"Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling" Textbook Is Now Available

Great news! My new textbook, "Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling," has arrived! According to its editor, it has already received more requests for possible college adoptions than any previous book published in the film/broadcast division of Focal Press.

There are sixteen richly illustrated chapters that provide detailed practical lessons in shooting, editing, producing and distributing the kind of high-quality videojournalism that is showcased in KobreGuide.com :

1 Telling Stories 

2 Finding  and Evaluating  a Story 

3 Successful Story Topics 

4 Producing  a Story 

5 Camera Basics 

6 Camera Exposure  and Handling 

7 Light  and Color 

8 Recording Sound 

9 Combining Audio  and Stills 

10 Shooting  a Sequence 

11 Conducting an Interview 

12 Writing a Script 

13 Editing the Story 

14 Ethics 

15 The Law 

16 Marketing a Story

Students and professionals alike will learn how to find a riveting story; gain access to charismatic characters who can tell their own tales; shoot candid clips; expertly interview the players; record clear, clean sound; write a script with pizzazz; and, finally, edit the material into a piece worthy of five minutes of a viewer's attention... while never losing sight of the main point: telling a great story.

The book is based on extensive interviews with (and contributions from) top professionals in the field. It  is for anyone learning how to master the art and craft of telling real short-form stories with words, sound and pictures for the Web or television. The opening chapters cover the foundations of multimedia storytelling, and the book progresses to the techniques required to shoot professional video, and record high quality sound and market the resulting product.

Most importantly, the book does not lose sight of the fundamental and enduring principals of JOURNALISM -- reporting, interviewing, writing, editing, and storytelling -- that will serve students well not only in producing quality videojournalism, but also throughout their careers, despite the rapidly changing technology scene.

SPECIAL BONUS:

Every multimedia story mentioned in the book can be easily found online by going to one special Web page, where you will also find various "how-to" video tutorials and interviews with leading practitioners. 

Additionally, you can keep up with the latest changes in the rapidly evolving field (new cameras, books, editing software, etc.) by checking the KobreGuide to the Web's Best Videojournalism Website, and also "Liking" the KobreGuide Facebook Page. 

This book owes much of its depth and breadth to the eight contributors who each wrote chapters: 

* Stan Heist , executive producer, Maryland Newsline, and adjunct professor, University of Maryland

* Kathy Kieliszewski, Deputy Director of Photo and Video, Detroit Free Press

* Jerry Lazar , executive editor, KobreGuide.com

* Regina McCombs, faculty for Multimedia and Mobile, The Poynter Institute

* Josh Meltzer, photojournalist-in-residence at Western Kentucky University, formerly with the Roanoke Times

* Mary Thorsby, independent business writer, Thorsby and Associates

* David Weintraub, instructor, Visual Communications Sequence, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina

* Donald R. Winslow, editor, News Photographer magazine

I am confident their research and writing will stand the test of time.

"Videojournalism" is available online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and is also available in Nook and  Kindle editions. 

I look forward to your feedback and comments!

Freep.com Debuts Belle Isle Video Special

The Detroit Free Press (freep.com) has produced some noteworthy videojournalism projects over the past few years -- some of the best in the industry -- showcasing the talents of visual journalists whose management team appreciates their value and champions their work.* Some have won Emmys.

What distinguishes many of their stories is the commitment of time and staff resources -- teams will spend months on multi-part multimedia packages, such as Motown's 50th anniversary, or the 40th anniversary of Aretha's Respect, or this season's Art of the Foul Ball. They've followed foster kids at an orphanage, and a batallion of Marines in Iraq. Their video package on the pros and cons of pit bulls continues to be one of the most popular attractions on KobreGuide.com.

More recently, because of a partnership with the local CBS affiliate, the freep.com photo/video department has had to focus on those quick 75-second "stories" that permeate broadcast news. And while they've worked hard and done an excellent job, we can't help but miss some of their more ambitious longterm escapades.

Which is why we're delighted to get word that they're debuting a three-part video special this Sunday (which will also air on local TV), called Belle Island Revealed. "Videographer Brian Kaufman documented the island over four seasons using the Canon 5D Mark ii to show Detroit's signature park as you've never seen it."

As Kaufman's photo (above) reveals:

Lining Belle Isle's canals are some of the island's oldest oak trees, some more than 200 years old and over 120 feet tall. During the late 1800s, an intricate system of canals was hand-cut into the island to drain its marshy surface and provide recreation opportunities. Today, they are overgrown and hard to navigate.

We look forward to watching!

And be sure to check out the Detroit Free Press channel on KobreGuide.com to enjoy the newspaper's previous videojournalism triumphs.

* CORRECTION: An early version of this post solely credited Kathy Kieliszewski for department leadership and misidentified her as "photo/video director." She graciously provided this clarification: "I am the deputy director of photo and video and Craig Porter is the director. He is really important part of why we do such great work, along with Nancy Andrews, the Deputy Manager for Digital Media. I am truly lucky to have two great bosses who value good photojournalism and they have paved the way for me to be able to get this work done." We tip our cybercap to all, and the teamwork they instill in their staff.

Update: NPPA Advanced Storytelling Workshop

Some good news about the National Press Photographers Association Advanced Storytelling Workshop, coming up in April in Texas. They've just added Kathy Kieliszewski (pictured) of the Detroit Free Press as an instructor. She's the newspaper's four-time National Emmy Award winning multimedia producer. Though she and her team have worked closely with a local TV station, her roots are in newspaper video production, and her staff has grown organically from the paper's still photography department.

That makes Kieliszewski an especially welcome addition to the teaching staff, which consists mostly of accomplished TV news journalists. While broadcast expertise is needed in newsrooms these days, it's also important to distinguish between event-driven news coverage and videojournalism feature storytelling -- which is what the NPPA workshop strives to do.

Kieliszewski's work at Freep.com has been recognized at the NPPA Best of Photojournalism competition, the 2009 Webby Awards and as a finalist in the Pictures of the Year International's annual competition's documentary project of the year, as well as numerous photography and picture editing awards. That provides a good balance to the equally valuable input participants will receive from TV newscasters.

The workshop is slated for April 11-16 at Texas State University.

Here's some more info:

This exciting week-long program is designed for experienced TV and newspaper photojournalist, reporters, and video journalist (VJs) - anyone who tells stories with moving pictures, sound and words. We pick up where the Oklahoma NewsVideo Workshops leaves off. We have broadened our scope to include journalists working for newspapers and one-man-bands. Several of our faculty were working solo and winning Photographer of the Year awards long before anyone used the term VJ.

Everyone is a participant. Working solo or in teams, you will develop story ideas, research, report, shoot, edit and produce complete packages under real world deadlines. Critiques and one-on-one sessions abound.

You will participate in regular assignment meetings where story ideas are evaluated and refined. Great emphasis is placed on developing a clear focus BEFORE the shooting process begins. Shooting, writing and editing is conducted under real world deadlines.

Finished stories are critiqued with an emphasis on constructive suggestions for improvement.

Participants must bring their own equipment -- including camera, tripod, microphones, lights, battery charger, laptop, and DVDs to burn assignments for critiques.

LINKS:

* Schedule (pdf)

* Registration info

Detroit Free Press Wins 4th Emmy

Big congrats to the Detroit Free Press (freep.com) for winning a national Emmy Award last night for its multimedia package documenting Christ Child House, a foster home for boys in Detroit, that was previously showcased on KobreGuide.

(Other nominees in the category that honors new approaches to news and documentary reporting included MediaStorm's "Intended Consequences," also spotlighted on KobreGuide.)

Special kudos to project leader Kathy Kieliszewski and her team of videographers, photographers, and reporters. In addition to "one man band" videojournalism projects, the Detroit Free Press devotes staff and resources to large-scale productions, involving many contributors over long periods of time. As their multiple Emmys indicate, it's an investment that pays off.

The Free Press has now won four national Emmys, more than any other newspaper, all of which have appeared on KobreGuide's Emmy channel.

* Christ Child House: Where Children Find Hope

* Forty Years of R-E-S-P-E-C-T

* Pit Bulls: Companions or Killers?

* Michigan Marines Band of Brothers

See more top-quality videojournalism on KobreGuide's Detroit Free Press channel.