How should good web video look? Nobody knows. The standards are being invented as we speak.
Over at PBS's Idea Lab, Mark Glaser is exploring that conundrum, analyzing the work of Reuter's reporters who do multimedia reporting with a backpack full of fancy portable technology.
His analysis shows some flaws in the new program, but gives a couple helpful hints that multimedia journalists can follow as they improve their work. Check it out:
"The news service has given reporters a Mobile Journalism Toolkit, including a Nokia N95, a fold-up keyboard and directional microphones. The idea is that reporters could do video, photo, audio and text reports without having to use a laptop ... But if you peruse Reuters' special website to see the early reports from Reuters mojos, they are uneven, with blurry photos and choppy videos with poor sound quality."
While the jumpy, glossy camera lens looks odd on the convention floor, I think it looks pretty good in the heat of an angry toy store protest. Even though the form is still evolving, I tell my students that they should all be looking for jobs like this--blending print, video, and online publishing.
The future journalist will be a multi-tasking crazy person, and we have to start learning these skills. Don't waste all your time worrying about quality. Just start reporting (like Ed Champion and his new experiment), and figure it out as you go.
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