Shoot the Story

By Kelly Carr
May 13, 2008 12:50 PM

Looking back I’m sure the e-mail said a lot of things, but I couldn’t seem to move past the first line, “Congratulations! You have been selected for video training.”

Video training? This was confusing. I was a municipal government reporter at The Arizona Republic and I could barely shoot decent mug shots of my sources. But the paper had decided to train print reporters as videographers, and I was in the first class.

Shooting video was frightening new terrain. “I’m a reporter and writer,” I told myself. “I tell stories through words. How will I even know where to begin? And what is the point? Why does a print reporter need visual skills?”

Within a few days I was standing alongside a boxing rink in Phoenix with a microphone, trying to capture the natural sound of gloves smacking. As I pieced together a story about young boxers, I began to realize that many of the same skills I used in print carried into video storytelling. The more I shot, the more I began to see stories visually, and I realized that packaging a video with a written story helped to bring the entire topic to life.

Andrew Johnson, a business reporter at The Arizona Republic, can relate. Just last year he too went through video training. He now works to enhance his business stories by adding visual elements.  

Johnson said he was nervous at first, but the more video he shoots the easier it is to switch his print-centric mind into thinking visually. Video also gives him a way to show readers aspects of his beat that otherwise might not be highlighted.

“It makes you think about your stories in a different way and you realize having good visuals brings people in,” Johnson said. “It might help to tell the story from another angle that you can’t get in a print story.”

For example, Johnson filmed men getting pedicures and massages when he worked on a story about the spa industry catering to male clients. He also shot college professors experimenting with algae, trying to create renewable energy. Recently, he took his camera out into neighborhoods to talk to residents about how they planned to spend their stimulus checks.

He admits that finding video images for business stories, however, is challenging. “Sometimes to get a photo is a real challenge, so getting something on screen for a minute or two is even more challenging,” he said. “You have to be more selective about what you shoot a video on.”

Johnson said over time the routine has gotten easier to manage, but there were a lot of little things about thinking visually and using a video camera that he had to learn the hard way.

“A few times I forgot to press record when I was interviewing people,” Johnson said.  “One time my audio didn’t get hooked up. You have to make a mental checklist to make sure you’ve got everything you need before you go back to edit.”

At a recent workshop sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, Kathleen Johnston offered some additional tips for putting together business video stories.

Johnston, a senior investigative producer for CNN, says if all you have for video is guys in ties, building and documents, find a better way to tell the story. For instance, use stand-ups to illustrate the issue rather than a company statement or a set of financial numbers.

She also suggests stepping out of the structure. She says the story doesn’t have to be formulaic with just numbers and a company spokesman. You can get the documents and numbers into the video, but do it in a way that adds to the story and keeps viewers engaged.

And on the technical side, here’s how to avoid mistakes new videographers often face.

• Use headphones. Headphones will ensure you are getting sound and that you don’t return to the newsroom with a silent group of images. It will also let you know what other sounds you are picking up in the background that might distract from your interview. 
• Plan B roll. Before you head out, think about what images would help illustrate the story you are trying to tell. Coming up with a plan beforehand will eliminate hours of endless editing.
• Use a tripod. Try to use a tripod as much as you can to eliminate shaky shots. If you can’t use a tripod, steady the camera either on your shoulder or on an object that will help keep the shot still.
• Get your voice out. Ask sources to repeat the questions you ask them so your voice isn’t needed in the video. Stay quiet while the interviewee is speaking so you don’t interrupt soundbites.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism