Round up

Great posts from Peter Ralph at Shootingbynumbers
" If your eyes enter from the left of the screen they will tend to settle more comfortably on the right.
So in most images placing the focus of attention on the right of the screen will produce a more harmonious composition."

From Digital Basin, Mike Jones
elaborates on space and cinema and the unquestionable matrixes that hold this form together
".....for it is these discourses that have served as the pillars for established cinematic theory over the past century ? mise-en-scene, montage, the role of the viewer and the role of the maker are all built from their accepted norms"

Cliff Etzel has made the leap from DV to HD out of neccessity
"...I made the jump to HDV after having lost out on two potential broadcast projects where the producers specifically asked me if I shot HD. Having to say no I didn’t shoot HD probably lost me those possible projects. So it was a necessary expendeture I had to make."

And the usual bag of goodies at Multimedia shooters.. Multimedia shooters

ambitious global Vlog Butterfly

It was an ambitious idea, but when I finally secured the interview of the BBC's Head of Multimedia Newsroom, I had the idea in mind.

I contacted a few friends and colleagues around the world. If they could pose an idea to the head of BBC's News what would it be.

We oomed a bit, some were straight of the bat, but all chipped in.

Ahh but the question had to be on video.

Yet still they persevered and then eventually via FTP and send it, the videos came through.

Peter Horrocks gave me considerable time for the interview, and I'm grateful for that.

And he answered all the questions.

That was the fun bit.

Now I'm encoding the video and building the application in Flash.

It should go Live with all the interviews on Friday and if I can say so myself, some insightful questions yielding absorbing answers.

If you work for the New York Times, then you'll be pleased at a segment of our interview.

Thank you to all that participated and to those that did not make it this time.

A Vlog Butterfly is a wonderful way to extend the value of an interview both in video, ( the clips are being sent to the respective authors) and giving ownership to smaller sites competing for attention in this blog-theatre.

I'm looking forward to showing this at a number of conferences I'm presenting at including Apple, World Editors Association, Berlin and Cultural Exchange.

The film which shows the behind the scenes interview with Peter Horrocks as well as an indepedent film on multimedia in conjuction with Dominic from the Press Gazette should be completed at some point.

Media Critique

Mike Jones over at Digital Basin provides a critique of the Manifesto on video journalism posted a while ago.

He makes some salient points, and provides, within the quality of his assessment, his own ideas as well.

He writes:
In particular i find myself grappling loudly the notion that the media producer is Not just Editor and Camera operator but that their toolset and creative options are much wider than that - motion graphics, design, interactivity, on-line construction.

But I also see a flaw here with an element of David's manifesto. In making a significant point about the role technology plays in empowering the independence and flexibility of the VJ he specially singles out Point 17 as "My (meaning YOU as a VJ) software includes: Final Cut Studio, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, In design, After Effects and Flash".

That's what we do. GREAT!

A critique saying what's wrong and offering a solution should be entertained, even if the author ( ie me, perhaps you) disagrees.

No one knows anything that is too much.

Solution solving
In the middle of a shoot with a crew or a project, when things unexpectedly go wrong, those that know me, will recall my penchant for saying:

"It's about solutions, not problems".

David: "OK stop for a moment, we know what the problem is, lets get over that and come back to the "why" later, but meanwhile how do we fix this? What is the solution and our options? "

So Mike's own intervention moves the dialogue along: the critic offering nothing is like the howl of the wind, the critic finding time to offer up solutions is like the howl of a wind bearing drops of rain proclaiming it's about to rain buddy so go grab an umbrella.

I gave reasons for the contentious (17), so why not hop over to Mike's blog and if I'm not being too presumptious, if you're not already one of his, click his RSS.

Meanwhile in conclusion to the thread on problems and solutions, a thought on this process, often besieging managers.

Part of our own traits within this behavioural pattern (Sol vs Prob) can often be our worse enemies.

We expend so much energy on a blame culture, as opposed to a particpatory one; one that's buit on meism rather what collectively we might achieve that, it's any wonder we can move ahead at all.

That doesn't mean giving the crown jewels away, so yes you can still monetise, but at the same time give ownership.

We do it many times in different guises: the boss hates all your ideas, so you find a route to place the idea with your boss convincing him/her this money spinner was their idea.

In journalism the "me and them" that still festers bares it soul around an age old pattern: Older people are wiser, those with years of experience know better and you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

If 2006/7 was the period of touchy feely, one suspects 2008 will show some interesting paradigms.

The critique quotient may well rise.

Broad shoulders anyone?