MAKE YOUR OWN NEWS STORY VIDEO PRODUCTION TIPS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Gather information and develop a story idea Collect your equipment and decide who you are working with Make or collect props, check out shooting locations and organise your talent Explore different camera and sound techniques and practise interviewing Write the script and record the voice-over Edit your sound effects, music and pictures Compile the stories with newsreader introductory links In the classroom, decide: • • • • • • Who’s in your group – friendship, gender and skills? The number of people working on your video? How you will share the production tasks around. How much time you have to make this video. Start a list of equipment, contacts and resources you will need. You may need to ask permission to interview people, so talk to your teacher or principal about the best way to do this. 1 PLANNING AND GATHERING IDEAS • Find a topic about a local event or issue that is interesting to you and others. • Keep the story short, less than 3 minutes. • Plan the story using the 5 W words: who is involved, what happened, when did it happen, where and why is it newsworthy, significant or interesting? • Stories need a beginning, middle and ending. • Start the story with a catchy sound or image to get the viewers attention. • Make the story short and dramatic, with an element of surprise. • Be accurate – make sure your facts are correct and not biased. • Be fair – there are always more than one side to a story. • When you record the voice-over, use words that match the images. • Try out different camera techniques before making too many decisions. • Shoot some ideas and play them back for constructive criticism by your peers. • Explore different camera movements, angles, shot sizes. • Plan a storyboard of the story to explain its structure to other people in your team. 2 EQUIPMENT NEEDS Essential • • • • • Video Camera, miniDV tapes, 2 batteries and charger (Using two cameras will give you more options for recording a variety of shots at the same event) Tripod Microphone and cable – handheld and or boom Firewire cable (big and small end) PC with editing software or Powerpoint, which can make Quicktime movies or Apple iMac with iMovie Optional • • • • Digital Stills Camera, batteries, charger and SD card Extension Cord Lights – floodlights, reading lamps Reflector Board (silver paper on card) • Power Board with surge protector 3 USING EQUIPMENT AND PROPS • Make a list of the equipment you have or need to borrow. • Develop a plan about who will use equipment and when. • Take a photo of what you borrow so you can return it as you got it. • Decide how much time you have to make this video. • Make a contacts list. It could be an exercise book, mobile phone, spreadsheet etc • Get a props box together, including: the script, storyboard or shot list, different sized paper, black and white cardboard, felt tipped pens, scissors, pencils, eraser, ruler, stapler, clipboard and logging sheets, gaffer tape masking tape, tissues, bottled water and disposable cups • Each member of the team will need to keep a personal list of her or his own responsibilities. Include any materials you need to gather, tasks and important dates. • Remember to include a hat and sunscreen for any shooting or prep (recce) work that is done outdoors. • Reporters and interviewees will need to have a personal toiletries bag containing: tissues, brush or comb, hand held mirror, make-up and a clipboard with copies of the script. • Before shooting think about any cultural considerations, for example, customs, traditions and religious beliefs held by people you may be approaching or interviewing. 4 INTERVIEW GUIDELINES • Know the topic and the questions you are going to ask. • Talk about the topic before the shoot, but don’t give the interviewee the questions. • If needed visit the interviewee before the day of the shoot. • People from different cultures ask questions in different ways. Spend some time getting to know as much about the culture from which the person you are interviewing comes from. • Set up quickly and calmly. • If the interviewee makes a mistake, reassure him or her and shoot it again. • If using a hand mic, keep it still and close to the person who is talking. • Start off with some easy open-ended questions – avoid closed questions, which just give you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. • Keep eye contact with the person when you are interviewing. • Listen to answers given and follow up if something interesting is said, before rushing into the next question. • Encourage the interviewee to answer in full sentences. For example: “I live in Ceduna.” Not just : “Ceduna.” • Avoid commenting back during the interview, “OK”, “yeah, right”. • Leave a quiet recorded space before and after each answer. • If things aren’t going too well, keep calm, stop recording and then start again. • Thank the interviewee afterwards and invite him or her to watch the playback. 5 LIGHTING Before shooting, visit the location and look at the following: • Work out how much light you need. Remember to avoid shooting in front of a window. • Is there enough natural light to film this sequence or interview? If not, do I need to add light? • How can I create the effect I want to achieve? • What colour light do I need? • What lighting controls do I have? • Do I need to put up something to block the light? • Have I chosen lighting equipment that’s not too heavy and can be easily and safely moved around? (Portable lights can be made with clips and attaching hooks) • Do I need coloured gels, attached to portable lights to create effects? • Would reflector boards or cards create dramatic and interesting effects? • Do we have residual current or earthly detection devices? • Make sure there is a safety glass or wire between bulbs and students, to protect any possible explosions that might occur in the event of a faulty bulb. Be careful where you place cords, lights, chains and equipment so as to avoid accidents on the shoot. 6 THE SHOOT • Check your props list and shot list – is everything and everyone ready? • On camera reporters need to be confident and speak clearly, practise a few times before recording. • Use a tripod to keep the camera steady. Remember to start recording after you have set the camera up on the tripod (it helps to use a top-loading camera – so you don’t have to remove it from the tripod to change the tape). • If recording without a tripod, move the camera slowly towards the subject for close ups. • Avoid sudden movements when the camera is turned on. • Hold the camera steady on each shot for at least 10 secs to allow for smooth editing. • If a hand microphone is used, hold it still and close to the person you are interviewing. • Keep the microphone still when interviewing (waving it about is distracting and will sound terrible). • Playback interviews and sequences before moving on to shoot something else. • Remember to look out for any dangers when shooting. Don’t take any risks! • Avoid shooting directly into a window – better lighting is achieved by placing your subject sideways to a window so that their face is lit more on one side 7 RECORDING SOUND • Get as close to the sound you are recording as possible! 15 to 20 centimetres is a good distance between the microphone and the person you are interviewing. If you put it too close, you will get popping noises and distortions. • If you are using the camera microphone you’ll need to get in very close as it picks up sound equally from all around. You will probably need to use an external microphone, which you can plug into the camera input labelled mic in or mic. • Decide whether you want to use an unseen microphone, or one that is handheld or on a stand. • If you do not want to see the microphone decide where you will hide it – on the person or in the set nearby the person you are interviewing. • When recording sound, aim for a strong signal – which is loud enough to dominate any unwanted background noise. If you record a weak sound, you’ll find you need to turn the volume up during playback, which might sound OK but will also raise the level of unwanted background noise and hiss from the recording system. • Sound recordists often use a boom – a special pole that collapses into sections and can be extended out to a long length for recording. The microphone is suspended in a mount and screwed onto the end of the boom. It is used to get a microphone in close to the action, and can be held out of camera shot while you are recording. You can use tape a microphone to a broom handle to achieve the same effect. • ALWAYS check your sound levels before recording. Record sound and vision for 60 seconds. Playback the test and once you’ve got the sight right you can begin to shoot. • When recording musical performances, use a separate microphone for each instrument and vocalist. Most performances will require a mixer. • Log all details of special recorded sound effects for your video production. 8 EDITING TIPS • Before you start editing check all your shots to see what you have to work with. Make sure you have everything you need • Create a paper plan or storyboard to see where each of your shots will slot in • Select visually strong pictures that help to tell your story. There’s a good saying to help guide you: ‘If in doubt, leave it out’ • Use video effects sparingly. Ask yourself if the effects really add to the story • Don’t cut between shots that are too similar, like a medium shot of a person to another medium shot of the same person. A rule of thumb is, adjacent shots should be at least 30% different, either in size or angle, or both • Leave each shot on for long enough for viewers to see what’s happening, but not so long that it’s boring • Wide shots are good for setting the scene • Use several quick shots to create a feeling of movement and excitement • Each shot relates to the shot before it and after it, so events have to happen logically as you go from one shot to another • Your favourite shot may have to go if it is wobbly or out-of-focus as it will make your video look amateurish • Avoid putting too many camera movements close together – unless you want to make your audience feel sick. Panning and zooming the camera is often hard to edit and watch • Create your own original music to create the mood and keep the volume quiet enough to hear the interviewee or voices clearly • Choose clear fonts on text & graphics. Imagine having to read them on TV while sitting on your couch. Avoid using more than one or two lines of text • When using text on screen in graphics or for people’s names leave it on for long enough for your audience to read. As a general guide read it twice out loud to get the right length • Look at your video several times before showing it to others formally. Viewers shouldn’t be aware of editing cuts and transitions. They should be swept up in the excitement of your story • A search for 'free video editing' yields many free, free trial or shareware options. This link provides a brief summary of the Top 7 free programs available: http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/softwarereviews/tp/bestfreesw_ro.htm 9