Beyond the basics

My Multimedia Journalism class is getting deeper into audio soundslides and news videos. We are taught the basic camera angles and given a few pointers on how and what to shoot for the B-roll. For example, it is always a good idea that the subject is not looking directly at the camera.

Working with the camera and editing the videos on Adobe Premiere has been a starting point for me. Meanwhile, I was back to surfing for some good work on web. I know it will take a while to produce quality online news videos. The difference in our work and theirs is, they are extremely skilled, planned and effective in communicating the message.

Wired has a multimedia section showing a variety of slides and videos. It's obvious that there are professionals behind the camera but the composition looks fairly simple. The Clover Coffee Machine video is a standard interview. The man is showing the features of the coffee machine and the camera is moving with the instruction.

For a complicated machine like that, it makes it better for the viewer to see what the machine can do while the subject is explaining. Many times while doing the story and being a beginner at the camera, you often forget what composition will work best to tell the story.

I know as students we are not expected to achieve great camera work, but it’s important to get the right message across. Just like the simple story told about making chocolate in the How to Make Chocolate video.