Author Archives: EJohnson

Fundamentals of Video Shooting

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For your projects, you’re going to want to have two video elements ready when you begin editing: your interviews and your B-roll. Interviews will consist of your basic “talking head” shots. B-roll is everything else that illustrates your story and provides context and color. You’ll edit it over sections of the interview, so that you’re hearing the person talk but you’re seeing footage that fleshes out what they’re saying.

Interviews

– Frame your shot like you would a still photo, with the person you’re interviewing on the thirds. Make sure there is sufficient light on their face.

-Make sure you have good audio. Interviews are unusable if you can’t hear what the person is saying. If you’re not using one of the school’s cameras with a clip-on microphone, considering having the person hold your phone or audio recorder just out of the shot for backup.

B-Roll

Think about this like you would a photo slideshow. You want a variety of shots: close-up, details, medium and wide. Movement is visually interesting. So are shots of people in action.

Mainly, focus on getting shots that tell the story. It helps to shoot your interview first so you have a sort of shopping list of B-roll. Did the person talk about a new skating rink? Then get an external shot of the building, then a wide shot of the ice, then closeups of people’s feet as they skate.

B-Roll Examples from Jeanious on Vimeo.

Photo Slideshows

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Some basic tenets of photography to keep in mind as you work on your slideshows:

1. The Rule of Thirds.

thirds

 

2. Use color.

color wheel

Afghan girl

 

3. Capture the decisive moment.

 

moment

other moment

 

4. Leading lines.
lines

more lines

 

5. Symmetry and patterns.

patterns
6. Layers.

 

layers

 

7. Get close. Then, get even closer.

 

baduy

 

8. Finally, in photo slideshows, you’ll want to DIVERSIFY YOUR SHOTS.

 

SoundCloud

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We’ll be using SoundCloud to upload and share your audio files on the blog. It’s a free service up to 120 upload minutes, and very easy to use. Here are the basic steps.

1. Create an account. Go to SoundCloud.com and sign up. You can log in through Facebook if it’s easiest — takes five seconds.

2. Upload. From the Dashboard, click “Upload” and select your finished audio file.

3. Embed. When you’re viewing the finished audio file on SoundCloud, make sure your track is set to public, not private. Click on the little pencil to edit the title. Click “Share” on the top left corner to get the embed code for the blog.

 

One last tip: To get rid of your photo if you’re logged in through Facebook, select “Edit your widget” and uncheck the box that says “Show artwork” before copying the embed code.

That’s all!

 

A Guide to Your Audio Piece

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Length: No longer than two minutes.

Elements: One natural sound, two quotes, and your narration. Quotes (aka actualities) should be no longer than about twenty seconds each.

Writing your script: When you write your narration, write the way you talk. It should be conversational and less formal than print writing. Keep the setences short. It helps enormously to read it out loud. Finally, be descriptive. Remember you are writing for the ear!

Recording your narration: Find a quiet space that doesn’t echo. Carpeting is your friend because it absorbs sound. Speak clearly. Tell the story; don’t just read it. 

Have all your elements ready by next Thursday. In class, we will go over how to edit your pieces using Garage Band. Make sure you have a script and all of your sound files: narration, quotes, and natural sound.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to email me! [email protected]

Fundamentals of Audio Recording

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Hi guys, Emily here. I’ll be using this space to post guidelines you can refer to when working on the multimedia elements of your projects. I’m categorizing them all as “Multimedia.”

First up is audio recording. Here are some basics you’ll want to keep in mind as you set out to collect sound:

Choose your environment wisely. Be aware of your surroundings. If you interview someone under a freeway, your recording will most likely be impossible to understand. Pick a relatively quiet space. A little background noise is fine and adds atmosphere – except for music. Music makes editing difficult, so avoid it if possible.

Check your batteries beforehand. It’s a real bummer when you start interviewing someone and realize you only have ten minutes of life left on your recorder or phone.

Cell phones off. Yours and theirs. If you’re using your phone to record, make sure it’s set to silent.

Don’t forget your ambi. Ambient sound will be key when you’re editing later. Ask your sources to bear with you while you record a good minute or two of silence in the exact location where you’re interviewing them.

Don’t forget your nats. Natural sound is a crucial element of any audio piece. Think about what sounds will most effectively place your listener in the scene. Footsteps, dishes clinking, phones ringing. Don’t be afraid to get in there and get close. Music is fine to use as a nat sound.

Ask open-ended questions. Yes or no questions won’t give you good long responses filled with usable quotes.

Get close, but not too close. Putting a mic right up against someone’s mouth can result in popping and crackling sounds on the recording. Make sure to test your equipment so you know roughly where to hold your recorder for optimal sound quality.

Keep quiet while they’re talking. Active listening is a fantastic skill for a journalist to have, but if you keep murmuring “Uh-huh,” “Yeah,” and “Sure,” while they’re answering your questions, you won’t be able to use the material. Stick with smiling and nodding.

That’s all for now! Again, let me know if you have any questions. Call me at 347.761.9221 or email me at [email protected]. I’m happy to set up a meeting if you want some additional coaching on this stuff. Happy interviewing.