Good Storytelling Is Always in Style

Dirck Halstead and PF Bentley's 10-day Platypus workshops are celebrated for their intensive hands-on instruction in videojournalism. Gail Mooney (pictured) attended their bootcamp ten years ago, and returned this year as an instructor. As she reports, a lot has changed technologically in those intervening years .

However, we're glad that one underlying lesson endures, and that's the eternal quest for high-quality storytelling. Yes, it's important to master cameras, mics and editing software. But the prettiest pictures and loveliest scenes don't mean diddly if the viewer is not engaged by a compelling narrative.

If I had to make one distinction that separates the Platypus Workshop from so many of the other DSLR workshops that have sprung up of late, it’s the workshop’s emphasis on telling the story – and the story is everything. Before you even set out to start shooting your final project, you need to get your “commitment” approved by PF or Dirck. You need to present to them in a concise sentence or two what your story is about. If you can’t articulate what your story is about – you ‘re sent back to the drawing table to refine or define what your message is. That’s a pretty big distinction if you think about it because without a solid story, even the most technically proficient videos will fall short with a viewer and end up being an unmemorable piece of fluff....

Good story telling never goes out of fashion , no matter what tools one chooses to use to tell their story. A good story is a good story....

The tools may have changed since my days at the Platypus Workshop but the fundamentals of video journalism are pretty much the same. I’m grateful for that foundation because telling the story is what it’s all about and that never goes out of style.

Gail Mooney's blog, Journeys of a Hybrid, is chockablock with excellent insight into straddling the worlds of photojournalism and videojournalism.

Upcoming Platypus workshops:
Prague, Czech Republic: July 9–18.
Rockport, Maine: July 25–August 3.

More info here.

Apply Now for Next Platypus Workshop

There are still a few open slots for The Digital Journalist's Platypus Workshop next month, headed by award-winning photojournalists Dirck Halstead and PF Bentley, July 26- Aug. 4 in Maine.

In nine days, we teach high-definition digital shooting and editing, with an emphasis on storytelling. We have taught over 200 photojournalists since our inception in 1999. Our graduates have gone on to do television documentaries and Web videos, especially for newspapers and even films. One of our graduates was a nominee for an Oscar in 2006.

Participants are supplied Canon cameras, Sennheiser mikes, and a MacBook Pro loaded with Final Cut Pro.

Tuition ranges from $750 to $1,995. To register, contact Kerry L. Curren: registration@theworkshops.com .

Digital Journalist's Platypus Workshops

The Digital Journalist will be hosting four domestic Platypus Workshops this year.

These 9-day workshops teach high-definition digital shooting and editing, with an emphasis on storytelling. More than 200 photojournalists have attended since their inception in 1999, and graduates have gone on to create television documentaries, Web videos and even films. (One graduate was an Oscar nominee in 2006.)

There are two ways to attend a workshop. As a Shooter you are the storyteller. You get to use a new Canon HD camera, wireless and on-camera mikes from Sennheiser, tripods from Libec and an Apple laptop MacBook Pro with the latest version of Final Cut Pro for editing. You may work alone, or with a Producer (see below), to create the class exercises and a final 3-5 minute documentary or news story.

Everyone who joins the class will learn about the newest HD (High Definition Digital Video) camera, field sound recording, cinematic storytelling, the use of lenses, tripods, and Apple's latest Final Cut Pro editing software.

As a Producer you do what the name implies in broadcast. Producers attend all classes, team up with shooters to "produce" the various segments of the course work: research stories, make arrangements, conduct the interviews, go out on the field exercises and co-produce the final project . . . as a team. The Producer and the Shooter both come back to the edit bay and cut the projects together.

The workshops are taught by award-winning photojournalists Dirck Halstead and PF Bentley.

TUITION: Shooter: $1,995. Producer or educator: $995. Student: $750. (10% discount for NPPA and ASMP members).

SCHEDULE:

MAY 1 – 10: PORTLAND, ORE.

To register for Portland, contact David Lyman .

JULY 26 – AUGUST 4 (session 1): MAINE

AUGUST 6 – 15 (session 2): MAINE

To Register for Maine, contact Kerry L. Curren .