism bloggers and the 30 or so videos posted there have already garnered more than 100,000 views.
The YouTube Reporters’ Center is a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news. It features some of the nation’s top journalists and [...]