VJ vs MJ vs PJ - or The Medium is the Message.

[col-sect][column]The introduction of foreign objects in a pool has a way of stirring up the silt at the bottom. It's been like that for Journalism lately. The explosion of  internet access, shrinking consumer demand for paper news, digital photography, compressed HD video, HDDSLRs... the last 10 years have been a decade rocks falling into the journalism pool. Those who once carried one type of camera now cary two, or one and a audio kit, or a cell phone.... It's a lot to think about: learning curves distract from our ability to excel.

When the  HDSLRs came into being we all hoped we had found that ONE tool for Multimedia Journalism.  We tried with frustration to make it our only camera for the last two plus years, but it's just not there yet.

Right now, I'm putting HDSLR in the same category as a Medium Format: focal length and aperture have a much bigger effect on hyper focus and depth of field than they do on small chip cameras, they have better exposure depth, less noise, and a cleaner image.  But because of this they require more consideration while shooting, and then there is that audio issue....

When we talk about what tools we use, I think we need to start with who we really are as storytellers. Our vision of end products determine the mediums and methods we employ. This isn't a new concept for the visual end of Journalism.



Christopher Morris with a Rollei TLR, a Contax G2/28mm f2.8, and a Canon EOS 1N(V?) w/ something long circa 1990. photo by Greg Mironchuk[/column]

[column]Most of us recognize Mr. Morris's kit and why he would go to the trouble of hauling around three cameras: best camera for the focal length.  SLRs are really best at telephoto focal lengths, Range Finders excel with wider lenses; while the resolution, size, and simplicity of a TLR makes it a winner for your medium lens. People who make this kind choice are doing it for the sake the final image. By the '90s zooms could manage all of Christopher's focal length needs, but not with the clarity, contrast, and lack of distortion that he wanted.

When Morris's style has changed recently and he's elected to shoot with one camera and a 24-70mm/F2.8. Why cary more gear if you don't need to?  Now Morris also shoots Video, but it's clear that he is comfortable letting the medium (HDSLR) dictate his video style.

If your shooting video/stills/audio right now, you probably came from Photography or Videography.  In both of those fields we have been able to shoot with one piece of equipment for years.  But the pool is stirred up, the expectations are changing, the boundaries are down, and there is no longer a single piece of equipment that wins all the time.  But instead of feeling like you need everything strapped to you all the time, take a good look at your work, your ideas about story, and ask your self what you need.

For some of us, having three cameras and an audio pack is going to be the new norm and it will work if we have a vision for it.  For others accepting the limitations of a single piece of gear is what we need to be successful.  This isn't the death of straight video or photojournalism.  It's certainly isn't the death of HDSLRs for the SoJo.  This is the middle of the silt settling back down to the bottom of the pool.  It's time to figure out where you want to end up.[/column][/col-sect]

Are we done with DSLR Video?

[col-sect][column]Two weeks ago Vincent Laforet gave the VJ world permission to shoot on traditional rigs again. He did it during an interview with Dan Chung of DSLR Shooter at the NAB conference and ever since the VJ/PJ blog world has been a'tizzy about  how excited they are to get away from DSLRs and back to ENG kits like before. Cliff Etzel of Solo Video Journalist said "I’m calling it as I see it. DSLR video is a fad – at least in solo video journalism it is."



For his part, Mr. Laforet made the remarks to Chung while hanging out at the Canon Video booth at the NAB trade show in Las Vegas. Vincent, in his reluctant-poster-boy sort of way, said he felt that DLSR video has a ways to go before it can match "something like one of these." pointing to one of Canon's new solid state MPEG-2 ENG cameras, the XF300. He made points about DSLR work flow not being ironed out, no XLR, the general problems with sound sync, and the complications of form factor.[/column]

[column]And He's right about all of that, but I feel like we forgot how we got here. Does everyone remember three years ago when there was no DSLR video?.

I was shooting on Panasonic HVX200s and Canon HF20s when I needed something really small. Do we all remember that? If you guys want to leave the DLSR Video Journalism sandbox, that's cool, but I'm staying.

I can't wait for everyone to leave and go back to shooting on $7-12K rigs that push up overhead on production and insurance, weigh roughly twice as much, have blindingly inferior low light performance, poor wide angle options, and expensive propriety storage mediums; all on chipsets smaller than a nickel. I'm sure it will be a party.

Snark aside, Vincent Lauforei isn't an idiot and he's not a jerk, I hear he's a really nice guy. I think he was being honest when he said that he would rather shoot a documentary with an XF300, but if I had another $7,000 to drop into a second camera, I would probably get a 1D mark4. Vincent wouldn't because he already has two 1Dmark4s. He already has a XF300 as well I'm sure. He's sponsored by Canon. So he get's to choose the best camera for the situation as he perceives it.

But what I'm still hung up on is why you can't have both? More on this to come.....[/column][/col-sect]

Traveling to Miami with Ushahidi

I was lucky enough to hang out with the core team of Ushahidi during their first annual meet up. I was really down there to get interviews from everyone, but while I was down, I pulled these videos together for them. Great software, amazing people. If you want see the backbone of journalisms future, check out their new platform: Swiftriver.

Getting by on Less

[col-sect][column]In backpacking, there are two camps: ultralight backpacking, and what I call "gear packing."

A true ultralight backpacker can get by living off a 12lb pack for 3-5 days. They sleep on the ground under a tarp, they eat super efficient (but not tasty) meals and they don't carry any extras. To the "Ultralight-ist," weight is what keeps you from being present in the wilderness. A heavy pack can get you hurt and it kills your endurance, limiting what you can accomplish. But God help you if things go south. In fact, most ultralight blogs have large sections devoted to survival.

On the same 5 day trip, a gear packer might be hauling 45lbs of tent, sleeping bag, pads, meals, first aid, games, and rope. This is the stuff of REI. If I'm honest, I've been in this category most of my life. Gear is fun and it does neat things. "GPS and batteries (and a solar kit) are so much more reliable than a topo map and a compass." But you don't go as far or as fast.

Right now, I would contend that solo journalists are in the second camp. A lot of new crap has come out. HDSLRs, awesome digital recorders-someday the Red Scarlet will actually exist–laptops, batteries, hard drives, cables and more cables. So, how do we get by on less? But not just us.[/column]

[column]It's the mantra of the journalism market right now. Can we get by on less staff? Can I get by with less clients? Can we get by with less ad revenue, less office space, a smaller distribution?

Even in the field, I'm constantly confronted with the need to scale down. Smaller budgets, less gear, less power access... in the journalism industry, the answer to can I get away with less? is probably going to be "yes" regardless of the question. Technology means we can shrink overheads, cut our gear footprint, even scale down staff. That's easy.

But we don't just mean "can I get by?" We mean "can I get by with most of my creature comforts and security."

The real question is, are you interested in the lifestyle attached to "less" and for most of us, the answer is much harder. Am I willing to scale down for the sake of speed and response? Can you sleep under a tarp for the sake of the story?
[/column][/col-sect]

Culture matters

David Landers-

-In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive.

-Educated, eyes-open optimisim pays; pessimism can only offer the empty consolation of being right.