Will advances in broadcast technology lead to more and more freelance journalism? In a nutshell this is the debate being held at the Front Line Club today, which honours emerging talent through its Kurt Schork award.
Chaired by CNN’s inveterate broadcaster Christiane Amanpour this question is the low hanging fruit. There will be room to explore deeper questions, but the answer is unequivovcal: yes.
Why? Because the monopoly that consolidated broadcasting, particularly television engineered at its inception has finally been broken.
Historians will note how TV emerged more or less from the bowels of radio, which in turn was heavily linked to engineering firms producing the nuts and bolts of broadcast production and distribution.
It was and still is an incredibly highly politically charged medium, so only few, very few deep-pocketed, politically connected companies could afford to buy their way into the gathering and distribution of the message.
Manufacturing receiving equipment was a cinch; herein is the asynchronous relation in broadcasting that held back johnny-have-a-go.
The Net changes all that. The production of low cost cameras and editing gear changes all that. The ability to travel by air at monstrously low costs compared to the advent of air travel changes the scene; the allure of broadcasting and fame by proxy in journalism alters the mediascape; the deconstruction of media – a more televisual aware public as witnessed through citizen journalism - provides an understanding for changing times
Ironically, the debate comes as I’m emerging from intense contact with newspaper journalists turning to video journalism to up the content game. The BBC [no less than a DG team I'm told] sent a video journalism team to look at the Press Association and the programme I helped them set up.
More on that in a later blog. This programme may not necessarily yield more freelancers but undoubtedly there are increasingly more journalists in the field with the stock to become their own brand.
I have spoken about this in articles on viewmgazine.tv and I note that broadcaster and journalist Andrew Neil said that much at last week’s society of editors meeting.
We now have the tools to do just about anything: radio, TV. Web, . . . quinne media .
And a new generation of technologically fearless, multiskilled, journalists are emerging who will push their own brand if they can’t find work or the working conditions of employers appears Victorian.
There is a greater subtext to the debate by Institute of War and Peace Reporting held on the day when they're honouring Kurt Schork – a highly experienced journalists - and there are many other names that we must pay tribute to.
Comrades who have fallen in action by merely doing their job. More recently Martin Adler – another highly experienced freelancer was short dead in Mogadishu.
The absence of readily accessible broadcast news from some of the world’s most notorious hot spots is one good reason for skilled and unskilled freelancers to make the region their own. If anything it provides a steady stream of stories plus income and sates the appetite of the curious in peeling back the complexities of an area’s politics.
That much led me to South Africa in 1992, armed with a uher and sony recorder to report from among others Katlehong – then the world’s murder capital.
Award winning video journalist Ruud Elmendorp one of the industry’s most skilled journalist started life off as a freelancer 6 years ago reporting from Central Africa. Today , the calibre of his work has led to more clients taking his pieces, but he still freelances, and each time he’s out on a story he must keep his wits about him.
This raises deeper questions of security and safety. If more experienced journalists can find their life in peril, what more those just entering the profession equipped, yes, with modern day broadcasting equipemt – dv camer and alaptop.
Some organsiations provide cover for their bona fide freelance journalists. That's security awareness, insurance, bullet proof vests et al, but for every freelancer in the bossom of a network broadcaster, there are many clamouring to suckle.
The reality is simple. There are more journalists that jobs in are industry – 100,00 grads in total with only 20,000 jobs available in a year according to BBC network’s radio 1 – a station for the 15-35s.
It’s unlikely this number will improve as more centres of journalism set up. And so statistically speaking we can presumably expect more casualties. What can we do?
Does the industry need to get together to address this? That’s just one question that I’d be interested in hearing more about today.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Make her famous
Sitting on a train wifing, my mind drifts away from all things journalistic. C'mon - there is life beyond those borders. Nancy Ginindza - a talented musician comes to mind.
I abs love her music and have used its power to convey visuals from videos I have directed including a vastly downloaded vid on Iraq with photos by award winning Yannis Kontos.
So its simple, please make her famous. Because, well, one way or another she will be. Savour this.
+++
Meanwhile Shirley Thompson, a phenom composer has just reurned from Broadway scoring for Push. You can listen to the themes on her debut CD New Nation Rising which she's kindly let me use to mix with Yannis' reel for his award ceremony. go to viewmagazine.tv
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Tao of TV
About to post a video of me reporting on London's commercial TV Network. It's a finance and got me thinking about a myriad things.
This week the BBC held out an olive branch to newspaper publishers saying it would accept their footage, presumably alluding more favourably to "local TV"
The deal is this. The BBC with is division of video journalists has spotted a tier lower than regional TV to sell its wares. The same has been made of ITV.
Local TV is set to become a battle ground for eyes and advertising. The latter is something the BBC has no worries over, but that leaves local newspapers apoplectic with rage.
Eyes = advertising. The piece I'm posting says that much. Big sponsors now have music events firmly sowed into the corporate strategy. To have you brand flown across Glastonbury et al guarantees the ad team get the wink of approval from the CEO.
The newspapers have gone on their own offensive. Meanwhile ITN multimedia brand ( a quiet evolution) continues to grow and its online sites - localising their reach - are caching and pushing their assets.
So I'm back to video again. I'll deconstruct this for media students in the context of how video journalism may have approached this later. But meanwhile here goes. There's a bigger story in this.
This week the BBC held out an olive branch to newspaper publishers saying it would accept their footage, presumably alluding more favourably to "local TV"
The deal is this. The BBC with is division of video journalists has spotted a tier lower than regional TV to sell its wares. The same has been made of ITV.
Local TV is set to become a battle ground for eyes and advertising. The latter is something the BBC has no worries over, but that leaves local newspapers apoplectic with rage.
Eyes = advertising. The piece I'm posting says that much. Big sponsors now have music events firmly sowed into the corporate strategy. To have you brand flown across Glastonbury et al guarantees the ad team get the wink of approval from the CEO.
The newspapers have gone on their own offensive. Meanwhile ITN multimedia brand ( a quiet evolution) continues to grow and its online sites - localising their reach - are caching and pushing their assets.
So I'm back to video again. I'll deconstruct this for media students in the context of how video journalism may have approached this later. But meanwhile here goes. There's a bigger story in this.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Game Over - there's no such thing as broadcasting
A month ago I spoke about the erosion of singular disciplines, how the difference between broadcast and print student was soon to vanish. Was I a bit too prescient? The news this week is of a meeting of minds between the NCTJ and BJTC.
"The National Council for the Training of Journalists has said it is to work more closely with the Broadcast Journalism Training Council as the demand for multi-skilled, multi-media journalists increases". according to Hold the Front Page .
I was locked into lecturing at the time so could not attend the monthly BJTC meeting for which I am one of the members to report on this. But I'll be catching up with our secretary Jim latham et al to bring you greater detail.
Make no mistake this is a landmark moment - an irrevocable change to the media in defining what constitutes a newspaper journalist and broadcaster.
If you're a print student reading this. It's now the industry that's changing, not the imagination of those who pass you by in the corridors. Is this good news? You could easily argue course not, but it is change that's taking place.
"The National Council for the Training of Journalists has said it is to work more closely with the Broadcast Journalism Training Council as the demand for multi-skilled, multi-media journalists increases". according to Hold the Front Page .
I was locked into lecturing at the time so could not attend the monthly BJTC meeting for which I am one of the members to report on this. But I'll be catching up with our secretary Jim latham et al to bring you greater detail.
Make no mistake this is a landmark moment - an irrevocable change to the media in defining what constitutes a newspaper journalist and broadcaster.
If you're a print student reading this. It's now the industry that's changing, not the imagination of those who pass you by in the corridors. Is this good news? You could easily argue course not, but it is change that's taking place.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
007 and some
Casino Royale starts its rounds to flush out the fakes. 007 is the real deal and with a new Bond at the helm you can bet your last hand, movie bosses will be going big on this. So I wanted to know what the real intel chiefs thought. This interview was recorded before Casino Royale was slated but gives a good impression of the life of real 007 agents.
I appreciate EX CIA chief, James Woolsey, for giving me his time in Washington DC.
Meanwhile is it video journalism or not and what makes good vj - the debate apparently was a key issue at the Society of Eds meeting in Glasgow. I couldn't go but here's my 20 second take.
There is vjism by dint of one person holding a camera and then there's vjism that seeks to create a new lingua franca to that which dominates traditional TV. Put simply there are photographers and very good ones and there are photojournalists. One must capture the moment for the front page. The other attempts to contextualise a reportage with an appropriate shot. They're both snappers. There are VJs and Vjs - both do a job. I would like to think man with a movie camera ( geddit) is re-inventing/breaking rules.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
What is this... ?
I had in mind today to speak to someone I have a lot of respect for after sharing a podium with him in the US last year. Naka Nathaniel works for the New York Times, as a Video Journalist /writer etc and is just about to set off to Dafur.
This time with his correspondent Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The NYT they're providing a piggy back for NBC. Naka and Kristof have been to Dafur a number of times and its mightly encouraging to see that his newspaper continues to bring news of the region to its readers through Naka and Nicholas' efforts.
I started off recording the session with this contraption above. It is state of the art mp3 and if you've ever used a uher before this really is like way beyond anything.
Half way through however and the devices capture card gave up ( hahaha ) I hear you snigger. So we switched to skype and a nifty device called audio capture that allows you to record sound coming out of your mac. The free version only allows ten minutes a pop, but its worth a future investment.
So to the questions.. Naka talks about video journalism and a question being adressed by the Front Line Club about freelance journalism and the future.
Join in the debate nearer the time when I hope to put up a range of views forward for us to discuss.
Science woes
British Students shunning science screams the headlines. Notwithstanding the brilliant number of scientists in academia and industry, perhaps a more acute bit of navel gazing is required.
My first attempt to continue my science studies- a degree in Chemical Engineering - ended in tragedy. After three weeks on the course at a uni I won't name crammed into a class of 60 plus, with a lecturer who was so monumentally unispiring it was time to leave.
But the real worries was the p**s poor salaries on offer back in the 80s and I doubt its changed much. I'll post a feature piece I made for BBC Reportage, The Brain Drain.
Verdcit: many students, researchers were high tailing to the US where they receive more money and recognition.
Until somebody adresses this and the bias to business qualifications ( media is a belated fad) then the UK will continue to haemorrhage.
Incidently I did complete my degree in Applied Chemistry but by the time I'd got passed my second year, I'd already begun freelancng for BBC radio, realising the sciences and all the additional maths, integration, Newtonian mechanics, organic chemistry was not for me - as a career.
This morning I have just been looking at my notes from Uni on Nucleophilic attacks
My first attempt to continue my science studies- a degree in Chemical Engineering - ended in tragedy. After three weeks on the course at a uni I won't name crammed into a class of 60 plus, with a lecturer who was so monumentally unispiring it was time to leave.
But the real worries was the p**s poor salaries on offer back in the 80s and I doubt its changed much. I'll post a feature piece I made for BBC Reportage, The Brain Drain.
Verdcit: many students, researchers were high tailing to the US where they receive more money and recognition.
Until somebody adresses this and the bias to business qualifications ( media is a belated fad) then the UK will continue to haemorrhage.
Incidently I did complete my degree in Applied Chemistry but by the time I'd got passed my second year, I'd already begun freelancng for BBC radio, realising the sciences and all the additional maths, integration, Newtonian mechanics, organic chemistry was not for me - as a career.
This morning I have just been looking at my notes from Uni on Nucleophilic attacks
Saturday, November 04, 2006
5 am shadow
Busily putting some flesh on a discussion piece I'm writing for the Press Gazette and the piece more or less wrote itself emerging from my turn of last alpha sleep at 5
It's really annoying and happens quite often. The result you lay awake reading fluidily in your head the words of the article unfold. Go back to bed and you lose any connection with the other world and the crystallisation of your package.
Ah well.
6.00
Mmm I am making mischief. Now let it stew and return again for a stir. Not cricket to reveal its contents, so, er sorry can't say much. No it has nothing to do with D-Notices or offical this or that.
7.00
Quick look inside FTP of Viewmag. Any hope now of a few dark eye winks are kissed good bye. Something is happening with the traffic. It's 3000 up already and I have found some new interest from Taiwan. Hello there if you're reading this. Fat chance me thinks.
8.00
a friend has posted me the most exquisite site to look at http://www.marqmagazine.com/ Yum And now for the fun stuff. Answers on a post card what would you do to enhance it. Kevin drives and tests cars for a living. Don't sniff. Here he has the Aston Martin and then the Jag and then heavens knows what.
I once had him get this amazing car while a freelance at Channel 4 News. We wired the whole thing up courtesy of the ITN Q department and drove around London. I'll tell you what happened next some other time.
9. 00
Surely time for sustsenance. My thoughts cast to PGDip work. Look at the sites. Then MAJI - who are doing tele soon.
9.15 My Mac and I must end our liaison for the morning. there is a life out there, but before I put on my running shoes and get ready fot morning aerobics oh yes I l* o%^o k o86u4 t si887&%%^de and n@@@oti zz Zz Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
It's really annoying and happens quite often. The result you lay awake reading fluidily in your head the words of the article unfold. Go back to bed and you lose any connection with the other world and the crystallisation of your package.
Ah well.
6.00
Mmm I am making mischief. Now let it stew and return again for a stir. Not cricket to reveal its contents, so, er sorry can't say much. No it has nothing to do with D-Notices or offical this or that.
7.00
Quick look inside FTP of Viewmag. Any hope now of a few dark eye winks are kissed good bye. Something is happening with the traffic. It's 3000 up already and I have found some new interest from Taiwan. Hello there if you're reading this. Fat chance me thinks.
8.00
a friend has posted me the most exquisite site to look at http://www.marqmagazine.com/ Yum And now for the fun stuff. Answers on a post card what would you do to enhance it. Kevin drives and tests cars for a living. Don't sniff. Here he has the Aston Martin and then the Jag and then heavens knows what.
I once had him get this amazing car while a freelance at Channel 4 News. We wired the whole thing up courtesy of the ITN Q department and drove around London. I'll tell you what happened next some other time.
9. 00
Surely time for sustsenance. My thoughts cast to PGDip work. Look at the sites. Then MAJI - who are doing tele soon.
9.15 My Mac and I must end our liaison for the morning. there is a life out there, but before I put on my running shoes and get ready fot morning aerobics oh yes I l* o%^o k o86u4 t si887&%%^de and n@@@oti zz Zz Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Friday, November 03, 2006
Creative radio
So if you're an avid BBC Radio 4 Today fan, did you share in the moment of "quick pretend no one's listening" when they attempted to have morse code emerge from the bowels of their studio, only to realise that after a good minute plus, going on for eternity, the beep, beep, dooh, beeeeps was bordering on the Monty Python.
It was a great piece of original radio idea, but i guess the producer forgot to ask how long it takes to transmit a sentence. Answer, for ever.
So as Mr morse code is merrily clicking away, one can only imagine the studio manager and item producer, plus editor screaming " enough" tempting the presenter to try and find a natural break to intervene, which she did on a couple of occasions to no avail.
I bet they had an almighty laugh after the show.
Next week a man attempts to hold his breath for the world record, except the producers didn't realise that's eight minutes, 58 seconds.
It was a great piece of original radio idea, but i guess the producer forgot to ask how long it takes to transmit a sentence. Answer, for ever.
So as Mr morse code is merrily clicking away, one can only imagine the studio manager and item producer, plus editor screaming " enough" tempting the presenter to try and find a natural break to intervene, which she did on a couple of occasions to no avail.
I bet they had an almighty laugh after the show.
Next week a man attempts to hold his breath for the world record, except the producers didn't realise that's eight minutes, 58 seconds.
Web Video
" Web video is hard to do, and even harder to do well. Many are dabbling, but if anyone has found a real business model to support quality visual journalism in the multimedia world, let us know"
This from, Jay DeFoore, writing for a well respected photo
journal.
So I posted a reply:
Dirck Halstead continues to clear a thorny path for many of us to peer at a future which attempts next generation TV.
My mantra after more than 10 years of professional small video camera use convinces me that video journalism of a kind that redefines television's compositional arrangment for news and docs will emerge from a photojournalistic stanza.
I use a photo from award winning photo journalist Yannis Kontos to instruct would-be videojournalists. "If you can tell or understand how Yannis captures this image" I say, "you're half way there".
Whether we choose to do video journalism is a question. Is it difficult? That needs qualifying. Nothing is ever easy to start off in our trade.
But the newspapers in the UK are having a go and I think I managed to deconstruct enough of it to take the sting away addressing one of the UK's most successful newspaper publishers.
Incidentally it's not the be all business model, but newspapers with VJs in the UK are now selling their footage to broadcasters which includes the BBC. Stranger things could happen.
This from, Jay DeFoore, writing for a well respected photo
journal.
So I posted a reply:
Dirck Halstead continues to clear a thorny path for many of us to peer at a future which attempts next generation TV.
My mantra after more than 10 years of professional small video camera use convinces me that video journalism of a kind that redefines television's compositional arrangment for news and docs will emerge from a photojournalistic stanza.
I use a photo from award winning photo journalist Yannis Kontos to instruct would-be videojournalists. "If you can tell or understand how Yannis captures this image" I say, "you're half way there".
Whether we choose to do video journalism is a question. Is it difficult? That needs qualifying. Nothing is ever easy to start off in our trade.
But the newspapers in the UK are having a go and I think I managed to deconstruct enough of it to take the sting away addressing one of the UK's most successful newspaper publishers.
Incidentally it's not the be all business model, but newspapers with VJs in the UK are now selling their footage to broadcasters which includes the BBC. Stranger things could happen.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
London goes digital
It was a while coming. In 2000 Viacom UK contacted myself and colleagues to help them fashion a new kind of advertising. XTP would revolutionise the Underground. Our task was to visualise 5 degrees of motion. What?
Simple. On the one hand varying degrees of animation and movement would mean different revenues, but also equally important the implications of a moving ad on the Underground have serious health and safety aspects.
So we experimented with a few ads under the guidance of Viacom UK and came up with five ads pitched at Imagination's HQ. I'll be featuring an article on this on www.viewmagazine.tv with all the ads at the time and how we came to develop them.
The stills here are froma video where we developed the brief of sporting london. Jon Staton, former head of TV at Saatchi and Saatchi could find a helicopter at short notice of you wanted one.
In this case something less adventurous, we hired out some studios and I directed a couple of sports men and women in. We then comped that in After Effects
Gosh 22,000 visitors to www.viewmagazine.tv - and I have the Berlin awards to be thankful for that. I'm going to be posting some more stories from the awards soon. Tomorrow hope to be interviewing Naka Nathaniel about video journalism in expectation of a Front Line Club debate on technology and the future.
One of my closest mates from Medecins sans frontiere has brought over the most strangest looking device. You'll see it tomorrow. It is the future of podcasting and MP3 and looks like a stun gun.
And finally Westmins postgrad journalists are on the verge of something. But this is strictly Chatham House rules so that's all I can say
Spies within us
A sample of David's DNA mashed up
My family did no wrong, but the question is are we on the national DNA database? For within the realms of science fiction meets science fact we are project beta - the first use of DNA finger printing outside of a criminal case.
The first deployment of this forensic science was a criminal case. The second, and the fist time it was used to prove a custody case Sarbah vs Regina (the state) was my family.
So should this DNA print now exist in the police's vast ID bank. No! Do I know it exists there? No. In any case it shouldn't.
There is a wider debate fashioning and one that I remember from a conference in Leicester a decade plus ago featuring Baroness Warnock et al
You've been Goggled
Google surpassing ITV and Channel 4 News. Proof of the reach of the net ( some "@£%!! luddites are still dismissing it). There is a future waiting for us that melds tele, no video vision on the net and myspace + Current.tv is about to come closer to that.
That much I'll be writing about in an open discusion piece for the UK press Gazette in a fortnight's time
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Bye bye brilliant Berlin
Absolutely barking ( British expression for mad).
They did everything possible on stage: cry, scream, brood, even **ck - though the particpants kept their clothes on. Peter my newest friend warned me before we entered. "Don't fall asleep".
How did he know? Visiting South Africa for the first time back in 1992 I was given the Vip treatment to a concert for the multi talented singer/ violinist Sibongele Khumalo. I fell asleep. My host's neighbour, one Cheryl Carolus would become South Africa's high commissioner to the UK and each time I bumped into her she would threaten to tell all. "How could you sleep through a stellar concert".
But in the end, here, it was my host on the verge of catching 40 winks. The production, oh sorry I should have have made that clear was called Baumeister Solness by henrik Ibsen and not a word of it was spoken in English but I had the time of my life.
I even, serendipity, managed to laugh in the right place. Ab-so-lu-tel-y barking mad. Essentially the production revolves around the expressions of architecture over a period, with a property magnate intertwinning his life around a myriad of wierdly wonderful people who change expression at the drop of a hat.
Frankly the actors must have been exhausted. I was just watching them. Ibsen, doesn't do gentile.
It's not the fist time I have walked into a production with not one iota of language reckoning.
In France once, I went to see Paparzi - a film about those exhaustive photographers who snapped away at the Late Lady Diana. As I neared the ticket collector her hand reached out in front of me. "You know zis is in French".
I must have "made in the UK" cattle-branded on my forehead. But back to Solness. Wow!
Apparently it's a new production in Berlin's theatre land by a director unafraid to take risks and bent on winning over new patrons. However when I looked around, more often than not I was in a room of bank managers and senior manageresses. Yes even the actors are bemused by the clientelle.
Later one of the lead actors ( Mmm my host Peter has good connections) would join us with his girlfriend, also an actor. We spoke about method acting and how he had five productions on the go on any one day. Does he ever forget who he's supposed to be I asked. "Nein, you never forget". Peter lives and breathes the acting profession and he was the most matter-of-fact person I had encountered in a long while giving blunt opinions on his fellow actors.
I won't betray his trust. It was a private chat and he was not to know that I have a prediliction for blogging, but wow, I'm glad at least he liked me enough to talk to me, cuz he could be a real so and so if he didn't.
So just as I had started off privy to German efficiency, so it ended that way. Bye bye brilliant Berlin - a city that boasts little about its offerings. Where money oozes from the cracks of new brand titles stores. Where young hip things take over the streets. Where all taxi drivers are bedevilled by the thought that they are Schumacher (Formula One) and must drive like a bat out of hell and where memories of pass-it-on will live with me for long.
For as I received my prize from winning in one of the videojournalism catergories I was handed a bouquet of flowers. Splendid! But what was I to do with it and I certainly had no intention of taking it back on a plane.
So as I walked through the foyer of the Park Inn, two ladies in their 60s gushed at the arrangement. It was in German of course, but it was the language of universal admiration, so I did what I'm gradually getting used to. I turned on my heel and handed it to one of them who blushed, accepted, and I acknowledged with a salute. Alas I did not enquire upon her name.
But it is good to receive and equally exciting to give.
They did everything possible on stage: cry, scream, brood, even **ck - though the particpants kept their clothes on. Peter my newest friend warned me before we entered. "Don't fall asleep".
How did he know? Visiting South Africa for the first time back in 1992 I was given the Vip treatment to a concert for the multi talented singer/ violinist Sibongele Khumalo. I fell asleep. My host's neighbour, one Cheryl Carolus would become South Africa's high commissioner to the UK and each time I bumped into her she would threaten to tell all. "How could you sleep through a stellar concert".
But in the end, here, it was my host on the verge of catching 40 winks. The production, oh sorry I should have have made that clear was called Baumeister Solness by henrik Ibsen and not a word of it was spoken in English but I had the time of my life.
I even, serendipity, managed to laugh in the right place. Ab-so-lu-tel-y barking mad. Essentially the production revolves around the expressions of architecture over a period, with a property magnate intertwinning his life around a myriad of wierdly wonderful people who change expression at the drop of a hat.
Frankly the actors must have been exhausted. I was just watching them. Ibsen, doesn't do gentile.
It's not the fist time I have walked into a production with not one iota of language reckoning.
In France once, I went to see Paparzi - a film about those exhaustive photographers who snapped away at the Late Lady Diana. As I neared the ticket collector her hand reached out in front of me. "You know zis is in French".
I must have "made in the UK" cattle-branded on my forehead. But back to Solness. Wow!
Apparently it's a new production in Berlin's theatre land by a director unafraid to take risks and bent on winning over new patrons. However when I looked around, more often than not I was in a room of bank managers and senior manageresses. Yes even the actors are bemused by the clientelle.
Later one of the lead actors ( Mmm my host Peter has good connections) would join us with his girlfriend, also an actor. We spoke about method acting and how he had five productions on the go on any one day. Does he ever forget who he's supposed to be I asked. "Nein, you never forget". Peter lives and breathes the acting profession and he was the most matter-of-fact person I had encountered in a long while giving blunt opinions on his fellow actors.
I won't betray his trust. It was a private chat and he was not to know that I have a prediliction for blogging, but wow, I'm glad at least he liked me enough to talk to me, cuz he could be a real so and so if he didn't.
So just as I had started off privy to German efficiency, so it ended that way. Bye bye brilliant Berlin - a city that boasts little about its offerings. Where money oozes from the cracks of new brand titles stores. Where young hip things take over the streets. Where all taxi drivers are bedevilled by the thought that they are Schumacher (Formula One) and must drive like a bat out of hell and where memories of pass-it-on will live with me for long.
For as I received my prize from winning in one of the videojournalism catergories I was handed a bouquet of flowers. Splendid! But what was I to do with it and I certainly had no intention of taking it back on a plane.
So as I walked through the foyer of the Park Inn, two ladies in their 60s gushed at the arrangement. It was in German of course, but it was the language of universal admiration, so I did what I'm gradually getting used to. I turned on my heel and handed it to one of them who blushed, accepted, and I acknowledged with a salute. Alas I did not enquire upon her name.
But it is good to receive and equally exciting to give.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
suffer for art
Suffering for one's art has many examples of righteous dedication and film makers are by no means immune, nay, there are the best example of this syndrome. But today's film is reminder of the art of suffering in order to bring something special.
The evening was spent watching this year's nominations for the 3rd videojournaism awards - the biggest to date, with some 420 entrants from 42 countries.
The films scrolled by, in part because I paid a visit to the other side of consciousness. Yes, I'm certfiably mashed. But did have the presence of mind to pin my eye lids back long enough to take in a majority.
They're all superb - I'm not being political. A film on alzheimer's was too painful to watch. The wasting illness took my father and I remember the last moments all too vividly. Psychiatric patients in India abandoned by family and friends inspite of some recovering was too short. I wanted more.
Self flagellating voyerism had me sit through my own submission, 8 Days - a thoroughly wierd experience. It's the first time it's been outside my study in its entirety. People laughed.
Sabine, the organiser of this wondrous event asked whether they laughed at the right spots. I confess I never had any right spots, so it was nearly as new to me watching my film on the outside knowing that others were watching it as well.
12.00 and after another night of the long knives, once again my internal clock is beginning to shut down my body's control centre. Grrrrhh
But it's been a resourceful day, topped of with the screening, and a moment of genius visiting a Vietnamese restaurant which had me salivating to near dribbling.
The FILM
Sleeping Rough / Platte machen (WDR) - winner of the special prize of the jury is a must see film for many reasons. It has all the emotions packaged into a tight wrapper which explode slowly in the mouth.
As the name suggests, it's about homelessness, but the VJ team undertaking this story did not parachute in and out. They went through the pain and bitter cold nights with their subjects. It was intimate, open, frank, with at no time the any intruding of the journalists into the story.
It is a film you would want to make, but perhaps may think the cost a tad too high, for it snows, temperatures freeze over and the wretchedness of rough sleeping is evident. please watch this film.
See yer tomorrow
The evening was spent watching this year's nominations for the 3rd videojournaism awards - the biggest to date, with some 420 entrants from 42 countries.
The films scrolled by, in part because I paid a visit to the other side of consciousness. Yes, I'm certfiably mashed. But did have the presence of mind to pin my eye lids back long enough to take in a majority.
They're all superb - I'm not being political. A film on alzheimer's was too painful to watch. The wasting illness took my father and I remember the last moments all too vividly. Psychiatric patients in India abandoned by family and friends inspite of some recovering was too short. I wanted more.
Self flagellating voyerism had me sit through my own submission, 8 Days - a thoroughly wierd experience. It's the first time it's been outside my study in its entirety. People laughed.
Sabine, the organiser of this wondrous event asked whether they laughed at the right spots. I confess I never had any right spots, so it was nearly as new to me watching my film on the outside knowing that others were watching it as well.
12.00 and after another night of the long knives, once again my internal clock is beginning to shut down my body's control centre. Grrrrhh
But it's been a resourceful day, topped of with the screening, and a moment of genius visiting a Vietnamese restaurant which had me salivating to near dribbling.
The FILM
Sleeping Rough / Platte machen (WDR) - winner of the special prize of the jury is a must see film for many reasons. It has all the emotions packaged into a tight wrapper which explode slowly in the mouth.
As the name suggests, it's about homelessness, but the VJ team undertaking this story did not parachute in and out. They went through the pain and bitter cold nights with their subjects. It was intimate, open, frank, with at no time the any intruding of the journalists into the story.
It is a film you would want to make, but perhaps may think the cost a tad too high, for it snows, temperatures freeze over and the wretchedness of rough sleeping is evident. please watch this film.
See yer tomorrow
Friday, October 27, 2006
Calm before storm
Ok so it might have been a bit foolhardy of me. But the previous night we ( new found friends) went out for a drink and at 1.Oclock decided I needed to turn in.
"Right, go out there, turn left and keep walking for 15 mins"
Go out there and keep walking turned into 30 mins more like it, with my antenna radioing in on my surroundings and whether I was safe. Breaking my walking patterns - cadet boarding school taught me that much - created the illusion I was partially barking and lost - but I was assured I'd be safe and was, and actually really felt no different from traipsing down London at an equivalent time.
"But don't go further east" was a side caveat I won't forget. That's where the, er, yes, hang out.
This morning, distance again has been under cooked, but we're of to see Christoph Dowe - a political heavyweight blogger, who we find in good form organising an e-chat conference from his company and behalf of a e-learning and a couple of unis.
A young intern from Holland, Bas, catches my eye. At 21 he has a clear idea what interests him and how far he'll go for an internship. 4 more months lay ahead before he goes back to Holland.
What strikes one about East Berlin is the Bohemia; the cultural sashay of this vibrant part that we're in. Every turn is brand mania, commercialism e.g. Reebok, Pepe, Nike and a slew that are boutiquesh.
There's an upwardly mobile feel of the cafe society, blended with the ruins off the old Berlin. The architecture can hold you in awe.
But I'm here for the awards, not a spot of sight seeing. But it's been instructive nonetheless.
There is a hiatus at the moment, rooms being refurnished, chairs being prepped. A radio journo from DW has just interviewed me and for once I remember to slow down.
If you know how I talk you'll get my drift. Food, ah! Food. I'm famished but there is no shortage of what I'd like. A quick Falafal and humous. THere is a sizeable Turkish, Arabic community here, so I'm told.
Downstairs, an MD from one of the big networks is waiting to give me an interview. Can't keep him waiting.
real time blog
The Vj thing is taking off. That at least is the impression sitting in a 100 seater cinema room In East Berlin surrounded by Berlin's/Germany broadcast-media industry and a few invited guests.
The chap talking now and forgive my pregnant pauses ( you can't see them) is speaking in German and is being translated by a colleague, who is busily working away otherwise I'd ask her name ( shame on me)
The lights have now gone down, but what I could gather was that there is an appetite for change.
First film has a nice visual edit. It's a 2 camera combining the VJs cut and what looks like a digi-beta pro camera.
They're laughing; the audience. The film shows men in white coats playing milk urns like they were trumpets. Apparently the young inetrviewee on screen has a thick accent - drawing handfuls of laughter.
Second film - also visually arresting. Good quality and everyone is the room is engaged again. More laughter. Lots of fluid movement with the cameras - evidence that this is not traditional shoot.
Behind me is Ruud - a well known VJ who shoots out of Kenya and central Africa. Some really good stuff he generates. I have just done an interview which I'll post soon about freelance and technology. Interesting answer but then what would you expect from someone who has a firm command of the language of solojo and VJ technology.
Woops just had to stand uo to intro myself. Am I too brief, too long? :"
Back to film - more howls of laughter. Kate, a journalist at DW -is translating. Yes apparently this is Hillbilly ( derogatory!!) ie is if I've picked the rightt adjective.. accents way too strong, more laughter.
And now I'll watch some of the films myself.... laters. sign of 10.43 berlin time
The chap talking now and forgive my pregnant pauses ( you can't see them) is speaking in German and is being translated by a colleague, who is busily working away otherwise I'd ask her name ( shame on me)
The lights have now gone down, but what I could gather was that there is an appetite for change.
First film has a nice visual edit. It's a 2 camera combining the VJs cut and what looks like a digi-beta pro camera.
They're laughing; the audience. The film shows men in white coats playing milk urns like they were trumpets. Apparently the young inetrviewee on screen has a thick accent - drawing handfuls of laughter.
Second film - also visually arresting. Good quality and everyone is the room is engaged again. More laughter. Lots of fluid movement with the cameras - evidence that this is not traditional shoot.
Behind me is Ruud - a well known VJ who shoots out of Kenya and central Africa. Some really good stuff he generates. I have just done an interview which I'll post soon about freelance and technology. Interesting answer but then what would you expect from someone who has a firm command of the language of solojo and VJ technology.
Woops just had to stand uo to intro myself. Am I too brief, too long? :"
Back to film - more howls of laughter. Kate, a journalist at DW -is translating. Yes apparently this is Hillbilly ( derogatory!!) ie is if I've picked the rightt adjective.. accents way too strong, more laughter.
And now I'll watch some of the films myself.... laters. sign of 10.43 berlin time
Monday, October 23, 2006
Netisens to digiratis
Net's done. Sorry. PGDIP Journalism has gone through its two weeks run, with hopefully an inversion of the Rumfeld aphorism. ie there are some things we don't know, but there are some things we thought we didn't know, but do know now.
Should launch the sites fairly soonish and then get marks back to authors. But I say that frankly if you've built something you're pleased with and peers feedback the same thing, don't let marks be the pebble in the shoe.
Going to try something with the help of Howard Rheingold whose book Smart Mobs is a must read and PGDips/ Masters. There are about 3 discos going on regarding media thought.
a) Will technology force freelance future?
b) Will TV die and evolve as something new in the coming years. NB Tele - will anyone be teleporting vision, when it's ported through the net
c) What unis will look like in the future?
The idea is to attract a smart mob and in pyramidical fashion have the mob attract others. At various conferences I have attended such as We Media, the kind of event blogging in real time proves an appropriate sensor of the unfolding of time and opinions.
So hello Howard, PGDips et al
Meanwhile, we wait. . . actually I meant I wait refering to something else. An email that dropped by has me curiously waiting intrigued by a possibe reply. OK, so it read briefly from the FTSE company: "We would like you to come and speak to our leaders. . .".
But then I should know better from my own strictures: emails are very rarely returned swiftly, very rarely replied to first time, and then only when the recipient has the demands of needs = wants fulfilment in mind.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Speed lecturing
I believe we've borrowed an old word for an old subject and made it look new: speed lecturing. Masters and PGDips are handing in online assignments that has taken them all but two weeks to do from a standing start.
It's been like that for the couple of years I have been handling online, but this year we're building a wiki ( of sorts) with a number of preofessional bodies looking to link to the.
I'll be putting together an aricle about modular versus function versus solution learning at some time on viewmagazine.tv
My errant :) Mastes student who I'm superviding from another university The London College of Printing showed. She has a wonderful project which surfs the tide of Christian films and is now in the "innovative phase" - the Apprentice moment - to see how she can market etc, so we had one of those agency brain storming moments.
During my days as a broadcaster, I also worked for Jon Staton, the ex head of TV at Saatchi and Saatchi. He is now a mentor and dear friend and I'm grateful for the experience of ideas harvesting that he would take me through.
Apple UK had a very nice journalist pass by. Nicola and I spoke about many things, some of which I know I'm bound to have said the unsayable.
Look forward to seeing the piece which should go up soon.
Time to go carb up!
It's been like that for the couple of years I have been handling online, but this year we're building a wiki ( of sorts) with a number of preofessional bodies looking to link to the.
I'll be putting together an aricle about modular versus function versus solution learning at some time on viewmagazine.tv
My errant :) Mastes student who I'm superviding from another university The London College of Printing showed. She has a wonderful project which surfs the tide of Christian films and is now in the "innovative phase" - the Apprentice moment - to see how she can market etc, so we had one of those agency brain storming moments.
During my days as a broadcaster, I also worked for Jon Staton, the ex head of TV at Saatchi and Saatchi. He is now a mentor and dear friend and I'm grateful for the experience of ideas harvesting that he would take me through.
Apple UK had a very nice journalist pass by. Nicola and I spoke about many things, some of which I know I'm bound to have said the unsayable.
Look forward to seeing the piece which should go up soon.
Time to go carb up!
Friday, October 13, 2006
The new new journos
My niece has been doubling as my agent, hence in a couple of weeks time I am due to visit her school and speak to 
secondary school students.
It will be both exhilirating and illuminating.
At Council I have often spoken to our secretary Jim about talking to students about a career in journalism much earlier than the standard university/pos grd approach.
Much of the "Myspace" innovation is happening within the pre and secondary school cycle, which is where to win hearts and minds of how to translate online thinking to the new journalism.
My Experience
I remember by the time I had opted for a degree in Applied Chemistry, I'd already written for my college mag. I remember the piece well. It was about the doomsday scenario of a Neutron Bomb
I must have been about 13 with a night torch in my bunker at boarding school and it lit my imagination of fear.
But I had no mentor or supporters for journalism and lost the zeal for a couple of years.
A couple of years back at Ravensbourne School of Arts and Design, I was asked to look at a bridging course.
These are students, who perhaps would be on the phone, chewing gum, answering emails, playing itunes as you spoke to them - yes a bit like those hollywood films.
The one with Sidney Pottier comes to mind. (Who's Sidney you ask??)
The first day was fairly riotous, but I was given carte blanche so went to the camera stores and brought up two 40,000 pound cameras and handed it to them to take apart, then go outside for 40 mins and shoot.
They were gobsmacked. The room fell silent, then burst into a frenzy of activity.
Was I afraid I wouldn't see those cameras again? It did cross my mind.
At one school I went to whilst reporting at BBC Feature strand I had water, paper etc hurled at me. Unruly doesn't even come close.
By the time the students came back to the room, I had 12 disposal cameras ready. They were to shoot anything, bring it back and then we'd work the big cameras.
In the ensuing weeks we learned about vertog, Grierson and had a great time deconstructing modern media.
It came as no surpise then that three years later a media grad would call me up for an interview and a reference. Yes, a couple of them went to university.
Faking it. Wanting it
Nothing to do with me by the way, You've got to want this, I often say, because as exhilirating and exciting as this career choice is it's also one of the cruelest.
There simply aren't enough jobs to accomodate for the 80 percent of grads who want to work in the media, so if they want to work and succeed then it's worth knowing what's ahead.
Many students will go on to become huge names in the industry. There are three ballasts, no four to help you.
1. * Family connections - Has mum, dad, brother, niece worked here before?
2. * Background - What school, clubs, hobbies do you have? Who have you previously worked for?
3. * Bloody hard work ethic and passion - Who is the Shadow Chancellor? Who is General Sir Richard Dann?
4. * Good luck -serendipity, the law of averages, sods law, there is No such thing as luck you create your own
Some of these you can control I say. Others are out of your hands, but if I know now what I could have know back then then I know what I would be doing.
That's why I'm looking forward to talking to my niece's school. Because if nothing else their ferociously fearless attitude to the youtube culture, their passion for the mash and smash will teach me a thing or two.
That's why I do this, The search for that quid pro quo of satisfaction
Here for Postcode -young people learning film
-------
Dear David
Thanks for the postcode link found that to be a useful guide and will track down
the books on Television Production.
I begin slotting together a schedule for my young group and definitely, get them
to try out the 3:6:9 principle with interviews.
I will definitely be keeping an eye on the viewmagazine.tv site.
Yours,
Shurwin
------------
Hello Shuwin
Thanks for reaching out to me. And yes apologies re my site. Part of it the
pdfs are yet to be put in place. I'm afraid been a wee busy.
Sounds great what you're trying to achieve. I had a little bit experience with a group here http://www.mrdot.co.uk/post_code.html but truthfully I'm no expert. My own experience is that videojournalism has
such rigorous demands that the idea of being a one man/woman shooter making
films seems less demanding. I often tell my groups that they need to
understand Tv first before I then tell them to forget everything they've
learned.
Young people will then heckle back: Well sir, wots the point in that . . .
er,
In a nutshell to do VJ well today is to be a good photojournalist. That is a
photojournalist with a moving camera will technically make a good VJ. Good luck and do blog your exploits for all, me included, to read.
Cheers
David
----------
Hi David,
I first read about you and your innovative Videojournalist work in a copy of the Sony magazine " The
Producer", from either 2000 or 2001 and have been meaning to get in touch
or attend one of the many seminars, which examine and showcase the use of digital video, story documenting and reporting.
I was hoping to attend last years Black Creativity talk at the ICA and I was unavailable to make the Broadcast live show at the Apple stand to view the videojournalism presentation.
As your part of your site is still being developed I was unable to download the pdf for tips, innovations from the http://www.mrdot.co.uk/index.html site, but I did need to get in contact. I am planning to work on a few short documentaries and a youth project documenting the history and influence of reggae music in the UK.
Part of my reason of contacting you, is that I plan to run a video production workshop for young people and would like to incorporate some of the same techniques employed in video journalism, in a quick digestable format for this group of 15-19 year olds.
So as well as being media literate they can also learn about form and content are the any sites or reference areas you could direct me to where these techniques have been employed by young people as filmmakers or vj's.
I plan to use the work and lessons learned from this project to submit as case study material towards a skillset project link info is http://www.skillset.org/qualifications/diploma/
Yours,
Shurwin
Freelance media tutor
secondary school students. It will be both exhilirating and illuminating.
At Council I have often spoken to our secretary Jim about talking to students about a career in journalism much earlier than the standard university/pos grd approach.
Much of the "Myspace" innovation is happening within the pre and secondary school cycle, which is where to win hearts and minds of how to translate online thinking to the new journalism.
My Experience
I remember by the time I had opted for a degree in Applied Chemistry, I'd already written for my college mag. I remember the piece well. It was about the doomsday scenario of a Neutron Bomb
I must have been about 13 with a night torch in my bunker at boarding school and it lit my imagination of fear.
But I had no mentor or supporters for journalism and lost the zeal for a couple of years.
A couple of years back at Ravensbourne School of Arts and Design, I was asked to look at a bridging course.
These are students, who perhaps would be on the phone, chewing gum, answering emails, playing itunes as you spoke to them - yes a bit like those hollywood films.
The one with Sidney Pottier comes to mind. (Who's Sidney you ask??)
The first day was fairly riotous, but I was given carte blanche so went to the camera stores and brought up two 40,000 pound cameras and handed it to them to take apart, then go outside for 40 mins and shoot.
They were gobsmacked. The room fell silent, then burst into a frenzy of activity.
Was I afraid I wouldn't see those cameras again? It did cross my mind.
At one school I went to whilst reporting at BBC Feature strand I had water, paper etc hurled at me. Unruly doesn't even come close.
By the time the students came back to the room, I had 12 disposal cameras ready. They were to shoot anything, bring it back and then we'd work the big cameras.
In the ensuing weeks we learned about vertog, Grierson and had a great time deconstructing modern media.
It came as no surpise then that three years later a media grad would call me up for an interview and a reference. Yes, a couple of them went to university.
Faking it. Wanting it
Nothing to do with me by the way, You've got to want this, I often say, because as exhilirating and exciting as this career choice is it's also one of the cruelest.
There simply aren't enough jobs to accomodate for the 80 percent of grads who want to work in the media, so if they want to work and succeed then it's worth knowing what's ahead.
Many students will go on to become huge names in the industry. There are three ballasts, no four to help you.
1. * Family connections - Has mum, dad, brother, niece worked here before?
2. * Background - What school, clubs, hobbies do you have? Who have you previously worked for?
3. * Bloody hard work ethic and passion - Who is the Shadow Chancellor? Who is General Sir Richard Dann?
4. * Good luck -serendipity, the law of averages, sods law, there is No such thing as luck you create your own
Some of these you can control I say. Others are out of your hands, but if I know now what I could have know back then then I know what I would be doing.
That's why I'm looking forward to talking to my niece's school. Because if nothing else their ferociously fearless attitude to the youtube culture, their passion for the mash and smash will teach me a thing or two.
That's why I do this, The search for that quid pro quo of satisfaction
Here for Postcode -young people learning film
-------
Dear David
Thanks for the postcode link found that to be a useful guide and will track down
the books on Television Production.
I begin slotting together a schedule for my young group and definitely, get them
to try out the 3:6:9 principle with interviews.
I will definitely be keeping an eye on the viewmagazine.tv site.
Yours,
Shurwin
------------
Hello Shuwin
Thanks for reaching out to me. And yes apologies re my site. Part of it the
pdfs are yet to be put in place. I'm afraid been a wee busy.
Sounds great what you're trying to achieve. I had a little bit experience with a group here http://www.mrdot.co.uk/post_code.html but truthfully I'm no expert. My own experience is that videojournalism has
such rigorous demands that the idea of being a one man/woman shooter making
films seems less demanding. I often tell my groups that they need to
understand Tv first before I then tell them to forget everything they've
learned.
Young people will then heckle back: Well sir, wots the point in that . . .
er,
In a nutshell to do VJ well today is to be a good photojournalist. That is a
photojournalist with a moving camera will technically make a good VJ. Good luck and do blog your exploits for all, me included, to read.
Cheers
David
----------
Hi David,
I first read about you and your innovative Videojournalist work in a copy of the Sony magazine " The
Producer", from either 2000 or 2001 and have been meaning to get in touch
or attend one of the many seminars, which examine and showcase the use of digital video, story documenting and reporting.
I was hoping to attend last years Black Creativity talk at the ICA and I was unavailable to make the Broadcast live show at the Apple stand to view the videojournalism presentation.
As your part of your site is still being developed I was unable to download the pdf for tips, innovations from the http://www.mrdot.co.uk/index.html site, but I did need to get in contact. I am planning to work on a few short documentaries and a youth project documenting the history and influence of reggae music in the UK.
Part of my reason of contacting you, is that I plan to run a video production workshop for young people and would like to incorporate some of the same techniques employed in video journalism, in a quick digestable format for this group of 15-19 year olds.
So as well as being media literate they can also learn about form and content are the any sites or reference areas you could direct me to where these techniques have been employed by young people as filmmakers or vj's.
I plan to use the work and lessons learned from this project to submit as case study material towards a skillset project link info is http://www.skillset.org/qualifications/diploma/
Yours,
Shurwin
Freelance media tutor
Monday, October 09, 2006
the blec - web lecture
The past, present and trend extrapolating into a future. In a 2 hour lecture, David Dunkley Gyimah explores media issues with Masters and PGDip Journalists.
This is the link to powerpoint deconstructed below and is not an easy hit in one sitting. The issues are kneaded, pummelled, looked at through often unconventional perspectives.
It is hydra which requires further attention, so please add to the comments for a republish.
web
lecture [blec] link here
This is the link to powerpoint deconstructed below and is not an easy hit in one sitting. The issues are kneaded, pummelled, looked at through often unconventional perspectives.
It is hydra which requires further attention, so please add to the comments for a republish.
web
lecture [blec] link here
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