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https://www.nytimes.com/video/times-documentaries

This is a story of a man telling an emotional story that affected his life greatly. In this story-telling video, I really enjoyed the angles of the camera on his face because it really captures all the emotions that the man feels in telling his story. I also liked the story itself, because in the long run, it teaches an important lesson about how giving to the community is a far more important objective to one’s goal in life rather than chasing after fame and money.

My Vimeo account: https://vimeo.com/user108029721

https://youtu.be/Qyiautg41h8

 

 

https://vimeo.com/62941191

This video describes all of NYC in 2 short minutes, making it my favorite video on Vimeo. The appealing visuals and use of storytelling by interviewees made this video extremely special. A place as unique as NYC was recognized through unique people. The creative efforts by the team who made this video was logical and concise — the team went around asking New Yorkers to sum up their favorite thing about New York in three words, and viewers can clearly see that each person liked something completely different. To add a poetic summation to the video, the team decided to end the video with three words that sum up what NYC has to offer — something for everyone.

In this short film titled “Locker Room,” I really enjoyed the use of angles. The director utilized angles in a way that the viewer is able to see up-close shots to escalate the emotion in the scenes. I also appreciated the use of colors in certain scenes, mainly the scene in which the girl is in her room contemplating her own insecurities as well as her worry about what to do regarding the situation with the boys on the rugby team. There were some scenes, particularly the scene in the boy’s bedroom that really captured the tense aura surrounding the characters by having silence and a still shot.

Image: Nyasha Kadandara

Introduction

Video journalism has changed a lot in recent years. The arrival of DSLR video cameras meant that ten years ago, it was suddenly affordable to shoot and edit a 1080p HD video as a “one-man-band” and the quality of the resulting product would blow editors away.

These days, with the sudden ubiquity of 4K UHD (Ultra HD) and other advances in technology, video has become a bit of an arms race—it’s become more expensive to stay competitive. There are still plenty of outlets that will hire you if you’re shooting on a Canon 5D (DSLR) or equivalent, but more and more are looking for a cinema camera (like a Sony FS7) that shoots in 4K. Many outlets are also looking for someone who can deliver extra bells and whistles like drone footage and gimbal footage. But there are rental options like KitSplit that have popped up to help you work at that high level without having to go deep into credit card debt. And video tends to pay better than print or still photography, so it has that going for it as well.

Here’s me.

Now your turn: What are you hoping to get out of this class, and what sort of video storytelling interests you? Feature-length documentaries, dream job (VICE? BuzzFeed? NYT?), subject matter, style, breaking news, short docs… what would you like to do?

Syllabus

Advanced-Multimedia-Reporting-2020

Please note that the schedule on this syllabus will be  ever-evolving, with  dates subject to change based on availability of guests, etc. so please refer to this site for up-to-date due dates and scheduling. I will be posting class agendas each time we meet with updated and detailed info on assignments, due dates, etc.

Videojournalist/DP websites:

http://www.joevaneeckhout.com/

https://www.nyashakadandara.com/

https://www.leslyedavis.com/

For next class…

Set up a Vimeo account with photo and bio.

Search for a piece of video storytelling you find inspiring and post it on the class site. Come to class prepared to discuss the different elements you liked or didn’t like.

Start thinking about a topic for your first video assignment, which will be a visual poem, and start talking amongst yourselves about who you might like to partner up with for it, as you’ll have the option for this first project of working in pairs as you get the hang of using the equipment. If you choose to do so, you will share all gathered material but you will each submit your own individual edited videos. (No formal pitch necessary yet, I just want you to start the brainstorm process.)

Examples: here and here.