Going Solo : Doing Videojournalism in the

The traditional model of video news reporting has always had two separate roles: reporting and videography. For years, however, small-market news outlets have relied on "one-man bands"-individual reporters who shoot and edit their own video-for stories and footage. Lately, as the journalism landscape has evolved, this controversial practice has grown more and more popular. With the use of video constantly expanding, many large-market TV stations, networks, and newspaper websites are relying on one person to carry out a job formerly executed by two. News outlets now call these contributors VJs, digital journalists, backpack journalists, or mobile journalists. But no matter what they are called, therers"s no denying the growing significance of solo videojournalists to the media landscape. Going Solo: Doing Videojournalism in the 21st Centurydetails the controversy, history, and rise of this news genre, but its main objective is to show aspiring videojournalists how to learn the craft. While other textbooks depict the conventional reporter-and-videographer model,Going Soloinnovates by teaching readers how to successfully juggle the skills traditionally required of two different people. Award-winning journalist G. Stuart Smithbegins by describing how and why the mediars"s use of solo videojournalists is growing, then delves into the controversy over whether one person can cover a story as well as two. He illuminates how, together, the downsizing of the media, downturn in the economy, and growth of video on the web have led to the rise of the solo videojournalist model. Going Soloprofiles TV stations and newspaper Web operations across the country that are using the model and offers helpful advice from VJs in the field. The book presents useful guidelines on how to multitask as a reporter-videographer: conducting interviews, shooting cover video, and writing and editing a good video story. Readers will also learn how to produce non-narrated stories and market themselves in a competitive field. Smith, who started his career as a "one-man band," insightfully covers an area of journalism that, despite its growing market demand, has received little academic attention.Going Solo: Doing Videojournalism in the 21st Centuryis useful for students learning the basics and those already in the field who need to upgrade their skills. By presenting industry know-how and valuable tips, this unique guidebook can help any enterprising videojournalist create a niche for him- or herself in the increasingly fragmented news media market.

Preface	p. xi

A Rose by Any Other Name	p. 1
Newspapers Relying on VJs, Too	p. 2
Solo Videojournalists to the Rescue	p. 2
Newspapers and Radio Adopting Solo Videojournalism	p. 4
VJs Setting a Trend	p. 6
How It All Began	p. 6
One Person Getting Closer to the Story	p. 8
Solo Videojournalism Goes Mainstream and Online	p. 9
Solo Videojournalists as the Wave of the Future	p. 11
Focus: The ôRosenblum Modelö	p. 14

VJ Is Like a Cussword	p. 18
How Does VJ Quality Compare?	p. 19
The Heart of the Controversy	p. 20
VJs Need Total Involvement in the Story	p. 21
Solo Videojournalism as a Stepping-stone	p. 24
A Liberating Experience-or Overworked?	p. 26
One-on-One Can Mean More Rapport	p. 27
Focus: A VJ Documentary Experience	p. 28

Preparing to Shoot the VJ Story	p. 32
The VJ's Clock Never Stops	p. 32
Find a Story That Lends Itself to Being Told on Video	p. 33
Find Compelling Characters	p. 35
Look for Nuances in the Characters and Issues	p. 36
Check Out Your Equipment before the Assignment	p. 37
Make Your Mistakes in Private	p. 38
Focus: Freedom, Freedom	p. 40

Shoot with Your Eyes and Ears	p. 42
Seek Shots That Have Impact	p. 42
Use Video to Transmit an Experience	p. 44
Sound Is a Major Piece of the Story Puzzle	p. 45
Shoot Natural Sound, not Noise	p. 46
Shoot with Your Ears	p. 48
When Shooting, Listen like a Reporter	p. 48
Focus: Converting a Reporter to a VJ	p. 49

Get Closer to Your Subject	p. 53
Put Your Subjects at Ease	p. 53
Have a Conversation Instead of an Interview	p. 55
Pay Attention to the Conversation and the Camera	p. 56
The VJ Interview Technique	p. 58
Get the Two-Shot and Reverse	p. 59
Do an Informal Interview	p. 59
Get Closer to Your Subject	p. 60
Getting More Intimate Interviews	p. 61
Getting an Informal Interview with a Reluctant Subject	p. 61
Swallow Your Trepidation about Getting Close	p. 62
Use a Notebook	p. 63
Find Your Comfort Zone	p. 63
Be Prepared for Your Working Environment	p. 64
Focus: Getting the Most out of Her Subjects	p. 66

Be One with Your Equipment	p. 71
Follow the Rules to Get Useable Video	p. 71
Use the Tripod	p. 75
Be Aware of Lighting Limitations	p. 77
Properly Expose the Image	p. 77
Extra Lights May Be Necessary	p. 78
Other Camera Controls for Lighting	p. 79
Focus: The VJ's Equipment Bag	p. 80

Always Write to Get to the Next Piece of Sound	p. 83
Log Your Video	p. 84
Every Story Has a Beginning, Middle, and End	p. 85
The Gateway to the Story	p. 86
Don't Get Complicated	p. 86
Find Your Story Focus	p. 87
Come ôFull Circleö in a Story	p. 88
Sound Is the Skeleton of the Story	p. 88
What Makes Good Sound?	p. 92
The Hierarchy of Sound Bites	p. 92
Writing into and out of Your Sound Bites	p. 93
Punctuate with Natural Sound	p. 94
Using Sound as a Transition	p. 94
Put Muscle on the Skeleton	p. 95
Be an Active-Voice Writer!	p. 96
Cut the Waste	p. 97
Write Literately to the Pictures	p. 98
Surprise Me!	p. 100
Recreate the Mood	p. 100
Clear Your Mind and Take a Fresh Look at Your Work	p. 102
Focus: Use a Log Sheet to Find Pieces of the Story Puzzle	p. 103

The Vision Comes Alive	p. 107
Give the Story Meaning with Your Voice	p. 107
Voice It with Appropriate Energy	p. 109
The Vision Comes Alive	p. 110
Make Magic Come Alive	p. 111
Don't Bounce from Scene to Scene	p. 112
Get into the Rhythm of the Story	p. 112
More Sound Advice	p. 113
Use Effects Judiciously	p. 114
To Narrate? Or not to Narrate?	p. 114
Editing Non-narrated Video Stories	p. 115
Other Web Editing Tricks	p. 116
Make a Final Review	p. 116
Focus: When and How to Do Standups	p. 118

Not Your Father's Video Story	p. 121
Setting Themselves Apart from TV News	p. 121
Newspapers Add More Video to the Mix	p. 123
Here Come the MoJos	p. 123
MoJos on the Go	p. 124
How Newspaper and TV Video News Differ	p. 125
Newspaper Web Videojournalism Has Different Styles, Too	p. 127
Take Time to Do It Right	p. 128
Developing a Newspaper VJ Style	p. 130
A New Standard to Judge	p. 131
Focus: Platypus Profile	p. 132

They've Got MoJo, Baby-How VJs Put It All Together	p. 134
Jerry Barlar-WKRN, Nashville	p. 134
Angela Grant-InstantNewsWestU.com, Houston	p. 137
Dan Weaver-KUSA, Denver	p. 142
Christine Lee-From Newspaper to TV	p. 147
Focus: Work Smarter by Saving Time	p. 151

Think Ahead to Beat the Competition and Be Ready for the Future	p. 153
Try to Make Friends with the Assignment Editor	p. 154
Head and Shoulders above the Rest	p. 155
Increase Your Sources	p. 156
Names and Numbers	p. 157
Keep a Calendar	p. 157
A, B, C-or Connect the Dots	p. 158
History: Know It and Predict the Future	p. 158
Eyes and Ears-Keep Them Open	p. 159
Allow Your Instincts to Work	p. 161
Don't Procrastinate	p. 162
Be Ready for the Future	p. 162
Market Yourself for the Future	p. 163
Enterprising Skills Are Marketing Skills	p. 164
Don't Be Shy about Promoting Your Brand	p. 165
Focus: Enterprising Every Day	p. 167
Glossary	p. 171
Notes	p. 179
Index	p. 193
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Going Solo : Doing Videojournalism in the 21st Century

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