What's in your field of sight?

In a bid to put some distance from colleagues [ I have got a cold] I holed up in our new shiny MM studio.

And whilst browsing blogs Instapundit [v.interesting piece on a school boy suspended for wearing an "Obama-Terrorist" t-shirt and then flitting over to Wonkette and then Andrew Sullivan, I got distracted.

I looked up and in my field of vision was the television set to a news channel blurting out today's news of importance.

Of course I changed the channel as I wanted something else and got more of the same just different shirt, different coloured dress.

I'm not underscoring the importance of news, I avidly watch it from time to time.

I'm questioning this thing - television quarantined to a few samey channels - the premium channel still reigning supreme.

So how far are we away from revolutionising the screen to reflect something more in tune with our liking.

We all visit a number of blogs everyday, which gets me asking"

When do some of the bloggers I like, get to present their own shows,which I can flick to, cuz frankly the news belt could be any ones?

Of course it's feasible now to a degree ( youtube embed), but given the explosion in blog comms and publicty, in netcasting terms there's relatively little ingenuity here.

Trouble is the model for this creation is tied to existing TV formats, but could there be an alternative?

I think so and may involve a carnival of blogs to set up something like that. Mmnm!

Apple talk on Viewmagazine.tv

On the front of viewmagazine.tv, a cut of the Apple talk which included why we need a new style of reportage. Click 4th link that says "apple".

Call it the linguistic equivalent of Politic's 3rd way - though that in itself is a bind to explain.

I'll post more self explanatory stuff when I'm free of induction week, this week at Uni.

The typogs below were created in Final Cut in a matter of minutes, though the best place for that is After Effects or Livetype.

Creating an Online Show - viewmagazine.tv

I'll be on this theme for a while, though it may well migrate to a new template blog.

On the front page of viewmagazine.tv, I have attached segments of the shoot with Filminute.
A detailed "how to" will follow at some point but a few markers to throw down.

I'm using video journalism as the template, as opposed to a crew, so have opted to shoot 'dirty' ( no clean line of sight) and tagging. It has its own energy.

I remember reading a good while back how some of Hollywood's top camera operators had to really "let go" to get that immediacy look, so loved by many directors.

You're almost discarding everything film school has told you. Bummer!

There's some blocking on one of the earlier shots from Canada created by the shoot team.

Diagetic music and Non-diagetic is so important in creating a mood for a show.

You'll often hear me asking what's the "emotional involvement", and "editorial proposition" for where the show's going.

Diagetic music refers to actuality in the film. Close your eyes and see [:)] if you can pick out every strand of sound in your surroundings, because you can often use this to craft a story. It's all in the ambience.

Diagetic is about the musical tension and I often, where possible, eschew using 4/4s. In the making of I'll post some of the music that we worked to get right.

Saba, exec producer of filminute, is a natural at presenting. The key- keep it natural, but project your voice a tad more than you would.

Filminute should be coming to a small screen near you. In the meantime go vote for your favourite film online here

Shiny new mulimedia lecture room awaits journalism students

If the telegraph, ITN and BBC can do it, then what's stopping academia.

So students sharpening their note pads. Mmm doesn't quite work that. Students sharpening their pencils may either gawp or be nonchalant about the new multimedia lecture room where we shall regale all with tales of journalism.

Seating 40, five monitors, a whiteboard and cameras, whilst the space is not quite concentric circles, there's a focus on digitally mining and knitting all things we've become techie too.

"feed guest lectures onto the giant monitors as we speak web analytics.

But enough, the proof as they say will be in a couple of days time, when I'm likely to kick off asking what is the industry looking for in new journalists.

Answers - scribble below

Dragons Den moment, what's after the Internet -The Outernet?

Oh I'd be rich beyond my wildest dreams if I knew that, but I do have a fanciful idea which last week was put through a modest dragon's den moment.

And now I can visualise the build.

More importantly my constructivist critique, and I mean that in a superbly nice way, would like to see it built as we line up meetings.

"It's all in the grind" was how Ewan MacGregor's character put it on Black Hawk Down, though he was referring to coffee.

I can't fathom what it'll be, just like anyone else, but it'll probably be spectacular, so my puny thoughts have sought to dream about the entity and then deconstruct it.

Just in time for Phd week. Good ! that means no more time to do anything other than gaze at the ceiling

New online mobile service- Newsjack

This from the Peter Chamberlain who emailed me from his service NewsJack

"NewsJack is built specifically with a focus on video enabled mobile phones. It is accessed by a web front end or by WAP, so you don’t even need a computer to use the NewsJack service.

Internet usage is taking off with next generation mobile smart phones. Internet usage on mobile phones is up around 20% on last year (Google). Such a prospect with the knowledge that there are over 3 billion phones in use in the world today (three times as many phones as PC’s) it’s a sobering statistic and means a big potential audience.

You’re no doubt aware of YouTube, and there are many other services vying to host your valued user created content. So what makes NewsJack any different?

Already mentioned, NewsJack is aimed specifically at mobile phones and that’s because it’s backed by ROK a mobile technology and content specialist with an unprecedented global reach into the mobile markets."

How d'ya create a cool film show

That's what the good people from Filminute have been doing. I have been with one of its co-exec directors working with him and others to create an online show.

The results of which you can see with this mini promo that should be on the front page of viewmagazine.tv.

The full show should be on their site soon.

The Reunion - incl VJs 15 years on

Lee, Rachel, David, Julian, Ravi - some of the ex channel Oners with their then MD

I'm not one for pose-photos, but yesterday WAS a very special occasion.

Very special for Julian Aston ( second from right) in the pic.

After years in the media industry working with one of the UK's media heavyweights Lord/ Viscount Rothermere, and launching the likes of Teletext, The Performance Channel, Channel One TV, Julian is off to other non-media things.

Julian, a highly successful producer/ director in his own right was class mates at the London School of Economics with none other than the Rolling Stone's Mick Jagger and recounted how they use to mock Mick who'd tell his classmates:" **** Economics I'm off to listen to Bo Diddly ".

It was a great evening rounded off with a reunion of some of the originals from Channel One many with the own tales to tell and a debt of gratitude to Julian.

Ah yes, Channel One was the UK's first and so far only 24 hour cable news network staffed only with VJs as news and programme makers. It cost 50 million pounds over its four year cycle from 1994-98. With Michael Rosenblum et al knocking the VJs into shape.

Julian told an interesting story about a major UK publisher who'd just launched their news outfit making fundamental mistakes that he first identified at Channel One.

And I have to add I have come across many myself

Remember when Channel One launched there was no blue print for how you develop a 24 hour news station with video journalists.

But what we learned both in terms of TV, cutting edge film making and the structure and experience of setting up a VJ station has been invaluable.

In the Pic

Lee Wellings - now a senior sports producer at Sky

Rachel Ellison MBE, a successful motivational coach, with a strong track record in broadcasting and working in Afghanistan,

And then far right Ravi Vagdama - whom at the time was one of the youngest VJs at Channel One and is now in charge of the news hour 6-7 at GMTV.

Out of the pic on a night edit, so could only stay a while, Dimitri Doganis, who is one of the UK's most successful producer/directors and was behind the critical Siege of Bethlehem

The award winning and critically acclaimed current affairs film aired around the world was the 38 day siege of one of the most scared of Christian sites - the Church of the Nativity - by a group of Palestinians, many heavily armed, and some 30 priests.

They were surrounded by the Israeli army.

Yesterday for the first time Dimitri explained how he got that world exclusive and it is an amazing story, not least also because he was working the VJ route and at times shooting with a VX 1000.

I'm hoping to talk more about this with Dimitri on camera. Really don't miss this, there are so many twists and turns, it's a film on its own.

hard nosed video journalism reporting

Dave Lee - extraordinary blogger posted this below - a great conversation piece for the heart of coal-face video journalism.

I have posted a response below which I hope opens up the debate about video journalism-on-the ground.

Dave Lees Blog

The best reporting at the US elections, from an unlikely source

Back in January of this year I wrote a review of Gnooze, a quirky news site featuring the wonderful Marta Costello.

I remember thinking “she’s really on to something” back then. In a typical late-night surfing session, I decided to check in on Marta. See what she was up to. I wondered what she made of the elections.

I found this incredible report. Watch it. To the end. The final few scenes really are gripping stuff.

My response:

Strong story.

What makes it work?

A few things:

• Getting dirty ie huddling into the story, something photo jos do time and time again, and it may seem odd, but the stanza of video journalism, “getting down and dirty” is closer to photojoing than news broadcasting.

• Staying with the story - Many broadcasters will be working to a deadline show so will only be able to parachute in and out.

• A good VJ team would stay with the story, they do; a good VJ swarm team would “swarm and tag” the story from many quarters.

• Being fearless and discreet, where possible - smaller cameras give you greater cover.

• Intending to go off the beaten track of the news agenda - though you prob wouldn’t know the majors weren’t covering this till you got down there or enquired from the organiser.

Broadcasters WILL miss stories. VJims strongest asset is a combination of covering “Non news agenda” but also how the film is produced ie the exposition.

VJS strength

One aspect of the shoot is what we call “open wide”. It requires a fearless quality, good picture/location judgment and a steady hand from the shooter because the action’s unfolding before your very eyes.

Then the construct kicks in. e.g. some of the VJs I work with would have been trying to track the flight of the gas canisters. It’s the “verb” - the action thing that has a profound effect. Requires good whip pan tracking.

Also the presenter here conveys a good sense of what’s going on. She’s not afraid to brave it; something forcs ( foreign correspondents) , and yes some domestic reporters do more often in troubled spots.

Interestingly and lets not take away from the fact it’s strong “theatre”, but Dave you said it yourself ” The final few scenes really are gripping stuff”.

But how do you get to those scenes, the chronological way or strongest pics ( agency approach)

The options for the team was a slow build up in which case the cue could have hinted at later. Or to reveal a slice of what happens and then build backwards to reveal the dénouement .

I’ll go have a look at their site, because having done this, there’s some great follow ups to get.

Great stuff

------------------------------------------

p.s latest addition to the post, the wonderful Marta Costello should learn the basics of shooting. She's talented plenty enough from what we see. However, the conventional route of reporter/ camera person is an achilles here, at least a major part at the end.

There were a couple of characters we could have gone back to during the riots, but the camera person did not have that immediate option, as he reaction from Marta was required. If Marta could film herself here this would have freed up the camera operator.

to get immediate reaction elsewhere.

p.s I have wanted to fold some of my deeper thoughts as well many newspaper, magazine articles and things like deep video, and managing story chaos into a manageable book.

Hopefully I'm a step nearer because of the fantastic Hillman Curtis. Once again Hillman thanks ever so much.

And thank to everyone else. I'm likely going to pull the plug on this blog soon, as I concentrate on a number of projects, one of which may well be looking at blogging itself.

Everyone needs a Rachel

A late night back home, the penultimate train, after a couple of hours in Soho with Rachel, who called up a friend.

Let me explain; we all have dreams, wild ambitious, sometimes half baked and cooky, but they are our dreams.

We toy with them in our heads, occasionally we allow them out and then put them in their pens again.

At times, after a drink or two ( Orange juice) we splutter and meander what it is in a circuitous way that only friends would entertain the pregnant pauses and 20: 20 stares.

And then when we do, some friends sagely looking into their beers, others shrug their shoulders and then there is the Rachel.

What did that mean? Why did that happen? What will that do? Who is that for?

A litany of questions, non threatening, but interrogative, whose purpose is designed for you to dig deeper, explain simpler, see farther.

Rachel is like that.

She's a colleague of mine, but more than that, an unassuming scholar, a practicing medical doctor who gave up the oath to pursue her own dreams and one of those seems to be how she can help those unlock what they wish they could unhinge.

Everyone needs a Rachel.

By the time I finished up to leave, I was much clearer of several questions I have myself shied away from. Her friend a senior exec in Microsoft agreed Rachel is an extraordinary person.

Video journalism film - I want to know the technical

It's one of the more common responses to open presentations I have given e.g. Apple, and I do often apologise for not being able to meet every one's expectations.

Some turn up just wanting to know what's possible. Others want a detailed break down of how a particular project was achieved; the story behind the story.

I'll hopefully be posting "the making of" with the global entertainment filminute film.

As with any project some of it is technique, then the rest inspiration and serendipity. It's often a mishap, but it works because you've made the mistake in a fruitful area.

It's the equivalent of a footballer sticking his foot out when a cross comes into the box. You have to be in the zone and then either by design or pure chance the ball connects with the footballer and goes in.

Which begs the question is there really a creative process in this thing at all.

Why Yes!

Maybe part of another tutorial should be getting yourself into the zone.

Paps do it and then sit patient. Have you noticed then as soon as their subject looks up, a torrid of flashes fire off?

PEOPLE AT WORK

Except, often artists conceal their inner workings or find it difficult to articulate why they did, what they did.

Some also consider it a bit rude when asked about their inner workings.

I find I'm more inclined to speak complete tech-speak in workshops, lectures and training sessions, obviously.

Coming back to this idea of making mistakes, I'm aware that the most common mistakes come good occur in compositing video. I know what I want to achieve, through technique, but will often be unaware what's set to come out.

When it works that's a joy

I know when I definitely don't like what I see, but that's rare.

But what is really prevalent in shooting is how I have come to discard my first thought for the visual narrative. Too easy is my thought and I'd like to be surprised as the viewer.

For that it's figuring out in those few minutes the best "other" place to let the lens follow the action and how that pushes the literary narrative.



SUBTLE TECHNIQUE

Ahh one thing rarely spoken about but so much part of my unconsciousness is how to adapt your metronome to the subject matter.

All visuals have an internal clock. In Chemistry I'd be telling you they work at different entropies and you wouldn't bat an eye lid.

The CEO?

How are you shooting her? Bland? Aggressive? Sympathetically?

And quite often these tells are NOT so obvious, BUT make a profound difference to the outcome of the film.

Film language's subtlety which is exploited by directors means you, the viewer, often can't say why you like a film even when there's nothing to like.

It boils down to visual journalism, something graphic artists are adept at, rearranging space.

Here's an example




One of these typographic messages is used at train stations. Can you guess which one?

Generation Next Digital Students in the classroom

This is a superb package with views that will be self evident to many, irrespective whether you're a lecturer or not.

I'm reminded of my own antics, my past which has become part of the school of learning both in and outside my Uni.

Made in 2004 and spotted from the Teachers Tube Network it is inspirational and also motivational and I agree with it more so than I disagree. There are some things I could pick holes.

We might have a philosophical chat on what now constitutes an accepted form of teaching, but yes we live in a visual world, and you have to be on the curve or ahead of it to make sense of the many questions which will be posed.

But after you've watched this I'd like to add my two-bits.

Classrooms can very often mirror society, so the range and diversity of knowledge can be broad. Broad enough to make some students feel inadequate and others to feel under nourished.

Part of the skill is recognising in the compressed time we have, to use Marine talk, "no one is left behind".

Last week I spoke to some of my colleagues about "Learning without Walls" - a world where the Fordisation of module delivery is almost non existent.

Many are gradually inching there, with cross -discipline modules on offer.

So I would hope my lecturer should have broad knowledge of other things. Many experts are looking to the Lecturer pretty soon becoming the "filterer" - much in the same way we speak about the journalist.


EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Experience is thus a good teacher

But there is another thing I would want from my lecturer/ teacher and I have found them in my own sister, who recently was informed by her educational authority in the borough of Kensington they would like to send newly qualified teachers to observe her.

We've seen him in Patch Adams, a mad bonkers, confident tutor looking to do things differently to heighten his students' sense of worth and sensation.

And more recently I heard her on BBC Radio 4, a breathless woman teacher talking about physics, CERN's new particle smasher, as if it were a racy novel.

I want to be inspired. I want to have fun. I want to learn.

My sister teaches young children, 5, 6 years old and on one occasion disappeared from the class in front of an educational expert and returned with flippers, a wig, face mask and tassles all around her.

The inspector was gobsmacked, the class went "wow" and they finished off their whale story in class of intrigue, group participation and at times utter silence.

Ultimately, and with greater transparency now, to quote Dan Gilmor, my audience know more than I do, and as such I confess I may not know about the latest AJAX. It may even deliberately be outside my sphere of knowledge.

But I'd like to know even if my Lecturer/teacher doesn't know, he/she had an idea of how to get somewhere closer to get to know.

That coincidentally is the job of a good researcher. You may not have the contact number for Obama , but you know someone, who knows someone who does and you can get it.

Teaching is often comodified because we serve a system predicated on exams and learning tolls, but it's also a medium to expand our horizons, to teach us to understand, to teach us to learn how to understand, to teach us that the process is a reciprocal one.

Help me to help you said Cruise's character - and for that no one should truly be left behind.

Post script: Incidentally the inspector who observed my sister at her school called some months later to the school and joined her class again, insisting she should not start any of her methods without him. Do you have spare flippers? he asked.

A tribute to the humble radio magician - Nigel Acheson

I'd like to apologize in advance, for my postings are more often than not specific to video and news, but today please forgive the imposition.

I have belatedly learned that someone whom I have the greatest admiration for, whom just by observing, whose generosity taught me about the human condition and the magic of radio has passed away.

Loftus production's Nigel Acheson wasn't just an award winning producer, but one of the nicest people you'd meet anywhere let alone the media.

It's very likely wherever you are in the world if you're a fan of radio, you would have heard one of his company's many, many programmes.

As a jobbing freelance journalists you'll know what it's like finding your next job- near impossible.

But a call from one of my mentors to Nigel would result in lunch and a meet with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Yasmin, a high profile commentator, was to due to chair two discussion programmes for BBC Radio 4.

Would I be interested in being the researcher, asked Nigel

Would I?

I leapt at it

It was an incredible experience and I was all the richer for it because Nigel was so supportive, and OMG I got paid.

On occasion I'd find an email in my inbox from Nigel about coming over for a barbecue he was organising.

You simply had to go and I did.

The obit I have just read from the Independent brought a wry smile. And even though you may not have known him, this extract I have pulled, I hope will lead you to read more.

He simply was the way we should all be, irrespective of who we are, what we do, and how well we do.

Our thoughts go out to him and those he loved.

"Acheson would have smiled gently if he had read these tributes and suggested that perhaps there was an element of exaggeration in them for, as Matt Thompson also said, "Nigel was not a flash person, nor was he a flash producer." But he would have been pleased to be remembered above all as a radio producer." More here

The global entertainment show - VJ way

I'm smashed.

Spent the afternoon honoring a shoot for Filmminute.com against a backdrop of other work.

The mission?

Filminute wants to develop its aggregated content into a fully fledged show, with the added caveat of making it "edgy" using the VJ Way, shot on a competitive budget.

I'd previously advised on some drop-in segments from the filminute team in various regions around the world.

Those were segued into a show format devised with one of the show's executive.

Then time to record some links to bump against the core content of the show; the finalist for this year's comp.

Their key partner, Selfridges has built a customised cinema in the store's lounge showing the films on a loop, which provided some good appropriate backdrops.

That went on for best part of the afternoon, with the show's exec proving to be an adept presenter.

Job done.

My rucksack, despite a huge improvement on my previous life in broadcast where we'd be hauling around blondes and redheads ( rigging lights), mini jib, digibeta, and vinten tripods etc., still felt like a sack of potatoes.

Though I might put that down to the hardback books, the equivalent of an A1 slabs, I had been carrying to varsity to devise new modules in multimedia.

I'd been looking forward to catching my Phd colleague, Dr Rachel Armstrong, presenting on her cytoplasmic theory, but for the life of me couldn't find the venue on Tottenham Court Road, somewhere called The Store.

Then there was a cataclysmic breakdown in the trains on the way home, which resulted in a circuitous series of buses.

Grrr.

I'll post some shots from the shoot over the weekend when I get to edit it.

Video journalism's must know core values- misunderstod

"Do you want peace?"

By the fourth time vanguard video journalist Ruud Elmendorp had sought an answer from one of the Lord Resistance' child soldiers, their eyes glazed with nothingness, two thoughts cross your mind.

Ruud is either being very reckless or very clever.

As a seasoned hack and video journalists, Dutch-born Ruud wears the experience of working Africa with such aplomb; he demonstrates he knows the area, its people and is highly respectful.

Question answered.

It was no small wonder the film took a major award, and garnered many critical reviews.

And here evidently lies two core values of video journalism on display.

1. The ability to unearth stories - a quality many of us possess.
2. The ability to on-the-fly film and weave together visuals in which the sum of their parts tell a compelling story - something many of us are learning.

One of the biggest assets for video journalism is how its widening the visual documentation of stories, from areas previously overlooked by mainstream.

But also, and this is equally big, how it can fundamentally redress the way we tell (news) stories to give them a boldness and to make you the viewer sit up and care about what you're watching.

That human endeavor, social reaction, our fears and hopes are universal and whilst Africa [ a figure of speech] may be 1000s of miles away from where ever you are, thus dimming our care quotient and appropriate response, the skill of the VJ is to make you care.

These are stories that are often unapologetic and devoid of celeb culture, hiding the template of good strong film making.

You've either come across them, just the characters are different as well as the contextual profoundness of the issues relative to their origin, or they take the mind on that mysterious journey good films are capable of executing.

Poverty in Africa? But you wouldn't have to search hard enough to find poverty in and around the big cities we occupy. The destitution is relative.

Today one of the richest banks in the world filed for bankruptcy. How can that be?

Context and relativity!

You've seen it may times, when the same networks pitch at the same stories, yet their final product differ. Many times they might almost look the same.

If news is about relaying contracted events, which in story telling shrunk to the point of anorexia, then video journalism is about restoring news stories as must sees, the film maker as the loquacious technician.

A film maker who understands how to arc the film to keep you tuned will not be worried by the fixed stanza of 1.20 minutes or 2.20.

If it's online, it should be as long as it is, in the same way a skilled film maker can have the boldness to take you up to three hours if the material is compelling.

We're wearing old clothes sown for us in a different era. Nostalgia and our parents telling us there's no more money to buy new ones, keeps these ill-fitted covers on our back.

The truncated duration of news and its a la carte delivery arose by default, then re-enforced by pollsters' audience research.

In the 90s BBC Director General John Birt insisted on a style broadcasters jokingly referred to as "Birts mission to explain".

A package should be all but self-contained. Aha the formulae.

The skilled visual broadcaster might not have adopted this but was masterful at grabbing your interests. Go back and listen to Fergal Keane in South Africa and Rwanda.

The newspaper inverted style of writing which would impact radio and TV News stories arose out of a basic necessity.

Stories were wired via telegraph from the source to their final destination, but the telegraph lines had a habit of going down, so it was both necessary and prescient to get the most important information at the top.

If the line disappeared during transmission you could count on the fact that the best part of the story got through.

Film makers, with their own canvass, have no use for the inverted triangle.

Meanwhile News could get x nunber of ad breaks in an half hour so making them 1.2o was ideal.

We're not bound by those constraints any more, at least online. And inspite of the cultural attention span we, netizens, have adopted, the belief is we can rewrite the rules.

Those incredible films you're seeing unfold online are a slow gathering testament to that.

Films that are crafted, not shot from the source of which we term "open wide" where the camera records uninhibited, a skill itself, but video journalism is about the craft.

Video journalism is about factual digital film making, "factual" - the operative word.

The banking industry senses a fundamental correction following this era of economic unrest. Lets hope so. Corporate greed has unleashed enough demons.

The fundamental correction to the media landscape may be in progress, but I'm still unsure it's had its big bang.

Tales of a video journalist

So my boss walks in the door and puts this box on the desk.

"There you are he says. When can we see something"

For the last fortnight I have been bricking it. Three newspapers surrounding our patch are posting video.

The bosses are getting nervy. You'd think their jobs are on the line.

In meetings they give it some welly, you know we must be doing video, but no one's told us quite how.

So we've taken to watching videos, lots of them; sometimes as much for an hour, and the truth, a lot of it is pretty shocking.

I wouldn't mind but the site our boss cites as the standard looks like that lot from South Park having a laugh.

Can't be that difficult though: point and shoot, a mate told me.

Yesterday, we heard from the local nick ( police) a VJ from another newspaper had been arrested and cautioned. He was filming outside a school, where it's alleged a local paedophile stalks.

The journo wanted to show what the perv sees, but a teacher nearby called the police, believing he was a perv.

His NUJ card didn't help much. Police referred him to some law governing the filming of children and gaining consent. Apparently he didn't know

Police cells stink of sick. urghh!

What's the point in all this? Came across a brilliant site, names escapes me, which spoke about increasing the diversity of stories, the ones mainstream fails to cover, but the piece also noted that if its not done well, you might as well not have bothered in the first place.

Jumped up TV ******* some of them, but tomorrow we're getting a TV guy in who's finally going to be teaching us video journalism.

Looking forward to this.

Tales of a video journalist, is a fictional account of a video journalist gleaned from feed back of more than 200 video journalists and their own stories, which will appear on Viewmag.blogspot.com.

GOP ?? what does that mean?

If you're anywhere but the US, 10 seconds.. what does GOP mean?

In 2002 one US newspaper declined to use the term for the Republicans suggesting many people would not understand what it meant.

Surprisingly the use of the acronym in the wake of the Republican's move for modernity and change rubs somewhat against: Grand Old Party.

There, now we can read through those political newspaper tombs littered with GOP and be a little wiser, or not as the case may be.

video journalism to cinema

David with VJs feeding back comments on shot

I had one of those eureka moments with a colleague of mine Steve May who runs e Script writing on the Masters in Film on campus.

The upshot of our exchange is that in a couple of weeks I'm pitching a film idea at a script session organised by Steve that includes producers from the hugely successful working title.

As Steve put it, you'll get some very good feedback, if you're up for it and I'd like to work with you on the script.

The brief is essentially a video journalism feature piece, but I'll be using tried and tested methods within video journalism to up the ante.

And in case you're wondering, the three act tale with arcs, so much a feature of film making has been part of video journalism for the best part of ten years, is one of them.

For about 20 minutes we stood in the court yard ping-ponging film talk at each other.

Steve: As far as scripts go, it's not one of the classic thriller script but what makes Bourne work is the editing and Greengrass' sense of tension. For classic thriller go see Marathon Man.

Me: Yes, but its his tagging and blocking - derived from documentary making- also a feature of video journalism, and dramas like Homicide that makes Greengrass's stuff edgy.

Steve: the docu drama look - if you look back at some of Cecil B DeMille's work you'll see this at work.

And so it went culminating in Steve asking me to come and speak to a group of film makers about the video journalism approach.

What we all share in common, I suppose is, character development and the metronome of story telling.

By the way when I say character development, it's in part a reference to the central characters in a piece and whether or not they're suitable for the piece.

Broadcasters squaring up to Newspapers

Internal reviews and policy implementations are an ongoing affair within any media outlet.

Often its a genu-reflective of their direction and how management need to stem the hemorrhaging of viewers and readers.

Sometimes it can be an exercise in self-indulgence; ignoring the obvious signs as scaremongering. This thing called the Net, it won't survive, was the tune being sang by many a management in the early days.

Now, mainstream media has more or less adopted the free-for-all tools of participatory info flows, but that might not be nearly enough.

There lies an inherent attitude thing. What do our viewers think about us?

First you've got stop your readers from drifting, then you've got to up the ante, get bullish and win them back, then drive the numbers up.

The two require different strategies and due to the nature of the wisdom of crowds, require constant attention.

The problem Labour are going through reflect that as much: first we've got to stop the rot, then steady the ship, then drive the new message. Place the wrong one in front of the other and you're in danger of being ridiculed.

In the 70s/ 80s and 90s, specialist pollsters were almost exclusively responsible or judging the health of a network and prescribing medicine that ran along the lines of: counter programming, tent polling and hammocking - a process of running a new show or item between two successful shows favoured by NBC.

The net rendered the more austere of these redundant, though many schedulers still work around similar processes.

In the last couple of months the BBC in particular has been pushing its offline to the web with regular announcements on radio and TV of added value online.

Not just an extension of the same but by a neat trick of changing the direction of a story at the last few seconds of the item, and then telling the listeners there's more on line.

Digital experts refer to this as a second shift aesthetic.

Within the BBC and a number of broadcasters it has not been lost on them that newspapers are making heavy inroads into web audiences, so the debate is skewing to how do we ( media) extend the shelf life per item of our correspondents.

How do we use the web for more breaking stories? How do we keep the audience in our garden.

Watch out at some point for perma links on TV, more cross talk between the online and offline teams in hand overs and perhaps another new favorite of "ploughing".

The latter I'll explain in a visual theme I'm working on very soon.

When network TV interviews politicians

David during his News presenting days - more pics on front of viewmagazine.tv and at bottom of posts

Bidding for a politician to come on your new network is one of the most pressing functions for broadcasters. For any researcher and producer given the task it amounts to a sacking or favoured son/daughter moment.

Once at Newsnight I remember pleading to the point of desperation with my government spokesman to come on the show.

Tim Gardam, the editor at the time, made it clear: get the spokesman in the studio.

So here's my play guide at Broadcasters interviewing politicians.

1. Before the good old days of instant audience feedback and blogs, programme makers worried very little about what the audience thought. They likely still feel that way. About the only thing on their mind is what rival broadcasters think.

2. Making a bid for a politician means talking to their party machinery. First the personal secretary or press office depending on what number you have or better still if you know the party chief strategist, pulling in a personal favour.

3. At the time of bidding, the team are also vetting you. Who's going to give them a good run? The arm chair approach or the confrontational.

4. First time out, as a newly elected, the team are looking for a soft landing inteviewer. Some one who won't be rude, will not want to be scoring points on banana skins and understands the game.

You can be firm, but cross the line and you're exclusives are out. See you in the pool and then some.

During the 2001 general election in the UK, Channel 4 political programme powerhouse ran an item I'd produced around national insurance contributions. It imagined a "what if" NI hike by labour. A senior labour spokesman being questioned by the venerable Michael Brunson, called the item twaddle or thereabouts claiming labour would never put up NI - which Labour had never pledged. Ooops!

Labour's leaders, Blair and Brown, refused from then on to take any questions from the Powerhouse team in news conferences. Funny thing was, the editor of Powerhouse was Andrew Brown, Gordon Brown's brother, here providing me with a glowing reference.

The Powerhouse team though did wonder what Sunday meals must have been like with the Browns at home.

5. Some call it the Apollo syndrome. When the expeditions first started NASA needed the air time, but then Apollo missions became bland and the networks turned off. That is until disaster struck and the networks needed the exclusives.

The Network needs the politician to deliver ratings so a tacit agreement kicks in about what can and cannot be talked about. It's a barter. Anything off limits and that's it you're done.

Interviewing the Tory's Secretary of state for transport, Brian Mawhinney, during the Major government I was warned by his team I could not ask about the M11 motorway expansion plans.

After my second question I ran out of ideas, so asked the question. The interview was near stopped.

6. In the bid you'll put forward the presenter likely to be doing the interview. At some point you'll put your journalist on the line with the party machine. They'll talk for several minutes.

7. On interview day, you arrive with crew and whilst you're setting up, your presenters prepping. Often that means talking to the interviewer, smoothing over how it'll start and the direction. Specific questions are not spoken about, but the strategist will be conferring with you researcher and producer about off limit subjects as well as gauging what you're looking for.

Journalists like Jeremy Paxman don't do small talk, as far as I recall working on Newsnight. He might just about say hello, but then that's it.

8. The politician has been coached how to deal with journalist:

rule a) Call him or her by their first name. It destroys any notion with the interviewer that this is confrontational and if it does go that way, the audience look on thinking " how could that SOB do that to that person".

b) Always look at the presenter. If you don't know the answer to a question turn it into a question. It'll buy you time and in some cases the nice presenter will fill in some gaps for you.

c) If you don't know an answer pose the question and don't fill in the silences. TV presenters get paid to fill in silences otherwise it aint TV. Likewise if you want to make a point and you're talking across each other, don't back down. TV presenters get paid to back down otherwise it aint good TV.

9. How much research did you pass by your presenter? Loads, you handed your presenter the Magna Carta. Unfortunately there's only a set number of minutes available and because there's no one issue to hammer, it's likely the interview will be expansive merely touching various points.

And unless that is your presenters is wired up with an ear piece to an off camera editor, the presenters on their own. Even the most skilled presenters need a good editor/producer to help them zone in on answers usually glazed over.

10. When the interview is completed the party will ask for a copy. Don't give it to them until you've broadcast otherwise they'll want cuts and lean heavily on you with future offerings if you don't.

Also watch out for the freebie exclusive tickets to Tennis, and the inner sanctum. There are many ways of thanking a presenter for a "great interview".

You've just played the interview game. No blood on the floor. Your reputation in tact and your interviewer fights to see another day. Even become vice president- when you get pay back.

Meanwhile your interview gets syndicated and agencied to every broadcast around the world. The politican shuts the gates to all others: "Sorry no more interview at the moment". Unless that is you can promise us something....

p.s I got my spokesperson in the studio who spoke about government action in Child abuse cases.


A few of David's interviews

Interviewing the Director of Chatham House

Interviewing former director of the CIA, James Woolsey


Interviewing US Special Forces in Africa

Interview with Political Assassin Dirk Coetzee, South Africa : sorry no video controls on this yet.