Clean video and messy media packs

Last week I covered the European Cinema summit and European Council meeting  while at Reuters Television in Brussels, Belgium.

Some points I learnt on camera work are to pan only on one axis. Either go up or down or left or right. Diagonally panning is challenging, even more so without a tripod, and it will most likely look shaky and unnatural to the eye.

Furthermore, when doing a pan, hold shot still for five seconds, pan for a couple seconds, hold shot for five seconds, pan back and hold shot for five seconds. You then can choose between a still of the first frame, the pan forward, the pan back or the still of the second frame.

A German cameraman I was working with explained to me how a video camera is just for recording. When using a camera you must search with your eye and plan framing, shots, sequences and the logical visual story telling in your head. Then record it. Never just hit record and go searching for the anything and everything.

Another cameraman showed me how using monopod the bottom tucked into a ‘bum bag’ or ‘fanny pack’ is a great way to hold steady, level and maneuverable shots when you are unable to use a tripod.

When using a boom microphone from a long way away, an interviewee will often finish their comments then another interviewee meters away will start talking. At this point 20 cameras, boom microphones and reporters turn to the other interviewee. Often you will have trouble getting your microphone into a good position before the interviewee starts talking. But it is better to spend 15 seconds positioning your boom microphone so it is within 50 centimeters of the interviewee’s mouth, and missing their first answer, rather than having the boom microphone only vaguely close, where their answers are barely heard. Sound and vision in agency stories needs to be of  perfect quality, and except for exceptional circumstances where your low quality work is exclusive, and are often worth little if they are substandard.

When in a media pack and trying to get doorstep interviews off people arriving at an event, get in position at the entrance where sources will have to be as close to you as possible. Otherwise, a potential interviewees may be able to walk on the other side of the room and avoid you. This way, even if they hear your question, they can pretend they were too far away to hear, and not answer. Also, ask your question at the perfect time. If you yell your question when they are far away they may avoid you. Ask just as they come into position for perfect interview framing with the camera. This way if you ask a question, everyone watching the recorded video will be able to see the interviewee heard the question, and if they ignore you then they risk looking like they are avoiding the topic in front of the audience. Therefore when stuck in this position a politician will give you an answer.

When doing agency news stories it is essential to always explore the international angle of a story. However prime ministers are usually concerned more about what voters in their country think of them, rather than people from across the world, who can’t vote for or against them. Therefore when trying to get a doorstep interview with prime ministers, a good first question to get their attention is one that focuses on their country’s domestic politics. Once you have them on camera you can then turn to more internationally focused questions.

Ask impartial, not leading questions. But ask questions that elicit sources to defend their position. Instead of asking Irish prime minister Brian Cohen, ‘Do you think the Irish people will accept the amended Lisbon Treaty?’, I asked ‘What will you do if the Irish people reject the amended Lisbon Treaty?’ This forced him to consider his concrete responses a potential outcome, rather than allowing him to only discuss the outcomes he wants to talk about.

Finally, make interviewees justify, explain and give examples for their answers. Often when a politician chooses to speak to the media for a quick doorstep interview, they will have something they want to say. No matter what question they are asked, they will give the answer to the question they wish they were asked. Therefore allow them to give their preferred answer without cutting them off with a new question. This way they will be comfortable speaking to you. But  once they finish their practiced line, ask them to justify and explain their answer and any potential gaps of information in it.

Next week read how the Brussels Film Festival will give more creative opportunities. But the challenge lies in turning them into stories that pulls viewers across the world, not just a niche film audience.