Author: EJohnson

Intro to Audio Editing

Audacity: Free to download.

Audacity shortcuts to know:

Play/pause: space bar
Split track: Command I
Zoom in: Command 1
Zoom out: Command 3

In the tool bar, this is the selection tool that allows you to click and highlight and delete sections of track or select a spot where you want to split it:

This is the tool that allows you to move sections of track:

And this is the one that lets you adjust the volume, basically the same way the pen tool works in Premiere:

In both programs, when you’re finished editing, you’ll need to export the finished sound file before you can upload it anywhere.

In Audacity, it’s File –> Export Audio –> select “WAV” from dropdown menu and give the file a name and location, then hit “Save” and “OK.”

Assignment: Using Audacity, mix your practice radio story according to the script you wrote from the interview you did with your classmate. Upload the exported WAV file to Soundcloud and add it to your blog post with the practice script. Due by class time on Thursday.

Your drafts of your scripts for your actual, NOT-practice radio story will be due next Thursday, Oct. 27 or Friday Oct 28, depending on when you schedule your edit session. Everyone will sign up for a one-on-one editing session with me Thursday or Friday. (We will not have class as usual that Thursday.) You can sign up for a time slot here, first come first served:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fYTBzsRLAgVJcw_jwyL87pFgirhJcL4qyjgUISgqgSA/edit#gid=0

Your final, edited radio story will be due one week from your edit session.

Reminders/Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, Sept. 20: Intro to radio

Thursday, Sept. 22: That class will be devoted to editing and production on the photo essays. Rough draft of photo essay due that night by midnight.

(NO CLASSES IN BETWEEN)

Thursday, Oct. 6: Final draft due by class time.

Discussion: Practice Photo Assignment

We’ll look at all your posts together, give feedback, talk about your process, and troubleshoot any issues that might have come up with the cameras or editing.

Screening and Discussion

Rough cuts are due today. We’ll screen them together and give feedback.

 

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

Next week, both classes will continue to be about editing and production. In-person class is not optional on Wednesday as we will be doing course evaluations, returning equipment, and tying up loose ends of the semester.

The final cut will be due by class time on our last day of class, Monday Dec. 13.

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

This Wednesday, Nov. 24, will be an editing/production day for your videos. I will be on campus that day for anyone who wants help with editing, but attendance is not required; you are welcome to spend that time doing additional shooting if that is what your story needs at that point. Monday, Nov. 29, will also be devoted to editing/production.

The rough cuts of your videos will be due by class time on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The final cut will be due by class time on our last day of class, Monday Dec. 13.

 

Discussion: Extremis

We’ll talk about your reactions to the documentary and the background reading you did.

 

The Business of Multimedia Journalism

Learning how to come up with a story, report that story, compose a photograph, mix sound, and shoot B-roll and then put it all together into a clear and cohesive story is only half the battle. Something that often gets left out in school is the practical side of how to make a career out of this. Sure, you might get a good internship while you’re still in school and then get hired and start working your way up. But there are a lot of different ways into the industry, and a lot of them involve taking a little bit of initiative. I’d venture to say that most journalists I know have freelanced at one point or another.

Freelancing can be a great gig, and it can also be terrifying when you’re first starting out. Here are a few common issues freelancers often run into:

Do I need a website? YES. Showcasing your previous work is more important than any well-crafted resume. The importance of being able to refer an editor to a slick portfolio website cannot be overstated.

How do you know how much money to ask for? It’s easy to undervalue your skills when you’re first starting out, but it’s worse to ask for too little money than to ask for too much. Some publications have set rates: a flat rate for a certain kind of story, or a day rate, or they’ll pay by the word. In other cases, there’s room for negotiation. If you’re not sure how much to ask for, consult your colleagues. Always try and get them to reimburse expenses.

What’s the deal with taxes? You still have to pay them. You’ll become very familiar with the 1099-MISC form. Keep your receipts so you can write off as many business-related expenses as possible: Equipment, plane tickets, etc.

How do you make sure you get paid in a timely manner? Send an invoice as soon as you file the story. I usually ask the person receiving it to confirm they’ve received it and to tell me when I should expect the money to arrive. If they don’t respond, follow up early and often. “Polite but incessant” is my motto.

I can’t use the school’s programs anymore. How much is it to buy Adobe Premiere and Lightroom and all that stuff? Not actually as bad as you might think, because you no longer even have the option to buy them outright; there’s a monthly subscription service to the Adobe Creative Suite that costs anywhere from $10 to $50 a month, depending on how many programs you need.

What kind of equipment should I invest in? When it comes to still cameras, if you’re on a small budget, I usually advise people to start with a pretty basic camera body and to invest in a few good lenses if you’re going to spend money somewhere. When it comes to video, it’s become kind of an arms race out there and DSLR cameras don’t always cut it anymore. Take a look at Storyhunter assignments to get a sense of what outlets are looking for:

“C300 or C100 strongly preferred—higher end DSLRs accepted”

“Need to have a C100 or equivalent and lav mics”

“A camera capable of shooting 1080p 24fps and 60 fps for slow motion, if possible 4k video and 120 fps for slow mo”

The good news is that if you don’t have five grand to drop on a camera and audio equipment tomorrow, you can rent gear from places like Adorama and KitSplit.

I just spent an insane amount of money on my new equipment. How do I protect it? Insure your stuff! Renter’s insurance can sometimes cover your gear, but there’s usually a pretty high deductible for theft etc. If you’re planning on working internationally, insurance tends to be quite expensive, especially if you’re working in areas considered “high-risk.” NPPA members get a discount through one company, but make sure to shop around.

Freelancing is lonely. How do I meet other people in the industry? Journalists tend to be a social bunch. It’s an industry where skills are obviously important but where you can also go pretty far on the strength of your personality and on who you know. You already have a huge advantage by virtue of the fact that you live in New York, one of the world’s biggest media hubs. Make yourself known to editors and colleagues by checking out industry events like these:

ScreenUp NYC 

Video Consortium (New York chapter)

The Bronx Documentary Center

RISC Training (first aid training for freelancers who work in remote, sensitive, and conflict areas, often host events/panel discussions at the Brooklyn Brewery
risctraining.org

Resources

• Photojournalism

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA membership gets you certain benefits, including discounted camera insurance and press accreditation; follow them to find out about grants)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2233179993/

Photography/Multimedia Internships and Jobs (great place to find out about entry-level opportunities)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/608650785837641/

Photo Grant Opportunities (great place to learn about grants/competitions/exhibitions for emerging photojournalists) https://www.facebook.com/groups/205928780146/

Lightstalkers/N11 (for photojournalists)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5235712822/

Photojournalism Now (blog focused on photojournalism and social documentary photography)
https://www.facebook.com/PhotojournalismNow/

Women Photograph (a resource for female* documentary and editorial photographers and the people who would like to hire them—GRANTS!)
https://www.womenphotograph.com/

Eddie Adams Workshop (a prestigious, game-changing, three-day workshop for emerging photographers in upstate NY that puts you in a room with some of the biggest names and top editors in the industry)
https://www.facebook.com/EddieAdamsWorkshop/

The New York Times Portfolio Review (free but competitive, puts you in a room with some of the top photo editors in the world for advice and critiques on your ongoing photo projects)
https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/…/applications-open-for-the…/

Photoville
http://photoville.com/

The International Festival of Photojournalism
http://www.visapourlimage.com/en

• Audio Journalism

Third Coast Audio Festival
https://thirdcoastfestival.org/

Public Radio NYC Google group. Be warned, you’ll get a LOT of emails but it’s a great place to pick up transcription work and the occasional tape sync, which usually pays about $150 for a fairly easy recording gig: [email protected]
(Let me know if you’d like me to add you.)

Radio Women Rule the World (for women in radio) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1514423228769048/

• Video Journalism

Storyhunter (online brokerage where videojournalists and filmmakers can apply for assignments)
https://storyhunter.com

Global VJs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalvjs/

Binders Full of Video Journalists (for female VJ’s) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1006816089433804/

• All Media

Vulture Club (for international journalists) https://www.facebook.com/groups/197918473577006/

The NVC (the non-Vulture Club, founded by people who were kicked out of Vulture Club—long story)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/439000736155194/

Freelancers Get Your Freak On (for freelancers who work in different media and are looking to collaborate) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021852794578554/

Journo Housing Exchange (for wandering journalists looking for short-term housing around the world) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639458896367607/

Journalism and Trauma (a place to discuss how we as journalists engage with trauma, from how to interview someone who has experienced it to how to cope with our own direct or indirect trauma)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/468146643386958/

Ladies Writing and Journalism (for female print journalists)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/159810750800770

Binder of International Reporters (for women who work internationally) https://www.facebook.com/groups/634887219990543/

Binders Full of Digital Journalists (for female journos who work in digital) https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalvjs/

Riot Grrrls Of Journalism (global group for women who work in all different media) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1698979077092920/

• Formal Groups/Organizations

New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) https://www.facebook.com/NYABJ/

(NABJ) National Association of Black Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/NABJOfficial/

South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)
https://www.facebook.com/South.Asian.Journalists.Associati…/

Asian American Journalists Association
https://www.facebook.com/AAJAHQ/?ref=br_rs

National Association of Hispanic Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/NAHJFan/

Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA)
https://www.facebook.com/AMEJAGlobal

Association of Health Care Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/healthjournalists

Society of Environmental Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/SocietyOfEnvironmentalJournalists

Native American Journalists Association
https://www.facebook.com/NativeJournalists

The International Association of Religion Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/The-International-Association-of-R…

Association of Food Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/AFJeats

Overseas Press Club of America
https://www.facebook.com/opcofamerica/

Society of Professional Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/SocietyofProfessionalJournalists/

Committee to Protect Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/committeetoprotectjournalists/

Blink (resource where outlets can search for and hire freelancers)
https://blink.la/

 

• Funding Opportunities

International Center for Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/icfj.org/

The International Women’s Media Foundation
https://www.facebook.com/IWMFpage/

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
https://www.facebook.com/Pulitzercenter/

Open Society Foundations
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/

 

If you know of any others, please feel free to share! This is an ever-evolving and incomplete list.

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

The rough cuts of your videos will be due by class time on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The final cut will be due by class time on our last day of class, Monday Dec. 13.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, will be an editing/production day for your videos. I will be here on campus that day for anyone who wants help with editing, but attendance is not required; you are welcome to spend that time doing additional shooting if that is what your story needs at that point. Monday, Nov. 29, will also be devoted to editing/production.

Screening and Discussion

We’ll take a look at your 5-shot sequences, critique them together, and troubleshoot any issues you ran into so that you know what you’re doing for the actual video assignment.

Discussion: The Documentary Filmmaking Industry 

It’s an exciting time in the documentary filmmaking world, especially with streaming sites getting in on the game and producing and distributing so many buzzy, prestige, high-production-value feature-length docs and docu-series. Think about how many documentaries in recent years have been talked about around the dinner table: The Last Dance, Leaving Neverland, the R. Kelly documentary, Tiger King, The Fyre Fest documentary,  My Octopus Teacher.

There’s a spectrum of how journalistic documentaries can be. Some allow for moments to be staged or reenacted—this is usually disclosed or obvious—others are scrupulous about letting life unfold as it will and capturing it faithfully.

There are different kinds of documentary films: one popular genre tells stories that happened in the past, relying on collecting old/archival footage, usually from numerous different sources, and weaving in present-day interviews with the people who were involved.

Another popular genre these days is verité documentary films, which derives its name from the French film movement cinéma vérité, which basically translates to “truthful cinema.” When applied to documentaries, what it means it that the filmmakers are capturing life as it happens. A lot of the time, they take a sort of fly-on-the-wall approach. One filmmaker who has become well-know in recent years for his verité documentaries is Matt Heineman.

Cartel Land: A film made mostly by one guy filming alone for nine months.

“As someone who [is] a director and a producer, and also shoots themselves, it makes it a lot easier to just jump in because I don’t have to necessarily raise money,” Heineman told IndieWire in a panel discussion at the Sundance Film Festival, where his first film “Ghosts” premiered. “Canon was very supportive of me — [they] give me a camera to help shoot this, so it was very easy to just dive in and start making this.”

How do these kinds of solo independent doc films get made, financially speaking?

Depends on the film. If it’s a passion project and the filmmaker has the access, equipment, and time, they might be able to do most of it themselves. Or the filmmaker may start off covering expenses themselves, and then once they have enough footage to show people, they cut together a “sizzle reel” and either crowd-fund it on something like Kickstarter, or they apply for grant funding, find a private donor, team up with a production company, etc.

In this class, you have been learning to do things more or less “one-man-band” style, and that’s how Heineman and many others started, but he has now become a big name who can much more easily get all the funding and access he wants for a film.

On a well-funded documentary project, there are typically more roles available: DP (director of photography), B camera operator, lighting technician, sound technician, producer, editor, etc. If you continue pursuing this field, you may find that there’s one role in particular you are drawn to. Maybe you love shooting but hate editing, or vice versa. Maybe you’re a fantastic ideas person, extremely good with people and making things happen, and a good reporter, but not as interested in the technical parts of filmmaking: you could be a great producer.

Example of verite filmmaking: Extremis

https://www.netflix.com/title/80106307

 

 

 

 

Here’s an assignment that can be done any time between now and Monday’s class. Watch “Extremis” (I assume most of you have a way to watch Netflix, but if not, please let me know and I’ll figure something out!) and read the following interview with the director:

Interview: Dan Krauss on the Difficult Decisions Behind “Extremis”

Write a short (roughly 200 words) blog post about the film, giving your  thoughts about the storytelling, the ethics involved, and any questions or takeaways that stuck with you.

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

The rough cut of your videos will be due by class time on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The final cut will be due by class time on our last day of class, Monday Dec. 13.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, will be an editing/production day for your videos. I will be here on campus that day for anyone who wants help with editing, but attendance is not required; you are welcome to spend that time doing additional shooting if that is what your story needs at that point. Monday, Nov. 29, will also be devoted to editing/production.

Here are a couple of student videos for inspiration:

This last one was made for the advanced multimedia reporting class I typically teach once a year. If any of you are interested in pursuing video further, I recommend looking into this class.

Video Camera Workshop

The classic sequence that every budding videographer learns when starting out is the five-shot sequence.

• Close-up on the hands.
• Close-up on the face.
• Medium shot.
• Over the shoulder shot.
• One additional creative angle.

You won’t always edit things in this exact way when you do a sequence in the real world; sometimes it’ll only be three shots, or it might be ten, and they might be in a different order. But the five-shot sequence is a useful framework for thinking about depicting an activity clearly and engagingly with video.

Assignment

Film a five-shot sequence and a roughly 30-second interview with someone (ask them to talk about the thing you’re filming them doing, whether it’s scrolling through Instagram, buying something from the vending machine, playing piano in a practice room, or dribbling a basketball).

You don’t need to edit anything yet; we will use this footage in a video editing exercise on Monday. Please make sure you have downloaded Adobe Premiere Pro and uploaded your footage to your computer by class time on Monday so you’re ready to edit.

Today

Your radio stories are due and we will be listening to some of them together.

 

Upcoming Dates

Next class, on Wednesday Nov. 3, please make sure to bring your cameras in to class for a hands-on video tutorial. Make sure they’re charged and that you have your memory cards with you, please! I will sign out tripods to everyone that day as well.

Pitches will be due a week from today on Monday, Nov. 8 for your video assignment: a two-minute video news story or mini documentary. (Give or take as much as 30 seconds depending on how tightly paced and edited it is.)

 

Intro to Video Journalism

With video, we build on the compositional techniques of photography and the structural, storytelling aspects of audio with one obvious additional element: Motion.

How does video storytelling for the web and mobile differ from TV and film?

• Need to be CLOSER to your subject. Web videos are smaller and more compressed.
• A large percentage of online viewers bail on a video within 10 seconds. So you don’t have a lot of time to grab your viewers and make sure they stick around.

How important is audio?

Good audio is of paramount importance. If you have low-quality video and good audio, the video will still be watchable. If you have gorgeous visuals but terrible audio, it will not.

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Shooting Your Video

There are two main components to any video: your interviews and your B-roll. The rules of composition we learned for photography (thirds, colors, patterns, symmetry, etc.) all apply here, but you also need to keep an eye out for motion. Tracking shots involve following the action with your camera, while static shots involve keeping your camera still, but that doesn’t mean there’s no motion involved; you might just be letting the action go in and out of the frame.

As with the photo essay, since you will be shooting on your phones for this assignment, it is hugely important that you DO NOT SHOOT VERTICALLY.

 

What is B-roll? And what difference does it make?

A big difference.

 

Things to keep in mind while you’re shooting B-roll:

1. Shoot more than you think you’ll need.
2. Get a variety of shots. Close-up, medium, wide, detail shots, static shots, tracking shots.
3. Use a tripod whenever possible. If you don’t have one or you’re shooting in a mobile, chaotic situation, be resourceful about stabilizing your shots.
4. Think about your interviews and let them inform your B-roll shooting decisions. Look for shots that illustrate what the person is talking about.
5. Hold your shot longer than you think you need to. A good rule of thumb is to hold it for at least 10 seconds (AFTER it’s already steady).

 

Things to keep in mind when you’re shooting your interviews:

1. Frame the shot with your subject on one of the thirds, angled so that they’re looking slightly INTO the frame. Have them look at you, not at the camera, so be mindful of where you are sitting. It’s a bit intense when someone looks directly into the camera.
2. If you’re working with a translator, be mindful that the subject will want to look at them, so make sure they are positioned in the ideal place to draw the person’s gaze.
3. Prioritize good audio.
4. Make sure their face is lit, but not too harshly.
5. Think about composing the shot in a way that allows for some negative space where the Lower Third will eventually go.

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When is narration necessary?

Sometimes, you can let the subjects of your video tell the story all on their own — as long as you edit with care, presenting what they’ve told you in a way that makes narrative sense. One benefit of non-narrated videos is that they can feel more organic. There’s no disembodied voice stepping in to tell the story, which keeps the focus on the characters in the story.

But sometimes, for clarity’s sake or for stylistic reasons, narration is necessary, or text.

Narrated videos

https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/100000007049738/as-coronavirus-approaches-mexico-president-looks-other-way.html?playlistId=video/Most-Viewed

https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/100000005277141/the-last-taushiro.html

Text-Narrated videos

These are more and more popular thanks to social media distribution because they automatically start playing as you scroll through your feed and they can be watched without sound.

Non-Narrated videos

Islamic exorcisms used as a ‘cure’ for homosexuality in Indonesia: ‘If I am Muslim, I can’t be gay’

 

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Upcoming Dates

Your finished radio stories are due by class time this coming Monday, Nov. 1 and we will listen to them together during our live Zoom class that day.

A week from today, on Wednesday Nov. 3, please make sure to bring your cameras in to class for a hands-on video tutorial. Make sure they’re charged and that you have your memory cards with you, please! I will sign out tripods to everyone that day as well.

Pitches will be due on Monday, Nov. 8 for your video assignment: a two-minute video news story or mini documentary. (Give or take as much as 30 seconds depending on how tightly paced and edited it is.)

This video can be narrated if you are interested in broadcast video and want on-camera clips of you doing “stand-ups” for your reel. A stand-up is that clip at the end of a news package where the reporter is typically standing there with a microphone summing things up and doing their sign-off.

Here’s what I’m referring to:

 

 

And here is an example of a broadcast reel:

 

If you are not interested in being on-camera, the video can be non-narrated.

 

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

Scripts for your radio stories will be due this coming Monday, Oct. 25. We will not have a Zoom class that day at the typical time. Instead, everyone will sign up for an individual editing session with me. You can sign up for a time slot here.

The final, edited radio project will be due on Monday, Nov. 1.

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Screening 

We’ll look at some of your practice radio pieces together and critique them.

 

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Discussion: The Power of Voices and Speech Patterns

When we hear someone speak, what are the different things we pick up on? What are the things we assume about them?

“NPR Voice”

During a recent long car ride whose soundtrack was a medley of NPR podcasts, I noticed a verbal mannerism during scripted segments that appeared on just about every show. I’ve heard the same tic in countless speeches, TED talks and Moth StorySLAMS — anywhere that features semi-informal first-person narration.

If I could attempt to transcribe it, it sounds kind of like, y’know … this.

That is, in addition to looser language, the speaker generously employs pauses and, particularly at the end of sentences, emphatic inflection. (This is a separate issue from upspeak, the tendency to conclude statements with question marks?) A result is the suggestion of spontaneous speech and unadulterated emotion. The irony is that such presentations are highly rehearsed, with each caesura calculated and every syllable stressed in advance.

In literary circles, the practice of poets reciting verse in singsong registers and unnatural cadences is known, derogatorily, as “poet voice.” I propose calling this phenomenon “NPR voice” (which is distinct from the supple baritones we normally associate with radio voices).

Here’s an intro by Ira Glass: see what they mean?

Decoding identity on the air:

“He was hinting at the difficult balancing act reporters face in developing their on-air voice. It isn’t just a challenge of performance — and it’s not as simple as channeling some “authentic” voice into a microphone. It requires grappling with your identity and your writing process, along with history of your institution.”

Challenging the Whiteness of Public Radio

Does public radio sound too white? NPR itself tries to find out.

The reason the sound of your own voice makes you cringe

Why your voice IS a “podcast voice”

On accent bias in the industry, by Baruch’s own Gisele Regetao:

The Many Voices of Journalism

Podcast: Gisele Regatao on NPR’s accent bias

Common speech patterns in today’s world that everyone (men, too!) use all the time:

Upspeak

Vocal fry

“Like”

According to Ira Glass:

“…listeners have always complained about young women reporting on our show. They used to complain about reporters using the word “like” and about upspeak… But we don’t get many emails like that anymore. People who don’t like listening to young women on the radio have moved on to vocal fry.”

Why old men find young women’s voices so annoying

99% Invisible podcast responds to criticism about women’s voices

So all of this leads us to the question: How can we be intentional about how we use our voices to tell the best stories as effectively as possible?

Luckily, in radio/podcasting, speaking naturally is what we actually WANT. No one wants to listen to a robot, or someone who sounds like they’re reading.

How I learned to stop worrying and love my voice

 

Intro to Audio Editing

Audacity: Free to download.

Audacity shortcuts to know:

Play/pause: space bar
Split track: Command I
Zoom in: Command 1
Zoom out: Command 3

In the tool bar, this is the selection tool that allows you to click and highlight and delete sections of track or select a spot where you want to split it:

This is the tool that allows you to move sections of track:


And this is the one that lets you adjust the volume, basically the same way the pen tool works in Premiere:

In both programs, when you’re finished editing, you’ll need to export the finished sound file before you can upload it anywhere.

In Audacity, it’s File –> Export Audio –> select “WAV” from dropdown menu and give the file a name and location, then hit “Save” and “OK.”

Assignment: Using Audacity, mix your practice radio story according to the script you wrote from the interview you did with your classmate. Upload the exported WAV file to Soundcloud and add it to your blog post with the practice script. Due by class time on Wednesday.