Notes for class of April 16

By now you should be working on your final video project. I'll be looking for an update when we meet for conferences Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are some really good blogs focused on shooting news videos for the web. Here are a couple of blog posts that may help you focus.

The following tips were posted by Colin Mulvany of the The Spokesman-Review.

Speed up the pacing.

Define your story — in the first 20 seconds.

Start it with a very strong visual.

Start it with natural sound.

Stop zooming and panning already! What are you, 12 years old?

Use a wireless microphone.

In and out, in and out: Mix natural sound in with narration.

Be diligent in the fight against wind noise.

Shoot creatively.

Edit to include surprises.

Leave the viewer feeling fulfilled.

Here is a link to Mulvany's complete post. As someone guilty of panning in my first video I got a particular kick out of this observation:

"There is too much zooming and panning going on out their in newspaper videoland. Stop. All that zooming and swishing is making me seasick. Say after me: “Wide, medium and tight, wide, medium and tight.” Remember to hold each shot of at least ten seconds. Zoom with your feet, not your finger. If you shoot sequences correctly, you won’t need to use a zoom or a pan. Only occasionally will a zoom or pan be effective. Use it sparingly."

Check out some of the blogs linked on Mulvany's site under the "Blogroll." You'll find the thoughts of some of the best and brightest there.

Here's an article by Regina McCombs from Online Journalism Review: Shooting Web video: How to put your readers at the scene

If you want to get inspired by some top quality video checkout the Media Storm website.

See you at conference.