Audio/Video Storytelling - Lessons Learned
Audio and Video Storytelling from Afar: Lessons Learned
When working with audio and video elements, planning is critical. The equipment and very specific tasks involved in shooting video and gathering audio simply require more planning than is necessary when setting out with just a pen and a notepad. Planning ahead of time becomes even more important when reporting on a story that is not located in your backyard. Not having the luxury to re-shoot and re-gather audio elements at a moment's (or even day's) notice requires that you do everything possible to be successful the first time around and to build in extra time and appointments with your subject to get the best possible material.
The following is a list of lessons I learned while putting together a story about a young woman in Bessemer City, N.C. (3 hours from my home in Carrboro) who dropped out of high school.
- Start early - And by early, I mean the day you find out or decide you will do an audio/visual project from afar. On day one, start thinking about possible subjects for your story and how you can best communicate them using audio and video. Which leads to the next lesson:
- Decide which multimedia elements you want to use early. What may work for one story, may not work for another. For example, I find that audio-only stories are much better at conveying very personal stories and moments than they are at explaining statistical-laden, in-depth policy initiatives. However, it is important to keep in mind to:
- Remember the MULTI in multimedia! Don't rely solely on one type of media. As I pointed out in the above lesson, there is a way to use each medium so that the story you are telling is conveyed most effectively. Use audio to capture a subject's voice, text to put the subject's own situation in context using statistics and historical explanations, and video to show the subject interacting with others, for example. Knight Digital Media Center provides a good guide for multimedia storytelling here.
- Create a timeline with specific deadlines for different elements of your story -
and stick to it! Don't underestimate the amount of time it takes to edit and upload quality audio and video projects.
- Call a friend!
If you are not a pro with the equipment necessary for your story, make sure you have access to the equipment's manual and one or two go-to people (make sure they are listed as a contact in your phone so that you can contact them, when, say, you are seconds away from doing an interview and can't figure out how to mount your camera on your tripod. Yes, this is a personal example.) Even if you think you're pretty decent with the equipment, new issues will likely surface the first 20 times you use it (this is an unscientific personal estimate, but one that seems to be true for my fellow UNC journalism students and me.) However, not everyone is willing to take your panic-ridden calls at all times, which makes it vitally important to:
- Perfect the art of on-site troubleshooting. Turn the camera off, turn it back on. Play with the buttons and settings in the menu. Switch things on and off. Try doing this strategically, though, by identifying what you think is wrong and what functions could remedy it. Each time you learn something while using your equipment, you will add to your on-site troubleshooting prowess.
- Diversify!
Once you have decided the kind of story you want to do, plan to meet with multiple possible subjects. When you're dealing with distance, putting all your eggs in one basket becomes an even greater risk than it would if you were reporting on someone down the road.
If your schedule allows it, plan to meet with your subjects multiple times. Good audio and video often require multiple tries, especially if you discover, for example, that your lavaliere mic was not functioning properly so your audio is completely shot (also a personal example.) Also, as you get to know a subject more, they are more likely to open up to you and feel comfortable with equipment in their faces, allowing them to relax and possibly give better interviews the second or third time around.
- Eva Hendershot's blog
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