Video editors share storytelling advice with print journalists

Posted by Mica Swyers on July 2, 2007 at 11:33 AM

Multimedia producer and former television photographer Regina McCombs recently compiled advice from video editors for print journalists looking to improve their multimedia storytelling. The four editors all discussed pacing, transitions, and editing and how to best utilize these multimedia characteristics to effectively draw the “reader” into a story.

All four editors agreed that the correct pacing for each story is essential. Despite the urge to linger on a personal favorite photo or video clip, “it’s egotistical to be sitting on a shot instead of moving the emotion of a story forward with a succession of photos,” said John Hyjek, NBC News editor and three-time NPAA editor of the year.
In terms of video transitions, the golden rule of simplicity applies; Jim Douglas, 1985 NPAA photographer of the year, advocated the use of transitions such as dissolves or fades to black only when necessary. Cuts were agreed upon as the strongest and most engaging transition, while fades and dissolves are gentler and more dreamlike, something for journalists to keep in mind while deciding the tone of their piece.
The editors favored the use of environmental sound over a narrator or an interview to “bring the viewer a much more intimate sense of reality.” Douglas suggested layering sound bytes to create something innovative and original. Fellow editor Jonathan Menell explained that journalists could prepare and engage readers by introducing audio first, followed by video or photos.

Discussing the slideshows he had watched, Menell said he saw two styles of video developing: those following the video model with a variety of sound and those blending the lines between sound, silence and images. Although these techniques didn’t work every time, experimentation has yielded positive results.

Despite these pieces of fundamental advice from the video industry, all four editors were optimistic about the future of new media journalism.

Source: Poynter Online

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