Dissecting Video

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — As you work on your video assignment, I thought I'd share a little bit about the ones I've been producing for Patch. Note, I've included one I haven't done, as well, for discussion purposes.

First, let me explain my philosophy on videos: Like articles, my style is to not insert myself overtly into the story. That means I want the subject to come through as much as possible, so I edit out my questions and banter in favor of black screens with the questions in text form. This way, I can edit down the footage more easily and provide transitions for the viewer.

I also want to say that video is not my greatest strength. While I've had visual experience in my journalism career (taking a video and photography classes in high school and shooting pictures on one of my internships) writing has always been my main focus. Yet, I welcome more video opportunities because it gives journalists, I believe, more options in telling the story.

So, I would encourage everyone to practice video and incorporate it whenever you can because there aren't as many people out there with these skills.