As we move into the final section of the class, I think that video reporting will prove to be a helpful complement to some of the storytelling techniques I have been studying in other classes this semester.
One of the lessons I’m learning in my narrative journalism class is to suppress the flat, journalistic voice and do away with the reverse-pyramid structure in order to build a story as a series of actions. I think video projects, by their simple ability to show action, will help me develop my ability to approach stories in this way.
This idea was demonstrated by some of the videos we watched in class last week, which had no narration and the journalist seemed to have become completely invisible. I know that not all stories lend themselves to this style of reporting. Sometimes narration will be needed to give a clear sense of what’s happening and sometimes the journalist’s voice will be heard in interviews. But I’m looking forward to exploring the idea of the invisible journalist as it pertains to video reporting.
Another issue that will be interesting to explore is the fact that my previous experience shooting and editing video all dealt with narrative filmmaking techniques: writing short screenplays, casting, rehearsing, shooting them and editing. I’m sure many of these skills, which I learned as an undergraduate, will carry over to video journalism, but I’ll have to make sure that I know how to shoot events now that second takes are not a possibility and when rehearsals may be reduced to just making sure the camera is on and the subject is lit.
It should be an interesting and helpful experience and I’m looking forward to it.
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