The Digital Reporter’s Notebook

137 Pages·2013·5.827 MB·English

by  Mark Blaine

The Digital Reporter’s Notebook
P owerful storytelling engages the senses, and today, there are more accessible
digital tools available for telling multimedia stories than ever before. T he Dig-
ital Reporter’s Notebook teaches practical digital storytelling techniques that
journalists can put into practice right away, using the technology they already
have in their pockets. Mark Blaine demonstrates how to gather information
and organize it into a successful multimedia story without losing sight of the
essentials of good journalism.
T hese forty brief chapters provide a versatile toolkit for multimedia jour-
nalists, including activities and exercises to build a strong foundation in digital
storytelling. Readers will also want to try the interactive app, which includes
videos and animations that bring the concepts and ideas in the book to life.
Topics include:
(cid:129) Lighting & Framing
(cid:129) Collecting Sound
(cid:129) Scene Setting & Relevant Detail
(cid:129) Interview Techniques
(cid:129) Story Structure
(cid:129) File Management
The Digital Reporter’s Notebook is ideal for online journalism courses and
introductory reporting courses using a convergence approach.
Mark Blaine teaches multimedia storytelling techniques in the School of
Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. He has been
an investigative reporter, speaker, author, and editor for magazines and
newspapers.
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The Digital Reporter’s Notebook
Mark Blaine
RRoutledge
Taylor &. Francis Croup
NEW YORK AND LONDON
First published 2014
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
The right of Mark Blaine to be identifi ed as author of this work has
been asserted by him/her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blaine, Mark.
The digital reporter’s notebook / by Mark Blaine.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Video journalism. 2. Video recordings—Production and
direction—Vocational guidance. I. Title.
TR895.B53 2013
777—dc23
2013013413
ISBN: 978-0-415-89860-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-89861-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-54144-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Garamond
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Photo Credits
All photos and graphics © Mark Blaine, except where noted below.
Chapter 5: all photographs © Sung Park
C hapter 10, 1st and 2nd photographs; Chapter 12, 1st set of photographs;
Chapter 28: all © Dan Morrison
Chapter 15: Courtesy of Marché
Chapter 27, 1st image: National Archives
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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
INTRODUCTION xiii
1 The Digital Notebook 1
2 Why Do I Care? 4
3 Thinking Multi-platform 7
4 Letting the Story Unfold 9
5 Small Story, Big Story 12
6 Text Triage: Have Information 15
7 Text Triage: Connect Information 18
8 Text Triage: Speak the Language 20
9 Conventions 22
10 Where You Stand: Framing 24
11 Where You Stand: Lighting 28
12 Where You Stand: Wide–medium–close 32
13 Collecting Details: Seeing B-Roll and the Stuff of Stories 36
viii (cid:129) Contents
14 Collecting Details: Listening for Natural Sound 39
15 Talking to Real People 42
16 Talking to the Right People 45
17 Asking for an Interview 48
18 Talking to Multiple People 50
19 Preparing Questions 52
20 Taking Notes and Recording 55
21 Rhythm 58
22 Shut Up 61
23 Body Language 64
24 Location 67
25 Quotes 69
26 Anecdotes 72
27 Relevant Detail 74
28 Physical Description 78
29 Place Description 82
30 Setting a Scene 85
31 Action and Sequence 87
32 Say it in a Sentence 90
ix (cid:129) Contents
33 Complex Information 92
34 Numbers and Data 94
35 Structure 97
36 Storyboard 100
37 File Management: Naming 102
38 File Management: Folders 104
39 File Management: Version Control 106
40 One Last Bit . . . 108
GLOSSARY 109
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 113
INDEX 115