1. Now I’m teaching video, too?!
Or… HOW ONE NEWSPAPER ADVISER DECIDED SHE
BETTER ADAPT OR RISK BEING LEFT BEHIND
Michelle Balmeo
Michellebalmeo.wordpress.com
@michellebalmeo

2. Who I am
! El Estoque, Monta Vista High School
! Cupertino, CA in the Silicon Valley
! Newspaper editor in high school
! Program that began as one class of 28 students making a 12
page tabloid paper now two small intro classes (Writing for
Publication) and a Journalism class of 50 working on a
website and monthly 46 page magazine

3. All that to tell you who I am
NOT
! Never worked as a professional journalist
! Never did broadcast journalism
! Never even owned a video camera until 2009. A Flip Mino
HD bought for $200
! Not the kind of person who will spend $2,000 on a video
camera, no matter how great the reviews

4. What you probably already
know but never noticed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YtGSXMuWMR4&feature=BFa&list=FLrvgP2IIUK_h1GVIxra3H_w

5. Less art. More science.
! Andrew Lih: “Why is learning (and teaching) video so hard
for journalists?”
! Too much to remember, too much to screw up, too much
stuff to bring (and I would add… the batteries are always
dead. ALWAYS. Why do we never think to charge the
batteries in advance?)
! Perception that good video is something magical that
talented people create
! It’s time to break it down and look at the parts of the whole.

6. Parts of the whole:
Shot distance
! Wide
! Long
! Medium
! Close up
! Extreme close up
! Point of view
! Establishing

7. Parts of the whole:
The 5-shot method
! Close-up of hands
! Close-up of face
! Medium shot of hands and face
! Over the shoulder
! Something else (be creative)

8. Parts of the whole:
Shot framing
! Frame ! Head room
! Composition ! Lead/nose room
! Lighting
! Leading lines
! Framing
! Grounds
! Angle (high/low)
! Distance
! Depth of field
! Rule of thirds

9. Parts of the whole:
Shot movement
! Zoom
! Tilt
! Pan
! Tracking
! Ken Burns effect

10. Parts of the whole:
Sound
! Ambient/Nat sound
! Diegetic sound
! Non-diegetic sound

11. Parts of the whole:
Editing
! Jump cut ! Shot reverse shot
! B-roll ! Split screen
! Transitions ! Superimpose
! Cross fade
! Dissolve
! Fade out/in
! Straight cut
! Cross cut (parallel cut)
! Montage

12. Parts of the whole:
Rules
! Axis line (180 degree rule, line of action)
! Off-camera reporter eye contact
! Eyeline match
! Ethics: True to scene

13. Making it teachable
1. Pitching and planning: Is it a good visual story worth
pursuing? What do I need to know or do to be prepared to
shoot this video story? How do I write for video?
2. Getting the shot (composition): What are my visual options?
How do I avoid the home video look?
3. Interviews: How do I ensure that my audio is clear and
usable? How do I frame questions to make editing possible?
4. Motion sequence: How do I move past b-roll wallpaper?
How can I compress time in video? How do I make my
videos more pro?
5. Putting it all together: How do I use video editing software?
How do I edit clips together seamlessly? How can I look at
my work and get better?

14. Pitching and planning
! Your task: Take the print story and turn it into a video story.
To do this, you must ask yourself…
! What can the viewer SEE?
! What do I need to TELL the viewer?
! How do I rewrite for the ear?
! Write the lead, nutgraf, and at least three bridges you think
the viewer would need for this story to have continuity.

15. Pitching and planning
! OTHER PITCHING AND PLANNING LESSONS:
! Deconstruct a transcript
! Listening post activity
! Is it a visual story?
! Pitch a story

16. Getting the shot
! Your task: Use video to give the viewer a fresh look at
something old. To do this, you must …
! Utilize composition techniques studied in class
! Move your body
! Frame each shot and hold for 10 seconds
! DO NOT move the camera
! Capture at least 8 steady shots of your object that
demonstrate your understanding of video composition

17. Getting the shot
! OTHER GETTING THE SHOT LESSONS:
! Documentary video analysis with term glossary as a
guide (explain and illustrate graphic organizer)
! Composition scavenger hunt
! Complete a NewsU online course
! Capturing b-roll

18. Interviews
! Your task: Gather a series of man-on-the-street style
interviews in response to a question of your choice. To do
this, you must…
! Prepare a question that will elicit longer responses (longer than
“yes” or “no” or “It’s fine”)
! Frame each shot to eliminate distractions
! Collect clear, usable audio
! Get the name and title of each person, with spelling
! Interview at least 12 people and choose the best 4 to cut
together and share

19. Interviews
! OTHER INTERVIEW LESSONS:
! Question rewriting
! “Me through their eyes” interview with parents/
guardians
! One event, many voices team competition

20. Motion sequence
! Your task: Create a motion sequence that illustrates the
process of creating a paper airplane in 20-25 seconds. To do
this, you must…
! Identify the key steps in the process
! Plan your shots
! Think, “Tight, medium, wide, action, reaction”
! Utilize the 5-shot rule
! Hold each shot for 10 seconds
! Edit in camera
! Shoot a paper airplane making sequence.

21. Motion sequence
! OTHER MOTION SEQUENCE LESSONS:
! Storyboarding an action
! Food preparation sequence
! Shoot a sequence at an event

22. Putting it all together
! Your task: View and critique a recently completed video. To
do this, you must…
! Look primarily for continuity
! Listen for audio balance
! Evaluate the interviews, cuts, b-roll and sequences
! Watch the video and identify three strengths and three areas
for improvement.

23. Putting it all together
! OTHER PUTTING IT TOGETHER LESSONS:
! Editing in (software)
! The effect of effects
! Critique, critique, critique

24. A few house rules…
! Don’t move the camera. HOLD and count to 10.
! If you do move it (DON’T), move it once in one direction.
! Use a tripod. And an external mic.
! Scope out the scene before you whip out the camera.
! Listen to your sound on headphones WHILE shooting.
! Edit in camera.
! Write like you speak to a normal person.
! Frame first.
! Get close. Then get closer.

25. Video links
! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/autistic-and-seeking-a-place-in-
an-adult-world.html?pagewanted=all
! http://bop.nppa.org/2012/tv_news_video/news_photography/winners/?
cat=SPF
! http://bop.nppa.org/2012/tv_news_video/news_photography/winners/?
cat=IDS
! http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/battalion.html#/NYT
! http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-gangviolence-html,
0,6290501.htmlstory
! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/traumatic-brain-
injury/index.html#/intro/
! http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7992850

26. Resources
! Mindy McAdams ! NewsU
! Al Tompkins and Poynter ! NPPA.org
! NY Times Multimedia ! ONA.org
! Washington Post MM ! Knight Digital Media
Center
! Mediastorm
! B-roll.net
! NPR Next Generation