Deborah Scranton Talks About “War Tapes” at TED

Filmmaker Deborah Scranton talks about and shows clips from her documentary The War Tapes in this video from TED. She put video cameras in the hands of Charlie Company, a unit of the National Guard, for one year in Iraq. The soldiers footage and diaries tell a very personal story of the war in Iraq.

“At War”: Documentary Filmmaking at its Best

Check out Scott Kesterson and David Leeson’s excellent work on a feature length film, “At War“, based on Scott’s documentary footage shot in Afghanistan over a one year embed. David Leeson is editing the film now and has completed a few trailers that can be viewed on the site. Scott is an interesting story, going from citizen journalist and blogger to documentary filmmaker. David has mentored and collaborated with Scott over the years and the result is a powerful visual documentary on the war in Afghanistan. As I have mentioned in the past, my feeling is that we are pursuing the wrong model in some cases. We should be thinking about the long term documentary project more when it comes to video. The most powerful images usually come from long term projects that allow us to explore topics in depth. This is no different when it comes to video.

At War is a documentary film shot and directed by Scott Kesterson, who spent a year embedded with US forces in Afghanistan. The film is produced and edited by David Leeson, Pulitzer Prize recipient and currently Executive Producer – Video and New Media for The Dallas Morning News. The film is subject-driven storytelling, allowing the truth of the moment to speak in the tradition of ethical still photojournalism. It explores the timeless nature of war and conflict, and ultimately challenges us to look at ourselves as beings filled with love and hate, fear and courage, passion and chaos.

New Sony PMW-EX1 HD Camera With Tapeless Recording

The reported cost of the Sony PMW-EX1 HD camera will be in the $8,000 range. A bit pricey for personal consumption, but remember the old days when the first digital cameras were in the $20,000 range. It wasn’t until Nikon introduced the D-1 in the $5,000 range that prices came down. Give it time and these should come down in price as well. The advantage of course is getting rid of tapes. From Sony:

The PMW-EX1 is the first in a new range of professional HD products – called XDCAM EX – which are the first to record onto memory-based SxS ExpressCard media. Designed from the ground up to exploit the ultimate high performance of SxS PRO memory cards, the PMW-EX1 combines a state-of-the-art, non-linear XDCAM workflow with simply the best HD quality yet seen in a compact camcorder. It is also the first handheld camcorder to carry the legendary CineAlta 24P brand with multiple frame rate recording capability such as 59.94i, 50i, and native 23.98P, as well being 1080i/720P switchable.

There is also a choice of a 35Mb/s High Quality mode or a 25Mb/s, HDV 1080i compatible mode. To take advantage of this high performance recording capability, the PMW-EX1 uses an all-new imaging system consisting of three ½-inch type CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920×1080 to produce images in full HD resolution. In addition, there’s a purpose-built Fujinon Professional HD ½-inch 14x lens and a unique dual focus ring mechanism.

In fact, there are innovations in every detail of the PMW-EX1, from its IT-friendly MP4 file recording to advanced creative features, such as selectable gamma curves and “Slow & Quick Motion” capability.

To maximise recording time, the PMW-EX1 has two memory card slots which means with a pair of 16 GB SxS PRO memory cards, it can record up to 140 minutes of HD footage.

A wide variety of accessories are also available, including a USB Reader/Writer, a wide-conversion lens, battery and charger.

The PMW-EX1 HD compact camcorder is the ideal solution for a wide range of customers from broadcasters through to independent videographers and film makers who want exceptional HD picture quality and state-of-the-art workflow from a compact and affordable camcorder.

New Northwestern University Study On Digital Strategy

A new study out of Northwestern University’s Media Management Center, “Running while the Earth Shakes: Creating an Innovation Strategy to Win in the Digital Age, A Study on Innovation in the News Media,” by Annette Moser-Wellman, explores the creative strategies media organizations can follow to adapt to change. Here’s a link to the PDF file.

Executive Summary
The news industry faces seismic changes as the Internet transforms the market and the competitive climate for news and information. Traditional news media organizations must aggressively adapt their business models to stay relevant in this evolving marketplace. And they must become effective and nimble innovators – able to rapidly and continually develop new products, services, distribution mechanisms, business models, strategies and revenue streams in response to or in anticipation of changes in the competitive landscape, consumer preference and technologies. And non-traditional or “emerging” news companies — those that have entered the world of gathering, producing and distributing news and information since the dawn of the World Wide Web — need to be on guard so they don’t lose their natural innovative abilities as they grow. So this report is designed to help both new and old media companies identify and aggressively redefine business models, create dynamic processes, develop flexible organizations and inspire vital leadership to navigate industry changes ahead.

New Sony HDV Cam Has Interchangeable Lenses

Sony has a new HDV camera coming out soon that uses interchangeable lenses. Preliminary info from Sony:

1/3-inch 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor™
The new camcorder will incorporate new 1/3” 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor system for optimum picture quality. Thanks to the unique grid arrangement of the photo diode sensors, in which each is rotated by 45 degrees, sensor resolution has been optimised while maximising the photosensitive surface area. The sensor works in combination with the Enhanced Imaging Processor™ to provide high sensitivity, low noise and a wide dynamic range. The 3ClearVid CMOS Sensor also eradicates picture smear and is less demanding on power consumption, thus delivering longer battery life.

Flexible Lens Options
The handheld camcorder is supplied with an interchangeable HD Carl Zeiss lens with 1/3” bayonet joint mechanism, allowing the flexibility of attaching existing 2/3” or 1/2” lenses with a standard lens adaptor. Lenses from the popular Digital SLR – a System from Sony can also be used with a special adaptor.

Native Progressive Recording Mode
The new HDV camcorder has both native progressive and interlace recording modes. In the native progressive recording mode, the 1080/25p image is recorded in HDV format. It is ideal for film-makers on a budget.

Full Compatibility with Current SD Systems
HDV/DVCAM switchability offers future-proof purchase for current DVCAM users. The built-in down-converter offers DV signals through the i.LINK connector to your current DV non-linear editing system.

Final Cut Pro Tutorials

Here’s a link to Ken Stone’s fantastic Final Cut Pro tutorial site with an extensive list of video and text tutorials, white papers, and audio tutorials.

Shotgun Microphone Positions

Here’s a nice little video example of shotgun microphone positions for sound capture (on camera, off camera, and with a boom) from David Tamés at Kino-Eye.

Comparison of Camera vs. Boom Microphone: Here’s a quick comparison I did of recording dialog with an MKH60 Shotgun Microphone mounted on a camera vs. mounted on a boom.

$10,000 Blogging Scholarship for Students

Scholarship opportunity for students from College Scholarships.org:

The Blogging Scholarship
Is Your Blog Worthy of a $10,000 Scholarship? Do you maintain a weblog and attend college? Would you like $10,000 to help pay for books, tuition, or other living costs? If so, read on. We’re giving away $10,000 this year to a college student who blogs. The Blogging Scholarship is awarded annually.

Scholarship Requirements:

• Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!
• U.S. citizen
• Currently attending full-time in post-secondary education
• If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: Midnight PST on Oct. 6th
• 10 Finalists Announced and Public Voting Begings: 9am EST on Oct. 8th
• Public Voting Ends and Winner Declared: Midnight PST on Oct. 28th

The Possible Web Future

Richard MacManus at Read/Write Web has compiled an interesting list of future trends for the web. Highlights below:

10 Future Web Trends
by Richard MacManus

We’re well into the current era of the Web, commonly referred to as Web 2.0. Features of this phase of the Web include search, social networks, online media (music, video, etc), content aggregation and syndication (RSS), mashups (APIs), and much more. Currently the Web is still mostly accessed via a PC, but we’re starting to see more Web excitement from mobile devices (e.g. iPhone) and television sets (e.g. XBox Live 360). What then can we expect from the next 10 or so years on the Web?

1. Semantic Web: In a nutshell, the Semantic Web is about machines talking to machines. It’s about making the Web more ‘intelligent’, or as Berners-Lee himself described it: computers “analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers.”

2. Artificial Intelligence: In the context of the Web, AI means making intelligent machines. In that sense, it has some things in common with the Semantic Web vision.

3. Virtual Worlds: Second Life gets a lot of mainstream media attention as a future Web system. But at a recent Supernova panel that Sean Ammirati attended, the discussion touched on many other virtual world opportunities.

4. Mobile: In 10 years time there will be many more location-aware services available via mobile devices; such as getting personalized shopping offers as you walk through your local mall, or getting map directions while driving your car, or hooking up with your friends on a Friday night.

5. Attention Economy: The Attention Economy is a marketplace where consumers agree to receive services in exchange for their attention. Examples include personalized news, personalized search, alerts and recommendations to buy.

6. Web Sites as Web Services: Major web sites are going to be transformed into web services – and will effectively expose their information to the world.

7. Online Video / Internet TV: This is a trend that has already exploded on the Web – but you still get the sense there’s a lot more to come yet. It’s fair to say that in 10 years time, Internet TV will be totally different to what it is today. Higher quality pictures, more powerful streaming, personalization, sharing, and much more – it’s all coming over the next decade. Perhaps the big question is: how will the current mainstream TV networks (NBC, CNN, etc) adapt?

8. Rich Internet Apps: As the current trend of hybrid web/desktop apps continues, expect to see RIA (rich internet apps) continue to increase in use and functionality.

9. International Web: As of 2007, the US is still the major market in the Web. But in 10 years time, things might be very different.

10. Personalization: Personalization has been a strong theme in 2007, particularly with Google.

-more

Ed Kashi on Changes in Photojournalism

Great article this month in Digital Photo Pro Magazine by Harlon Mitchell on photojournalist Ed Kashi and his take on the changes in multimedia today.

Photojournalism Now
For freelance photojournalists, these are chaotic times. But in chaos there’s opportunity if you have the daring to go for it.
By Harlon Mitchell

The age of traditional freelance photojournalism is no more. Newspaper and magazine markets are shrinking. Editorial budgets are at an all-time low. Assignments and opportunities have decreased dramatically, even for the top-tier photographers. The glory days of months-long assignments with large advances and a big chunk of magazine space waiting at the end of the job are gone, too. In these changing times, freelance photojournalists can still make a living and fulfill the calling to get the story out by adapting to a new paradigm. Publishing content in cyberspace is the future of media across the board. Everyone is going to the Web. To flourish in this new marketplace, it’s time to develop some new skills. By learning to tell stories in a different way, with a variety of media beyond still photography, you’ll be positioning yourself well. – more

Brenda Ann Kenneally: Finding the Way Home

Now on the MediaStorm site: Photojournalist Brenda Ann Kenneally, originally on assignment for The New York Times Magazine, documents the seemingly endless struggles some families face as they set about Finding the Way Home: Two Years After Katrina.

Pauline Lubens: Women in Photojournalism Report 2

Well, the first couple of weeks of teaching classes this fall have been interesting. I’m teaching a new course this semester, the role of images in mediating reality, for honors students. The course introduces them to visual literacy and teaches them that visuals influence their perception of reality and their behavior. Needless to say I’m pretty busy and this is the first chance I’ve had to actually sit down and write.

I want to talk first about the recent presentation made by Pauline Lubens at the Women in Photojournalism conference in Austin a few weeks ago. To me, Pauline had the most compelling story to tell about the changes we are facing and its relevance to her current documentary work.

Pauline has been a staff photographer for the San Jose Mercury News since 2000. She was at the Detroit Free Press for seventeen years before that. Pauline has covered the war in Iraq twice, focusing on the impact of the war on Iraqi civilians. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice — in 1991 for a team entry documenting the U.S. visit of South African leader Nelson Mandela and in 2004 for a team entry covering the California Recall election.

Pauline started off her presentation with a comparison of old and new ways of presenting stories. A picture of gaffer-tapped black boards with prints mounted to them flashed up on the screen and she made the point that this was only a few years ago and that, “Now three years later, the evolutionary arc has shot straight up vertical.”

After starting to use sound with her photography presentations a few years ago she now feels that the element that has been missing from her previous work (sound) has now become integral to the way she tells stories. However, she said that the one thing that hasn’t changed, even though we do audio, video, we have new gadgets, and new presentation platforms, is great storytelling.

“It can be pretty daunting, but for me the key is still about storytelling. My approach hasn’t changed, how I do stories, how I get access hasn’t changed. How I think about my approach for what tools I’m going to use has changed,” she said.

She said that some people in photojournalism are wedded to their identities and feel that, “I’m a still photographer, I don’t shoot video, I wasn’t hired to record audio or do interviews.” Pauline is always surprised by statements like that. She says that she feels completely rejuvenated by doing multimedia.

“I’m 51-years-old and I feel like a kid again. That’s good news and bad news. I feel more energized about work than I have in along time. Everything seems really new and I also get to be a workaholic again. I feel like I have a whole lot to learn and it has been very exciting. It is a creative feast. But it can be really scary,” she said.

Pauline said that for her multimedia has given her new elements that she can add to her stories that give them greater depth. “Not only can I put a human face on stories that I have a passion to tell I can give them a human voice as well.” However, despite all the changes with multimedia Pauline hasn’t strayed far from her roots. Most of her work still contains about 70 percent stills and 30 percent video—only shooting video when it’s called for. One of the things she loves about multimedia is the control she is able to exercise over her work.

“Photographers are always complaining that we don’t have control over how our pictures get used. Well, I get to do it all myself and I don’t play well with other children,” she joked. Pauline’s latest story on U.S. Army Sgt. Frank Sandoval titled “Frank’s Fight” had a profound effect on everyone in the room. (A shout out to Richard Koci Hernandez as well who did much of the technical work on the site). It is the story of an Army survivor of a roadside bomb attack in Iraq who had severe brain trauma and his personal and family struggles to regain his life. The story took a recent tragic turn when Frank Sandoval passed away after another surgery to repair his battered body.

The story had a tremendous personal impact on Pauline—and everyone in the audience. The story is powerful and shows the ability of stills, video and sound to bring greater depth to our storytelling capabilities.

“Multimedia is a wonderful evolving thing. Photojournalists for the first time are taking the lead. What we are doing for the web now is visually driven. This is a very interesting time and I encourage you to take the lead, take control, and take the leap into it,” Pauline concluded.

One of the more interesting parts that I drew from Pauline’s talk and her work was the power that we have as visual storytellers. One of the most talked about directions and benchmarks for our new work in multimedia is to emulate the television news model with a few tweaks. To use shorter pieces and cover more breaking news to cater to an audience that has a short attention span.

I disagree. I feel we should be going more toward the documentary filmmaking model. To create longer more in-depth pieces like Pauline’s that use a combination of video and stills to tell a story that develops over time and explores the human condition. There will always be a need for the shorter pieces, but many of them could easily be told with a few still images and audio. However, it’s the long form documentary that has the power to hold a person’s attention and keep them watching until the end. My ten cents worth of opinion but you’ll probably see more stories here that help us to explore this issue in greater depth.

I’ll post a second piece on the workshop as soon as time and work constraints permit.