By Paul, on March 3rd, 2013% You’re listening to the Video StudentGuy show and I’m the guy, Paul Lyzun
In this episode I’m going to introduce the first in a series shows covering Interviewing techniques for storytelling. My own personal interests lie in documentary filmmaking, but it doesn’t matter if you’re interviewing people for video, audio or print, you’ll find information in this series that will serve you well. Whether you’re doing phone research or sitting opposite your subject in a comfy chair surrounded by cameramen, lighting engineers and hair dressers, I’m sure you’ll hear something useful.
Yes, there will be a tad bit of technical information about lighting setup, mic placement and camera operation, I am, after all, all about process. but I also plan to look at the best practices for making preparations before the interview, such as saving time and money and how to effectively manage your subject to get the most out of your brief time together. I plan to discuss at length the different types of questions you can ask and which ones are the most effective under what circumstances.
I also want to talk about developing your relationship with your subject. I want you to consider what the interview process feels like from their perspective and how you can anticipate their needs and treat them with the respect they deserve – all of which will ultimately help you get the interview that you really want
Trust Relationships
Before I begin outlining the substance of this series I want to talk about interviewing on a more fundamental level.
First, if you don’t already know, people love to talk about themselves. A lot of people, and you may know some of them, will tell you all kinds of things without any prompting, much of which you’d prefer not to know at all.
Everyone is looking for someone who will listen to their problems, or their frustrations, most times because they don’t feel heard. Or, perhaps they want recognition as an individual who has something valid to contribute. And there are egocentric individuals who push this need to talk all the way into the red, giving you a trapped, helpless feeling. In this case you are getting a lot of irrelevant information and less story, more noise less signal.
In both cases though, conversations of this kind are less of an interview and more of a verbal mugging. One of the most important things about being an interviewer is that you are (supposed to be) the one in control. You are responsible for posing the questions, directing the answers and interrupting the conversation. Indeed, there are some who don’t believe an interview should be a conversation at all, instead, looking at the verbal interchange as a one way exchange of information. That’s not an invalid perspective, but it’s very narrow. Interviews like that can resemble a wrestling match where the subject is constantly trying to insert their agenda in opposition to the ground rules presented at the beginning of the interview while the interviewer is trying hard to rein in irrelevant information.
There is only so much time after all.
I believe that the best approach to interviewing, and this isn’t always possible in practice, I know, is to develop a relationship built on trust. I will revisit this idea from time to time during this series so let me take the time now to explain what I mean in some detail.
There are many presuppositions that we make when we meet someone the first time, which are based on relationships that we’ve already experienced. From the moment we interact, even if it’s a comment by a mutual acquaintance or a passing nod in the hallway, we are building on those presuppositions, remodeling assumptions and creating an identity, that may or may not be accurate, but which, all the same we believe.
Once we begin communicating on a personal level, particularly through conversation, there will be many opportunities to amend our perceptions for good or bad. Hopefully, over time, and given enough time, the good will outweigh the bad.
With interviews there isn’t a lot of time. The relationship may begin immediately when the interview begins and ends as you say goodbye. Or it could begin earlier and end much later. Or never end.
My point is, that an interview is a very short time to develop a relationship; it’s all you have. Add the fact that you, as an interviewer, require the cooperation of the subject, there is a lot of things that can happen during your brief time together that could cause problems and maybe derail the interview.
I’m talking about social capital here, the cushion of grace we continue to pad through kind; generous; considerate acts that don’t get noticed on the surface, but instinctually and emotionally are counted and balanced.
This happens whether you know or not and being proactive in this regard will make it much easier to keep your subject open and cooperative. And by that I mean you will be able to retain the trust of your subject for the duration of the interview and hopefully beyond.
You need to be trustworthy. I’m not going to define just what that is for you, you have to decide how much effort you need to put into building trustworthiness. But, and I will say this more than once during this series, if your interview fails, it will be your fault, not your subjects. If you can’t achieve your investigative goals through one or many conversations with an individual, I’m guessing you made one or a series of mistakes along the way. There is no value in blaming the subject.
If you extend an invitation for mutual trust and continue to support it, people will respond. Not the same every time for every person certainly, perhaps never the same, but if there is ever a break in that trust, it should not be because of you.
Oh, and I don’t mean that you’re required to be a doormat, although that is a failure on your part too, if that happens. Trust goes both ways, if you don’t receive the same as you give then the relationship is a problem, which could become a train wreck.
The thing is, it should never have gotten to that point in the first case. Maybe they were the wrong person to interview and you should have chosen someone else, possibly been more selective and perceptive before a meeting ever occurred or a commitment to continue was made. And then there’s also the possibility with some consideration that you can rescue a failing relationship, even if it’s in a nosedive.
Just keep in in mind, the interview is your baby, it fills your need. Knowing what need the interview meets for your subject is also important, but it won’t sustain your subject if the relationship goes horribly awry.
I just want you to understand that it’s your interview, your responsibility and your success or failure. If you accept this as true, you have the opportunity to prepare and act in a way so that the outcome is exactly what you want while at the same time satisfying everyone else.
And by everyone else I mean this goes beyond one subject and one interview. People are watching, word gets around, and you are developing a reputation. If you’re tagged as someone who promises and doesn’t deliver, your reputation, your credibility is mud.
That’s my recipe for a successful interview, in a nutshell. Treat your subject with respect and expect the same, cooperate toward a shared goal and find as much common ground as possible.
There are currently 9 episodes being planned for this series. This may change as time goes on because honestly, I haven’t written them all yet. But I have identified 9 discreet topics that I want to present. Here they are:
Preproduction
Or Preplanning. This is where most of your work should be done. It’s where it’s supposed to take place. Everything you do should be considered at this point and planned out. Whether you’re a one-man show or managing a production team you should consider every action you need to take and anticipate any problems that could occur.
- Some of the more time consuming long term projects will include:
- researching the story, including
- identifying information resources
- determining what questions need to be asked
- refining the scope of the story you want to tell
- and how you will use the interview to help tell that story
- Also important,
- choosing the interview subject(s)
- finding the location for the interview
- choosing the equipment you will need to use
- and of course some practical information about developing your trust relationship
Preparing Questions
There are two things to consider when approaching question preparation
- How you want to run your interview
- conversational
- combative
- regimented
- formal
- casual
- What kind of information do you want from your subject
- stories
- confessions
- history, data, facts
- confirmation
- As I said earlier, people like to talk, they give it away for free
- what they don’t like is being used or surprised
- so as I present the various types of questions you can ask ,I’ll also consider how to use them so they will prompt the answers you want
Managing your subject during the interview
- Once your subject arrives at the location for the interview you need to consider the trust relationship, because they are vulnerable
- they’re in an unfamiliar place
- about to be interrogated by a stranger
- there are lots of things to consider from this point until you say thank you and shake hands.
- You should be prepared to look after their physical needs and comforts
- establish guidelines and identify who has what power
- Involve the subject in the interview process
- let them know what will happen before it happens and offer them opportunities to contribute
- you should have offeed them a list of things to prepare for before coming to interview
- however, not the list of the questions you’ll be asking
- Listen for authentic responses in your exchange of information
- Pay attention to everything
Interview Production Concerns
I wanted to present the production side of the interview separately from the talent side because for the most part the two don’t mix.
- There may be some mild curiosity on the part of the subject, but you want to make sure everything that is taking place outside of the conversation the two of your are having is not a distraction, even if that distraction consists of a memo recorder, or a pen and notepad
- For that reason you need to have a schedule and a checklist of tasks
- So you can stay on time
- Setup quickly
- Make sure things are working before you begin talking
- Particularly important if you are working alone
- I’m going to discuss Lighting and audio capture issues in this episode, but only lightly
- I plan to cover them in greater depth in separate shows
Post Production
In broadcasting and radio Post refers to editing footage and recordings
I don’t plan to go there, but I do want you be aware of easily overlooked details that could make meeting deadlines difficult
- For instance:
- don’t lose track of your media
- plan a specific location for storing your recorded media immediately
- during the interview someone should have been writing down the time code for usable material so it’s easy to find quickly
- that information should be logged once you return to your home base
- Also, general notes of the experience should be recorded
- that identify any problems that occurred which may be relevant to this stage of the process, before they’re forgotten
- Remain in contact with the subject
- Remind them that it was a positive experience and encourage them to be willing to repeat it if necessary
Lighting
- If you are recording a video interview light is critical
- I’ll be discussing the kinds of lights you may encounter
- I’m going to describe how you can use light, even daylight to make your subject look good on video
- And I’m going to go into detail on how to use a lighting kit to get the best results for the camera
- By the way, the use of artificial light for an interview has it’s own problems so I’ll cover some of the common pitfalls when using lighting in an enclosed space
Audio
Audio has always been the poor stepchild of video, however in Radio or audio podcasts it gets all the respect.
- Regardless of the final platform, good audio is the make or break piece in the media production process
- if you can’t hear the speakers, for whatever reason, there is no story
- In this show I’ll talk about the kind of mics you can use and what kind of sound they create
- there are general mics and specialized mics and they all have the place
- the position of the mic is just as important
- And there are other issues I want to cover about visibility, ambient sound and other minor details that can make a big difference in the professional feel of your production
B-roll
- What is B-roll?
- in this show I’ll explain what it is and how it can help your tell your story I
- I don’t want to give it all away now, but it includes creating context between the interview subject and the larger story
- Also, figuring out where to find B-roll and how to use it in the edit, is a mystery to a lot of people
- I’ll do my best to clear that up.
John Sawatsky
- I want to end the series with a consideration of a journalist who is making a big impact in the area of investigative reporting through his approach to the type of questions posed to the interview subject
- John Sawatsky is an interesting character and an impressive force in the Investigative Journalism world
- he believes that a lot of on screen online interviewers are mostly a waste of breath (my words, not his)
- he also considers questions to be tools for gathering information and that every journalist should know what each one does in order to get the most out of an interview
Close
As you see from the items on my list, which is by no means exhaustive, interviewing people for storytelling purposes is a deep and multifaceted endeavor. As much detail as I may cover during this series I don’t intend for it to be of use to everyone. As much as possible I plan to describe the specific circumstances you would need to take a particular action. Further I’m sure you’ll discover on your own that some of these suggestions don’t hold water.
The truth is, you need to know how to read people and you need to be prepared, to know the difference between what you think is interesting and what you really need. There’s only so much time and good will available in each interview and you have to make your choices wisely.
If nothing else, what I do hope you’ll gain from these episodes is information that will provide a clear path to whatever storytelling destination you are headed toward.
I’m Paul, the Video StudentGuy
Thanks for listening,
I’ll talk to your later
Bye
By Paul, on March 2nd, 2013%
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 Do you know what to say when it’s time to talk? In this show I’m introducing a new series about interviewing subjects for video, audio and print stories. So no, this isn’t about interviewing skills for landing a job, though there is an overlap.
Speaking of overlap, since each show will be on a specific topic or process with a focus on optimizing that aspect of the interview, I’m bound to repeat myself on certain points from show to show. I’m not even going to apologize for this since it’s the only way I can provide continuity across the months that these shows will be spread.
One idea in particular, the nature of the relationship between subject and interviewer, will come up in every show. In this introduction I want to introduce some of the reasons why I feel that developing a strong trust relationship with your subject from the very beginning of your story project is a critical element in it’s ultimate success.
After that, I will spend the remainder of my time providing a brief sketch of each show in the series, as they are listed below. I will add a link as each episode is published.
- PreProduction or Planning
- Asking the Right Questions
- Managing your Subject during the Interview
- Interview Production Issues
- Post Production Concerns
- Lighting: Found and Made
- Capturing the best Audio
- Finding and using B-roll
- Question Expert: John Sawatsky
By Paul, on December 29th, 2012% You’re listening to the Video StudentGuy show and I’m the guy, Paul Lyzun
I started a new job a year ago and I’ve been full of this dreadful anxiety ever since. But the job is also thrilling and joyful and other good things, so why the anxiety?
I figure it’s just adjusting to the newness of the job, the people, the work culture and especially the nature of the work itself.
In my former job, as a Help Desk tech I was reactive and all my energy was dedicated to solving problems on the fly. Everyday I walked into work, I already had a list of ongoing projects to work on, but I also knew all my plans could be blown away by other people’s emergencies and I would have to start from scratch the next day, or week. I didn’t get things done so much as keep things going.
Now, in my current job as an Instructional Developer in the Journalism department of a large university, my job, simply put, is to help integrate the use of digital media into the curriculum. The established model for print Journalism has been broken due to the changes brought on by online and digital technology and everyone is searching for something to fix the problem and start rebuilding.
Of course, no one knows what that is and people are trying anything as they keep things afloat. Not an easy task, it’s like rebooting your computer without shutting it down.
I’m on the ground level of forging a new path, creating a body of work that fits, seamlessly, I hope, into a larger goal, along with the contributions of my coworkers. Very different change.
Work creates problems
Recently I realized that the work I like to do, and the way I do it, is a contributing factor to my anxiety. I discovered that I enjoy working on a wide array of projects that involve problem solving. I like to be out on the ledge, taking risks, learning and puzzling out things as I progress. And although I hate the feeling of bad things that might happen, or do happen, due to the risks, I do it anyway! Perhaps it’s a way to balance the tedium, monotony and thoughtless repetition of performing daily processes that are already fixed in place. I like process, you know that, but I want a balance of repetition and discovery. Production alone, without creative variety, is miserable.
So I’m in a new job without a clear vision of scope because the focus is adapting new digital technology to established, fixed workflows. This can’t be a novel situation eh? In the current economy everyone must be looking to technology to cut spending, improve productivity and even, even create a better product. Everyday I learn something new about my job and realize, I couldn’t do it all at once. Nor do I understand how to do most things well enough to know how I will finish once I begin.
Case in point
For a few weeks in the fall I had been preparing a workshop for a writing and publishing class. I planned to teach students how to use InDesign CS6 to replicate the front page of a newspaper. I had several conversations with the class instructors and shortly after that I had my first workshop with the students. It went very well and the class managed to finish the material in the two hour period.
That was cause for cause for great happiness right there, but later in the week I had a follow-up meeting with the instructors about the next session, which would be about applying a newspaper design to a web page layout (using WordPress). In our prior conversations we discussed making a WordPress site look more newspaperish, or at least emulate the sites used by certain newspapers online.
The critical issue was, I deduced, columns – the ability to produce varying widths and number of rows of columns down the screen. After searching and testing plugins I decided on the WP EASY COLUMNS plugin. Its simple to implement AND it’s a plugin that has a graphical interface and uses short codes in the visual editor.
I was right, the instructors were looking for just this capability and it made all the difference in using WP as tool in class. Afterward, once I was alone and could consider the success of the workshop and the meeting, I realized this about myself:
- solving problems that meet needs is what rings my bell more than anything else (though it may be an overstatement)
- and the anxiety, uncertainty and fear of failure is an inevitable part of that experience.
The Road Less Traveled
Long ago I recognized that I prefer to be a pathfinder. I want to discover things. Not necessarily great things like the Pacific Ocean, but solutions to problems. True, sometimes I like to hang around and help build and maintain the thing, the process, the department. But there always has to be an element of discovery, learning, crossing over the far horizon, to keep me satisfied.
I have never been able to remain satisfied if all I know is what I do, day in, day out. Sure, I like having a pattern, a groove, but alone, it’s not enough.
Knowing this simple, but elusive fact makes me feel more secure about my job.
I realize now that the uncomfortable feeling I get from wading into deep water, swift current is what I like best about my job, when I succeed. But I can’t get that feeling of satisfaction without taking risks AND knowing that failure is a possibility.
Yeah, I prepare, a lot, but I know that when you do something you’ve never done before there’s going to be lots you can’t prepare for. If you could, it wouldn’t really be a risk would it.
I know the people I work with have faith in me to do my job well, but I’m not always certain myself. And while I’m working independently, I also recognize that I’m not working by myself, everyone is a resource for each other’s projects. Accepting or asking for help is a hard pill for me to swallow and that will take some time for me to completely absorb.
Serendipitous Aftermath
I’ve tried to work all this out on paper, Word, really, because of the stark change that has occurred in my thinking processes, almost overnight. Finally I feel like writing again. I’ve been writing snippets and story titles, brief outlines and even first drafts for the blog and podcast, for months, without wanting to return to revise and finish them. But after more than a year of indifferent, distracted interest I feel like podcasting again. Not out of duty, but because I have some things I want to say, ideas I want to resolve and because I can think. I don’t feel the anxious distractions that have been plaguing me.
I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be able to think clearly, concentrate on things and get them done.
I think that this is also a legacy of the three years of unemployment that were like walking through a blinding snowstorm. It was like there was a hard wind pushing against me, slowing my passage and sometimes driving me back with the snow keeping my true destination out of sight or even taking me off the path.
Hey, I knew I was going to get there, don’t get me wrong, except for a few dark moments, I was always confident I would find a job. But the struggle to maintain the optimism and certainty that I was doing all I could to get to the end, took all my energy and focus. And the effort of looking for a job became the job. I know that is what job coaches say you need to do to to succeed, but I was extreme in my commitment. I never took a vacation during that three year job and even days off were rare toward the end. I believe I’ve continued working in a desperate find-a-job-mode even after I’ve found a job.
After all, the transition was quite abrupt. One Friday I was working at a dead end temp job and the next Monday I started the new job.
Changing horses in the middle of the stream
The truth of looking for a job, and this is my personal experience, though there may general principles that will apply, the reality of looking for a job where you’re changing careers is that you have to do everything you can to demonstrate you qualify for a job that has way too many requirements. You’re not just a video editor but also a web designer, technical support person, graphic designer, audio editor, project manager, supervisor. You’re all of them, to varying unknown degrees and combinations. It’s unrealistic to expect anyone to know how to do all of those things well, but knowing what skills are most important and in what combinations, that’s the black box.
When I first started looking for a job outside my current job description I knew I could do the video, audio, photography, print design, software training stuff, but I had little or nothing to demonstrate all of them. I had to use all my unemployed time to find short term, often unpaid jobs, in order to build connections and provide a platform that would allow me to produce content, building slowly, brick by brick, a solid body of work. And the blog and podcast were a big part of that. As was social media and networking. Also attending conferences and meetup groups, where I could learn more about DSLR video, approaches to web design, storytelling, social media tools.
There were so many things that I felt were valuable to know and demonstrate my capability in, that I was constantly stretching myself in order to appeal to some unknown hybrid role. I felt like an elastic band that was stretched until it snapped, or more likely, lost it’s snap and it’s shape.
You know, I’ve realized as I’ve been writing this show that I’m talking about writers block. I’ve experienced this also as a panic attack. And maybe there are other names for it. The contributors to this feeling are many – anxiety, fear, depression, just to name a few. Sometimes just putting a name on things can make the difference in getting on with your life.
Still an uphill climb
I hope I can remember this lesson when it happens again.
But I’m back now. Still, I can’t say it’s a complete turnaround.
There’s a difference between feeling like doing and doing. I have been living the past several months with a severe procrastination streak. There are lots of things I’ve begun, but left idle, for months. I have correspondences to begin or finish and connections to refresh. I think that is part of the overall problem I’ve been talking about here.
We’ll see.
In the end, it’s what you do is that matters.
You’ve been listening to the Video StudentGuy show.
Thank you for taking the time to visit with me.
The new year is just a few days away. We’ve made it through the Mayan apocalypse so enjoy New Year’s Eve. Who knows what comes after.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
I hope it’s a new beginning for many good things.
I’ll talk to you later on the other side,
Bye
By Paul, on December 28th, 2012%
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Things have changed recently, in terms of my view of life. I feel like I have been living under a cloud and now I can feel the sun on my face.
I’ve been struggling for the past 10 minutes just to construct that much sense out of my thoughts regarding a recent and abrupt change I’ve been feeling. I can’t point to an exact time, some time this month, nor to a particular event that caused this transition. And I think transition is a good word – better than change, but while it’s abrupt, I don’t feel like a new person, I just feel like a weight has been lifted from my back.
It’s been a year since a started my new job, 4 years since I was laid off and I finally feel… free!. The future is full of possibility and although there is a boatload of things I’ve left unfinished or unbegun, I’m looking forward to them, not with dread but with enthusiasm. As a wise fool said, “bring it on!”
Listen to the show. It’s the best I can do right now.
By Paul, on February 26th, 2012%
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This episode is the Q&A that followed Dr. Bob Arnot speaking at Rule Camera in late February about being an independent multimedia journalist. read the previous post for more information about Rule Camera and links to Dr. Bob’s work.
if you’re an aspiring filmmaker or journalist you’ll find a lot of interesting information on how to chart your own course in the choppy waves of new media distribution. He’s very pragmatic, but also very hopeful and I really enjoyed the diverse range of questions that were asked. To his credit, he didn’t skip a beat and was always ready with an answer.
You can reach via email or leave a comment on the main site.
By Paul, on December 19th, 2011% I am beginning a new job this week. This represents a milestone in my work life and personal life. In the first instance, I’m going to be paid to do something I’ve already been doing for free for the past several years, which is work with video and other digital media. In the second case I don’t have to look for this job any more which means I can have my life back, also something I’ve wanted for the past several years.
For anyone who just happened to stumble on this post and doesn’t know much about me or this blog, let me give you some background.
My first computer was a Mac Plus that I got, used, in 1986. I started using it right away for producing graphic designs for my silk screen business. For the next 20 years I was involved in both training and technical support of computers and the software used for creative and publishing businesses. That would be advertising agencies, corporate design departments, printing companies and independent artists. In 2004 I completed a certificate program in video editing and animation and in 2008 I got another certificate in digital filmmaking which was a more comprehensive study and application of every facet of the production pipeline.
Also in 2008 I was laid off due to the financial crisis that still haunts us. Up to that point I had been producing video and audio content for my employer on an ad hoc basis with the goal of turning it into a full time job. I was really, really confident that video within the corporate world was about to explode and I thought I was in a great position to take advantage of that.
Ironically, that advantage put me way out on a limb of the corporate tree. A quite visibly exposed branch I would say. So I was an easy target for cost cutting measures that resulted in my separation from the company.
But I bounced back with enthusiasm. At the time, it wasn’t apparent that we were knee deep into what future generations may call the Great Recession and I was ignorantly optimistic. Paying jobs in video were drying up, but I was adamant about developing my video production skills in the real world so I went with what was available. I found that internships were great sources for developing experience and networks. I worked at a documentary filmmaking company for three months, produced video interviews at a college, a university and worked on marketing projects for non-profit organizations. These were great opportunities to apply the skills I’ve been learning in order to gain real world jobs. And even the fact that these were short term positions was a good thing, because it allowed me to learn a large number of different job types, often several in a given job, without worrying about how it would look on my resume.
Learning is hard under these circumstances, but it’s paid off big time. I would have to say that the biggest benefit from the two years I was unemployed was increased confidence in my own skills and knowledge. BTW although I was working my butt off I still considered myself unemployed because most of these jobs didn’t pay at all.
Anyway, this confidence, gained from a wide range of real world experiences, has enabled me to meet any contingency head on, without hesitation. And I think that’s the most valuable thing you can bring into an interview, confidence in your ability to boldly meet new circumstances and overcome any obstacle that they present.
Oh, and one other thing. There’s nothing like looking for a job to prepare you for finding a job. Over the past three years and the endless resumes and cover letters I have written for countless jobs, almost all of them unresponded to, I have been forced again and again to encapsulate not only a lifetime of work experience in a way that it matches the prospective employer needs, but it’s also required that I constantly evaluate my own goals and aspirations for work.
It’s a search for self really. And surprisingly it’s a moving target.
If you’ve read any of the posts in this blog you know that I’m constantly revising my goals, my reasons for working and who I think I am.
And what I’ve come up with so far is that I like to teach, I like to create things that communicate and I like working with technology that empowers people. It may not sound like much, but it cost me a lot to get to this far.
Gradually as I worked through job boards and tried out different jobs through temp agencies and internships, I realized that academic institutions were the ideal place to achieve all my goals. Schools of every level and purpose are focused on retaining their relevance in an increasingly changing culture. Technology has always been an engine driving that change and now media tools such as the Blogs, video tutorials, audio podcasts etc. have become another. For this reason I began focusing my sights on jobs in colleges and universities.
So at last we arrive at today.
My new job title is Instructional Developer in the Journalism department of a large university. There are a lot of things I’m involved in here. I’m responsible for presenting workshops on how to use digital media software and hardware, from cameras and audio recorders to page layout programs, video editors and blogging tools. I support the faculty, facilitate their use of technology in the classroom and consult with them on the services I can provide to the students. I manage the operation of a couple classrooms, distribute and maintain media production tools such as still and video cameras and provide video tutorials for the department’s blog.
I’m really jazzed about this job because it’s an exciting time in journalism as the field integrates new media and social media into it’s toolkit..
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Imagine being 18, 19 and having all this technology available to you. There are little or no barriers to keep you from using it. Most of the software is relatively easy to use and can be had for free if you’re willing to go open source. And the hardware is ridiculously inexpensive compared to just 10 years ago. Of course, all these creative resources have been available to kids of all ages during the past decade and on the web you can see the creative efforts of students in high school, middle school, grade school and perhaps even infants, whose parents have strapped cameras to their heads and let’m run loose. So what makes kids in college different from the rest?
Well, the problem with having all these technologies is that, left on your own there’s no point or direction except to impress your peers. I don’t have to tell you how quickly that gets old. College is a place that offers purpose and direction that can harness a student’s enthusiasm. That focus can channel their efforts into stories that will resonate beyond a few friends and into the broader culture.
And the exciting thing about Journalism right now is that no one knows what the mix of story and media is. Do newspaper journalists need to become photographers who tie their images together with recorded interviews and sound effects? Are they shooting videos and posting them on their own web TV channel? How can print journalism leverage these new tools and still retain the value of their own medium? No one can tell for sure.
What’s also fascinating is that the professionals who already possess journalistic skills in storytelling, investigative reporting etc., are in the same place as today’s students in regard to knowing how to use new media. Everyone is trying to figure out how to use these tools to capture the interest of an audience that is already way ahead of them in terms of media preferences.
Though I feel an affinity toward Journalism because of my experience with documentary filmmaking I’m not a journalist and it’s not my responsibility to teach the students how to be journalists. I’m providing direction for the use of these technologies toward the application of their developing journalistic skills. In the process, I’m learning as well as teaching. And that’s just the way I like it.
I’m Paul, the Video StudentGuy and that’s it for this show. I can’t begin to imagine how this new job is going to effect the ongoing production of this podcast, but I’m certain that it will continue. If you have any thougths or questions feel free to leave a comment on the blog or send me an email at videostudentguy@gmail.com.
I’ll talk to you later,
Bye.
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