Go all guerrilla on ‘em
My philosophy is get out there and get the job done. Get the news and get in on-line. And don't be afraid to shoot video.
Don't let some accountant turned editor tell you it will break the newsroom budget. It doesn't have to.
Andy Dickinson gets us started with his own brand of journalism anarchy in the U.K.: a three-part article,
“How to set up video for newspaper web sites on a budget.
I have to tip a pint of Bass to Andy for this one. You can get started shooting video, probably
with a point-and-shoot camera, small camcorder or cell phone that you’ve
already got lying around somewhere, or even in your pocket. Web video is still compressed so much, and shown on such
small screens, most viewers can’t tell the difference between high and standard
definition.
What you need is some sort of camera stabilization system,
so your video won’t shake like the Blair Witch Project, or your grandparents’
last vacation to Branson.
But who wants to lug around some big tripod? Andy suggests
the Gorillapod, and
even has some suggestions for your camera phone.
Or you can literally go DIY and make your own equipment like real filmmakers use.
Most accessories, if purchased new and ready-made cost hundreds
of dollars – probably more than your camera.
But there are plenty of tutorials on how to make them yourself ,
for just a few dollars.
Here’s another site with more ideas,
including (my favorite) a Fig Rig made out of PVC pipes
for $10.
All that’s missing is audio: the most important part of production.
But you can find a good quality digital recorder for about
$60 and add a microphone. See one of
our previous posts for more details. Reminder: A separate microphone in nearly always
better than the built-in mic on most camcorders and lower end digital recorders.
Now there’s a problem:
you don’t have a mic input on you little phone or camcorder,
do you? Well, look at those big network television news crews and real filmmakers who have audio pros to capture the sound separately.
Dare to take the guerrilla challenge: Shoot a video on your cell phone, or your point-and-shoot, and
pick up the audio separately on your digital recorder, using a microphone. Then find someone who has a good editing software, such as
Premier Elements or Final Cut Express and try to synch it all together.