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Coming from a career that demanded more than 24/7, it’s hard for me to sit back and do nothing during my summer break. After a few days (heck – a few hours) of relaxation, I get bored. Not bored enough, mind you, to clear out the back forty. But after months in a classroom full of high school students, bored enough to look for adult company.
This summer, as part of an experiment, I’ve offered to shoot the occasional news story using video for my local paper – the Lodi News Sentinel.
The why? First, can’t live without a camera in my hand and a reason to turn it on. Plus, a lot of curiousity about whether video adds audience to a website.
So far, I’ve posted one – about the dedication of a new section of a county park. I think the video added something photos and maybe even words couldn’t – a sense of place. What the area really looks/feels like.
My final reason for wanting to volunteer in this capacity is to learn how a newspaper works. I’m not sure if the Sentinel is an exception or the rule, but from what I’ve seen it doesn’t have the chaos and tension of a broadcast newsroom. Discussions are thoughtful, focusing on the subject at hand. I’ve only had one or two news directors who could equal Editor Richard Hanner; a thoughtful man who paces his thinking and questions in such a way that the listener must also slow down and reflect before responding. None of the shoot-em-out style so often seen in old movies.
The organization and workflow mirror broadcast news…with differences. More on that later, as I continue my journey.
First it was Multimedia Shooter. Now it’s Howard Owens. Do you get the feeling the Luddites are winning?
All spammers deserve whatever karma-evil might befall them in this life or the next, and forever and ever. Sorry howardowens.com has been non-functional for so long. For the third or fourth time, the site was hacked (gotta love that WordPress leaky-hole philosophy of security). I tried to upgrade to fix that hack, but that just made the site non-functional. I knew it would be a hassle to fix, and I’ve been mighty damn busy, so I let things slide. Tonight, I tried to fix things, and then reinitiate the upgrade … same problems arose. So, I’ve completely obliterated my WP PHP files (database is backed up, so I’m not toooo worried about losing old posts (but will feel much better once I see them live again). But I think the only way out of this mess is to do a clean install of WP (I would love to convert to the more secure Drupal, but haven’t the time or sufficient expertise to take that on right now). I’ve been at this mess for a couple of hours tonight. It’s bed time … hopefully, nothing will interfere with my ability to try again to fix things tomorrow night. Howard Owens on June 3, 2008 at 11:33 p.m. EDT.
One to ten isn’t a bad shooting:editing ratio. My final story runs a bit over three minutes – and I shot possibly 35 minutes of tape. As usual, I keep wondering what shots I missed…what I could have gotten. More faces I know. (Everyone was at the ceremony, which I didn’t want to shoot.) The biggest problem with shooting at dusk is the light – I want that wonderful light, but it fades quickly and shooting time is limited.
Regarding the edit…not many changes. The audio flowed together smoothly. I’m still not used to hearing my voice after so many years of editing professional reporter/anchor sound. So, for your consideration….click on the link above and see how it goes.
The purpose of this post is to demonstrate the process of shooting, writing, and editing a story.
Last night I went to the local Relay for Life – an awareness event/fundraiser sponsored by the American Cancer Society. I went in with a few ideas – was the walk a solitary solemn event or folks walking and talking. It was both, neither, and not at all what I envisioned.
Weber Point was crowded with tents, booths, and walkers and gawkers. More a party than a remembrance moment. Got the event chairperson nailed for an interview first thing so I’d have enough information to ask intelligent questions. Don’t get me wrong – I know a bit more about cancer than the average person, but I needed to know more about this event.
Next I just wandered in the crowd. Got a few shots, but nothing I liked. The paths were lined with small white paper bags with sand and candles in them. I knew I was going to have to wait for my story…with night the story might develop. I ran into a former co-worker and we caught up on each other’s history as I waited for dusk.
I was right…as the sun went down, my angle emerged. Dark and light – disease and hope. Light was my theme….I saw volunteers lighting the bagged candles and spoke with them. The plain flat bags glowed with an inner serenity…like souls returned for a brief period to light the way for those still here. Then all the lights went out and the formal ceremony began. And I left for the far reaches of the park.
Ceremonies can be entertaining and enlightening…and this one, from what I could see from the outskirts, was appropriate to the spirit of the event. What I was looking for wasn’t in the crowds though…it was with the lone wolves, like me, who wandered looking for something lost. The light of a life gone forever.
Once I found what I was looking for, I left with plans to review the tape Sunday and write and edit.
Sunday midday (1:55) and I’m checking over last night’s video from the Relay for Life. First things first – before I start dreaming about how to write the story, I need to log the interviews and gather additional information. I had a gut feeling last night as I wandered in the dark about how this story might go together. Let’s see if I can pull this off.
3:17pm…still logging. Whenever I get tired, I go out and do some yardwork to stretch. Plus, there are the usual Sunday distractions. Should be done soon.
Nearly 6pm…
Ah distractions. The logging is completed. Now for some think time. And no – this is not a real deadline. I’ve had 28+ years of deadlines and now I like to reflect and consider options a bit. My interviews with the volunteer candle lighters were good. I have one interview with a young mother holding her infant daughter which had potential…and may still work. She fell apart during the interview. There are times to keep rolling during a situation like this and times you just shut down and wait. I did the latter and continued with her voice only. I’ll be back in a bit with a script – and then begin the edit.
6:45pm
For me the script is either the nightmare or the easy part. The latter applies tonight. Here it is.
Relay script
6/8/08The night was all about light.
4:57/Gina
It’s just the spark of life, the energy coming alive. With all these candles lit, the energy here it just intensifies and everyone is so….And darkness…
4:50/Randie
…cancer never sleeps. People that are diagnosed with that disease don’t get a break.And…
(begin pan with HOPE and dissolve to Danaris interview)
18:53/Damaris – You hope, but for me it just means that hope, that doing all this and raising awareness and the funds that it brings a cure
The American Cancer Society held its annual Relay for Life tonight in Stockton. Sixty teams took part, raising thousands of dollars to fund local cancer support operations. But also…
:26/Randie – We celebrate, remember, and fight back. We celebrate those that have survived; we remember those that we’ve lost; and we figure out how we’re going to fight back for a cure the other 364 days of the year.
When daylight fades and night begins to draw its cloak across the land, darkness falls.
But tiny sparks of light fight back.
Light appears in smiles
And reflections…
It hovers overhead…
Bouncing off cranes carrying wishes…
And streamers of gold and silver waving…waving….But mostly the light emerged from plain white paper bags….which flowed with and inner serenity…like souls returning for a brief period to light the way for those still here.
The candle lighters bend and light, bend and light…4:17/Gina – It’s tiring but it’s worth it. It’s worth every minute because each bag represents a life…an energy that is here and some that aren’t physically with us, but their energy is here. The ones that are lost and the ones that are still here to fight. I’m twenty-one years – twenty-one years! I had ascophsychoma brain tumor when I was sixteen. I’m cancer-free twenty-one years this year.
Twenty-one years of looking to the light…
5:17/Gina – No words can describe it.
6:42/Brad – Right now I’m thinking: I just have to get them all lit. But later on in the night I like to walk by and look at all the bags and wonder who these people are because often I don’t know who almost any of them are.
We can never know them all. Each bag represents a life. A life snuffed out too early. A light representing a life…gone…forever…
I’ll edit tonight and post tomorrow. And, as usual, visuals and inspiration will drive me…so there may be changes.
Added June 13, 2009
I seem to be getting tons of hits for this posting…and while I appreciate the company, FYI this blog is about videojournalism. Please don’t leave disappointed – if you want to see the 2008 Stockton (CA) Relay For Life, go here for the actual video of the event. Enjoy.
(Original posting June 7, 2008)
Regular readers – stand by for a few lines. The next two paragraphs are for my students.
Hey kids…I know you got your letters, cause I got some calls. Apparently most of you got the them yesterday and one student indicated she wanted to go on the Relay for Life story. Please remember it is CRITICAL that you tell your parents when you call me and say you want to go on a field trip. I got one very surprised mom who was interested to learn her child was going somewhere tonight. After our little chat, apparently you are staying home. Communicate with the folks.
By the way, the Yosemite trip is nearly full. Vanessa and Ivan are definites. Enrique and Tina probables, as is Matt. So one seat for sure left…and if the others don’t confirm soon, more seats available.
OK … on with the posting.
In about 45 minutes I’m heading out to the Relay for Life event in Stockton. I’ll post some stills late tonight when I get back…but the plan is to shoot right around sunset to get the best light and also the candles which are lit for those who died of cancer.
Former co-worker Lisa Sota is there with her team. Her mom and aunt are twins. Mom survived cancer and aunt succumbed a number of years ago to the disease.
My plan – shoot for a few hours tonight. Slowly…so I can feel what the story is about. Will it be silent? Folks walking together, but alone in their thoughts? Or chatty groups, walking with a cause in mind? This is the kind of thinking you need to do as you approach a story. Don’t determine what it’s about beforehand…but go over possibilities and be prepared for anything.
I know the area…so I’ll get a good wide shot. I can see how the candles (in paper bags) will look in my mind. The rest is wide open. Stay tuned and see how this worked out.
Expect an update sometime after 10pm. And if you’re reading this and need a jolt – a reason to get out and try out your gear or refresh your spiritual soul…this is a great story and it is happening in many cities tonight. If you shoot, let me know and I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
Took longer than I thought…and the my final angle is not what I anticipated. The photo above gives you a hint…and it is more than the four letters.
More tomorrow…
Strong visuals and concise words draw the audience in. A proven formula…and one I’m using to solve a personal problem. My daughter. We live in the country and she has a soft spot for the downtrodden. In this case it’s nine feral kittens who were abandoned by their moms. The neighbor whose property they were living on tried but couldn’t really take them on since she is elderly and they are darn fast…so one day earlier this week my back porch turned into a cathouse.
Alexis called and called, but all of the local animal shelters are full. It is kitten season.
In desperation I’ve turned to craigslist to find families to adopt the kids.
First trick was to get good photos of nine squirmy wandering kittens. I once heard that kids and animals are the hardest to shoot. I vote for kittens. After 30 frustrating minutes and more than thirty shots I ended up with about four usable shots. Mission accomplished.
Next was checking the prohibited ads on craigslist – hmmmm, no animal adoptions without a re-homing fee. I can do that. But keep it minimal.
At last, what might be the hard part (or not) for most folks. Writing the ad. Most of these ads read something like this:
-
Free cute kittens. Need a home.
Yeah…
Well, I want my ad to stand out and pull in some kitty lovers. And what do they tell you to do in journalism school? Personalize the story. Have a message for the audience. Put what’s important up top. So that’s what I did…and here’s the final ad:
Nine little farm kitties looking for homes…mommas left us in the lurch. Must go to loving homes that will get us fixed. We’re getting healthy again…twice daily face washes and lots of food, but we can’t stay here forever. We can each go it alone or be adopted in pairs.
Group 1 – I’m the oldest…a son of the legendary FooFoo, an enourmous long-hair Siamese mix. I’m a bit shy but willing to come out and purr if you treat me right.
Group 2 – We’re the twins. Both tortise shells and love to play together.
Group 3 – We’re the youngest. Three of use are little long-haired furballs; black and white. One orange and white tabby. One light orange…I’m called Pinkie cause I’m so pale. And finally there’s Bobby…the runt of the litter and also the most curious and adventuresome.
Small adoption fee gets you some food, litter, and a kitty. Please please only respond if you are serious. We are descended from family pets that were dumped in a farming area…many cats and pets left like this die of starvation before finding a way to fend for themselves or are eaten by coyotes or hit by cars. Thank you for reading.
Let’s pick this apart. First I state the problem/focus of the story: nine kittens need homes. Then I introduce the characters (and make sure they are memorable). Then the resolution and reasons why you should help out and why these kittens are basically victims of former pet lovers gone insane. Hopefully readers will identify with the personalities and photos and give me a buzz.
Like I need another nine cats.
(You may notice this posting changing frequently…due to new information becoming available.)
While I’ve only been teaching a few years, I have had the occasional run-in with the administration. As the figureheads of authority to thousands of students, they make the rules on campus – and have more power than many can imagine.
For example – they pretty much decide who to hire and who to keep (until tenure offers some shelter). They make the final decisions about what classes are assigned to which staff. They run the campus as their private kingdom…within the parameters allowed by the feds, state, and district.
So much for the lead-in.
High school newspaper teacher and advisor Linda Kane (Naperville High School, Illinois) was asked to resign by Principal Jim Caudill…she refused and was reassigned to teach other classes. So she will continue to teach…a shining example of a total waste of talent. All of this instigated by a man who just recently confessed that he plagiarized parts of a speech given to honors students this year from a speech given by a former student/now staff member at the high school.
What caused Caudill’s reaction? Here’s what the Student Press Law Center has to say:
Hannah Oppenheimer, Central Times editor in chief, said the student paper’s Feb. 28 issue included a column opposing drug use, an anonymous first-person story about using and selling drugs, and an objective story about the effects of marijuana.
Caudill said the first-person account is what concerned him the most.
“They allowed him to use the F-word four times,” Caudill said. “The bottom line is I have no problem understanding that story without those words in it.”
Editor Oppenheimer said that removing the offensive words would have taken away the writer’s voice and affected how readers saw his account.
This goes beyond the conflict about what was published in the student paper though. Kane, in an interview with The Daily Herald, a local newspaper, said that, “tha administrators didn’t know squat” about the First Amendment. She feels she is being punished for her remarks.
I am open to reasonable arguments and discussions about freedoms of speech and the press and am willing to place my job on the line, knowing I am right in protecting these rights. So are many others – there is a buzz…no a resounding roar…on the Journalism Education Association listserve today. The Naperville School Board is getting hammered as I type by emails from across the nation from teachers who are outraged at the actions of the principal, asking the board to consider and reinstate her.
Here’s an example of the ire of educators from Wayne Brasler, University of Chicago high school. A man with 45 years before the chalkboard (now white board I hope):
A slippery slope because what is controversial in the administrator’s mind may not be in the adviser’s mind…
…if administrators wanted to discipline Linda they could have done so while still placing the concern for students first. Denying students at that school the experience of being taught and advised by one of the premier people in the field, while she is still in the building, does not place the students first. It places the adults first. The eight-page Central Times issue the staff published gives detailed documents to the rich education and experience this teacher provided. She could have been disciplined and punished for behavior which doesn’t involve the students, and even been required to sign to certain agreements…and still continued teaching.
We need to be careful that we teach our children well. We need to be careful we aren’t teaching them that corporate loyalty and preserving appearances is more important than intelligence and honesty.
If public relations is being placed before education it’s not the first time and it’s not the last time. Ironic, because the best publications give their schools quality public relations they couldn’t get from any high-priced agency. There’s nothing like the sweet perfume of success and honor to make a school look good.
And this, from Randy Swikle, director of JEA, Illinois.
“…to deny the students at Naperville Central of having one of the best high school journalism teachers and publications advisers in the nation when that person will still be at the school and where no equal replacement can possibly be found is not fine. The students should not be denied an extraordinary, life-affecting educational experience because the adults have a problem.”
By the way, Illinois is a “Hazelwood” state, referring to the Supreme Court decision in 1988 which stated that student newspapers that are not student forums have less freedom than those which are student forums. An important ruling – one that allows administrators nearly complete authority over what goes in student publications. California is not a Hazelwood state…and in addition, part of the Education Code specifically outlines who can oversee content (the advisor) and what they can control (English conventions, journalistic standards, clear and present danger).
Keep an eye on this case…since it is nearly 5pm here on the West coast, the matter may already be under discussion in the Board chambers in Naperville.
(6/3 @ 7:15pm – I just learned that tonight’s meeting concerns the the allegation that Caudill plagiarized material for a speech…but that parents may be taking action on behalf of Kane.)
Final comments (and I am agonizing over this posting and have re-written it several times):
As a former advisor, I know there are pitfalls to overseeing student media. One group of rowdy lower class-women wanted to do a survey on what words people thought were offensive. No to that one…they were testing me, as they later admitted. A student government advisor inadvertently brought up the full details of what happened to a student who was disciplined for plagiarism during an open meeting of student council. Yes – that got in (and handled very sensitively by one of my writers). Should a sophomore’s first hand account of observing students having sex in a darkened classroom during a movie be banned? No.
Let the young journalists make the decisions and they will amaze you with their maturity – as I feel Kane’s students did with their decisions. The battle over what is and is not offensive and what is and is not necessary to a story is one fought every day in newsrooms…and the decisions that follow these discussions vary greatly, depending on those involved and the community they serve. One person should not be allowed to silence a voice or a community.
If you found this blog, you obviously followed instructions on the handout you got last week. I will be mailing out more information about planned trips and events for the summer. If you want to be included, YOU MUST RESPOND. Seating is limited in the van (six students per trip)…if there is enough interest and you have a parent who can drive we may be able to take more.
I also welcome ideas for events and places to visit – the main requirement is that we can discuss the event/location beforehand, brainstorm story ideas, and plan the trip around the story ideas.
These are not shopping or lookie-loo trips. Each trip will involve discussion either beforehand or while on the road, plus a little paperwork showing planning, and a post-mortum discussion and paperwork about what you learned and what went right/wrong. You will most likely work in teams to shoot, write and edit. You WILL talk to strangers (yeah, I know your folks have always told you not to – but journalists do this every day) – and I will always be nearby keeping an eye out for you.
I guarantee you will have fun and you won’t know you’re learning (most of the time).
Just a heads-up: email me immediately if you are interested in the Relay for Life this coming weekend. We’ll be out about an hour before sunset to get interviews and the best possible light as the sun sets with walkers and candelabras (small candles in paper bags lit in memory of those who died from cancer).
Look forward to seeing you!
Mrs. G aka Cyndy Green
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