Newsflash: A reporter brings back compelling video without eating up her day
Lisa Fernandez of the Mercury News recently
blogged on News Videographer about a
video she produced to illustrate a story
she reported about a toddler who died in a pond.
Fernandez’s video is a great example of what reporters can
do with multimedia without putting half their day into it. Fernandez went to the sight where the child
died and shot the pond from different angles.
“I pieced the shots together, no sound just the
sound of the water running, and while this video is not a standalone (it needs
to be read with the whole piece) I think it aided visually for anyone who
wanted to see how this could have happened.
“Three editors came over to me while I was putting
this together and said, ‘Oh, that’s what it looks like.’
She said it didn’t take any extra time out of her day.
You don’t have to have a backpack full of equipment or spend a lot of time
to provide an interesting layer to your stories. It doesn’t have to rise to the
level of documentary. It can just be an
illustration to help deepen understanding of the story.
Lisa’s video should stand as an inspiring example to those who may be
intimidated when they’re handed a small camera and asked to “get some
video.” With a little thought, you can
bring back a powerful piece.