- Before you start filming, watch
- The story
- who, what, where, why, when, how
- the takeaway
- The workflow
- the proposal, pitch a good story
- discussion, consider possible scenarios, backup plans
- preparation, what do you need
- execution, go, interview, film, video, stills, and sound. Don’t forget names and titles
- write the story, fact check, proofread, record soundtrack
- editing, put all elements together
- watch and repeat
- delivery, formats, soundcheck
- The gear
- audio
- light
- video
- smartphone journalism
- software and editing
- Tips before you head out
Before you start filming, watch
Where to find high quality, well shot and edited news and storytelling videos? Here are a few places:
https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks
https://vimeo.com/categories/journalism/videos
https://edition.cnn.com/videos
https://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/
https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonah-m-kessel
https://www.vox.com/authors/johnny-harris
The workflow
- The workflow
- the proposal, pitch a good story
- discussion, consider possible scenarios, backup plans
- preparation, what do you need
- execution, go, interview, film, video, stills, and sound. Don’t forget names and titles
- write the story, fact check, proofread, record soundtrack
- editing, put all elements together
- watch and repeat
- delivery, formats, soundcheck
Smartphone journalism
Sound
Visual
Lighting
Software and editing
Editing software is often the first question from many people, Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro? For beginners, especially students, it’s easy. If you work on a Windows computer, go with Premiere, if you have a good Macbook, go with either Premiere or Final Cut. All the basic editing rules are universal, just different interface and shortcuts.
Tips before you head out
- Tips for everyone, beginners and pros
- don’t forget to clean up memory cards, charge the battery, and bring earphones to check the sound quality
- go for it, but prepare to do it again
- clean sound beats everything
- use a tripod if you can
- keep it rolling, make sure each shot is at least 10 seconds long
- Editing the story
- start with your best shots
- keep a good flow, don’t rush, don’t drag
- leave breathing time between sections, natural sound from the video is often good space fillers
- the best length is always the shortest length that could tell your story clearly