Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts

Friday, August 22, 2014

More Reminders About Recording Police

Mercy the joint is jumping. There is a way to record police officers and this is an example of what we can do to counter the lies, official lies and soon to be codified police reports.

This is the full video of the St. Louis Police shooting and killing Kajieme Powell. It is graphic. This is not make believe this is real life.

I am not going to make any judgements about the content or what has happened. There are already people on-line that are spinning fiction out of the facts of this video.

Reminders

If you are on a cell/mobile phone please remember to turn it sideways when recording. A minor point but for citizen journalism mobile videos you might want to consider it.

One thing I want to point out is keeping your distance from the police. No need to get up close and personal. Record what you can and make sure you have a couple of escape paths planned.

You can get caught up in what you see but don't let PD catch you. The above video refutes some of the official statements made by the police spokesperson. It is important to get it seen. After you record what you can get to a safe place at high rate of speed. Copy the video, put that in a safe place and then upload it.

If your phone allows you to upload immediately after recording do it. You can set the video to private and take care of business later.

Copyright Consideration

You retain copyright to your video. You do not have to watermark or put a copyright symbol anymore but there might be good reasons to do so.

I'm sorry to say that broadcast, cable news, and other people will appropriate your video. Appropriate/steal same thing. If you have time, put a watermark on it so that there is no questions this is your video.

If not a watermark then at least a copyright notice in your video. Some TV stations might do the right thing by offering you a license to use your video. Or pay you flat out for it. Don't get ripped off -- take the time to think about it before you sign an agreement.

The YouTube parasites that steal your video and wrap ads around it? Not much you can do. You would think you could slap a DCMA notice on the offenders. You can, but there will be so many people copying the video and posting to their accounts you won't have time.

YouTube isn't that helpful about news content being stolen.

Let me see, anything else?

Oh yeah. I feel silly for saying this but if you have a pocket camera, smartphone or POV recorder you might be a bit more safe than pointing a traditional consumer barrel camcorder. Ohio police shot a man with a toy gun. They see something that looks like a barrel and I...just don't want to think about it.

In the house, okay. Outside be a little cautious about it. Yes, way better video quality but not worth your life.

Other Posts of Interest

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Vine Videos of Ferguson Police Actions and Know Your Rights

People who have read this blog long enough know that I have covered what to do when the police try to stop you from recording a public event. It is tough, it can be dangerous or in some instances potentially lethal.

A young man, Michael Brown was killed by a police office. We don't know why at the time of this post why he is dead. There is no dispute that his body was in the street for hours.

There is no dispute that citizens were angry, frustrated and used their profoundly American right to protest. The majority of the those people were peaceful protesters.

There is also no dispute that there were some people that looted and destroyed property.

As time went on the police became an attack force toward citizens, citizen journalists and mainstream media. And despite the intentions of the police in Ferguson there were people that documented the story using social media and mobile devices.

Alderman Antonio French was using Vine to record what he was seeing in his community. Mr. French was arrested and held in jail for a few hours before being released.

Six second tells much; in this clip there are young men and reporters with cameras who are being tear gassed by the police. There was no Marshal law or curfew.

This is more of his videos on the police excessive use of tea gas:

So yeah, it is real. As a reminder:

As U.S. citizens we have the right to record police officers as affirmed by the 1st Amendment. The ACLU has a couple of pages about photography and video recording. this is the one from the Pennsylvania chapter on Know Your Rights.

Read Reason's 7 Rules for Recording Police Officers which would have still gotten you f-up in Ferguson.

I need to update with new sources but also check out Jesse Halfon's post on Cop Block. I gotta go but please, please be safe and be careful.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Hindenburg Systems Field Recorder

I have to hug my Samsung devices from keeping me from going over to the iOS side. I do think the Apple products are well designed but way over priced. The apps, however, keep me peeping over the iOS fence. So many apps, so little money to buy them all.

The Hindenburg System Field Recorder app I can see possibilities for storytelling use or as a means of laying down an audio or poetry track.

This is one of many tutorial videos on the Field Recorder app

Field Recorder is designed for journalists or storytellers that need an efficient and affordable workflow in the field. It makes it simple to record, light edit audio, add photos and then upload to the service of your choice.

On the plus side:

It will help you create, edit and upload a complete audio or audio with photos file no matter where you are, so long as you have a data plan or access to wi-fi.

It is not expensive at $29.99 but you have to look at if the software fit in with with you skill level and current recording needs.

If you have a daily podcast and you have a hectic life this might be what you need. If you want to lay down an audio track and later match it up to a video later this might do it for you. If you want to post directly to SoundCloud to extract later this could be your cup of tea.

This app will let you import audio WAV files but not MP3. Then again you have an effective audio editing studio in your hand. You can download a 30 day trial version of the main program from the web site so do that before you plunk down cash money.

On the minus side:

It is iOS dang it!

Eh, sorry about that. Where was I? Oh yeah. $29.99 might be overkill. There are free and less expensive apps that can record video.

If you know how to work with file folders, Audacity or Garage Band then this app might not be for you. If you are willing to covert AAC files then again it could be a winner.

This is the entry level version of the app. You might have other needs to check out the full product line or other vendors before making a purchasing decision.

Other Posts of Interest

Monday, October 21, 2013

Quinn Poster on Getting Video Right

Still slogging through life, academia and blogging. Today's inspiration comes from the Poynter Institute. A place where old journos pontificate and newbies discombobulate the status quo.

Portion of Tips Poster at Poynter

Those of us in the middle seem act as the bridge or conduit. We hope that both sides will take the time to listen and observe what works and what doesn't. Sara Dickensen Quinn has a poster with the essentials for shooting videos.

Doesn't matter if you record with a smartphone or a tricked up DSLR. There are fundamentals that we all can learn from. You don't have to be a journalists to apply the tips suggested. Might be better if you weren't.

Tell the story with video and your words. Tell the truth or a close to it as you can get.

Other Posts of Interests

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A Peep at Vine Journalism Awards

Vine video was introduced in January 2013. The number of dog and cat videos increased exponentially. Vine video is used for more than selfies and meal documentation. It can and is being used for journalism and behind the scenes documentation.

The Vine Journalism Awards will be held on October 2, 2013 to eliminate the best use of Vine videos in Journalism. And by best use I mean those that knew about the awards and submitted a video.

This is an example of an intern (hopefully paid) running to deliver an opinion paper to (I believe) Pete Wilson of NBC News.

The Vine Journalism Awards is a co-production of Twitter and Muck Rack, a journalism community. You can see more of the contenders at the Muck Rack Daily site.

As it is often been said, it is not what you have but how you use it.

Other Posts of Interest

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

My Test Video of Panasonic DMC-XS1

I confess, I was in a vulnerable state. I didn't intend to buy the Panasonic DMC-XS1. But it was a long day. I felt a longing. Somehow I found myself in the camera store; reminiscing about D-76. Peeping at the DSLRs that I will never own. Sigh.

The store clerk asked "May I help you?"

Next thing I knew I was walking out the door with that new camera in the hand feeling. When I got home and opened the box I was really surprised how small the camera was in my hand.

This is a test video from the camera. No filters were used. No macro mode to speak of. I have to say my expectations were guarded. Still have painful memories of that Fuji camera from long ago.

I read some of the reviews of other users. Some folks were not happy with the performance.

That might have been due to the type of memory card used; a Class 2 card ain't gonna cut it. It should be functional at Class 4 but I would expect recording delays. I had no problems starting and stopping with the Class 10 card.

It isn't perfect. I haven't found a comfortable way to securely hold on to the camera. You want to put that strap on it. It won't take much effort for the camera to slip out of your hands.

Even with the limited time that I had to squeezed out of the day, I'm pleased that my effort to record moving people and objects was a good investment.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Quick Look at Sony HDR-MV1

This could be an interesting bit of kit. The Sony HDR-MV1 is the love child of the the action Go-Pro and the Zoom microphone line. It has possibilities if the right users could find their way to it. Per the Sony web site, they are thinking that musicians will gravitate to the device but I can see reporters and journalists giving this some serious thought as well.

For those that do interviews, conference interviews or hit it and quit journalism this could be a viable alternative to the Zoom Q-HD3.

The HDR-MV1 will not be officially released until December but this is what is known about the camcorder:

Aperture f/2.8 good for recording in dim places (but not great)
Image sensor 1/2.3 or 7.77mm
20x Optical Zoom with a wide angle 120 degree lens
Records 1080p/30 frames per second
Dual microphones and the ability to hook up external microphones as well
Audio uncompressed at 48Hz 16bit
Video File Form AVC H.264 MP4
Records on Sony Memory Stick Mini or SD/SDHC/SDXC cards

Toss in some video filters, metering modes and shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/10000 of a second and I think you got something here.

Tasty, very tasty. And it is small, palm small.

So if you are a musician, teacher, journalist or other folks that want quality video and audio and don't want to use your mobile device I think this might be worth keeping and eye out for. I'd want to see some test of the video before forking up cash money but it does seem to have possiblities.

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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Amani and Chip's Mobile Video Tips Presentation

From the thought to the word to those people doing the deed. Amani Channel and Chip Dizzard have a web site called Web Video Chefs. They are also professional journalists and video creators.

This is the first item in the presentation. Mobile Journalism Must Haves:

The team gave a full presentation to the National Association of Black Journalists a while back and they have uploaded the full presentation on mobile journalism. You can watch the video, download the mp3 version or check out the Keynote presentation.

I'm sampling the goodies as I type. I don't necessarily want to be a mobile journalist but I do want to have better control over mobile video recording devices.

We cannot remain in our chosen silos of information. We need to know what the innovator down the street is doing. Each one teach one and pass it down the line.

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Look At the iPhoneReporting Blog

I am still sad about the firing of the Chicago Sun-Times photographers. News photography is a profession. It requires training, skills, equipment and a story. It also requires people to be paid for their services.

The Sun-Times decided that all that is necessary to perform a professional level of photojournalism is to have beat reporters use smartphone cameras. I entreat you to visit the might fine Tumblr blog SunTime/DarkTimes.

This is a great example of what not to do.

You know how when you upload a video and somehow the wrong image is selected as the cover photo? And how until very recently you couldn't upload a different image?

That is, if you use YouTube to host your video. You might use another service that will not allow you change the cover photo.

Public school budget cuts are a serious matter. A distracting cover photo wrecks the credibility of the publication. Unless this was an intentional bait and switch to get people to read the story. Maybe readers watched the video to find out what this grandparent had to say about the on-going problems with the Chicago public schools?

No. This is bad. Really, really bad.

Let me be clear; in certain situations professional reporters can use consumer recording devices and software for breaking news and general reporting. It is possible with training and guidance that reporters will get better about recording and lightly edit video before hitting the upload button.

I ain't holding my breath on it.

But it is possible. In the meantime, if you have a recording device on your smartphone you might want to slide on over to iPhonereporting.com

Yes, even you Android and Windows folks ought to take a peep at it.

There are app recommendations, web service shout outs like using SoundCloud to record audio and, in light of the above Sun-Time image, a few pro tips on how to shoot video.

You can read most of the blog contents in about two hours. It would be worth it to make sure that you name is not listed in the mobile video journalism walk of shame.

Other Posts Of Interest:

Friday, July 19, 2013

A Look at MotionPoems

Poetry is usually a solo effort. You grab a corner and you pound out some pentameter. In creating video poems you can do it yourself but for poets without video or filming skills you might need a collaborator.

This is a video about how a man met a woman and soon after MotionPoems is created.

This is an example of a collaborative effort by Todd Boss and Angella Kassube and the result is a new way of expressing poetry. Using motion graphic software like After Effects and graphic arts skills you can get works like the one from Thomas Lux

There is much more at the site and if you could toss them some cash to continue to do good work that would be a way of paying it forward.

So, what does this mean for folks that want to incorporate animated text into their videos but do not have the money for Adobe After Effects?

I have some basic ideas that could simulate animated text.
That is for the next posts.

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Citizen News Using Vine Videos

It has been a heck of a week. The news events of the past three days in the United States (and I use that term loosely) has been incredible. I just wanted to mention how Vine was used to report a specific event in Austin, Texas.

This is one of many Vine videos that were recorded to document the events in the Texas State Senate. There may have been local reporters and journalists there but many of the videos were recorded with Smartphone devices.

I bring this up because none of the nation news media mentioned, looked at or even acknowledge the 13 hour filibuster of State Senator Wendy Davis. CNN went with cupcakes, I believe.

The filibuster lasted 13+ hours; you'd think any one of the broadcast or cable news channels could have mention it with a 30 second status clip per hour? Naw, that would get in the way of some D list celebrity PR problems.

Many people watched parts of the event via YouTube Livestream in addition to the Vine video recordings. There was also UStream reporting.

Now, I am not suggesting that mainstream media use Smartphones as reporting tools. Goodness knows I disagree with the Chicago Sun-Times decision to fire their entire photography staff. Look at the results of that boner.

But if the mainstream news media choose to ignore major relevants news stores then we shall pick up the slack.

It is on.

Other Posts of Interest

Thursday, June 6, 2013

A Look at New Media Rockstars

The creators of web video cannot wait for Variety and Extra to catch up to the happenings of new media content creators. Yes, every once in a while there will be a mainstream report about a sale of a web video series to a company like Disney or Viacom but you don't get the daily deets about actual performers or the change from independence to an influx of carpetbaggers and (some, not all) opportunists.

Who are the creators? What companies are inserting themselves as middle people? How much money do YouTubers make?

This is where New Media Rockstars (NMR) comes in handy. They interview the people and the changing new media environment. It isn't just about the creators of web video. There are posts about should you go solo or sign with a network?

Will Yahoo buy DailyMotion? Hmm, this might be an instance where folks wouldn't be all that upset about a purchase.

I seem to have a lot of questions but then again there is a lot of content to review at the site. And many that is the value of a web site like this; to cut the fluff and talk directly to the people that are hip deep in this ever changing experience.

If you have some time, give it a read.

Other Posts Of Interest

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Trying to Find the Truth About YouTube Paid Subcriptions

I have got all kinds of places saying is it and it isn't or it is gonna be but not right now. So much for reporters making things clear. Here is the deal; YouTube (and others with a vested interest) are looking for ways to increase the cash extraction process from viewers.

When you have a billion viewers a month and climbing you want to be open to all possibilities.

The Pre-rolls ads are one way to do it. Traditional media companies are creating content specific for YouTube audiences. Outside players are buying and financially supporting some of the upper level content providers.

I like HipHughes History and education video bloggers in general. I would seriously think about supporting the content that I like. There would be no cat videos but plenty of what I consider to be good stuff. If the bulk of the subscription money goes to the content providers and a chunk to YouTube for administrative and service costs I'm okay with that.

Except I can't get it confirmed. What has got some folks itchy is that (without confirmation from Google is a rumor that content creators will be able to have paid subscribers view there content.

Mashable says that the Financial Times says that it there are Beta subscription trails. I can't view the Financial Times site because they have a pay wall and you have to subscribe to have access to limited content.

Erf.

The Huffington Post story is actually from Reuters the video subscriptions but cites no sources; just

Slashdot say yeah, there gonna do it starting citing a post from IT World who cites the Financial Times.

Which is behind a pay way.

There is not, as of this date and time of this post, an official statement from Google or YouTube blogs. It is doesn't mean that it isn't true or there is a valid reason to question having subcriptions.

But where is the beef in the news stores about the topic?

Cuz I have questions? Like it it gonna be like cable? Of which I do not have or want? Can I pay one time per espisode or is it a monthly subscription? Do I have to buy a set number of channels not to have advertising. How about a better job of allowing me to discover videos that I want to know about.?

Is is going to be reconstituted crap from broadcast channels? What about the corporate content providers? Will they get to set their own price?

Questions without answers at this time.

Other Posts of Interest

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Vine Used as Reporting Tool

I told folks this would happen. Vine is not just for cute cat and bad dog videos. I have seen people use the Twitter Vine video app for creativity but it was a matter of time before it would be used for reporting and journalism.

Some of the explosions at the Boston Marathon were transmitted by Vine to folks outside of the Boston media area. Twitter got it before network news. Other Vine videos, like the one above by Anne London, was keeping track of runners entering the area and being stopped.

It bears repeating that we are in new territory here. The man or woman on the street will be the one to possibly record an essential part of the event or how it plays out.

Once again, be safe and be aware of your surroundings.

Other Post of Interest

Saturday, April 13, 2013

PodOMatic Minicast Maker

Digital storytelling has many paths. New ones are coming down the pike and I like to point out possibilities when they pop-up. PodOMatic Minicast allows you to tell stories with voice and photo.

It isn't video. You might not need video to construct an audio/visual story.

The web service is free and really easy to use. You create an account and then upload your audio and photos to the site. I created narration with my photos but you can also select music from the library.

Depending on the size of your minicast it can take a while to process. Once finished you can add your minicast to Twitter and Facebook.

What Is It Good For?

Glad you asked because I can see a lot of positive uses for this type of service.

Poets should pay particular attention because it doesn't get easier to create a visual or video poem.

I can see this for citizen journalism where you are describing a situation and you have photos to spice up your radio or audio podcasting narrative.

You could use it for:

short demonstrations for craft, fashion or creativity post on Twitter and Facebook
creating content for your blog (not sure about the embedding just yet)
educational uses i.e. language building skills

You get up to 500MB of free storage and 15GB of bandwidth per month. You also become a member of PodOMatic; not just of the Minicast section. You might want to customize or de-activate certain account features.

It is in Beta mode so things may or may not go according to plan. I created my Minicast at around 9:30am. It is now 2:25pm and I haven't received the link to upload. It might have had something to do with the size of the photos I uploaded.

You might want to reduce the size of the photos and use mp3 for audio uploads.

Still, if it does what it claims then this is another tool for the old kit bag. I'll post the Minicast should it ever show up.

As always check out the Terms of Service.

You grant PodOMatic an irrevocable sub-license to transmit and display your stuff. You still retain ownership and copyright to your work. You would be subject to their opinion and option of removing content that violates copyright or what they feel would be objectionable content.

Other Posts of Interest

Friday, April 12, 2013

More Diversity, Less Consolidation Video from NCMR 2013

I believe change will happen from the bottom and the sides applying pressure to the way things have been done. It is an applied change. That change cannot happen if you are on the outside looking in on corporate controlled monopolies.

Yes, it is far easier to create content. Perhaps we now need to look at distribution access as well.

Just a thought.

Anyway, this is a discussion about how to improve access for under served and under represented communities.

This is a recording of the More Diversity, Less Consolidation session from the National Conference on Media Reform that was held in Denver, Colorado in April 2013.

Other Posts of Interest

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Vocativ Video on Smartphone Recording

The number of people using smartphone to record video is growing. Slowly there are device specific recording techniques that can help you steady the shot and capture quality video.

Vocativ is a new kind of news site that will come out of Beta soon. My understanding is that it will be a combination of journalism that will tap into data and social media sources to assemble a more complete story.

One of the things that Vocativ wants to encourage more citizen journalism recording.

This is a video from their community site that gives doable techniques to record a public protest or a community peace out.

Kinda re-enforces what I have been saying:

Have a plan when you go out to record.
Snag a variety of shots.
Make sure the audio is tight.
Make extra sure you are safe, especially around those folks wearing blue and carry a baton or tazer.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Bill Gentile and His Video Backpack Gear

Bill Gentile is a professional journalist who is also a teacher/trainer. This is a great opportunity to peep into his gear bag and check out what he totes when he is on assignment.

Checking out his blog, there will be a new book in January called Video Journalism Field Manual that can be purchased on Amazon.com.

Other Posts of Interest:

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

One Day on Earth Project - Are You In?

No, it is not the end of the world again. That is allegedly on December 21, 2012. This is the One Day on Earth video recording project where people from all over the globe record what is happening where they live on the planet.

On December 12, 2012 or better known as 12/12/12, people with camcorders and recording devices will be out recoding what they see and hear during that day.

From the web site:

It is not just individuals; it is non-profit organizations, the United Nations and a few private businesses. Take a look at the participant map. For certain regions of the world cameras and camcorders are being provided. They mean it when they say they want to record the world.

If you think that you would like to participate you need to get a move on to the web site and get the straight scoop.

Other Posts of Interest

Monday, October 1, 2012

CicLAvia Is Rolling Around Again – Bring Camera

CicLAvia Is Rolling Around again. I copied the name from the site to make sure I spell it consistently. Here in Los Angeles we have a day where we shut down the cars and let the bike freak flag wave high. It is going to be this Sunday, October 7 from 10 to 3pm.

It is a lot of fun to ride in CicLaVia but to photograph and record is even better. The laughter. The looks of pissed off drivers trying to go the wrong way. The hidden contradictions that pop out at you when you are on street level.

Don’t take my word for it, let Tawny school you up on it.

If you can’t find 30 seconds of a story here you need to hang it up and breath. Lots of fun, good walking, documentary opportunities all over the joint. Not to mention the bacon wrapped hot dogs with grilled onions and jalapeno peppers.

Oh, the dude with the bicycle cranked ice cream with mango chili vanilla I will be looking for you. That was so good.

Other Posts of Interest

Glossary - Interstitial Videos

A Look at Powtoon Presentation Software

Adding A Beep Tone To Mask A Cuss Word

About Create Video Notebook

My name is Gena Haskett. I usually hang out at Out On The Stoop. This is place to share content and resources for creators, podcasters and anybody else that is interested. Think of it as a mini-library collection of resources that span across disciplines.

Hopefully this blog is not just How-To or What to Buy but the reasons and best practices on recording and displaying video.

This is my notebook of ideas and possibilities.

What you do with them is up to you. Questions and comments you can clickafy me compumavengal AT earthlink Dot net.