I imagine a great and compelling story as a compilation of perfect elements like how individual pieces fit together to form a puzzle. For video, sound and sight are additional elements that can trigger the ooh-la-la factor in viewers.
As powerful and descriptive words may be, nothing is as precise or clear as listening to the helpless moans of a suffering drug addict or the light crackling of coffee beans getting tossed in a wicker basket. The visual element of seeing the green and lush backdrop of the Rwandan countryside or needles puncturing skin is far better a storyteller than black monotonous-looking words.
Travis Fox's "Women's Work"
I watched Travis Fox's story on the rising role of women in Rwandan society since the genocide. The story was particularly captivating because I recently read a book called We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families that detailed the war between the Tutsis and Hutus from a journalist's perspective (Philip Gourevitch). However, unlike the story, there was a happy outcome in which women were thriving and finding a place for themselves in society and in the econony. |
What worked:
As powerful and descriptive words may be, nothing is as precise or clear as listening to the helpless moans of a suffering drug addict or the light crackling of coffee beans getting tossed in a wicker basket. The visual element of seeing the green and lush backdrop of the Rwandan countryside or needles puncturing skin is far better a storyteller than black monotonous-looking words.
Travis Fox's "Women's Work"I watched Travis Fox's story on the rising role of women in Rwandan society since the genocide. The story was particularly captivating because I recently read a book called We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families that detailed the war between the Tutsis and Hutus from a journalist's perspective (Philip Gourevitch). However, unlike the story, there was a happy outcome in which women were thriving and finding a place for themselves in society and in the econony. |
What worked:
- landscape images of Rwanda's countryside (forests, fields, habitats)
- very intimate, closeup shots of people's faces and objects
- outsider narration
- central character (Jeanette) who viewers followed from beginning to end
- high res. camera
- intimacy with the central character (close up on her eyes as the opening shot)
Border Stories - "Tijuan, Staying Negative"
I also saw a drug-health case from Border Stories. It was about the troubling state that Tijuana is in with high numbers of cocaine and crystal meth addicts as well as prostitutes. HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing due to shared needles and unprotected sex, yet many of its citizens are apathetic.
What worked:
- Wide range of shots from different angles, height and distance (ground shots enhanced story)
- entire package was based on personal accounts of the issue (all SOTs, no VO)
- Raw, unedited footage
- Very real experience
- More angles to the story (help of UCSD medical team, soccer, streets of Tijuana)
- camera was not as clear
Essentially, both of them were very similar in that the videographers only used one camera, but the style of the shots and the overall package gave off different vibes.
For Travis Fox's Women's Work story, it was more like a short film than a news package. It was more 'profesionally-produced', but it was not something the audience could experience.
For the Tijuana story, it felt like we were living through the lens of the camera. What the camera showed us was what we felt and had to endure, whether the sweltering heat seen from the waves on the ground or the despair of those dying to get their next fix of drugs.
Both stories wouldn't be as compelling if it wasn't for the video (sound and sight elements) that accompanied the writing. Video in online journalism right now is an accessory, but soon will become a necessity.
For Travis Fox's Women's Work story, it was more like a short film than a news package. It was more 'profesionally-produced', but it was not something the audience could experience.
For the Tijuana story, it felt like we were living through the lens of the camera. What the camera showed us was what we felt and had to endure, whether the sweltering heat seen from the waves on the ground or the despair of those dying to get their next fix of drugs.
Both stories wouldn't be as compelling if it wasn't for the video (sound and sight elements) that accompanied the writing. Video in online journalism right now is an accessory, but soon will become a necessity.
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