How much is enough?

The site's up, films and multimedia loaded. Shiny new thing, glaring at you. Satisfaction. Job well done.

Some will criticise, because that's what they do; others will muse and offer critique-based solutions.

"That doesn't work because you've broken the line".

And then there's your own internal alter ego.

For some people, it's just never enough.

When did Pollock know that was the last brush stroke?

How could the four year old know she'd finished her master piece: a sun flower?

When is enough, enough?

Bouncers
Firstly the critic who offers nothing does not help you. If you can, continue the journey.

The one who offers you a reason why it doesn't work, is the friend to hang onto.

They constitute the "bouncers". You bounce ideas off them and they come good.

And at some point you begin to question yourself as if your list of bouncers surrounded you.

You become your own best critiic.


Natures bouncers congregate
PhD seminars, The Smart Lab, is exactly like that.

Non ellitist, which cuts against the grain of thinking, each person has a defined goal and in the midst of others is trying to find new windows, clear direction.

And all the while, surrounded by people who ask questions, simple ones: why does that do this?

Flâneur flâneuse kila mapping, New forms of music Online, online spaces, perfomers using their dance to create digital paintings, Virtual Nomads visualisation.

I did not understand all, but I got let into a new world, out of my confort zone, which in turn sparked new ideas and I was always all too ready to say: I don't understand".

The package on Ron Edwards and his virtual worlds and how videojournalism would work inside is but one example of the adage: if you want to know about water don't ask a fish.

The solutions for what we often might try to achive live beyond the boundaries of what I already know, that at least is something I have come to appreaciate.

Hillman Curtis' Flash expertise, Rob Chiu's amazing Motion Graphics... peoples whose experience play into the hands of videojournalism, which simply can't be a manifestation of an old language refined for a new era.

Getting your bouncers to work
We often get so wrapped up with own ideas we miss the tree from the woods.

Here is where your bouncer works. They don't mollycuddle you, wrap you with cotton bud comments, or turn their nose.

They're trying to get you into a space where you might realise your own flaws, and in cases explain better your own understanding at convincing them.

At Smart Lab we had these 10 minute presentations, punctuated by immediate and overnight feedback from the 20 or so other cohorts.

It was as exhilirating as it was nerve wracking.

The experience is one to adopt. In some cases it already exists now, online, through comments and emails from those we establish a bond and relationship with.

Three more rules to add to the evolving manifest of web and videojournalism.

Protect your bouncers

Protect your golden hour - each time of the day you have a peak creative zone. Identify it and make sure you do nothing else during that period but creative things.

Protect yourself - If it hasn't happened it's waiting to be done. It's never enough

Shirking health and safety and release forms

So far not everyone's paying atention and vid is so new to newspapers, they see no legal requirment as TV does.

So I guess its going to takle a serious accident before risk assesment forms are given the respect due

Video Shooters - Police step up stoop and searches

"The law gives the police officer the power to search you, anything you are carrying and any car you are in"- Form 5090, issued by community police in London.

If you're a VJ then expect to be stopped and searched if you're shooting on the streets of London, particularly central London.

Inceasingly the police are steeping up their stop and search on video cameras issuing them with a document that often involves a comprehensive background search and you filling out a detailed form.

Now one organisation is seeking clarity.

Last year I posted how PA's lawyer Mike Dodds had brought the matter to the attention of the City Corporation Police.

But alas it would seem little has been changed.

So what d you do if you get stoped by the police?

Metaverse reportage - next generation web journalism

In this month's Harvard Business Review, Metaverse platfroms ie Second Life et al are crowned as the next phase of the web.

It's easy to chase shadows in this future where every day a new product and semiotic for the web, its participation and indeed story telling unfolds.

But the signs seem to suggest, if not so obviously, that 3d virtual platforms could expand the machinations of web functionality.

At the moment we may or may not be participants, but greater web speeds and a generation born into avatars and bebos may exhibit different attitudes.



Will you gather in a virtual world to watch films? Will a chunk of your income come from your alter ego living and breathing in an electrical medium?

The Matrix dared suggest a ludicruous future, which caught our imaginations nonetheless, but in Forterra's Oilve virtual system, where participants live in Iraq and Afghanistan modelled on real towns, accidents can happen.

Ron Brown, the European disributor of Forterra, got accidently shot during a training execrise and his his avatar violently hit the floor.

Attach sensors to the body and as Trinity would tell THE ONE, the body can't live without the soul or something like that.


Metaverse reportage
In the latest video on Viewmagazine.tv, I dig out excerpts from my days reporting conflict in Africa, West Africa and South.

In Ghana the US Special Forces are teaching Ghanaian Paratroopers low parachute deployment.

Paras jump at either high altitude or low enough under radars and open up their parachutes with minutes, sometimes, seconds to spare before hitting the ground maximising their chance of escape.

It's in military and emergency exercises where AUGMENTED REALITY, virtual world's like Forterra are gaining in popularity.

Next month in what might be a first and very trippy, I'll be in Forterra as a videojournalist reporting on issues that have an impact on the real world.

Exercises which Nato undertakes in its annual war games, which I have reported on also feature in the video package.

There's a lot of material I have had to exclude, but by next week I should have the template for a hypervideo package.

Will metaverse really rule the web?

If you can afford it find out from Harvard Business Review, otherwise, here's my uncompressed version of the video on viewmagazine.tv

read also Dusan Writers post

Coming up on viewmagazine.tv

I bumped into a former student whilst calling on some good folk at the Financial Times.

Ed's gone from student last year to the Financial Times - great stuff.

I whipped out my small cam-for an interview where he talks about how his online skills from his one year Masters have helped him.

If you're a student embarking upon a Masters it's worth watching.

Each year new cohorts always groan when we place in front of them CSS, and the more obscure aspects of writing for the eye and appreciating SEO tags as well.

Also coming up on Viewmagazine.tv, we go into Afghanistan with Ron who gives a cool interview of metverse TV.

If you subscribe to the Harvard Business Review, there's an interesting article inside about how next generation television will be metaverse - virtual worlds and the like.

Also and I promise I can soon reveal a good example of a hypervideo in action, which I'll play around with at full length with a presentation at apple

newspaper journalists excelling at videojournalism

This week I showed you what Gareth in Cornwall was doing- a format which has his bosses excited.

Today, I'm bringing you an exchange and video from Catherine, from Devon, whose path I also crossed.

This is her first piece on a very difficult shoot - a training excercise in Norway and I'm thrilled to bits for her.

She's gone straight in at the deep end, going largely handheld - which is advanced videojournalism and also she eschews the reporter's v/o instead threading the elements together.

This often means, you have to shoot-to-edit on the fly.

Great use also of nat sound and the piece breathes you; and she's cracked the metronome of the piece, which is one of the most difficult aspects of visualisation and editing.

Well you take a look and perhaps you'll join me in the chorus that says, newspaper videojournalists can do visuals very well - it's all in understanding the grammar and breaking those rules.

++++++++++++++++++++

Hello David,
Remember me? Anyway, I have finally been able to do my first two videos which are at www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk

The first is Norway and I also did one Bakery Secrets Revealed which is in archive (left hand menu under video). I'd really appreciate any feedback.

The Norway one was fun - I only had one day, a very rushed day from pillar to post, with no time to plan. I hadn't realised how hard it was to a) move in snow quickly and b) get close ups when they were firing and made me keep back!!

The only tripod shots were the CO interview. Still - see what you think!

Best wishes,
Catherine
Community Editor
North Devon Journal

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Catherine, I mean this in a nice way, but I could marry you. Very very nice. Couple of things you've done that make this exceptional.

your first videos..
you've gone largely handheld - the gonzo approach
you've adopted the observational doc approach - based around the Guantanamo piece. Hence no voice over.
Some strong sequences...

Nothing wrong with the shoot and you prove a fundamental point about you as a newspaper journo turned VJ that you understand visual grammar.

You'll only get better.

Remember the aspects of narrative movement: lens, inside the frame, music etc.

Next time to heighten the senses use the lens as the third eye, so in military/emergency operations - you can push in to the subject. It doesn't matter if we see you hitting the deck with cameras wobbly, the viewer knows where you are and that there is an operator behind the camera and a sense of urgency.

Did I mention the zoo effect Chris Moyles Radio one, where his assistants don't have to creep around the room: we know they're there so any noise.... any sudden movement with your cam is tolerable...

c.f 8 days.

Fabulous all the same. I'll take a look at the other.

Watch this. Newspaper videojournalism formats visual newspaper

I have tried to and been fairly successful at staying in touch with print/ videojournalists whose paths I have crossed, and I'm always grateful for the warm and kind words from people like Gareth.

The latest exchange with Gareth has had me watching their latest video on his site, again and again laughing etc.

And, as I have often mentioned in briefings etc they're using video to leverage the newspaper and presumably vice versa.

Cornwall & Devon Media Lt have made video their own. Absolutely fab. Do take a look here. Nothing overly fancy, but it works as you can see below



+++++++++++

Hi David, hope all is well.

Have been incredibly busy with the "day job" so have been desperately trying to fit video in around everything else..and soon about to train 34 of our employees who are interested! Good signs...!

If you get a few spare moments (!!) any feedback on the things I've done lately would be fantastic.
My main "showpiece" has been our What's On guide....our leisure editor is really up for it and its got everyone talking and excited about video.

An email even went around BBC Cornwall apparantly saying they had "missed the boat" and were now playing catch up with us in terms of entertainment and online video...! ( rest of email been cut)

.....

Hi Gareth

Absolutely fantastic. Loved it. And the presenter, well he's destined for big things. Sorry but there's nothing wrong with that. Its sharp, well shot, fast narrative, size of the screens great. fabulous.. get experimenting with more hand held and fluidity with the lens, but your format's a winner. (idea - Confidential offered)

-------

Hi David,

Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for revolutionising our video world!

I no longer feel as if I will be producing standard video pieces which have been seen a million times - but inspired to get out, capture emotion and be different, yet confident. (Hopefully the job won't get in the way too much!)

It was a real eye-opener...and can't convey my gratitude enough.

Shall continue following your site and your words of blogging wisdom...

Hope our paths cross again,

Many thanks mate,

Gareth


Gareth
Digital Editor
Cornwall & Devon Media Ltd

video hyerlinking promo viewmagazine

Promo on Viewmagazine.tv for video hyperlinking, which I shared with an audience.

My thanks to Tony Graves and his wonderful band of assistants at the Cultural Exchange.

Masters in Journalism students say it out Loud in an alternative fashion

Masters in Journalism students launch their web sites.

Two different briefs from alpha and bravo team within a couple of weeks from the design phase.

Built in CSS, with Flash and Video, both teams run the site with an editorial mix of designers, marketers, photo editors, podcasters, man eds and editors.

This is London London Out Loud which looks at London from a student/ international traveller's point of view.

You can learn more about their brief and USP from visiting the site.


London Alternative
London Alternative takes a similar path in appealing to international students, but you'll find that it and OutLoud are different, according to the Editorial teams.

And this is their promo

How do you treat your newspaper copy online?

In putting this hypervideo story together, I came across some some choice cuts from a fly-on-wall approach when the Telegraph invited a group of us on a tour of their newsroom.

It's senior exec was very gracious in answering a range of questions.

This one concerns how journalists treat their copy before it goes online.

Now, I didn't ask my colleague what he meant behind the question, but my guess is it has to do with SEO, Key word density and the likes.

You're writing for two audiences, and if you're clued up on writing Jakob Nielsen style, with Search Engine Optomisation for a good measure, you'll score big time.

Some CMS programmes we've discovered are better at wooing bots ( spiders crawling your text) than others.

The year of Videojournalism

The year of the videojournalists - the digital artists and the Net age.
We're coming full circle into a multimodal system that wants to examine multiple perspective.

It's official. "We make a million pounds of ad from placing video on our site, this editor told me at a conference.
"What!" I said.

"The ads are crying out for video "he replied.

Who said video doesn't sell online?

Today, previewed first video hyperlink stories which I hope to put online.

It's simple. You follow a linear story and then it indicates to you various branches. For instance stay with the interview or move on.

This is the new promo banner for viewmagazine.tv giving notice of video hyperlinking, which The Economist featured in an article. Made in FCP and After Effects.

videojournalism success

THis from one of my former students from last year. Please join me in toasting his success.

Hi David,

Bit of news for you on the job front. I have just signed a contract as a video journalist in Afghanistan with NATO.

My time is going to be split between Kandahar and Copenhagen, which is the production centre. I'm going to be out there with a laptop, camera and satellite transmission gear sending back video stories which will be put on the Internet and the footage will be available on all the news wires.

I'm off to Copenhagen at the start of March for a month and then on to Afghanistan at the start of April.

Thanks for all your help and stay in touch.

David

Hollywood plays multimodal - Vantage point and multiple reportage.

What's interesting about the film, which has DNA similar to Mike Figgis' Time Code, The Usual Suspect and the daddy of them all Rashomon - about a female assault from four different angles. etc is the multiple narrative approach to unravelling/piecing together a story.

The web site also sets up a playable game which no doubt will be translated to market research.



Photo/painting courtesy of the 1st-art-gallery.

I wrote about this some time back, but it continues to concentrate my thoughts and sets up an interesting question.

Can multimedia also infer multifocal or multimodal?

By its very nature and multiple delivery of assets, the PC is a multimedia tool, but how much bearing does that have on a lingua france of "choice reportage - perspectivists approach"

In a videojournalism report I'm now compiling, what's clear is the multifaceted nature of term "multimedia" across disciplines from modern day founding father Vannevar Bush to today's graphic design community and the media.

there's an interesting moment in the film when we're at the Telegraph's hub being shown around by a senior executive and somebody asks how the newspaper and its web version reports are consructed. It's one of the hidden arc segments of the film, so you'll have to click on the film to access this

In itself there may be little to fuss about, but in semiotics this will have a bearing on the nature of the narrative in reportage.


To get a sense of this obvious focal story, what part do others in the picture play?

Before Broadcasting
Before the language of broadcasting was refined, a legacy, but not quite a whole lift from newspaper reportage's equitone from Addison and Steele, how robust and expansive was the storytelling language?

We might now easily take that for granted, but centuries ago, there was a different discernible paradigm in play.

Broadcasting, 60 years old, brought its one set of rules; the ever expanding web culture has its own.

Multimedia Reportage AD
A hypothesis: the bible - one of the oldest and most popular tombs lays a claim to multimedia reportage.

Matthew, Mark Luke and John - four differing perspcetives towards one event and to fully comprehend the Bible the reader is required to cover all four gospels.

Some 500 years before this painting at the top by by Luca, Giotto di Bondone one of the greatest Italian Renaissance painters did the extraordinary with visual narrative and lines of perspective and focus.

By jumping through the periods you begin to get an idea that our way of doing things now is not so sacrosanct - time and change move very slowly over periods of decades rather than centuries.

So to this painting again and the original piece I wrote, as I get back to editing this multimodal report.

See you at the Cultural Exchange.

I stood there mesmerized for ten minutes, just studying the piece.... read original piece

Culture talk - Future TV

From Politicans, to Musicians, Poets, and Senoir BBC executives, each year the good people of Demontford University stage a week of open lectures where figures are invited to talk and anyone can just drop in - it's free.

In the past they've had the following

Louis De Bernieres who wrote ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ adapted to film and stage as well as translated in over 30 languages.

The BBC’s creative director, Alan Yentob.

Germaine Greer, currently Professor of English and Comparative Studies at the University of Warwick. A well known TV critic and famed for many things including The Female Eunuch in 1970.

And high profile journalist, currently writing for The Guardian, Gary Younge who delivered a personal perspective on how race and culture need to change for the 21st century.

This year I have been invited to talk and will be looking into the future of news and programme making via the web, something that I have been passionate about for a while.

This will be jargon free and walk through the landscape of news, videojournalism and a new short film I should finish by then, which has multiple video-hyperlinks - some part of my PhD studies.

If you're turning up do come and say hello. See you there and thanks to Tony Graves, his students who put this event together and digital connoisseur Chris Jones who provides this write up of the event and my talk.

Inside Afghanistan

It's one of the world's trouble hotpsots where the rules of engagement, as well as maintaining law and order is played out continuously in the face of insurgents e.g. the Taliban

But almost everyday you can find Ron Edwards on the ground surveying the terrain and in some instances, under Chatham House rules, advising clients e.g. Army folk about what it's like being in Afghanistan.

But Ron Edwards is a civilian and this is no ordinary country, at least in the context we fix on at the moment.

This is Afghanistan world, as the experts would say, or Virtual world to the less-Virtual minded.

Virtual but so real that if you're injured by an explosion you will be injured, correction your avatar will suffer inuries- yes the Matrix.

This is a brief glimpse into a world whose potential is so huge.

Each year we at the University of Westminster fly to Norway for War Games.

The possibilities of augmenting those exercises with this level of modelling and mapping is awesome.

Here's Ron ( above) talking to Ian from Thames Valley University about his work.

I'll post a more expansive interview soon. This was shot on my Canon 1XUS 70

Could this be the clearest evidence yet that London Undergrounds tube network could soon no longer be a mobile free zone, as this exclusive film indicates

The tube is probably the last refuge from the all pervasive din of mobile phones and often inconsiderate callers with little phone etiquette.

Last week a man practically gave out his home address, National Insurance number and Date of Birth on a busy carriage.

But, with all that said, many would like to see London's tube capable of receiving mobile phone signals.

So this man walked by me, looking like something out of robocop: an antenna hanging behind his ear and a mobile and graphic user interface in front of him.


I had my Canon IXUS 70 in my bag and walked up to him.

He clearly saw me filming but I did not want to draw attention to it so excuse the wobbly shots.

Postless

Been dormant for a couple of days - Sorry back now Phew Tired, but a couple of things that may me go wow.

1. Could London's tube ( underground network) soon be a mobile zone. Well here's the proof that it could.
2. And inside the real Matrix - thoroughly mind blowing stuff.

Please pass this on - You could help save a life

A friend sent the following to me and I'm passing it on



The Smile,

– the Talking or Tongue stretching

– the Raising of Hands

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .


Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. < /FONT>

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

The British VideoJournalism Revolution from 1994 to now

What defined videojournalism? How different was it to Television? Why was the first practitioner in the UK a newspaper outfit? And where next can it go as the main debate focuses on primary implementation?

In a series of talks and webinars I'll be producing facts and films from archives, never seen before, that might give you a better understanding of what we're doing now and how that conversation developed 14 years ago


The British VideoJournallism Revolution
No company, or era captured the essence of this brave new form of journalism called Videojournalism in the UK than Channel One TV.

For its first birthday, the accolades as you can see ( Click Image) were a fulsome acknowledgement of the changes enveloping the media; the seeds of change had been sown.

What its first 25 videojournalists knew back then, supported by innovative management and technicians, will not surprise many of them today.

After the first year some of Britain's biggest names in the media and politics paid their respect.

Tony Blair MP, not quite Prime Minister said:
"Congratulations to Channel One on its first year. It has already been a regular fixture of all important news events and I have enjoyed speaking to its journalists. I wish it every success in the future"

Jane Root - at Wall to Wall who would be the first ever woman to become a channel controller at the BBC said:
"Congratulations to Channel One. We've been delighted to help Channel One prove that good television can be low cost and high quality as well. Channel One deserves to be a great success.

Chris Crammer who was head of News gathering BBC News and Current Affairs and would go onto CNN, he said:
" Congratulations to Channel One. Video Journalism has really made its mark. You've broken new ground in multi-skilling and competitive coverage. The Industry should take note"

And then Stuart Purvis, who was chief executive of ITN, the UK's biggest independent news provider said:
"Congratulations on a year of Channel One. You've already developed lots of new young talent and taken some impressive steps in multi-skilling".

It wasn't only that Channel One was radically changing the face of News and Programme production, but had implemented a next generation management tier with innovation at its core, and a revolutionary news output system that had hundreds of programme execs visiting the station to learn how it was done.

"We used track and rushes, so sometimes wouldn't see the inside of the news station for a week".

The programme went out live, but it wasn't live, unless so various times when it created a tear in the schedule for its juke box play out system that looked like the Enterprise. One person could control everything.

Many of those innovative assets have been lost or not yet resurfaced.

800 people across the UK applied to become Videojournalists. It created a wild amount of curiosity.

What is videojournalism? How does it work? What sort of stories will we cover? How will we compete with the likes of the BBC? How hyperlocal can we get? How will we cover nigh beats as soloj journalists? How will the internet aid our quest? How much will videojournalists earn? What is their future? And how would they like to shape the future?

Remember this was 1994, 14 years ago.

Some of the VJs would later become household names in the media at large, and multiple industry winners as well.

Marcel Theroux, son of the famous Paul Theroux and brother to Louis Theroux, sat opposite me has made several ground breaking docs. Dimitri Doganis has become one of the UK's most formidable doc makers winning awards for features such as the Siege of Bethlehem for BBC TV. Julia Ceaser, an entertainment correspondent now fronts BBC News 24s Economics programme and Rachel Ellison, now an MBE went on to tutor female journalists in Tajikistan adn was Editor of the BBC's World Trust.

We all met in one place, with high ideals. What we knew back then has been rerun in a new paradigm now.

In posts to come I'll share some more of the history of Channel Oners and the flame it lit that is now subsuming news. And how full circle 14 years on a new phase of videojournalism has opened for me, which involves looking at Future TV, Presence TV and IM6 Videojournalism, which I was invited to speak at the BBC's Leadership forum.

Next stop - how to fold videojournalism on itself and eschew VJ made for Television's stanza

Theatre of the Mind

Apologies!

I should be going through the next stage of building a movie, but I have been distracted and for very good reasons.

Once in a while a talent crosses your path; an unusual one in so much as a dying art that's been revived for the 21st century.

Lord Bryon is a stock broker by day, but his hidden skill combines the voice of a Hollywood trailer voice artist and the writing skills of any brilliant story teller.

Last week a colleague gave me his CD and I just went wow, so we talked about filming him and in my usual, yeah, came up with a treatment that we spent time filming.

Credit to Kienda Hoji for producing, Hassan for lighting and filming, Lord Bryon for his incredible talent.

It took us a couple of hours to film this 15 minute seq; not the sort of swift turnaround VJ product; this was about patience.

We had three DV cams shooting, and I'll soon, sometime have those edited for you to really enjoy.

Here's a preview mixed to three from the shoot. The snippet from his original audio book, which Byron calls Theater of the Mind, is called Marcus Constantine

Of course one of the greatest in this genre is WOTW - HG Wells

The full version soon, which we'll post on YTube.