The amazing Angela Grant creator of newsvideographer.com

The amazing Angela Grant creator of newsvideographer.com from david dunkley gyimah on Vimeo.
She's young, savvy and punches above the multimedia water line.

When I caught up with Angela Grant of News Videographer, I wanted to know how she got into the profession and her thoughts on how it was developing.

We're in Chicago - all having dinner - when I brought out my from my coat pocket the Canon IXUS 70. So the lighting is highly saturated and the sound tinny in parts.

There's a bit of a misunderstanding when I reply to Rob Montgomery of Visual Editors, whether modest Angela isn't being too magnanimous about her past and achievements.

Video News
What's truly inspiring here is Angela's candour as well as her understanding and creative wrestling of video journalism and multimedia - from her site News Videographer, and training programmes she's given.

If you're a journo student, trainee, pro or manager, Angela brings a level of discourse to this new form, which sets the bar.

The following day I interviewed her on the Sony A1, which I'll dig out at some point.

The amazing Angela Grant - Interview

Picture by John Davenport from Angela Grant's portfolio

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

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

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

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

It never stops.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anyways, the amazing Angela Grant coming soon.

Videos Online - future standards

It wasn't too long ago that we were crying out for a greater experience online. Constricted pipes prevented anything approaching 100kp downloads.

The magic number by technologists was 8mb download speeds, which would enable us to watch lives stream - mirroring the data rate of tvs' stream.

Livestation.com has already cracked that, with a fair few other ISPs; the experience of watching online may not quite be television but its creeping closer.

And yes whilst the two are not the same, I firmly believe the experience of watching a film at 640X480 or more outstrips 320X240.

You only have to watch an Apple trailer at different sizes to get the point or less Holly wood Studio Vincent Laforet which I came across on Angela Grant's superb videographer - posted by Dan Chung.

Or please do have a look at Hillman Curtis' new stuff who uses prime lenses to achieve such great shallow depths of field.

Consumer end, we're getting there. Most of the movies I can now post will make it around 950x540 with file sizes as low as 25mb thanks to the supreme compression in the h264 codec.

This morning I posted some of the films that reflect, I hope, a more appreciative viewing experience, as well as what I use VJ for: news, docs, commercials, long format programmes and corporates.

As videojournalism matures, full quality screen will become the norm; granted grainy news worthy images will still take pride of place, but with new camera-lens technology, the experience is about to go up several notches.

Journalism is about to get more visceral.

Camp video journalism London?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Multimedia: ignoring the timeline: Thinking spatially

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

Lets play video journalism tag

Last few weeks have been some heavy lifting. Hence the lack of a regular postings, which I should be able to pick up soon.

That said I'll be migrating from blog soon to word press as there is I now perceive a greater degree of flexibility and robustness that will help me describe the myriad things crossing my path.

Meanwhile lots and lots of Masters student's thesis/ work to mark and my PhD on Innovation in Journalism is providing some very steep but exhilarating discoveries.

At an event called Camp Video journalism with the ebullient Robb Montgomery I was able to share a few of those with the attendants.

Essentially it involved me demonstrating, using empirical evidence, the art of story telling as it exists now through contemporary and new television and less so because I really didn't want to go too theoritical examining the renaissance masters work.

Why?

Because all the modern day guidelines you hear at journalism colleges and tv studios developed from visual essayists over the years and then broken artists.

Rules such as the 180 degree, crossing the line, and the rule of 2/3s are NOT rules; they're guidelines to help us often get the best from a piece of work.

But if you believe television/cinema/music is a creative medium, then right now you've probably identified a dozen or so people who's work you so admire and the reason often is because they're discarded some of the 'rules" we hold sacrosanct.


Meeting Angela Grant

Angela Grant at News Videographer and one of the engaging, let alone talented video journalists I have come across will be the subject of a 5 minute Q and A.

She inspiring for this new evolving profession, and the new generation having graduated from Uni some two years ago. She reminds me of a colleague Rachel Elllison, now an MBE - a rare title handed down from the Queen for services to people etc - and I wold not be surprised if Angela pretty soon attracted such high praise from public servants higher up in the US.
[NB sorry you can't get and MBE if you're not British]

There are a couple of films we're making and then I'll park a shedload of articles etc on viewmagazine and Camp Videojournalism.co.uk as well as Mrdot.co.uk so please drop by.

One of the areas I'm really keen on talking about is Sports Videojournalism, and from some of my morning runs I'll be talking about some of the creative areas of sports productions using videojournalism.

That's it. Hopefully see you soon. I'm back to cut the promo.

Video Journalism and Camp Video Journalism - Chicago

Front page of Videojournalism site for the UK's first regional newspaper videojournalists. The combination of VJ, site building and multimedia is what David refers to as Integrated Multimedia Video Journalism IMVJ.

More here

I'm in Chicago soon to meet friends, talk and mix it up with practical and theoretical ideas 'bout Video journalism, and exchange views into the small of the night.

I'll be joining Angela Grant whom I've not met but know her work - great stuff - from News Videographer.com and Robb Montgomery from VisualEditors.com in what's been penned as CAMP VIDEOJOURNALISM.

It's something we dreamt up while in Cairo together

I'm hoping to see some of the different styles emerging and see if I can spot some Video journalism trends and trajectories.

There are a range of international VJs/ solo news film makers whose work I so admire: Washington Post's Travis Fox whose film about a bereaved 911 father who helps rebuild the pentagon is a constant source for my students year on year.

Last year one of them rang him up. He missed the call and duly rang her back. Top Bloke!

Then there are the VJ/ solo film makers I've had the privilege of meeting: Naka Nathaniel - awesome a truly nice guy to boot; Scott Rensberger who should frankly stop winning awards; Dutch Ruud Elmendorp - an award winning VJ based in East Africa, and Stephan Bachenheimer whom made Guantanamo Unplugged. Watch it!

There are some things we share in common, some things we do differently but often arrive at the same goal, and some things that are poles apart.

You say Tomato and we say Tomato.

Just as television has its cultural nuances and flows ( see Raymond Williams, the same could be said of video journalism. Though good stuff invariably travels well irrespective.

But as film makers what we do is learn, borrow and God forbid steal visual ideas from each other.

In my career one of the most invaluable pieces of advice was: Listen and Learn. ABC News' style is different from the BBC, which was not the same as defunct agency WTN, which is another kettle of fish to Channel 4 News, which looks to have nothing in common with Channel One TV - a VJ station.

I worked at all of these at some point.

But all provide recombinant DNA for something else, which could either work or be bloody messy.

However there is no prescriptive route to creativity and its execution. We learn assimilate and then take the stabilisers off and find a setting that enables us to replicate, but also surpass those around us.

Tutors teach students whom will likely, very quickly, streak past their tutors own knowledge in this speedy media scape. Experience is crucial, but we also need an injection of the zeitgeist - what's happening now. It also keeps us sprightly.

Traditional film and TV making skills are still crucial - absolutely. TV lets us know what video journalism can do, and multimedia news making when that becomes the norm will thumb its nose at video journalism. Hah!

We have endless debates online about video, video journalism, which are absolutely necessary; the end goal is about a product, so a major solution is to go do.

We'll succeed and fail and do it again and then succeed some more and then find our voice - and when we do that voice will be unique to its author.

After all we are painters with video and you wouldn't expect craftsmen and women to all paint the same.