Thoughts on News Broadcasting

After working in restaurants for nearly 10 years now, it is almost impossible for me to dine out without watching everything happening around me: the way to servers communicate to the kitchen, hostesses answering phones, managers talking to upset guests. It is difficult to relax and enjoy my experience because I know each detail of service so well that I find myself watching every aspect.

After spending time learning and researching about digital journalism in the form of news packages and live news broadcasting, I find myself unable to watch the news the way I used to.  Rather than mindlessly retaining the information presented to me, I now watch for specific camera angels, listen for the appropriate amount of natural sound, and pay close attention to whether the scene changes are fluid or not.

Before knowing what a “jump cut” was, I was never bothered by them, or never even noticed them for that matter. But taking the time to learn the steps in pre and post production, I have a much greater appreciation for really great broadcast journalism. Especially those journalist who are the camera man, editor and producer of their own segments.

Even in film production, the same ideas and rules apply like the placement of the camera, microphones, lights, and actors. A director is given the opportunity to decide the style of his project dependent upon the rules he/she chooses to follow or break, creating a piece of art that can be unique in its own way.

 

Thoughts on Social Media: Instagram

Released in 2010, Instagram was an immediate success and allowed people from around the world to share photos of their daily lives with friends, family, and followers. Within a a year, they had gained over 10 million followers and became Apple App of the year.

In order to compete with Snapchat, Instagram began their “Stories”, which allows users to capture 10 second slips to share to their “story” that disappear after 24 hours, just like Snapchat.

Photojournalist are now able to reach a massive audience and gain followers for their stories. Time Magazine, National Geographic, NPR, CNN, and other major news outlets can use multiple photos in a post with the “carousel”, along with hashtags and tagging other users to truly tell a story in depth and more effectively than ever before. Instagram gives journalist a new, refreshing, impactful way to show their stories through permanent posts or live clips in the Stories feature. Crowdsourcing is also a huge part of how journalist use Instagram, but asking users to upload their own photos and add a hashtag in order to create news buzz around a certain topic or event.

As useful as Instagram has become to journalist, it has its fair share of pitfalls as well. Often times, photos are shared and reposted without any acknowledgement to the original photographer. It has become increasingly difficult to know the original source, what the facts truly are, and what was originally the intended meaning for the news piece.

Thoughts on Film: The Camera

In Chapter Eight, The Camera, the author explains the importance of the camera operator and the camera itself.  The operator must try and get the best pictures in order to enhance whatever aesthetic approach is needed.  They must know the proper techniques for framing, positioning and movement, as well as understand the numerous aspects of the camera and its lens.  Digital and analog cameras give a camera operator many options, just like other aspects of production discussed in previous chapters.

Camera placement is a large part of capturing the best possible images.  There are three camera operations that must be learned by those interested in the art: Framing, Positioning, and Movement.

Framing refers to the arrangement of action within the cameras frame.  The operator creates the perfect frame for each shot by considering the essential area, the walkspace, the lookspace and the headroom.  By placing the subject in the correct spot that allows for these four things, the photographer can achieve a photo that tells a story.

Positioning simply refers to the position of the camera to the subject and the angles it creates.  The operator must understand the rule of thirds and know where to place the camera in position to the subject. He/she must also know the appropriate terminology when giving directions like pan, tilt, truck and dolly.

Movement can be accomplished by various camera-mounting devices that allow the camera to move freely around the set.  Possibly the most sensitive and difficult of the three, achieving the right amount of movement can be tricky.  Each shot should begin and end with a stationary shot, so the scene can be edited appropriately.  Too much movement can become distracting and take away from the scene.

Not only must a camera operator understand everything happening on the outside of the camera, but also inside the camera.  A camera lens is made of glass that allows focus, and can frame an image within the camera.  In order to control the lens, the operator must be familiar with basic optics.

The lens bends light and help the camera operator control an image’s field of view, brightness, focus, perspective, and depth of field. Lenses can be categorized by their focal lengths and offer a wide variety, allowing for various types of photography and film.

Thoughts on Production: Digital & Analog

In Chapter Two, The Production Process: Analog and Digital Technologies, the author discusses the stages of production and how both analog and digital technologies play a role in production, as well as creating various roles among production teams.  The world of production has changed drastically with the introduction of digital processes, allowing teams to choose their aesthetics and techniques for whatever project they might be working on.

There are three stages of production that must be understood before developing teams or the aesthetics of a project. First is pre-production, which includes project proposals, premises, synopses, treatments, scripts, script breakdowns, production schedules, budgets and story boards.  All of these areas must be accomplished before the production team can move forward with their setup and rehearsal.

The next stage after pre-production is production.  Those working on this middle part of a project take the research and plans made in pre-production and begin recording.  Before recording, performer blocking and camera blocking are very important to insure camera placement and movement of the performer.  In the event of a live transmission, the director must be able to anticipate the action in each shot and move the camera accordingly.  During this stage of production, the entire project is in the hands of the director and his direction to those working with him/her.

Finally, post-production begins once all recording has been completed; however, in live broadcasting, production and post-production happen simultaneously.  The bulk of visual and audio editing happen in this stage, smoothing out all the wrinkles and rough edges in film scenes or audio.

While these stages do happen separately, it is important for each stage to have an understanding of the other two stages.  A director cannot visualize a scene without knowledge of how it can be edited in postproduction, so it is helpful to be proficient in all areas of production.

While each stage of production has been affected by the evolution of digital technologies, the most significant technology advancements are seen in postproduction.  All three stages have definitely seen changes, from changes in digital storyboards in preproduction to camera sizes in production, but the biggest advancements can be seen in the digital editing and manipulation happens in postproduction.

The terminology used in production also an important thing to understand in order to proficient in the entire production process.  Words like television, audio, film and video have much more specific and technical meanings when used in the context of production.

There are also many pieces to a production team and many ways they can be organized.  It is important to know your role, along with the roles of others.  Whether a production team falls under a hierarchical model (Producer is in charge and decision making power flows down to director, etc.) or a cooperative model (every member has equal decision making power and control), knowing the jobs around you can help in the decision making process.  Some productions teams will actually combine models so the producer and director still have more decision making power, but each team member has the ability to submit ideas.

Thoughts on Film: Production & Distribution

In chapter one of our text, the reader is given a deep look into digital production.  Even before a TV show, movie, or commercial is made, producers must take a deep look into their intended audience.  After much analysis, the producer then must decide the method in which medium he/she will be used, which requires a vast understanding of each possibility for production.  Technology has evolved rapidly over the last twenty years, so production of music, movies, and television also had to adapt.

With the rise of digital brought exciting new ideas for production, but also complicated distribution and storage.  Despite some of the negative possibilities in the digital world, if those in production have a good idea of their audience, then they can better utilize the many forms of media production.  Once there is a clear understanding of the intended audience, research analysis should lead the production team to answers surrounding content, advertisers, budget, etc.