Is newspaper video in a creative rut?
Colin Mulvany, multimedia editor of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, is having a bit of a creativity crisis in producing video for the web.
It’s all starting to look the same, he says.
A-roll + B-roll = Story. This is the traditional way to tell video story. Do your talking head interview, then cover it with b-roll of whatever the subject talks about. After several years of telling stories this way, I feel like I am in the movie Groundhog Day. I just keep telling the same formula story over and over.
I don’t know what my reprieve from this loop will be. Some photojournalist-turned-videojournalists have found a stylized storytelling niche for themselves such a Dai Sugano at the San Jose Mercury News. Many have emulated his work. When I watch one of these time-lapse or stop-action stories, the visual sensation delights me, but not always the substance of the message.
Often, when I get to the end of these push the creative envelope presentations, I ask: “What did this story really tell me?†Other than being a cool creative exercise to watch, I am often left feeling unfulfilled.
Ah, but does every video have to break new ground? The specific example Colin cites — a very nice video documenting Black Friday shopping — isn’t necessarily a subject that’s ripe for pushing the envelope.
Dai Sugano/The Mercury News
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I’d argue your audience for this video isn’t asking you to show them something they’ve never seen before. They want to get a little taste of the look and the sounds of holiday shopping. They want to see some faces. They want to smell the pretzels and coffee (or whatever they nibble on at the Mall in San Jose).
Sure, strive for more. But don’t beat yourself into a frenzy feeling like you have to reinvent the wheel every time. When your subject is holiday shopping, the ’substance of message’ to which you refer is only going to be so substantive.
Colin continues on a positive note:
…I sometimes forget that most everyone who shoots video for newspapers is new to the craft. We’re all looking for mentors. The reality is there are only a few with experience to lean on. I think the one thing newspaper video shooters have all agreed on is we should break free of the TV news model.
…There are lots of smart and creative people entering the newspaper video arena. Once they master the fundamentals, hopefully a fresh approach to video storytelling will soon take shape.
Colin’s Mastering Multimedia blog is a must-read for any shop attempting to branch out into the online video world. He covers issues ranging from the philosophy of multimedia to actual nuts-and-bolts tips.
Bookmark it and check it often.
Find Colin’s video journal blog for the Spokesman Review here.
Find more Mercury News photos and videos — including more work by Dai Sugano — at the Merc’s news photo blog.Â
There have been several interesting posts lately on this topic. The SND/Update blog recently linked to this post at Multimedia Shooter: Say No to Video.