I asked Lucy Nicholson, a senior staff photographer with Reuters based in Los Angeles, about the value of MediaStorm’s new workshops. Lucy attended in May. I’ve read a few posts that have questioned the cost, $3,500 for tuition only, and whether or not the course was worth the price of admission. Here’s her answer:

I think the course was well worth it. There were only 4 people in the course learning (2 photogs & 2 editors) and 5 people teaching. The tutors put in as much time as we needed & stayed working with us at night till we all couldn’t stay awake (not an exaggeration.) The time on the course was superbly budgeted - classroom learning was kept to a minimum; it was all about learning-by-doing supplemented by notes you could read in more detail at a later point. I think MediaStorm is doing some of the best multimedia out there, so just picking up their way of doing things was valuable in itself… There’s no correct formula with a lot of stuff, so it’s good to have someone who really knows what they’re doing give you a formula to start with + all their notes on Final Cut Pro settings to use etc which are appropriate for web journalism. I’d read documentary filmmaking, final cut pro, cinematography, film editing, radio production, BBC TV training books in the last year in an effort to try to get up to speed with the skills I might need for the future. This course really pulled it all together for me in a way which made sense & gave me a lot of confidence - not that I know a lot, but that I have a lot to learn & at least I think I’m on the right track for now! Hopefully I’ll be able to get a chance to do some more multimedia in between the day-to-day necessary parts of my job.

Lucy Nicholson, a senior staff photographer with Reuters based in Los Angeles, attended the first MediaStorm multimedia course in May 2008. Lucy did a great job on this story about New York City’s Naked Cowboy. Just click on the graphic below

David Leeson and Scott Kesterson have posted their third trailer for “At War“, a heartrending and powerful look at the cost of war on everyone involved. The film is due for a January 2008 release. I’m in Dallas to interview David as part of my research on the changes facing photojournalism today and how we adapt to those changes. I’ll ask David and Scott about their process for creating the film and where they think photojournalism is headed. Below are the three trailers made for the film.

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.

TRAILER 3

TRAILER 2

TRAILER 1

From Beet.TV, a nice little video piece on the new New York Times integrated newsroom:

The New York Times has a New, Integrated Newsroom

The New York Times has moved into a Renzo Piano-designed building on Eighth Avenue. Begun in April, the move is now complete. Beyond the new design and functionality of the place, which is reviewed today in the paper, the new building has an integrated newsroom. It combines the “print” editorial operations, previously in the paper’s headquarters on West 43rd Street, and the digital news operations, which were some 7 blocks away. A video about the integrated newsroom has been posted to The New York Times Company corporate Web Site. - more

In February 2008 the Barefoot Workshops, run by Chandler Griffin, will hit the Mississippi Delta. This is a 2-week workshop designed for new documentary filmmakers who want to start a career in film and television documentary. Chandler Griffin runs the Barefoot Workshops, a a New York City-based not-for-profit 501(c)3, that offers short, intensive workshops around the world in documentary filmmaking. “We assist organizations and individuals to use media, music and the arts, to accelerate progress and program goals in areas such as health, conflict resolution, resettlement, civil rights, and democracy building. We have worked with partners as diverse as UNESCO, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, The U.S. State Department and The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), to pioneer new formats and ‘media templates’ that reinforce citizen-led, community-owned solutions to these challenges,” according to the Barefoot website.

From the Barefoot Workshops website:

CONTENT
This 2-week delta workshop is designed for new documentary filmmakers who want to launch their careers in film and television documentaries or for those with experience in some aspects of filmmaking that are looking to expand their skill, understanding and mastery of the whole process. producers, cinematographers, editors and writers with narrative experience who are considering working in non-fiction filmmaking are also encouraged to enroll. This workshop is ideal for working professionals who want to develop important skills, which will allow them to work with other filmmakers.

In this unique workshop, students will explore every aspect of documentary filmmaking. Cinematographer, Chandler Griffin, will help you develop an understanding for the visual structure, style, and production requirements of a wide variety of documentaries along with storytelling and the art of writing and directing. This will include laying a visual foundation by spending many hours exploring how light, composition, and emotion make up the image. Many different lighting techniques and styles will be covered. Chandler will also be covering all editing demos using Final Cut Pro. Using case studies along with student’s ideas, the goal of the course is to provide an intense overview of the art of documentary productions. Every student will learn how to evaluate non-fiction ideas, create their own ideas and develop an understanding of documentary film aesthetics and the storytelling process.<

THE PROGRAM
The workshop meets formally 6 days each week. There will be lectures, screenings, presentations, technical demos, a review and critique of all dailies, supervised editing sessions, discussion of documentaries, and individual meetings with the Chandler. The workshop combines lectures and presentations with supervised and formal instruction in production laboratories (camera, lighting, sound, editing), shooting on location, transcribing, screening and discussion of current and classic documentaries, meetings with visiting filmmakers and written assignments. Students will write and develop proposals for future projects.

PRODUCTION
The workshop will break into groups with each group producing a completed 7 to 10 minute piece shot on digital video and edited with Final Cut Pro. Students will meet and scout their subjects and write treatments and outlines to guide their production. from there they will conduct interviews, tape B-roll and coverage for a sequence, record sound and take their material into post-production. There they will be instructed in creating first an edit on paper, then on the computer, where after assembly into a final edit, they will color correct, mix sound and add titles to their finished work. The projects will encompass the diversity of documentary styles and allow the individual the chance to problem-solve by learning to work as a team.

PRESENTATION
On the last night of the workshops the documentaries will be screened for the community to enjoy. The filmmakers are encouraged to invite family and friends. Because of the full support of The Mississippi Film Commission, documentaries produced with Barefoot Images are automatically accepted for a special screening at the Crossroads International Film & Video Festival in Jackson, Mississippi, and students are encouraged to submit to other festivals around the world.

Chandler Griffin/Barefoot Workshops
917-385-9343
chandler@barefootworkshops.com
Brooke Bassin/Barefoot Workshops
Brooke.bassin@barefootworkshops.org

Panasonic’s new HD camera, due for release in April of next year, will reportedly go for around $2,000. Definitely within reach of most people. From Panasonic:

PANASONIC EXPANDS PROFESSIONAL AVCHD PRODUCT LINE WITH THE NEW AG-HMC70 SHOULDER-MOUNT CAMCORDER
* Affordable, Point-and-Shoot HD Camcorder Offers Benefits of SD Card
* Solid-state Recording with Professional Audio Flexibility
Panasonic announced the expansion of its professional AVCHD product line with the introduction of the AG-HMC70 AVCHD camcorder. As the industry’s first shoulder-mount AVCHD camcorder, the HMC70 records high-quality 1080i images onto readily available SD/SDHC memory cards. Like Panasonic’s full production quality solid-state P2 HD recording system, this AVCHD camcorder eliminates the need for and cost of a special deck, as well as the time required to transfer content from a tape or optical disc to a PC for editing or content distribution. Since it uses a standard SD or SDHC card, the HMC70’s recording capacity will increase and media cost decrease as the industry announces new higher capacity cards. The HMC70 features three native16:9 progressive ¼” CCDs to record, or provide a live feed of, widescreen 1440 x 1080 HD resolution images of weddings, sports, concerts, or other events. It can be used by law enforcement agencies for training or surveillance, by schools for use in video production, live staging and documentation, or by broadcasters and newspapers for web journalism. The camcorder is equipped with a 12X 38.5mm to 462mm* Leica wide-angle zoom lens, one-push auto focus, and integrated Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) that ensures stable images, which are most critical when displaying high definition video. The camera also provides excellent color reproduction and inherits the exceptional color rendition of Panasonic’s other professional HD cameras. -more

Television shows on the Internet have replaced news programming as the most widely viewed online content. Traditional television programming online and Internet video are expected to grow in the next several years and will soon become entrenched as mainstream according to WebPro News. -more

Here’s a link to 5 Final Cut Pro tips from Kevin McAuliffe at Digital Video Editing:

5. Four Channel Split Audio Output
4. Finding Used/Unused Clips
3. Multiclip Redigitizing
2. Adjusting Your Audio Levels - Relative vs. Absolute
1. Copy /Pasting Attributes

Casio says that it is developing a new digital camera with high speed performance and image capture functions. The camera will be able to take still images at 60 image per second speeds and will also take movies that capture movement so fast that it can’t be seen by the human eye. According to Casio the camera can capture movies at VGA resolution at an incredible 300 frames per second, which means it can record movies for replay in ultra-slow motion, a function that has only been possible so far with a limited range of professional movie equipment. The prototype camera features a new high speed CMOS sensor and a high speed LSI image processing chip with 6.0-megapixel resolution, 12x optical zoom, and CMOS-shift image stabilization. -more

It has been a very busy few weeks. I have been working on my research, teaching classes (I’m even teaching an extra class this semester), working on getting out the educational journal I work on, and filming interviews for my documentary. Which usually means that writing suffers.

I just got back from Dallas after interviewing David Leeson at the Dallas Morning News. David is always inspirational and I’m so pleased he has agreed to be part of my research and documentary. He is currently working on his film “At War” with Scott Kesterson and teaching video to photojournalists at the paper. Earlier in the week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eli Reed and interviewing him as well. Eli is teaching at the University of Texas Austin and is also working on a documentary. And just a few weeks ago I was able to interview Billy Calzada at the San Antonio Express News. Billy is at the forefront of the changes going on in photojournalism today and, like all of us, is struggling with adapting to this new way of telling stories.

A thread that has been consistent from each person is that multimedia is here to stay. That it is time to get over the battle that has raged over whether it is a good thing or not. The people we are trying to reach with our stories are using this technology and we need to adapt to this trend. It doesn’t mean that we abandon anything about who we are as storytellers. If anything, multimedia gives our stories tremendous depth and allows us to explore issues in greater detail. Technology, whether a still camera or a video camera, is just that, technology. It is what we do with that tool to tell compelling stories that is most important.

Technology has always been there. For the past thirty years we have made tremendous leaps forward in what our equipment can do and how we distribute the news. The constant is our ability tell stories in a way that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn’t let go. Video does not change that.

Filmmaker Deborah Scranton talks about and shows clips from her documentary The War Tapes in this video from TED. She put video cameras in the hands of Charlie Company, a unit of the National Guard, for one year in Iraq. The soldiers footage and diaries tell a very personal story of the war in Iraq.

Check out Scott Kesterson and David Leeson’s excellent work on a feature length film, “At War“, based on Scott’s documentary footage shot in Afghanistan over a one year embed. David Leeson is editing the film now and has completed a few trailers that can be viewed on the site. Scott is an interesting story, going from citizen journalist and blogger to documentary filmmaker. David has mentored and collaborated with Scott over the years and the result is a powerful visual documentary on the war in Afghanistan. As I have mentioned in the past, my feeling is that we are pursuing the wrong model in some cases. We should be thinking about the long term documentary project more when it comes to video. The most powerful images usually come from long term projects that allow us to explore topics in depth. This is no different when it comes to video.

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. It 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.

The reported cost of the Sony PMW-EX1 HD camera will be in the $8,000 range. A bit pricey for personal consumption, but remember the old days when the first digital cameras were in the $20,000 range. It wasn’t until Nikon introduced the D-1 in the $5,000 range that prices came down. Give it time and these should come down in price as well. The advantage of course is getting rid of tapes. From Sony:

The PMW-EX1 is the first in a new range of professional HD products - called XDCAM EX - which are the first to record onto memory-based SxS ExpressCard media. Designed from the ground up to exploit the ultimate high performance of SxS PRO memory cards, the PMW-EX1 combines a state-of-the-art, non-linear XDCAM workflow with simply the best HD quality yet seen in a compact camcorder. It is also the first handheld camcorder to carry the legendary CineAlta 24P brand with multiple frame rate recording capability such as 59.94i, 50i, and native 23.98P, as well being 1080i/720P switchable.

There is also a choice of a 35Mb/s High Quality mode or a 25Mb/s, HDV 1080i compatible mode. To take advantage of this high performance recording capability, the PMW-EX1 uses an all-new imaging system consisting of three ½-inch type CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920×1080 to produce images in full HD resolution. In addition, there’s a purpose-built Fujinon Professional HD ½-inch 14x lens and a unique dual focus ring mechanism.

In fact, there are innovations in every detail of the PMW-EX1, from its IT-friendly MP4 file recording to advanced creative features, such as selectable gamma curves and “Slow & Quick Motion” capability.

To maximise recording time, the PMW-EX1 has two memory card slots which means with a pair of 16 GB SxS PRO memory cards, it can record up to 140 minutes of HD footage.

A wide variety of accessories are also available, including a USB Reader/Writer, a wide-conversion lens, battery and charger.

The PMW-EX1 HD compact camcorder is the ideal solution for a wide range of customers from broadcasters through to independent videographers and film makers who want exceptional HD picture quality and state-of-the-art workflow from a compact and affordable camcorder.

A new study out of Northwestern University’s Media Management Center, “Running while the Earth Shakes: Creating an Innovation Strategy to Win in the Digital Age, A Study on Innovation in the News Media,” by Annette Moser-Wellman, explores the creative strategies media organizations can follow to adapt to change. Here’s a link to the PDF file.

Executive Summary
The news industry faces seismic changes as the Internet transforms the market and the competitive climate for news and information. Traditional news media organizations must aggressively adapt their business models to stay relevant in this evolving marketplace. And they must become effective and nimble innovators – able to rapidly and continually develop new products, services, distribution mechanisms, business models, strategies and revenue streams in response to or in anticipation of changes in the competitive landscape, consumer preference and technologies. And non-traditional or “emerging” news companies — those that have entered the world of gathering, producing and distributing news and information since the dawn of the World Wide Web — need to be on guard so they don’t lose their natural innovative abilities as they grow. So this report is designed to help both new and old media companies identify and aggressively redefine business models, create dynamic processes, develop flexible organizations and inspire vital leadership to navigate industry changes ahead.

Sony has a new HDV camera coming out soon that uses interchangeable lenses. Preliminary info from Sony:

1/3-inch 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor™
The new camcorder will incorporate new 1/3” 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor system for optimum picture quality. Thanks to the unique grid arrangement of the photo diode sensors, in which each is rotated by 45 degrees, sensor resolution has been optimised while maximising the photosensitive surface area. The sensor works in combination with the Enhanced Imaging Processor™ to provide high sensitivity, low noise and a wide dynamic range. The 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor also eradicates picture smear and is less demanding on power consumption, thus delivering longer battery life.

Flexible Lens Options
The handheld camcorder is supplied with an interchangeable HD Carl Zeiss lens with 1/3” bayonet joint mechanism, allowing the flexibility of attaching existing 2/3” or 1/2” lenses with a standard lens adaptor. Lenses from the popular Digital SLR – a System from Sony can also be used with a special adaptor.

Native Progressive Recording Mode
The new HDV camcorder has both native progressive and interlace recording modes. In the native progressive recording mode, the 1080/25p image is recorded in HDV format. It is ideal for film-makers on a budget.

Full Compatibility with Current SD Systems
HDV/DVCAM switchability offers future-proof purchase for current DVCAM users. The built-in down-converter offers DV signals through the i.LINK connector to your current DV non-linear editing system.

Here’s a link to Ken Stone’s fantastic Final Cut Pro tutorial site with an extensive list of video and text tutorials, white papers, and audio tutorials.

Here’s a nice little video example of shotgun microphone positions for sound capture (on camera, off camera, and with a boom) from David Tamés at Kino-Eye.

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.

Scholarship opportunity for students from College Scholarships.org:

The Blogging Scholarship
Is Your Blog Worthy of a $10,000 Scholarship? Do you maintain a weblog and attend college? Would you like $10,000 to help pay for books, tuition, or other living costs? If so, read on. We’re giving away $10,000 this year to a college student who blogs. The Blogging Scholarship is awarded annually.

Scholarship Requirements:

• Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!
• U.S. citizen
• Currently attending full-time in post-secondary education
• If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: Midnight PST on Oct. 6th
• 10 Finalists Announced and Public Voting Begings: 9am EST on Oct. 8th
• Public Voting Ends and Winner Declared: Midnight PST on Oct. 28th

Richard MacManus at Read/Write Web has compiled an interesting list of future trends for the web. Highlights below:

10 Future Web Trends
by Richard MacManus

We’re well into the current era of the Web, commonly referred to as Web 2.0. Features of this phase of the Web include search, social networks, online media (music, video, etc), content aggregation and syndication (RSS), mashups (APIs), and much more. Currently the Web is still mostly accessed via a PC, but we’re starting to see more Web excitement from mobile devices (e.g. iPhone) and television sets (e.g. XBox Live 360). What then can we expect from the next 10 or so years on the Web?

1. Semantic Web: In a nutshell, the Semantic Web is about machines talking to machines. It’s about making the Web more ‘intelligent’, or as Berners-Lee himself described it: computers “analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers.”

2. Artificial Intelligence: In the context of the Web, AI means making intelligent machines. In that sense, it has some things in common with the Semantic Web vision.

3. Virtual Worlds: Second Life gets a lot of mainstream media attention as a future Web system. But at a recent Supernova panel that Sean Ammirati attended, the discussion touched on many other virtual world opportunities.

4. Mobile: In 10 years time there will be many more location-aware services available via mobile devices; such as getting personalized shopping offers as you walk through your local mall, or getting map directions while driving your car, or hooking up with your friends on a Friday night.

5. Attention Economy: The Attention Economy is a marketplace where consumers agree to receive services in exchange for their attention. Examples include personalized news, personalized search, alerts and recommendations to buy.

6. Web Sites as Web Services: Major web sites are going to be transformed into web services - and will effectively expose their information to the world.

7. Online Video / Internet TV: This is a trend that has already exploded on the Web - but you still get the sense there’s a lot more to come yet. It’s fair to say that in 10 years time, Internet TV will be totally different to what it is today. Higher quality pictures, more powerful streaming, personalization, sharing, and much more - it’s all coming over the next decade. Perhaps the big question is: how will the current mainstream TV networks (NBC, CNN, etc) adapt?

8. Rich Internet Apps: As the current trend of hybrid web/desktop apps continues, expect to see RIA (rich internet apps) continue to increase in use and functionality.

9. International Web: As of 2007, the US is still the major market in the Web. But in 10 years time, things might be very different.

10. Personalization: Personalization has been a strong theme in 2007, particularly with Google.

-more

Great article this month in Digital Photo Pro Magazine by Harlon Mitchell on photojournalist Ed Kashi and his take on the changes in multimedia today.

Photojournalism Now
For freelance photojournalists, these are chaotic times. But in chaos there’s opportunity if you have the daring to go for it.
By Harlon Mitchell

The age of traditional freelance photojournalism is no more. Newspaper and magazine markets are shrinking. Editorial budgets are at an all-time low. Assignments and opportunities have decreased dramatically, even for the top-tier photographers. The glory days of months-long assignments with large advances and a big chunk of magazine space waiting at the end of the job are gone, too. In these changing times, freelance photojournalists can still make a living and fulfill the calling to get the story out by adapting to a new paradigm. Publishing content in cyberspace is the future of media across the board. Everyone is going to the Web. To flourish in this new marketplace, it’s time to develop some new skills. By learning to tell stories in a different way, with a variety of media beyond still photography, you’ll be positioning yourself well. - more