Videography for Journalists 2010

Why be a TV journalist?

The free wardrobe allowance?

The hair and makeup

The big bucks?It’s fun?

TV News

Are you the next Lloyd Robertson or Dwight Drummond? Is ESPN

calling you? Move over Ben Mulroney!

Answer:

All of the above, except perhaps the big bucks.

You will impact the world…

With your TV images and TV stories…just think of Haiti…

Rule #1

Always use a tripod --if possible

Rule #2

Always WHITE BALANCE when changing locations

the camera needs to reset its white colour in different light conditions (daylight, indoor light etc)

White Balance

BAD-blue indoorGood-white balanced

Videography Lesson

Kinds of shots you need to get for a TV package report/story:

What to shoot

Wide shot/establishing shots

Wide/Establishing Shots

Tells the viewer “Where are you?” Locates the action for a viewerShoot about 8-15 secs each

Medium Shots

More interesting. Viewer can detect some specific activity

but still not 100% sure what is happening--this needs your narration to help explain it better.

Shots last approx 15 sec each

Close ups

Even more interesting visually. You now care about the person/thing being shown.

Usually introduces an SOT(sound byte/excerpt of interview)

Extreme Close up

Used to show extreme emotion.Not used in every story but good to

shoot these just in case you need it later for editing purposes.

cutaways

Related to the story but not main action. Often used as reaction shots to action.Medium shots and close ups

Use varied shot angles

Make your shots visually interesting

Use lines to make it interesting

Subjective shots

Point of View

People are most interesting

Medium and close up shots with people are engaging for viewers

Interviews (SOTs)

Keep the camera behind you/to the side, and at eye level with guest

In interviews

the reporter IS NOT on camera We use an interviewee’s ANSWERS

only

SOT/Interviews FRAMING

How to frame them:eyes at top third of screen

Framing of the face

Bad Good

Stand Up by Reporter

In a stand up…

The reporter gives forward-looking information, pr summarizes the story, then does a sign off:

“George Hoff, Observer TV News, Toronto.”

Cautious use of these

Pan left/right -- panoramic --horizontalTilt up/down --verticalZoom in/outthese shots last a long time --boring to

the viewer -- always shoot some!

Some things to know about your cameras

1) News Sdhc cards need formatting

2) How to use the tripod

3) How to white balance

4) How to check the mic is working

FORMAT YOUR SDHC cards when you first put them into

the camerasMenuMemory opeInitializeInitialization methodsYesOkay

Make sure you don’t erase anything important.

Put the sd card in first, THEN attach camera to tripod.…

White balance -- On the Canon FS 10s

We want to do it manually -- custom. Press the FUNCTION key then

Use joystick to select P, then down to AWB. . Over to Icon on far right that looks like a bowtie with a ball on top.

Zoom in onto a white surface ‘till it fills the whole screen. Press SET. When it stops flashing, it is white balanced. Press FUNCTION to save the Setting.