South Bergen Voters

Pedota Video

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VIDEO SHOOTING GUIDE

VIDEO SHOOTING GUIDE
Traditional video cameras record to tape.
The MoJo cameras DO NOT. They record to compact flash cards.
This tip sheet is designed primarily for the Canon S5-IS (MoJo camera)

I. PREPARATION
1. BATTERIES
-MoJo cameras use-up standard AA's very quickly, carry extra batteries.
2. AUDIO
-MoJo cameras have twin built-in MIC's. They DO NOT accept external MIC's.3. TRIPOD-essential for good video. Use it whenever possible.-also try mini tripod.
3. CF CARD
-format before each use. Shooting mode> menu> tools tab (middle tab)> format> set> OK
-carry extra card if you have.


II. PRE-SHOOT ROUTINE

• do a walk through before shooting, if possible.
• select best shooting position: light, composition , audio, etc.
• HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION. Storyboard if u can: beginning, middle, end.
• make sure camera is loaded with card. Format before using.

A. WHITE BALANCE
White balance: adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly neutral colors – correctly.

How to set WB:
Function> select appropriate WB setting. EXAMPLE: daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, etc.

How to manually set White Balance:
Function> select last WB setting icon looks like this:
Fill the frame with a white sheet of paper, press press SET.
***Be sure to reset the white balance each time the light changes or you move. check white balance.












B. SOUND

• Sound is as important as the video, and often times much more difficult.
• Select a quiet place to do interviews.
• Turn off all background music, sound. Including AC, gum chewing, etc.
• Do not shoot B-Roll during interview, shoot it after.
• Avoid having subject talk into the camera directly, have subject talk to you just off-camera.
• ROLL 30 SECONDS OF AMBIENT SOUND. Will be needed during editing.

Check Audio levels:
Menu> Tools (middle tab)> Audio> set> Mic Levels> Manual> set> levels> set> adjust.

Beware of wind, it will ruin your sound.
If u must, use wind filter:
Menu> Tools (middle tab)> Audio> set> Wind Filter On.



III. SHOOTING
-know the difference between A-Roll, B-Roll (and Egg-Roll)
A-Roll= Interview
B-Roll= action and visuals.

***try to keep them separate when shooting. For example: if someone is explaining how to do something, don't have them demonstrate while explaining. Do one, then the other.

• -Anticipate the action-Hold the shot for 8-10 seconds before moving.
• -Zoom lens while NOT SHOOTING. Avoid zooming.
• -Change focal length of lens BEFORE rolling. NOT WHILE ROLLING!
• -keep panning, tilts to minimum. These DO NOT look good in web video.

A. Interviews
Also called A-Roll, VOX POPS, Actuality, etc.

• -Videos average out to be about: 20% A-Roll to 80% B-Roll.
• -Resist the temptation to vary the shot during the interview.
• -Set camera still, on tripod.
• -Compose the shot, avoid distracting backgrounds and clutter.
• -Have subject looking into the frame, NOT OUT.
• -Leave room for lower-thirds ID.
• -Start shooting, and leave the camera alone, Try to avoid zooming or recomposing.
• -Make sure interviewee is in good light. Avoid backlight.
• -Try for solid clean background. Avoid objects behind heads.
• -Avoid bright backgrounds that are brighter than subject, will throw exposure off.

B. B-Roll

• -Think short sequences. Many of them.
• -Think in terms of a series of short, punchy shots.
• -10 second shots.
• -Don’t roll unnecessarily.-Look for Action/reaction shots.
• -Keep A-Roll & B-Roll separate.

****make note of what your subject is talking about, then go shoot B-Roll.

****Avoid shooting the B-Roll while subject is talking or explaining, have them address the camera.

****5 basic shots: wide, medium, tight, tight face, tight action, over the shoulder.

-Get good audio on B-Roll as well: sounds.

• -keep on point, remember what the story is about.
• -shoot wide, medium tight.
• -shoot everything all 3 ways.
• -shoot a beginning and an ending. Set up bookends.
• -shoot judiciously: more shooting means more work editing.
• -think before you roll.
• -do not roll on a single shot forever.
• -180 degree rule.

C. SHAKES
Avoid shaky video, make our shots as steady as possible.

• -it is particularly hard to hold the shot steady when the lens is zoomed or racked out.
• -USE A TRIPOD. It will always be worth the effort.
• -Unlike shooting stills, a tripod is ESSENTIAL.
• -If you need to hand-hold your shot, zoom the lens wide, this will minimize the ill-effects of a shaky shot.
• -try using the ground, or an object, or brace yourself against a wall or post.

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A Mile in their Shoes

Nice video by Tyson from yesterday's anti-gender-violence march at Ramapo College. Male college students at Ramapo College walked in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest rape, sexual assault and gender violence, in a show of solidarity. Read the full story by Matt Van Dusen.

Notice the really clean audio during the A-Roll interviews, combined with some nice B-Roll shots; shoes, marching, and the over scene. As well as great audio of the high-heels at the beginning.

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NEED A SMILE?

Watch this video, guaranteed to make you smile. This guy named Matt danced his way around the world and remarkably -GOT PAID! His videos became a viral phenomenon and as a result Stride Gum sponsors him. This guy is my hero.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

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PHOTO'S OF THE WEEK 10/3/08-10/9/08

This week the photography department of The Record and Herald News captured images across North Jersey, which included; an apartment fire in Little Ferry that left a family homeless, the Giants commanding 44-6 win over the Seahawks, and an Olympic Gold medalist who visited the Record’s photo studio.
Click here to see the gallery.

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PHOTOGRAPHY RAVE'S 10/01/08 to 10/07/08

Comments by Dave Adornato.


This was an interesting week. There were several images that received particularly good play but for some of us our best work didn’t run or ran too small. Anyway, here’s a look at some of the images that I liked best. Tom was assigned to cover this Blues guitarist and displaced Katrina victim. I thought it would make good video. Click here to see the video.

In addition Tom came back with this moody still image of the man in his little apartment where he’s lived since the hurricane.





One of the many talents that Dave Bergeland brings to our department is his lighting techniques. This image is a perfect example of his talents, which we are hoping he will share with us via our blog. The picture as well as the man are perfectly lit by a soft box. The light is quite natural, giving the impression it is lit by the lamp in the foreground. Having the man slightly out of focus draws the reader’s eye to the point of the image; the photo. You’ll observe, the focus is not so soft that you can’t see the identifying details of his face.
























Tariq Zehawi who has been on fire himself chasing spot news, arrived for the aftermath of this fire to make a photo the reveals an intimate moment between loved ones who are victims of the fire. And man, what a ride they gave him on the front of the local section! In addition to this still photo. Tariq recorded sound and some video
on the scene that Tom Franklin combined in post production for a compelling video.



















Unfortunately Mike Karas’ best images from this game did not make the print editions. Disappointing, but here they are reborn in the blog for all of us to see. Nice job Mike!






















Likewise for the Giants Seahawks game. Tyson had more good pictures than Favre had touchdowns. Anytime you can see the eyes of the football players through their helmet you’ve raise the bar on the image quality. Click here to see the photo gallery.





I also like his position for this image: low angle, long lens along the out of bounds line, and a peak moment when the player is being pushed giving us something a little different.


Mike Karas had this wonderfully appetizing food photo as well as two atmospheric shots. Generally, when shooting food, if it looks appetizing you’ve succeeded. Quality light, selective focus are key to this, as well as a visually appetizing plate of food to start with. Often the chef will offer something to the photographer that may taste good but might not photograph well. Working with the chef can help. Again Mike was squeezed for space, but a great job by him.
































Leslie Barbaro’s image of a holocaust survivor reflected in a picture was particularly good because of the woman’s expression. Though the image on the left was the photo editors choice, it was not used , instead the image on the right was used. Another good expression, but not as moody and reflective as the first, where she appears to be looking down into the pictures. Anyway a first rate job by Leslie!















Tyson did a great with the last game at Shea. The letdown the fans felt after their team was eliminated form the playoff’s was conveyed beautifully by this image below. Framing the image with the sign reading, “Shea Goodbye,” added to the context of the photo. Click here to see the photo gallery.

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Have You Seen?

Have a place to share links to great equipment or test results you made such as with the new Nikon D3 etc, or great software…or a solar powered helicopter…
-Jon

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Trade Secrets

Lets make this a file of information, contacts for access to particular locations, overcoming difficult lighting situations in a location where others may have to shoot in the future etc… Please add.
-Jon

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How did u get that shot?

A posting of pictures and explanations of how a photographer got a particular picture. Unusual circumstances worth sharing with the staff for fun or teaching!
-Jon

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OUTSTANDING MULTIMEDIA

Here are some examples of my favorite outstanding multimedia presentations of note.

Some are slick, labor-intensive Flash presentations that contain rich media; galleries, videos, graphics, interactive maps, etc. Many of these may be out of our grasp, however anything is possible. And at the very least they may inspire or influence us on one of our own projects. While others are simple videos or audio slide shows, much like the ones we already do. At your leisure please peruse and add some comments.
-Tom Franklin


40 YEARS OF RESPECT

The Detroit Free Press / Mandi Wright
Video, photos, Flash presentation
***won an Emmy award this year!
Rich storytelling. TV Network quality. Simple but beautiful.









PIT BULLS / Companions or killers?
The Detroit Free Press
Multimedia / Flash presentation














THE WEIGHT
by The Sacrimento Bee / Manny Crisostomo
Multimedia / Flash Presentation
I love the way this was packaged and presented. The video here is not the greatest, but it does the job of telling the story, and together with the strong photography makes this a great web piece.















BURNING MAN
by Las Vegas Sun / Zach Wise & team
Photos, Video, Flash Multimedia, etc.
This is a dazzling use of every multimedia medium available; video, photos, Flash, Google-Earth maps, interactivity. It would be great to someday cover huge a live event like the Las Vegas Sun did. They pounced on this.


A NEW BIGINNING
by Peter Power
Video
This was produced by a guy I went to the Platypus Workshop with. Great video and story. I love how it edited into two pieces, take a look.


AFTER THE DESTRUCTION
by Washington post.com / Travis Fox
Videos & Panoramic photos
Travis Fox is the most accomplished web-video journalist around.






UPROOTED
by San Jose Mercury-News / Dai Sugano & team
Video & Flash Multimedia











BARELY BOWLING
by The Globe and Mail (Toronto) / John Lehmann
Video I love the way this video is set-up. Very clever. Beautifully shot as well.




DOWNTOWN TENNIS
by Tricky Hale Films
Video
Checkout all the fast cuts in the video. It sets the lightening quick pace that runs throughout the piece. Beautifully shot as well.





PUERTO RICO / TRUE COLORS
by National Geographic / Amy Toensing
Photos, Audio & Multimedia
Slick Flash design, but the photos and audio are very simple. This is like a Soundslide on steroids.













JERSEY SHORE
by National Geographic / Amy Toensing
Photos, Audio & Multimedia
Slick Flash design, but the photos and audio are very simple. This is like a Soundslide on steroids.

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HOW TO JOIN THE BLOG & BECOME A FOLLOWER

Coupla things about the blog.
The blog has been limited to just the photo staff -for now.

To join, you must accept the invitation I sent to you via Blogger.
(FYI, Blogger and Blogspot are the same outfit)
If the email has not appeared in your inbox, it probably got caught in your SPAM filter, so check the ContentCatcher.

It is our hope that everyone will check the blog regularly and make comments and posts.

ACCEPT THE INVITE
Here is how to “accept” invitation to join the blog.

1. You should have received an email from Blogger, if not check spam filter. Open the email, copy the link in the email but DON’T CLICK IT, it won’t work.
2. Open Blogger: www.blogspot.com Login if u already have a Blogger account. Then skip to step 4.
3. If you don’t have an account, create one either using your own email address or creating a new Gmail account –either is OK. Its free.
4. Once you are signed in, paste the invitation link you copied from your email invitation into the browser.

ADD YOURSELF TO FOLLOWERS LIST
First, make sure you have a small digital photo or head-shot of yourself on your HD or desktop.
1. Click Dashboard, your Profile Page should come up.
2. Click the “Blogs I’m Following Tab.”
3. Scroll to the bottom and click Add.
4. paste the North Jersey Exposure url: http://njmgphoto.blogspot.com/ Click Next.
5. Click “Follow Blog Publicly.”
6. Click Add your head-shot photo.


Done. You should then be home free.

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PHOTO RAVE'S -September 2008

PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW
by Dave Adornato/ Photo Assignment Editor Record & Herald News

Hello Staff. I invite you to participate in my weekly discussion/forum of our photo departments’ work. It is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our collective work and I encourage you to give/get feedback to each other.

VIGIL IN WEST MILFORD

Mike Karas had to cover this vigil, usually a great opportunity to use light to make dramatic images. This was no exception. What makes this image special is the one to its left. Before traveling to West Milford he just had to do a quick drive-by and make a shot of an overturned vehicle in Hackensack. It’s never just a quick drive-by, especially when you next job is on the opposite side of the neighboring county- Siberia. His quick reaction gave us a good shot that became a local centerpiece.




OFFICER REMEMBERED

Liz Lara put together this package of photos. Her focus on the emotion of the event and the symbolism of the police officer really brings home the significance of the memorial. Personally, I like the use of pictures on the left better, although I think the crop on the police officer is too tight and the presentation could have used more white space. Never-the-less, I know from talking to the page designer, that space was tight. Also, I like how the page designer maximized the use of the imagery from the edit.

TOLL TOO SMALL

Dave Bergeland came back from a public meeting about a toll hike plan. His image of this guy gesturing, brought this story out to the local front. I thought the toll plaza photo ran too large and Dave’s photo was run too small. But both his effort at the assignment as well as making me aware of this image helped to bring it onto a section front.

YANKEE HISTORY

Chris Pedota and Tyson Trish witnessed history at the last game at Yankee stadium. There were a couple of indelible images from this event. Yogi Berra at home plate was one of them. Chris captured this poignant shot of the “old” and “new” guard that stood behind home plate at the Stadium.

The significance of this image, also from Yankee Stadium’s last game, is in the details. Tyson Trish images were fantastic because of the little things. They were a little late to make the paper that night but they were highlighted in our electronic edition on northjersey.com. Rivera, Jeter, Posada and Petite are all clearly in the image, these are the four remaining active players from the dynasty of the 90’s. Also the details like the whole word “Yankees” can be seen on the scoreboard. The famous Yankee Façade is seen in the back ground. Each of the prominent players in the image is holding their hats differently. There is complexity to the image. Maybe I see it just because I’m a Yankee fan.

WALL COMES DOWN

It was a rough week on Wall Street and at the start of the week, Monday, Chris came up with a photo that was a metaphor for the hope and fears the public and The Street were feeling. By the end of the week (Friday) things were looking up on The Street and so were the public’s spirits. Dave made an image that spoke to levity of the day. The two pictures were perfect bookends for the week’s news papers.

HEART & SOUL

Carmine made this image to go with a story about a family struggling with possible deportation of their mother. After being displaced by Hurricane Katrina and relocating to Paramus, the Gonzales family was tracked down by immigration. Karla, mother and wife, is an undocumented citizen. She now wears a monitoring bracelet and is awaiting her fate. The beauty of this image was best conveyed by Photo Director Jon Naso who sent a note asking Carmine rhetorically how he could make a portrait that allowed us to look into the subject’s soul.

THE AIRMAN

Don Smith is a veteran of flying having been a photographer in the U.S. Air Force. Being in his element, he was able to capture this handsome plane. Using the New York skyline for scale gives reader something to compare the plane to. I felt like I was looking at an image from the war years. You don’t need to see the whole plane to understand it’s a classic.


PLAY BALL!

Tariq Zehawi’s photos are fun. They’re simple but they convey sense of another time. I like the fact that you don’t see the eyes/face of the player holding the bat. (That’s kind of unusual for me because I usually think a person eyes tell the story) In this case the players face turned away from the camera gives me a sense that this could be “any man.” The players over his shoulder add to this effect. It’s not about the individual, but the group who are recreating a scene from different era. I would have liked to see the top images run bigger, perhaps on the jump.


NEWS HOUND ZEHAWI

Tariq chases spot news all week long. There many images that I could present as example of his good work this week. This image is especially good because it made this little car accident a page one (L1) story. The photo begs the question, how could anyone have walked away from this car. The officer’s body language, his twisting, adds to the tension of the photo. It’s as if his body is asking the question.


LIGHTING THE WAY

Leslie makes studio work in the field look easy. Making pictures of things to illustrate a story is hard. Whether she placed the weapons or saw them and made a composition with her camera, she did it in a way that made the revolver jumped off the page. Of course the lighting is ultimately what made the photo work. Being lured into the image by their beauty gives the reader time to ask the obvious question. Who would carry this stuff into an airport? –The point of the story.



CONVENTION TENSION

Having one photographer cover a political convention is impossible, but Amy Newman came darn close. She covered all the important stories, both national and local and she did it on deadline night after night after night. This image is spectacular. I called her after she had already worked 12 hours to confer about the next day’s front page photo. All she had to do was make a picture of George Bush, oh yeah, and I asked her to give it a little context; maybe some conventioneers in the photo too. I love the hats. I love the angle. I love Bush’s expression and his relative size to the hats and people in the audience.

RETURN TO GROUND ZERO

Much like the conventions, covering the Ground Zero anniversary observance alone is very difficult especially when not invited into the pool. Add two political candidates running for president of The United States and you could call it impossible. Don’t tell that to Liz Lara who came home with a beautiful page one and inside page designed by Robert Townsend. I was moved by how the pit itself dwarfed this year’s memorial and how it’s now truly a construction site. It no longer resembles in any fashion the horrible place of seven years ago.


SAD FAREWELL

Kevin’s use of light in these images is what set them apart from the rest of the take. This couple framed by the shadows really draws me into the image. The silhouette of the person in the background as the couple walk hand-in-hand adds an ominous quality to images. Funerals are more than caskets and crying and Kevin showed that with these images.

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