Video Storytelling

1. Video Storytelling

2. Shooting terminology • A-roll = story narrative (what sources or narrator are saying.) • B-roll = video transitions added to avoid having talking heads. • Remember 80:20 ratio (80 percent should be B-roll and 20 percent should be A-roll interviews – you will always need more B-roll than you think you will.)

3. Getting good A-roll • Good audio is critical. • Wear headphones and monitor the levels to be sure. • Avoid “stepping on” interviews – be quiet. • Get the mic close to the subject.

4. A-roll • Use rule of thirds to frame the interviewee.

5. A-roll • Pay attention to background • Watch for poles or other objects coming out of their heads • Avoid lining up people against walls

6. Getting good B-roll • Shoot lots of it – and get a variety of shots • wide (helps establish) • medium • close up • For a 1:30 minute video, you will need 35 to 60 shots to keep your viewers interested. • When shooting B-roll, try shooting wide, medium and tight shots of each scene or image. • Some examples

7. Shoot in sequences • A sequence is a series of images that flow from one to the next -- not just wide/medium/tight. • A sequence sets the scene, shows details, has motion and completes an action.   • BBC’s Five-Shot Method • A good rule of thumb: • 50 percent of shots will be close ups • 25 percent medium • 25 percent wide More examples And more here

8. Critical shots • Be sure to get an establishing shot – something that sets the scene in one image

9. Critical shots • Your opening shot should grab the viewer’s attention and help set up your story.

10. Critical shots • Get a closing shot (someone closing a door, capping a pen, petting a dog, turning out the lights, releasing a butterfly)

11. Be thinking about shots • Always think about how to get from one shot to the next. • Try to get some kind of transition shot with either an entry or exit. • Close-ups are especially helpful in editing to get from point A to point B.

12. Shoot lots of cutaways • To avoid jump cuts – some examples

13. The 180-degree rule • Shoot within 180 degrees around a subject. In other words, don’t walk around your subject when interviewing them. • Some examples

14. Additional tips • Always pre-roll and post-roll your tape. Record 20 to 60 seconds of black at the beginning and end of your tape. Why? • Hold every shot for at least 10 seconds • Stop recording before you move to the next shot • Don’t move the camera -- avoid zooming and panning • Use a tripod

15. Good planning = good story • Brainstorm the idea • Make sure the story is worth video. • Action • Emotion • Something people want to see • Visualize the story • Think about which shots you’ll need – make a list • Think about what will be visual • Keep focused on the story – keep it simple

16. Good planning • Consider creating a storyboard before you shoot. • After shooting you can revise the storyboard to help you focus in the editing process. • Or you can write a script, based on transcription of your interviews.

17. Good planning • Script example – video tab on class blog

18. Writing tips • Write to your video. Don’t include information in your story unless you have the visuals to back it up. • When you’re done editing, turn off your speakers and watch your video. Does it still make sense? If so, you’ve done a good job at telling a visual story. • Now turn on your speakers. What you hear should add an entire new layer of information: You don’t need to include information that is already conveyed in the visuals.

19. Writing Tips • From NBC’s Bob Dotson: • Make sure you know what you want the audience to take away from the story. Formulate this theme to yourself to help guide the story creation. • Then use your images to prove that theme visually. Very seldom will you state the theme verbally in any story. • Write to your pictures first. Write a strong lead that instantly telegraphs the story to come.

20. Writing Tips • Allow for moments of silence. Stop writing occasionally and let two or three seconds or more of compelling action occur without a voiceover. • For a writer, nothing is more difficult to write than silence. For viewers, sometimes nothing is more eloquent. • Build in surprises to sustain viewer involvement. Surprises help viewers feel something about the story; they lure uninterested viewers to the screen. • Surprises can be visuals, wild sounds, short bites, or poetic script. Always, surprises are little moments of drama.

21. Some examples (broadcast) • Everybody Has a Story • Art of Compassion • Daddy dentistry

22. Examples (no narration) • Baseball player • Chicago snow • Neighbor in snow • Roping the Wind • “I want Luis back”

23. Plenty more examples • Michelle’s Delicious

24. NewsNet examples • Rubric • Gowns • Haymarket Park

25. Bottom line • Before you start writing text or editing video, you need to have a very clear idea of the focus of your story. • Your story should be so focused that you can describe it in one sentence. • Once it’s complete, you need to be able to sit back and look at your project as a reader/viewer would. Is your story coherent?

26. More resources • Knight Digital Media Center • Video Journalists Toolkit • Shooting tips