Having been the Shropshire Star’s video journalist for just over a month, it is time to share a few of my first experiences, writes our new Video Blogger, James Shaw, pictured.
It has, of course, been a steep learning curve since the day I was called into the editor’s office and told I would be handling a video camera from now on (You can check out James’s videos here).
Surprisingly, learning how to use the equipment was the easiest part - some excellent advice from the BBC website saw to that - and after just a few days, I was off into the big, bad world.
And what a world that is. Apart from the obvious question of how to carry all the equipment (three big bags and counting) my first task was to convince people that I work for the Shropshire Star.
Most people associate the newspaper with still photos and I have had more that a few subjects stand silently in front of my lens … waiting for the camera to go click.
But once I get the idea across that we’re serious about the idea of video journalism, most interviewees are more than willing to give me just a few moments of their time.
All of which leads me to another discovery. The problem with approaching people for an interview is that you never quite know what you’re going to get.
If someone is asked for an interview, they will either be a complete and utter natural with an opinion on just about anything…or they will clam up and say little more than just a few words.
Unfortunately, with limited time on every shoot, this has led to some hairy moments in the editing quite - thank God for the fade button.
Some people, on the other hand, really will do anything on camera. In my few weeks been behind the camera, I’ve filmed a dedicated James Bond fan stroking his cat and a group of Status Quo fans headbanging to an imaginary tune.
And every shoot really does tell a different story. The Status Quo film, for example, was a classic illustration of why a videojournalist should get the details absolutely clear before arranging a shoot.
Although Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt were model professionals in front of the camera, I suspect they were expecting a full BBC camera crew with lights, cameras and microphones on a big stick. But thumbs up to the pair - they gave me everything I wanted and more.
Interestingly, one of the biggest problems in video journalism is keeping the equipment dry…as I learned in double-quick time during my time filming the floods in Shrewsbury.
There was, of course, plenty of fascinating scenery to film as the waters rose every closer to the barriers. The rain, however, kept on coming and I spent much of the day darting in and out of my car to avoid the showers. One splash of water in the wrong part of the camera and well, you can guess the rest.
So what has been the abiding memory of my first month as a video journalist?
That’s easy. With just a few moments to go on my shoot at a wedding exhibition in Telford Shopping Centre, I decided to ask one or two couples how they felt about the event.
Having set up my shot, lights and microphone, I grabbed the first couple I could see and launched into my list of questions: “So when are you getting married?”
“Oh, we’re not getting married,” the lady answered as her ‘partner’ shuffled off.
“We were just standing next to each other.”
I think I’ll edit that bit out.
- James Shaw is the Video Journalist at the Shropshire Star.
- Comment on James’s blog by clicking here
- Our growing Blogs section now features our News Blog, Video Blog, Shrewsbury Town Blog, Teen Blog and Movie Blog
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