A low-cost protoype for video blogcasting - for newsrooms of any size.
MOSCOW — After talking with editors and publishers at The World Newspaper Congress I came away with the distinct insight that these two themes (small screens, sticky content) will define the new demands for effective digital delivery. From PSPs to iPods, mobile phones to PDA’s - it’s a world of small, mobile screens and a news audience with fussy attention spans that news providers must learn how to serve better.
These aren’t just some random amusements twice removed from actual data or experience - Visual Editors was invited by the directors of the World Editors Forum to use their Moscow venue to conduct a live video blogcast and multiblog experiment. An experiment that thankfully did not blow up in my face although the limits of what two journalists (myself and John Burke - the editor of the Editors Weblog) can self-produce in the field became clear.
The tech is not the story. The ability for professional journalists to deliver richer and more interactive stories is. In Moscow we proved that a fully-trained reporter can create and file great video, still frame and text from anywhere in the world using a tiny $300 digicam, and free blog software. The barriers for cost, mobility and access have been removed so all that remains is for newsrooms to embrace the value of telling a wider range of stories - whether they are destined for print, smart phone or iPod.
Some thoughts, react and follow on to the low-budget new media workshop that was operated adjacent to the main stage in the hall at the World Editors Forum.
Print newsrooms will have to produce compelling stories in different forms
Few newsrooms have the multimedia resources of a New York Times or Washington Post so it is important to understand that the goal of this project was not primarily focused as a technology experiment as it was designed to test if compelling and breaking stories can be quickly produced at extremely low cost by independent journalists in the field. Tech is merely the means to getting to and then telling a great story.
The real challenges in this first phase are finding a comfort level with the technology and inversting in training and culture management to guide text-based editors and reporters to think and act beyond words destined for newsprint.
There was tremendous interest from the more youthful in attendance (Russian students and young editors) for these short-form video blogs. Really not a surprise to me that the students connect with this media — short-form video is something they value and enjoy. Who here hasn’t e-mailed a ‘You Tube’ vid to a mate?
No tripod was used - on purpose. Now what that means is that impromptu candid videos and breaking news (Like the young Bolshevik’s protest in the Kremlin) can be captured as it happens without any fuss. Indeed, I was able to capture the video without interrupting anyone.
The young print and online editors who stopped by to talk with us seemed to understand that the goal of this project isn’t just to put video on the internet but to demonstrate to editors the value in getting stories you would not otherwise have and telling them in interesting ways.
Indeed, shooting and assembling some of these video - like the rush hour ride on the Moscow Metro and Dinner at Kolomenskoye were assemble-edited on a Mac in a matter of minutes using cut and paste. No CG, no ‘branded’ logo flyovers, no dissolves, no fancy Final Cut Pro effects - just honest and effective quick cuts. Made possible by a $30 software program.
The results defy the humble tools used to produce them. Making a couple of these films reminded me of my roots as a documentary photojournalist. I am hopeful about the range of forms video reporting can bring to traditional text-driven newsrooms. With experience and imagination will come many better examples I am sure. Please share yours with us.
Sticky content
By serving these videos up in a dynamic multiblog (with text, still photos, podcast audio, video as well as a photo blog and headlines from our forums) we sought to satisfy other goals in creating a great, comprehensive experience. A sticky site that is easy to navigate and rewarding to explore.
Stickiness is another problem highlighted in Moscow. Newspaper sites we were told by presenters have the hits and some (like the New York Times) have taken the tack of raising their search-engine rankings by buying internet companies like About.com.
But the struggle that many editors relayed is to keep people on their site after the intial itch has been scratched. Most people seem to leave straight off after finding what they were looking for in a seatch result.
So with this workshop project the sum of the videos and the intuitive dynamic nature of the blog design we trust is truly greater than coming in for just one the individual components. For journalists that’s important because the range of storytelling can be richly detailed on a site that works like this.
From Vox pops (interview Q&As) to the animated still frames of documentary scenes, these new tools are allowing reporters and editors to get closer to the story. And then bring their audience along with.
What are your impressions of this project?
» Robb Montgomery is an international newspaper design and multimedia consultant and the founder and CEO of the non-profit Visual Editors.com
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