During Welcome Week, we sent our first year students out with Canon HV30 video cameras and radio microphones to interview each other as an ice-breaking exercise. Today, they used that footage as a demonstration of how to digitise footage from the camera, make a simple cut in Premiere Elements, compress the output file and upload the resulting clip of a minute or so to the centreforjournalism site.
I'm not sure which is the most satisfying part of the exercise: the fact that their collective grasp of the technology is so far very impressive; or the fact that those interviews so beautifully demonstrate every classic error in the interview techniques book, giving Richard and I plenty to get our teeth into in the next session.Â
The results are now visible in the showcase section (currently available only to registered users of the site). Early applause to Kelsey, for adding Astons (terrible choice of typography, mind you), to Jaak for some nice dip-to-white transitions, and to Rebekah for (almost) managing to re-synch her sound after a puzzling audio capture error.Â
Comments
KathrynCain
3 October 2008 - 1:07am
Permalink
Disappointing.
And there we were thinking we'd all done such a good job :)
lucyrossmillar
5 October 2008 - 5:05pm
Permalink
Lets hope we'll learn from our mistakes, better luck next time!!
Altough clearly our debut practice video interviews were not entirely successful, as Ian says at least they provide us with key material to work with and learn from, coupled with the prospect of a new exciting challenge.
Technical hitches when experimenting with new equipment are inescapable, we must also not forget that the majority of us are complete novices (i know that in this field i am). So should we really have expected all that much??
However i am sure that this week with the expert knowledge of Richard and Ian our interview technique will improve. Lets also assume that the distinct amount of gazing away from the camera, "umming", shuffling and our peculiar fixation on hedges, cars and passers by will slowly diminish.
stuartwilson
5 October 2008 - 6:19pm
Permalink
Exactly...
Couldn't have said that better Lucy!
richardpendry
3 October 2008 - 2:54am
Permalink
reasons to be cheerful
Astons: funny last one
People made good cuts without being told toÂ
Transitions
You all performed
rebekahfloyd
3 October 2008 - 11:25am
Permalink
Just my luck!
I was really looking forward to a nice easy lesson as Im not too bad when it comes to cutting and editing clips...but that didn't happen!
 =(