Let's look at some videos!

First up is this one. Note the nice use of b-roll; that is, video of something regarding what an interview subject is talking about, used while the interview subject is talking. B-roll lets you show and tell your viewer simultaneously, while also allowing you to break away from lingering on a static and boring shot of someone simply talking.

Two nit-picks about this vid -- first, the sound quality was poor. Yeah, I know you're working with basic equipment, but make sure that you grab audio in as non-echoey and quiet a space as possible. And get a microphone as close as you can to the subject; in the case of using flip cameras, that means shooting very close-up if you are shooting an interview.

B-roll would have helped this video. I know this topic wasn't the most visual: it's about what you learned in class; how visual can that be? But in an ideal situation where you had more time, you could b-roll students in class, working on stories and keyboarding in assignments and such.

This next one uses captions, but those captions are incomplete. Think about the same standard you'd use for attribution in print: what is the minimum amount of information readers need to know to sufficiently identify the interview subject and know why they are credible on this subject?

I'd say you need a full name and some sort of title; like Makia Brooks, JRN 200 student as opposed to just Makia.

One vid went a bit away from journalistic style and led with a bit of a scripted moment, but for this assignment it's okay. It's cleanly edited and well-structured and offers some telling comments from its interview subjects, once we get away from the start.

Here, I think captions would have helped as a form of attribution. Think of it just like a print story; you wouldn't put in a quote without saying who it's from, and what that person's title and relevance to the story is, right?

This one is fairly raw. Not atypical for a first assignment, and that's fine. I mostly wanted you to simply start getting used to shooting interviews and editing tape. What would you do to beef up this tpe? I'd like to hear some good ideas.

Now I'd like to hear from you guys about this assignment. What worked well? What did not? How easy or hard was it? What was fun and what sucked? What would you do different, now that you have one vid under your belt?

We'll look at some more video Wednesday.