WaPo to Reporters: Shoot Video

Welcome to our world. 

http://www.washingtonian.com/buzz/2006/0619.html

 

Well, sure, the Washington Post...them's REAL journalists over there.

 

Now we can start hitting TV people with our cameras.

 

;D Right. And we'll all live happily ever after.

 

does this mean any ol' hack can do it, just point-and-shoot for what i presume should be professional quality footage? or does videojournalism require actual skills that a print journalist might not posess? hmmm...

 

Since it is going on the web, I think quantity takes precedence over quality.

But if you drop enough cameras, Bruh, you might get a pass.

 

“You have to figure out when to put the notebook down and pick the camera up,” says Jim Brady. “Everyone is trying to figure out when the moment is.”

That happens even with one person staffing a minor event.

 

Just pretend the camera is a sandwich.

 

Um, OK.

 

It's not hard... I one-man-banded for a couple of years... but it's hard to do well.

The problem is, it's time-consuming, especially sports.  Let's say you're shooting a football game.  You shoot every snap of the ball looking for your highlights.  And don't forget crowd and coach cutaways needed for editing.

If this becomes common practice-- and I don't see why it wouldn't-- print reporters will learn how differently subjects act with a camera around.  A tape recorder is one thing... Cameras make most people very nervous and self-conscious.  Putting your subject at ease becomes an art in itself.

 

if you're shooting every snap, when do you do your play-by-play, keeping up with down, distance and individual stats?

 

I would think if it's a game, a photographer would shoot the video.

Reporters would film more interview situations and breaking news and such.