The video course as a whole spans over about two weeks (and costs roughly £2000). A first week is spent with another trainer to learn most of the technical aspects of the camera and its handling. Student journalists also follow a two-day course to learn about editing. Dunkley’s particular role in the program is a two-day storytelling course, which is aimed at breaking the basic rules and learning how to use video to improve coverage – to ‘think video’.

The format of the class enables a lot of one-on-one interaction (there were five students that particular day, Oct. 22) and practical exercises done outside, ‘on the ground’. After practicing each ‘drill’ or technique, students come back to the cozy classrooms to view their footage and openly discuss mistakes and strengths. A good share of classroom time is also devoted to visioning of VJ pieces, as well as movies that use VJ techniques (the main one: the camera is the subject, United 93, Bourne series).

The goal of the class is “to fall off the bike as much as possible while we’re here,” says Dunkley.

Don’t expect to become an expert videojournalist or video editor by reading this piece, but it can bring some useful reminders – or make you want to attend the course. You can also read some practical tips offered by James Shaw in the Press Gazette.

Also take a look at the results of this video survey carried out by Andy Dickinson, which detail newspapers’ current usage of video. You can participate in his new survey focusing on who does video within the newsroom and the effects on workloads.

Videojournalism 'lessons':

Theory:
- videojournalism is about getting the camera to be a subject (a tool increasingly used in mainstream movies, such as united 93)
- movement drives the narrative. Most videojournalism pieces are short, but longer ones can require multiple angles and frames (even if it’s the same person), if only to make them more dynamic.
- practice “muscle memory.” Just as for other activities, getting used to videojournalism is a lot about muscle memory: it becomes easy enough if same task is repeated over a short period of time.
- About ethical boundaries for montage: more times than not, the footage might be edited by laying a voice (the interviewee’s) over images in which he isn’t actually saying that. “It’s alright if it’s done contemporaneously,” says Dunkley. In other words, as long as the bit of conversation really happened in equivalent circumstances, it’s legitimate to do some editing to help the piece flow more smoothly.

Preparing the VJ piece:

- 4Ps of preparation: prepare the story (just as for any other medium), prepare the location (background, noise, frame), prepare the camera (make sure everything is set up) and prepare the journalist / interviewee.
- “mise en scène”: the ‘language’ of the background must match the story. If the story is about sailing, don’t accept if the interviewee offers to meet you in his office.
- 3 questions is optimal for quick pertinent content: “if you’re not going to get it after 3, 4, 5 question, you’re not going to get it,” says Dunkley.

When filming:

- get the interviewee to look at the camera (though not straight into the lense), stop the interview to tell him if not
- angle the body if needed
- basic framing tips: watch out for background lights, rule of thirds generally works best to frame interviewee, but can be central in some cases, such as a public figure making an announcement
- also figure out whether the interviewee stands still or is ‘a mover’, which will help you frame the shot
- ask bullet questions to have all the facts ‘in the box’ to introduce the person
- it helps to have the interviewee to the left of the camera, simply because the LCD screen if often on the left of the camera
- film hand movements and other body movements, which can be helpful to tell the story, but also make for good cut outs (used for transition from one video segment to another)
- just as for text reporting, journalists need to capture the elements that are essential to tell the story. Some interviewing techniques to help that: feeding ‘answer nuggets’, which the interviewee will repeat in his answer, or using body language to push on / halt the speaker
- get used to spotting these nuggets as the interview goes: there’s no point in making it drag on once the content is there. The shorter the footage, the shorter the production time.

Filming techniques:
- The walkie: consists of 3 shots of the interviewee walking. The VJ starts filming from behind, then walks around the interviewee and back pedals for a few seconds, before stopping and letting the person walk by out of frame.
- Self-shooting: one of the advantages of videojournalism and handheld cameras is that journalists can record themselves at arm’s length. This gives a sense of immediacy and proximity to the story (ie: footage of a VJ in Baghdad).
- The pivot-foot: typically used when interviewing two people next to each other, who have contrasting views, the VJ films one speaker, then drifts the camera to the other speaker. Must practice this transition move so it runs smoothly.
- One-on-one interviews: the classic interview consists of at least three shots, usually set on a tripod. The first shot shows the journalist’s back and interviewee facing forward. The second one is the other way around, which enables switchbacks from the journalist’s face to the interviewee. The third shot is taken from far and pictures both people, and is simply meant to show the context of the interview.

Editing:
- just as with words, every element serves a storytelling purpose. For example, it may not be interesting to show an interviewee wringing his hands from nervousness when he is simply stating facts. This same scene can be crucial if the interviewee is answering about a more controversial issue.
- For all music edits, you can use the online service Flashkit, which makes music downloads available for free as long as they are credited.

Hope that helps. Best way to practice is by picking up the camera though, and by attending some specialized training.

Related articles:

- PA’s training programs – int. Tony Johnston
- Are journalism schools ‘getting it’?
- Videojournalism: How-to implement it and why newspapers can beat TV (with Dunkley)
- "In the future online video will be the norm for all newspapers" (with Dunkley)

Source: David Dunkley, PA Training consultant and videojournalist, founder of Viewmag online resource for all videojournalists