VISUALIZING THE INVESTIGATIVE STORY Evan Stulberger / Investigative Producer / WNBC-TV / New York, NY
[email protected] / @evan4ny / lookatevan.com
INSPIRATION Any medium can inform the look and feel of the video investigation. Adapt production styles from feature films, television shows, viral videos and magazines. Hitting a wall? Need to get inspired? Check these out: TV.NPPA.ORG – The National Press Photographers Association hosts a quarterly clip contest where the best visual journalists in television news battle it out for bragging rights. This page has video links to all of the winning pieces. It’s a great place to see what great minds are up to. CASEYNEISTAT.COM – Casey Neistat is an incredible storyteller and filmmaker. Check out his YouTube videos. They have a fantastic style; part “maker movement,” part action film. COSMOS (FOX) – With wonderful skill and class, host Neil deGrasse Tyson is able to visualize and illustrate seriously complex topics. The way they presented the Cosmic Calendar is a great example of how to put images to an abstract idea. LINKS FROM THIS SECTION I-Team: Our Shell Company http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/I-Team--How-We-Started-An-Offshore-ShellCompany/170415126 QUICK TIP – Hang on to any generic video and file those clips into an archive. Keeping an easily accessible library of frequently used b-roll will save you time in the future. QUICK TIP – Be creative when shooting unidentifiable video. Close-ups show the viewer a detail they might not have previously noticed, and it’s also a good way to keep a subject’s identity safe. When you want to get wide shots, put an object in between the camera and your subject, blocking the person’s face. You can also focus on something in the foreground, leaving the background, and your anonymous subject, blurry.
DOCUMENTS LINKS FROM THIS SECTION I-Team: Clinical Trial Patient Criticizes Study That Led to FDA Approval of Essure http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/Essure-Birth-Control-FDA-Pain-Studies-I-Team.html I-Team: Family Separated After Family Court Closes Early http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/I-TEAM_-Budget-Cuts-Delay-Family-Court-Hearings_Unnecessarily-Traumatizing-Some-Children_New-York-228256391.html QUICK TIP – Use different methods to call out text in documents. Pull outs and rip outs are fine, but you can also use arrows or a fade and blur method to single out single words and phrases.
QUICK TIP – Give texture to digital documents by printing them out and scanning them. The process gives the document some a natural paper texture, which helps bring it to life.
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VISUALIZING THE INVESTIGATIVE STORY Evan Stulberger / Investigative Producer / WNBC-TV / New York, NY
[email protected] / @evan4ny / lookatevan.com
NUMBERS We work really hard to obtain figures for our stories. We should work just as hard to present them in a creative way. Use graphics to incorporate numbers into the environment of your topic. When you arrive at a location, look around and try to think of what would work as a canvas to paint your graphics on. Standups offer an opportunity to bring this concept to a different level. Think about how to incorporate the numbers into the standup to help reinforce the point the reporters is trying to make. LINKS FROM THIS SECTION
EXAMPLES OF PUTTING NUMBERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT I-Team: School Bus Driver Records Cars Running Stop Sign http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Bus-Driver-Video-Stop-Sign-Camera-Drivers-Bronx207576691.html Long Island Fire Taxes Pay for Questionable Racing Games http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Long-Island-Firefighter-Drill-Team-Racing-Elmont-TaxpayerDollars-133130328.html EXAMPLES OF PUTTING NUMBERS IN STANDUPS NY Sitting on Mountain of Unspent Earmarks http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NBC-4-Investigation--NY-Sitting-On-Mountain-of-UnspentEarmarks-116516768.html I-Team: Patients at Some Dialysis Centers Get Fewer Kidney Transplants http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Kidney-Transplant-Disparity-Dialysis-ProPublica-I-Team149269465.html
NO GRAPHICS? NO PROBLEM I-Team: NJ School Supers Can Double Dip http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/School-Superintendents-Double-Dipping-NJ-194214491.html
HOW TO DEAL WITH BAD VIDEO When a story centers around video that’s less than ideal, take the opportunity to transform those clips into something greater. Vertical video is common offender, but instead of seeing this as a road block, use it as an opportunity to be creative. LINKS FROM THIS SECTION VERTICAL VIDEO – A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (this is funny) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA&feature=kp I-Team Exclusive: School Bus Driver Records Cars Running Stop Sign http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Bus-Driver-Video-Stop-Sign-Camera-Drivers-Bronx207576691.html I-Team: Doctors Start C-Section on Not-Pregnant Patient http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/New-York-Downtown-Hospital-C-Section-Lawsuit-138783374.html PAGE 2/3
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VISUALIZING THE INVESTIGATIVE STORY Evan Stulberger / Investigative Producer / WNBC-TV / New York, NY
[email protected] / @evan4ny / lookatevan.com
HELPFUL LINKS VIDEO PRODUCTION HELP & TUTORIALS B-ROLL.NET – An online community of TV news photographers. This is an excellent resource for ideas and solutions. VIMEO VIDEO SCHOOL – Video site Vimeo has curated a fantastic library of tutorials dealing with every aspect of production. ROGER DEAKINS FORUM – Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins hosts a web forum where he and other filmmakers share camera and lighting strategies. Roger actively responds to posts, and is never shy in explaining how he achieves amazing visuals on the big screen CINEMATOGRAPHY.COM – Another online community for filmmakers. Members here come from every corner of the industry and discuss the tools and trade of visual storytellers.
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION RADIOLAB (NPR) – If anyone has set the bar for immersive audio storytelling, it’s Radiolab. Their use of sound and music is incredible. The only way to explain the experience is to say that they are the masters of painting a picture with sound. Be sure to check out these other NPR programs for more examples of story structure and character development – The Moth Radio Hour and This American Life PHILIP BLOOM – A news cameraman turned cinematographer, Philip Bloom is a leader in the digital filmmaking scene. DESIGN TAXI – A conglomeration of designs from every imaginable medium. The site constantly updates with great visual ideas of the day. VIMEO – It’s the “not-YouTube.” Vimeo has developed a user base that puts a lot of care and attention into their content. When you log on to Vimeo, click WATCH, and start filling your creative well.
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