Details
Category: News
Media: Video
Turnaround time: More than a day but less than a week
Description of story
March 2, 2011
Days before deploying to Afghanistan, combat engineers of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team trained to use Mine Clearing Line Charge, a piece of equipment that is expected to clear 300 meters of road of mines and improvised explosive devices.
Feedback requested
This is my first video for the paper. I'd especially like feedback on the writing/story telling. Thank you.
Gear used in production
Kodak Zi8
Flip Ultra HD
Final Cut Express
Pretty good for a first video and with very limited equipment. My main observation is that we hear from you far more than the men who are training to do this vital work. It seems a bit too much like TV to me, which is fine in one sense, but not the greatest model for online newspaper video. Why would we want to do the same kind of story-telling? Newspapers are known for depth and for context, as opposed to broadcast, which is about immediacy and, well, other stuff. Tell the story with the camera, let the subjects speak for themselves, and narrate for context and understanding when the other top tools fail you.