Video shooter’s advice

At the NPPA-sponsored Multimedia Immersion workshop this week, 50 participants are getting their first crack at shooting video. Most are newspaper photographers who want to learn how to shoot for their publication’s Web site. One of the instructors again this year is Colin Mulvaney, multimedia editor at the The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, who offered this advance advice on how to approach the workshop assignment:

Remember, you are not shooting an epic. Keep it simple and focused. Define your story in one sentence and then shoot that story. Don’t go off on tangents…
Storyboard your video story in your head, Think about what shots you will need. Write them down in a notebook. Remind yourself to shoot establishing wide shots. They are easily forgotten.

That’s good counsel for all beginning videographers. And so is this: Don’t zoom. Don’t pan. Do use a tripod. And don’t forget to have fun. Sounds like the folks who get to work with Colin are in for a great experience.

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