The amazing Angela Grant - Interview

Picture by John Davenport from Angela Grant's portfolio

Coming up this week, a video interview with the amazingly talented and humble multimedia journalist, Angela Grant.

Angela's site News Videographer has become required reading for anyone practicing multimedia and video journalism. It's a people's site, with Angela moderating.

I'm a big fan and caught up with her in Chicago, when she was a training at Camp VJ.

She's self-effacing and shoots way way above the time she's spent in her job, and like the pro she is admits she's still learning.

It never stops.

The interview I'll post either tomorrow or Tuesday is us ( Angela, Rob Montgomery an I) talking over dinner. It's a bit noisy, but Angela's answers engage you so much, you'll soon forget about it.

I shot it on my small palm size Canon stills camera. The following day I did a more considered interview on the Sony A1, which I'll have to fish out some time.

There are a few choice moments in this interview coming up.

On two occasions Rob an I get into a spirited discussion about Angela as if she wasn't there.

David: Angela are you being magnanimous?
Rob: I don't think she's being disingenuous
David: No, no, I didn't mean that.
Rob...

Meanwhile, Angela's looking on bemused as these two idiots (us) then look at her and realise what we're doing.

I'd love that as many students watch this only because, it's incredible when you realise Angela's been a multimedia journalist for two years, yet as I put it, it seems like she's been around for ever, which starts off another amusing dialogue between Rob and I.

Anyways, the amazing Angela Grant coming soon.

Camp video journalism London?

VJ Promo - Come into the light from david dunkley gyimah on Vimeo.

As my mate Rob gets ready for Camp VJ 2 in the US, I'm thinking about putting something on here in London.

Language is a dynamic media constantly changing, whether that's visual or literary.

So what might work now in video journalism may see a bit dated in time.

We know that much from looking back on period films. There are classics from which we borrow, but styles and language have changed: I won't say evolved; changed, more like it.

I get asked whether I hold any close contact training of my own. I consult for clients e.g. corporates and newspaper groups, but have considered weekends for an at-your-pace learning zone.

So I'll take some more soundings, but the areas I'm interested in for an advance VideoJournalism would sweep through exclusive video from 1994 onwards, and include:

Exposition: there are stark differences between US and UK news reportage in how a story is told. There are emerging differences emerging in Video Journalism too.

Editing: knowing how to edit, but when and what to: the emotional cut, the syntax cut, juxtaposition

Effects: Just as in editing how can we use effects, minimum or otherwise to convey meaning in a story.

Shooting: tagging and blocking, movement and creative lens - the language of composition.

Multimedia: ignoring the timeline: Thinking spatially

And telling a story through Radio and TV and changes in radio broadcasts over the years that can be fed back into other media

BBC Multimedia News Head interviewed by Viewmagazine.tv with unique global Video Blog

Immediate Release

1st February 2008.

The head of the BBC's recently launched multimedia newsroom has been telling Batten Award winning site, Viewmagazine.tv of the corporation's plans to be the best at multimedia journalism in a unique interview.

Lasting almost an hour Peter Horrocks spoke of the BBC's network innovators shaping new ideas, how it planned to drive a different brand of multimedia news and how he admired sites such as the New York Times.

He was speaking to Viewmagazine.tv's editor, David Dunkley Gyimah, at the BBC's headquarters in London.

Uniquely, Horrocks was also fielding video questions from a number of super bloggers, academics and journalists from around the world enveloping multimedia journalism in what's referred to as a Vlog Butterfly.

They included John Burke from the World Association of Newspapers based in France, Rob Montgomerry of Visual Editors in Chicago, Palesa Letlaka-Nkosi Head of Formats at the SABC, Blogger and lecturer Andy Dickinson, Jemima Kiss of the Guardian and Mike Jones of Digital Basin and The International Film School in Sydney.


Global Multimedia Journalism
"What the production demonstrates", says David, "is how small independent sites or bloggers interested in news and related subjects can join forces.

When I finally secured my interview with Peter, and you'll very rarely see videos of him, I had no other idea in mind than to contact people to ask them to field a question".

The whole thing took a matter of days: videos were posted which were processed and encoded in Flash, and then the site-build took over and the video promo.

David adds by default the project also flags up a discipline, he's been keen to promote called Integrated Multimedia Journalism, where one person, is responsible for producing, filming and editing a news feature and then taking over the coding in Flash and CSS - HTML design.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to Peter Horrocks of the BBC and to the many that participated", says David.

Some bloggers such as Katie M King of the Online News Association and JD Lassica were caught up with work so couldn't participate this time around.


Multimedia Vlog follow up
David is looking to produce his next Vlog Butterfly which he says could involve the director of one of last year's smash movies.

"I have been in touch with his personal assistant and it's just trying to find a convenient time" says David.

The authors of the questions are being posted their answers and a film showing the making of the video blog and visit to the BBC is now in the works, shot by one of David's ex students Don Omope.

David hopes to be talking about the Vlog Butterfly at a number of events including WAN in Sweden, Apple stores and in Berlin.

END
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Editor's Notes.
Vlog butterly here http://www.viewmagazine.tv/global_vlog.php
Promo for Vlog Butterfly can also be accessed from site

With use of pictures please credit Don Omope