Video Journal

On the 9^th of November 2010 we attended a VIDEO JOURNAL session

with Jackie Heffer-Cooke. She has worked on TV shows such as Graham Norton, Loose women, on the News and on the Sports, also on future radio, and has also worked for Anglia TV. She now has her own company called surfing cow productions.

She works as a producer which means that her roles are:

• Good idea: or develop other people ideas.
• The ability to make them happen.
• A clear angle on what they want to happen at what times.
• Good narrative (clear for the audience)
• A very clear format.
• A good script.
• Paper work completed (including health and safety.)
• Sees issues before they have a chance to affect other people off and on set.
• A good understanding of media law, compliance, ethic balance and a general sound editorial judgement.
• And is responsible for sticking to the budget.

She has also worked as a director where you have to be in charge off:

• Lighting
• Camera angles
• And actors

We learnt about video journals so that we could use them on are blogs to display what we have learnt in new interesting ways with out just writing or using photos.

What you need to make a video journal is:

• A camera.
• An idea
• Somewhere good to film.
• Creativity
• A clear format.
• Good planning.

She said that video journals have to be:

• Creative and interesting.
• Formatted correctly.
• Needs a beginning (introduction) middle and end (conclusion).
• It needs good structure.
• It also needs to be useful.

Key points:

• An idea is called a peg (keeps every thing together, can hang an idea on it)
• Logger have to write down every said if there isn’t a scripted.
• You would normally have a script.

We also watched the peep show because it’s filmed in a strange way:

It uses thought tracking.

From an eye view. (This means that it needs to be film twice from tow different angles in order for it to work. It takes a lot longer. )

We learnt how on shows for the X-factor they use VT’s to fill gaps while the next acts prepare, set up on stage.

This is a 10 step guide on how to format a VT:

1. Promo buffer.
2. 2. Last weeks show clips.
3. Promo buffer.
4. 4. An interview with producer/host about last week. C/a last weeks clips with voices layered over the top.
5. Biographical incite with photos etc.
6. Promo buffer.
7. Interview with produce/ who ever about this week.
8. Actuality of this week’s behind the scenes.
9. Interviews with judges about what their looking for this week, actuality and rehearsals throughout.
10. Promo buffer.

We also learnt about off screen on screen interviews:

Off scene – you just see them answer the question and including the question in the answer.

On screen- you often see and/or hear the interviewer.

This has been very useful to me and I hope to use some off this to show how I made my felt balls, and also to show what problems I over came by using a video dairy etc.