Zach Wise is currently a multimedia producer for the New York Times. Before going to the Times, he was the senior multimedia producer for the Las Vegas Sun. Before he left the Sun he finished this great multimedia piece on Nevada’s water woes. Great navigation, interactive elements throughout and great reporting are all part of this report. Click on the image above or go to the story, and then read about how Zach put it all together.

I’ve been reading all the flurry of activity over the new Canon EOS 5D MII that will be available near the end of November. Vincent Laforet, a New York based commercial and editorial photographer, was given a prototype to use for 72 hours. His report and the stills he has been able to show are nothing short of amazing. The video is forthcoming, but from the promise is better than the Red One cinema camera and could change how we are approaching some assignments. The cost is even better, around $2,700 retail. For sound the camera has a mono mic input, but I’m sure BeachTek will have a solution with XLR inputs for the camera at some point. Check out Rob Galbraith’s evaluation with more images of the sensor and inputs. Check out these sample images from Canon Global as well as their specifications and other data on the camera. Here are some sample videos from Canon Global.

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, the Norwegian government-owned radio and public broadcasting company, has also tested the 5D and has put up its’ analysis of the video on their NRKbeta technology site. Here is an excerpt:

The clips are standard MOV-files that will open directly in QuickTime. We also tried with the latest version of VLC. That worked fine on Mac and not in Windows. In iMovie the clip was imported fine, but converted like any other MPEG4-clip will be in that program. In Final Cut Pro the clips could be dropped right into the program with no conversion. And it was possible to start editing right away. Visually they look better than HDV. Something that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the specifications. HDV is 25 mbit/s MPEG2. The clips from the 5D is 40 mbit/s MPEG4. The H.264 codec used in the 5D is in some conditions regarded roughly 50% better than MPEG2. When you add the bandwidth in the 5D that is nearly twice the bandwidth of HDV you get video footage with less compression artifacts. Hard panning in the clips looks good and it seems like Canon have managed the timing of the shutter very well. It looks like the GOP-structure of the clips are one I-frame for each 15 P-frame. No B-frames. Read more

Here is an excerpt from Canon’s press release:

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera, the long-awaited successor to Canon’s highly popular EOS 5D, introduced in 2005. Building upon the qualities that made the EOS 5D camera so successful, Canon has coupled the creative power of a full-frame CMOS sensor in a relatively compact and affordable camera body, together with groundbreaking HD video capture that opens the door to a much wider range of imaging possibilities for photographers. Along with the ability to capture full HD video clips at 1920 x 1080 resolution, Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera features a 21.1-megapixel full frame 24 x 36mm CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 imaging processor and significantly lower noise, with an expanded sensitivity range from ISO 50 to ISO 25,600. Read more

From the website: “At War” is a documentary film shot and directed by Scott Kesterson, who spent a year embedded with US forces in Afghanistan. The film is produced and edited by David Leeson, Pulitzer Prize recipient and currently Executive Producer – Video and New Media for The Dallas Morning News. The film is subject-driven storytelling, allowing the truth of the moment to speak in the tradition of ethical still photojournalism. At War explores the timeless nature of war and conflict, and ultimately challenges us to look at ourselves as beings filled with love and hate, fear and courage, passion and chaos.

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Comparison of Camera vs. Boom Microphone: Here’s a quick comparison I did of recording dialog with an MKH60 Shotgun Microphone mounted on a camera vs. mounted on a boom.

I want to talk first about the recent presentation made by Pauline Lubens at the Women in Photojournalism conference in Austin a few weeks ago. To me, Pauline had the most compelling story to tell about the changes we are facing and its relevance to her current documentary work.

Pauline has been a staff photographer for the San Jose Mercury News since 2000. She was at the Detroit Free Press for seventeen years before that. Pauline has covered the war in Iraq twice, focusing on the impact of the war on Iraqi civilians. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice — in 1991 for a team entry documenting the U.S. visit of South African leader Nelson Mandela and in 2004 for a team entry covering the California Recall election.

Pauline started off her presentation with a comparison of old and new ways of presenting stories. A picture of gaffer-tapped black boards with prints mounted to them flashed up on the screen and she made the point that this was only a few years ago and that, “Now three years later, the evolutionary arc has shot straight up vertical.”

After starting to use sound with her photography presentations a few years ago she now feels that the element that has been missing from her previous work (sound) has now become integral to the way she tells stories. However, she said that the one thing that hasn’t changed, even though we do audio, video, we have new gadgets, and new presentation platforms, is great storytelling.

“It can be pretty daunting, but for me the key is still about storytelling. My approach hasn’t changed, how I do stories, how I get access hasn’t changed. How I think about my approach for what tools I’m going to use has changed,” she said.

She said that some people in photojournalism are wedded to their identities and feel that, “I’m a still photographer, I don’t shoot video, I wasn’t hired to record audio or do interviews.” Pauline is always surprised by statements like that. She says that she feels completely rejuvenated by doing multimedia.

“I’m 51-years-old and I feel like a kid again. That’s good news and bad news. I feel more energized about work than I have in along time. Everything seems really new and I also get to be a workaholic again. I feel like I have a whole lot to learn and it has been very exciting. It is a creative feast. But it can be really scary,” she said.

Pauline said that for her multimedia has given her new elements that she can add to her stories that give them greater depth. “Not only can I put a human face on stories that I have a passion to tell I can give them a human voice as well.” However, despite all the changes with multimedia Pauline hasn’t strayed far from her roots. Most of her work still contains about 70 percent stills and 30 percent video—only shooting video when it’s called for. One of the things she loves about multimedia is the control she is able to exercise over her work.

“Photographers are always complaining that we don’t have control over how our pictures get used. Well, I get to do it all myself and I don’t play well with other children,” she joked. Pauline’s latest story on U.S. Army Sgt. Frank Sandoval titled “Frank’s Fight” had a profound effect on everyone in the room. (A shout out to Richard Koci Hernandez as well who did much of the technical work on the site). It is the story of an Army survivor of a roadside bomb attack in Iraq who had severe brain trauma and his personal and family struggles to regain his life. The story took a recent tragic turn when Frank Sandoval passed away after another surgery to repair his battered body.

The story had a tremendous personal impact on Pauline—and everyone in the audience. The story is powerful and shows the ability of stills, video and sound to bring greater depth to our storytelling capabilities.

“Multimedia is a wonderful evolving thing. Photojournalists for the first time are taking the lead. What we are doing for the web now is visually driven. This is a very interesting time and I encourage you to take the lead, take control, and take the leap into it,” Pauline concluded.

One of the more interesting parts that I drew from Pauline’s talk and her work was the power that we have as visual storytellers. One of the most talked about directions and benchmarks for our new work in multimedia is to emulate the television news model with a few tweaks. To use shorter pieces and cover more breaking news to cater to an audience that has a short attention span.

I disagree. I feel we should be going more toward the documentary filmmaking model. To create longer more in-depth pieces like Pauline’s that use a combination of video and stills to tell a story that develops over time and explores the human condition. There will always be a need for the shorter pieces, but many of them could easily be told with a few still images and audio. However, it’s the long form documentary that has the power to hold a person’s attention and keep them watching until the end. My ten cents worth of opinion but you’ll probably see more stories here that help us to explore this issue in greater depth.

I’ll post a second piece on the workshop as soon as time and work constraints permit.

Top Ten Mistakes of Rookie Filmmakers
by Bill Pryor
Nobody can can cover everything you need to know in a short article, but I can point out the ten most common mistakes I see over and over.

Bad sound. You probably thought I was going to say underexposed images or something like that, but bad sound gets my vote for the Number One spot. Here is one film making lesson you need to hammer into your consciousness permanently: Just because they put a microphone on the camera doesn’t mean you’re supposed to use it. A camera-mounted mic is acceptable for recording ambient sound, such as traffic noise. It can be used for shooting an interview IF the interviewee is talking right into the lens and you have the camera about 2 feet in front of their nose. Except for very rare circumstances, you can’t shoot sound with the camera mic…ever. To do it right you need a shotgun mic, a fishpole (boom) and a soundman. A good soundman will try to keep the mic barely out of the frame, just over the subject’s head, generally within two feet or less. Not always possible, but a good soundman can always find a way to make it work. Sometimes a lav mic is better. Sometimes more than one mic will be needed. Professional soundmen carry suitcases full of different mics. If you’re on a budget you can get by with one or two. It is possible to get good sound with a $300 mic. Better quality mics are, of course, more expensive; but I’ll take a cheap mic and a good soundman over a good mic and no soundman any day.

Auto focus. This should be obvious, but those new to the business don’t think about it. Most auto focus systems are center-weighted. That means the camera will focus on what takes up most of the middle of the frame. If you compose your subject in the middle, with auto focus on, and you pan off him a little for a nice composition, the focus will shift. In more years of shooting than I care to acknowledge, I have used auto focus only one time. It has its place; it can be useful. But only in very limited circumstances.

Auto iris. This is one that will drive any video editor with experience into a screaming psychotic episode. You pan off the subject and the iris shifts to open up 3 stops for the dark background. Or, you follow the subject as he walks in front of a window and the iris stops down as the scene is suddenly dark. In the worst case a dark car goes through your scene and the auto iris shifts to accommodate the dark mass of the car, then just as quickly shifts back. Doesn’t seem like a problem until you need to apply color or exposure correction in post and have to adjust the application every time the exposure twitches in a scene. Trust me, your editor will hate you. You won’t see it happen in the viewfinder but it’s hard to miss on the big screen. You can use auto iris to set an exposure if you zoom in to a neutral reflectance subject, such as a standard 18% gray card, or light blue shirt, etc., but then turn it off. There’s an interesting thing I’ve noticed about the lower end cameras–the cheaper the camera the better the auto iris usually works. It’s made for the home movie maker, not for the professional. Like auto focus, there may be some circumstances in which it can be useful–TV news for example. But not for most types of production.

Auto gain/auto shutter. Similar problem to leaving the auto iris on. If you shoot with the auto gain on, suddenly you may find that your picture goes soft and grainy. High gain is something to be avoided most of the time, unless you’re after an effect or shooting TV news. If you have to use high gain, do it manually. Turn the auto thing off. Same for the shutter. It takes time and control of the lighting but you’ll have a more consistent product when finished.

Auto audio gain. Same thing for audio. Again, all these automatic functions have their place and can be used sometimes…just not in a serious production. Some camcorders actually have fairly decent auto gain, and recently I was in a shooting situation in which I had to use it. It was OK but not great. I wouldn’t do it on a paying job.

Bad composition. You can always spot the amateur: Too much head room, the subject is almost always centered and sometimes too much foreground. Go to the library and get some books about composition. Go to the movies and critically analyze the cinematography and camera positions. Pay attention to when to use a higher angle and when to use a low shot.

Zooms. Nothing says “amateur home movie” or “cheap corporate video” like a bang-bang zoom. If you’re shooting interviews and want to change focal length, try do do it during pauses. Or be sure you know you have or will be able to get cutaways to cover the zoom. The only place it’s sometimes okay to use a quick zoom is a music video and even there it’s frequently over-used. If you must zoom, try to always shoot several seconds of head and tail on each shot. That way the editor can cut the zoom out and go from the long shot to the closeup and, maybe, make the shot work.

Shaky cam syndrome. Get a tripod. Something else to burn in your filmmaker psyche: A hand held shot is a special effect. Just because it worked in the Blair Witch Project, doesn’t mean it will work for you. True, the popular 1/3″ chip professional cameras all have optical image stabilization (OIS) and it will help smooth out your shot, but it’s not a tripod. If you want a hand held effect, fine. But don’t shoot hand held because you’re too lazy to set up a tripod. Sometimes you have to shoot hand held, and I can live with that, but if you have to do so, keep the lens wide. The more you zoom in, the worse your shaky cam symptoms will be. This is why Hollywood professionals spend thousands of dollars on steady-mounts and dollies. Basically a tripod that moves. You don’t have to spend thousands. I’ve seen wheelchairs, grocery carts, and wagons used as dollies. I’ve seen them made out of old skateboard wheels and PVC pipe. But there’s a reason the pros think they’re so important.

Bad lighting. Generally, it’s the straight on deer-in-the headlights approach, if there’s any at all. Flat lighting, no back lights or kickers, no fills or reflectors. Mixing color temperatures and bulb types. Again, watch films and pay attention. Go to the Lowell Lighting website and order Russ Lowell’s book about lighting. Lighting is the most important part of a picture and the second most neglected part of film making after sound. Lighting is an art form. Everything in this list so far is in the realm of technology, lighting is where you get to the craftsmanship. Where the art meets the technology. You can learn it, you have to if you want any chance of selling the end product. Another one of those little video lessons to remember is: Where you don’t put the light is as important as where you put the mic.

Blown out backgrounds. A blown out background, in soft focus, filtered, can be an effect. But in many cases it’s simply bad exposure. That’s what lights and gels are for. In a documentary you can get by with it more than in a feature film, but if all your shots are blown out, it will help unsell your story.

OK, that’s my top 10. Others may have more. I started out with bad sound as Number One because I probably hear more bad sound than bad anything else. The other items aren’t necessarily in a particular order. Bad sound stands out above all the rest so strongly that I felt compelled to give it a big Number One position in my list. Remember it’s an audio-visual medium. Audio and video are equal. -more

I was very impressed and moved with Pauline Lubens, staff photojournalist for the San Jose Mercury News, and her multimedia documentary about a soldier wounded in Iraq, “Frank’s Fight” (which won first place in the Best Multimedia Package in the small website division for the NPPA). I told Pauline she needs to take this story further and put together a documentary. I’ll talk about this later and what I think we should be considering when producing this type of package.

The panel discussion with editors from five large market papers was very enlightening, especially concerning multimedia and newsroom training. I’ll write a separate article on that event.

There were multiple discussions on technique, technology, and ethics concerning multimedia with television photographers sharing their thoughts on the direction they are taking as well as sharing what newspaper photographers shooting video and gathering sound should consider. A very interesting discussion on ethics took place and I’ll talk about that in a future column.

As I decompress and process what I saw and heard this weekend, I’ll write about the sessions I attended. I start teaching the fall semester this week and need to prepare for classes, but I promise more in-depth reports throughout the week.

While it may never be used by news sites, a very interesting slide show tool from Animoto that was just released after finishing beta testing:

From the website: Animoto is a web application that automatically generates professionally produced videos, each a customized orchestration of user-selected images and music. Using patent-pending Cinematic Artificial Intelligence technology and high-end motion design, the result is a user’s own personal creation with the visual energy of a music video and the emotional impact of a movie trailer. Playing on a widescreen video format, Animoto Videos present the visual energy of a music video and the emotional impact of a movie trailer using the same sophisticated post-production skills & techniques that are used in television and film.

The dates for Cutting Edge IX have been released. And while this is geared toward television news, it could be a great opportunity for multimedia producers to learn advanced editing techniques. News announcement from the NPPA:

DURHAM, NC (July 14, 2007) – Shawn Montano, director of the Cutting Edge IX: Order of the Edit workshop, announced that the 2007 seminar will be held September 8 in Nashville, TN, at Belmont University’s Bunch Multimedia Hall from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Cutting Edge is an NPPA educational workshop with emphasis on the craft of editing. This year’s program is co-hosted by Belmont University’s New Century Journalism Program. Topics at this session include “The Art of Natural Sound”; “Opening and Closing Shots”; and “Separating Yourself from the Group.” Faculty for this workshop includes Lou Davis, chief photojournalist for WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Matt Rafferty is also on the faculty. He’s a video editor at WJW-TV in Cleveland, OH. Shawn Montano rounds out the Cutting Edge faculty and is director of the workshop. For more information contact Montano at shawnmontano@gmail.com. -more

About JayCut: Development of the advanced technology that makes JayCut’s online video editing possible began early 2006. In December 2006 a technology demonstration was put up on the Internet. It attracted quite a lot of interest, both from users and newspapers, and movies of everything from parties to gardens were created. In February 2007, the company JayCut AB was founded. In May 2007 closed beta testing of the beta began, and in June 2007 the open beta was launched.

I’ve been keeping tabs on Pachyderm for a while now and it looks like September 2007 the NMC (New Media Consortium) will offer hosted accounts for a small subscription fee to individuals. Pachyderm is the equivalent of Joe Weiss’ SoundSlides, but on super steroids, with the ability to allow anyone to upload images, audio, and video into a flash presentation. Go to the Pachyderm showcase to see some examples.

From the Pachyderm site: Pachyderm is an easy-to-use multimedia authoring tool that is designed for people who have little or no multimedia authoring experience. Pachyderm is accessed through a web browser and is as easy to use as filling out a web form. Authors upload their own media (images, audio clips, and short video segments) and place them into pre-designed templates, which include built-in functionality for playing video and audio, linking to other templates, and other features. Descriptive text can be copied and pasted in, or authored directly in Pachyderm. Once screens have been completed and linked together, the presentation is published and can then be downloaded and placed on the author’s website, on a CD, or elsewhere. Authors may also leave their presentations on the Pachyderm server and link directly to them there. The result is an attractive, interactive Flash-based multimedia presentation.

The musician Moby has created a free music download site called “mobygratis” for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for independent, non-profit films, videos, or shorts. You can listen to the available music and download whatever you want to use. The music is free as long as it’s being used in a non-commercial or non-profit production. This is a potentially huge resource for music for your personal multimedia productions.

Submission Guidelines
To submit a story for publication in American-Journal, send a copy to the editor at the address on this page. Stories must be written in AP Style, demonstrate clean prose and fit within the mission of American-Journal to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to refuse any submitted material. Prospective slide shows must have audio and be created by the photographer before submission. Sufficient background information on the show must be included. Submit shows to the photo editor at the address on this page. Prospective photo columns must be written in AP Style and be clean and concise. Images must meet professional standards and not be digitally manipulated in any way other than what is considered to be acceptable in the photojournalism community. Submit shows to the photo editor at the address on this page. – more