What is Multimedia Journalism

- Combining text, photographs, audio, video and graphics in order to give an audience additional
ways to understand informaton.
- It is dynamic, engaging, interactive

Stages in MULTIMEDIA REPORTING

1. BRAINSTORMING
2. DATA GATHERING
INTERVIEW
RESEARCH
SURVEY
SHOOT / PHOTOSHOOT
3. OUTLINE / FIRST DRAFT
4. REWRITE / EDIT / REVISION
5. SUBMISSION TO EDITOR
6. WORK IS PUBLISHED ONLINE / POSTED

WHEN INTERVIEWING:

REMEMBER: Closed questions often prompt the short response: Yes or No. Open questions are used by
journalists because they encourage people to give more information.

Open questions are also known as W questions because they begin with What, Who, Where, When,
Why - and How.

Facts are often the answers to W questions - what, who, where, when and why? Opinions are often the
answers to questions such as How do you feel? and What do you think?
INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. APPROACH VITAL IN INTERVIEWS

THE MISTAKE IS IN NOT APPROACHING.

It's important to approach, but do it respectfully. Identify yourself properly. (Think how you would be
wanted to be treated if you were being interviewed.)

CLEARLY IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND DO IT POLITELY.

"Hi or hello, I'm Joe Hight with The Oklahoman. Could I please have a few minutes of your time or could
you please answer some questions." Or, explain that you're doing a profile or feature story on the
subject. If you're using a tape recorder, tell the subject that you're using one to ensure the accuracy of
the person's statements. (In an interview with a victim, you can say that you're sorry, but never say "I
understand" or "I know how you're feeling.")

BE CONFIDENT BUT NOT COCKY.

This means that you should be confident in what you're asking -- because you prepared beforehand --
but not arrogant or overbearing. (In the case of victims, you don't want to do any more harm than what
the person has already endured. Your treatment will leave an impression -- sometimes for life.)

PREPARE SOME QUESTIONS.

You might want to write down some of the questions, but reading from a list of questions guarantees a
mediocre interview. It is one of the clearest signs of a beginner when a reporter arrives with questions
all written out and three lines or so left between questions to write down the answers.

TALK FIRST, THEN ASK LATER.

Talk to the person or ask easy questions first. Talk about the surroundings, the weather, etc. Don't start
taking notes immediately. Unless you're in a time-pressure situation, don't ask the tough questions first.
Put your interview subjects at ease so they'll be able answer the tougher questions later.

SURROUNDINGS ARE IMPORTANT.

If you're at an office or home, look around and ask about a picture or item that you see. If you can,
relate to the person's experience.

2. IF WARRANTED, ASK EVERGREEN QUESTIONS

These are simple questions that can be used over and over to get people to open up. You could make a
list of almost any length of such questions.
What was the worst thing that ever happened to you?
What was the best day of your life?
Who was the person who most influenced you, and how?
If you were writing your epitaph, what would you say?

3. LISTEN. LISTEN. LISTEN.

Once you ask the questions, let the person talk. Even silent pauses can sometimes be useful because the
interview subject is pondering a better response.
 4. DON’T GIVE UP ON HARSH REACTION.

If you receive a harsh reaction: (This could especially occur if you are interviewing victims.) Don't react
harshly. Simply explain what you're doing and why you're asking the questions. (Example: I want to hear
your side of this story so I can be fair to you.) If you continue to receive a harsh reaction, simply give
your identification card to the person and calmly ask for a return call later.

5. BE PREPARED TO ASK FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS:

Preparation is vital for any interview, but always be flexible in asking your questions so that you can
follow with a question if you receive a "yes" or "no" response. Sometimes a simple "Why did you
respond that way?" or "Could you please explain your answer?" will give you a proper response.

6. NO TO LEADING QUESTIONS

Don't answer the question for them or "lead" the interviewee: "What was it like to be a hostage. It must
have been very frightening and lonely and scary?"..."Well, yes, I was scared."

NOTE: DON’T BE STUPID LIKE OTHER JOURNALISTS

While I am glad that Sen. Revilla is now in jail, I feel sorry for his wife Rep. Lani who has to answer to
stupid questions from some members of the media. Right after her visit to Bong, she was asked, "Ano
pong pakiramdam ng mahiwalay sa inyong asawa?" to which she replied, apparently irked, “Ikaw, anong
mararamdaman mo?" Walang pinagkaiba ito doon sa kamag-anak ng isang binitay na Pinoy sa China two
years ago. Tinanong din ng media ng, "Ano po ang pakiramdam na bibitayin na ang kamag-anak nyo?

" There should be a subject in Journalism schools dedicated to the art of interviewing. – JJimeno,
journalist

7. TEST HIS/HER CREDIBILITY:

Don't hesitate to ask: "How do you know that?" or "How did you learn that?"

8. SLOW DOWN ON CURVES

When you start wading into critical information, slow the interview down. Ask the source abiout key
pieces of information you're getting. Try to get the color - "Where were you standing when it
happened?" or "What was the weather like?"

9. HOLD ON!

If there are difficult questions to ask, hold them until near the end.

JOHN SAWATSKY’S METHOD:

Reporters engage in too much baiting, accusing and ambushing; they make too many statements and
express too much opinion.
Three basic questions that even experienced reporters seldom ask often enough:
1) What does that mean?
2) Can you give me an example?
3) Has that ever happened before? (Or, How often does that happen?)

Q.U.O.T.E. APPROACH by Gregg McLachlan

(Questions Unmistakably Offbeat They’re Effective) Throw some QUOTE at your subject and they might
give you a gem that you can grow into something more with follow-up questions.

SAMPLE 10 Questions

1. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Why?
2. If you could be one animal, what would it be? Why?
3. What kind of car do you drive? Some say a car reflects their personality. What do you think your car
says about your personality?
4. If you were on a desert island, what three CDs would you take along and why?
5. Describe your ideal vacation?
6. Some people have bumper stickers on their car that reads, I’d Rather Be Sailing. What would your
bumper sticker read.... I’d Rather Be. . . ?
7. In high school, you would have been considered the person most likely to. . .
8. If you won the lottery today, describe your life six months from now?
9. If you could be in any other profession, what would it be?
10. If you were prime minister, what’s the first thing you’d do to make life better in Canada?

10. ASSESS THE SITUATION: ("NEXT OF KIN" INTERVIEWS)

Before trying to interview the next of kin, try to get a handle on their demeanor. Talk to neighbors or
friends who knew the deceased, then work the conversation around to asking how the next of kin are
doing. Or, if they belong to a church, try to get to their pastor.
Hit the window: There's frequently a brief window of opportunity for a next of kin interview - perhaps a
half day after they get the bad news. In many cases, this is the time when people WANT to talk about
their dearly departed. When approaching them, be honest. Let them know you want to give readers a
complete picture of their loved one.

11. THE “CATCH ALL” ENDING:

As you're closing the interview, ask: "What else should I know about this?"

Review the high points: It's never bad to go back over the high points of what was said. It lets the
interviewee know what you're focusing on, and it lets you clarify any fuzzy information.

Your recollection "window": As soon as you leave the interview, go someplace and quickly review your
notes. Amplify on anything that's unclear. Write down all the color you can remember.

ON OR OFF THE RECORD?

Generally, everything a source says in an interview is on the record, which means it can be used in a
news article.
Sometimes a source may ask to tell you something off the record and you'll need to do a little
bargaining.

WHEN CAN I USE THE WORD “SOURCE” OR ‘SOURCES” IN MY STORY?

- ANONYMOUS VS. CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE

Don’t publish information from truly anonymous sources. An anonymous source would be a person
whose identity is unknown even to the reporter. This may be a caller passing along a tip. Don’t use
anything from an anonymous source that you can’t verify from documents you know to be valid or
sources you know and trust. Confidential sources are sources whose identity you know. You know who
the person is, why he knows what he’s telling you and why he wants to tell you. But you keep the
source’s identity confidential and don’t disclose it to readers or to the courts. Other accurate terms
would be unnamed sources, unidentified sources or undisclosed sources.

BRAINSTORMING

Where can you get your story ideas?

NEWS STORIES
LOOK AROUND
RESEARCH
FRIENDS/CONTACTS
CROWD SOURCING
PITCH FROM COLLEAGUES

How to jumpstart your story ideas?

Draft an outline
- General statement
- Research needed
- Who to interview
- What do you need?
Why does it matter to my viewers/readers?
EMPHATIZE with your reader/ viewer
In a typical newsroom the following brainstorm possible story ideas:

PRODUCER
DESK EDITOR
REPORTER
TECHNICAL DESK EDITOR

BRAINSTORMING AN IDEA:

General Statement: Vaccines work for Caloocan City residents

Research needed: Get data from DOH, city health, WHO (global data)
Interviewees: DOH, City Health, vaccinated individuals, unvaccinated individuals
Needed: Videos of interviews, pictures of residents, pictures of vaccines up close, vaccination centers,
etc
List of questions: Will vaccines make you immune from Covid? Will you turn into a zombie? Can I die
from vaccination? Why are some people hesitant or afraid to get vaccinated? When can we take off our
masks?

ELEMENTS OF A GOOD MULTIMEDIA REPORT

Video to show action, capture a good quote, BTS or nice/unique places

Note: People prefer Raw and Authentic Videos, One-Shot Technique
Photos to capture strong emotion or a key moment in time (a mother reunites with a long lost child,
someone talks about losing their home)
Audio to capture compelling quotes (a veteran talking about the battlefield, a mother talking about a
child) or telling “ambient” sound (music, stadium cheers, construction noise, gunfire)
Graphics to show complicated processes (how a bill moves through Congress, how a new surgery works)
or complex data (employment figures, population percentages in cities) in an easy-to-understand
format.

AUDIO STORYTELLING
Podcasts, Short Audio Reports in Social Media is becoming popular

”WRITE FOR THE EAR”

Audio storytelling combines clear, conversational writing and the texture of voices and sound

KEY IDEAS IN AUDIO STORYTELLING

WRITE IN SHORT SENTENCES/PARAGRAPHS

COMPLETE A PICTURE
BE CLEAR, BUT NOT NECESSARILY MODULATE YOUR VOICE
TONE OF VOICE SHOULD BE TEMPERED
AUDIO IS MORE INTIMATE / PERSONAL

TIPS IN AUDIO STORYTELLING

ALLOW YOUR INTERVIEWEE/SUBJECT TO TALK

BRIEF, INTENTIONAL PAUSES ARE IMPORTANT
USE AMBIENT SOUND JUDICIOUSLY
DON’T USE TOO MANY QUOTES

MUST-HAVE TOOLS FOR AUDIO:

Broadcast quality microphone

Recorder (Laptop of Phone can do)
Shotgun Microphone
Audio Editing Software/Program

OPTIONAL: Text-to-speech Programs (Polly, Readspeaker)

Share Audio Snippets on Social Media (Headliner, Audiogram)

VISUAL JOURNALISM
- HOW DO YOU CREATE A GOOD STORY?

1. GET THE BASICS

That's who, what, where, when, why and how. It needs to be true, and it needs to be fair.

2. PINPOINT THE SIGNIFICANCE

Why should your audience care about your story? It's your job as a storyteller to explain why anyone
should

3. TALK LIKE A HUMAN BEING

Your story should be told in words we all use and understand. If you were going to call your best friend
and tell her the story, what would you start with? And how would you describe it?

4. MAKE IT FLOW
A story needs pace. You want your audience to need to know what happens next. Build pace with
narrative, quotes, natural sound, or, if you're working with video, creative shot editing

5. GET AT THE EMOTION

It feels real. Emotion is a powerful connector, and can go a long way toward helping us understand one
another. Think about how you can use images, sound and words to express the emotional range of a
story

6. MAKE A PLAN
Map it out. If you're planning to edit a video, put together a photo gallery, or write a text story, it usually
helps to put together a plan of action. What are the crucial details? What's the most important part?
How are the pieces connected? Draft an outline or sketch a storyboard

TYPES OF SHOTS

Establishing shot o extreme wide shot - ito ang malayong kuha ng lugar na pinagyarihan ng krimen o
lugar na bahagi ng istorya. Minsan, ito rin ang kuha sa harapang bahagi ng ahensya. Walang partikular
na focus ang kuha.
Wide Shot – ito ang kuha na kita ang buong tao at lugar na kanyang background. Pwedeng nakasentro sa
isang tao ang kuha, o pwede ring wala. Tinatawag din ito ng iba bilang neutral shot o b-roll, kapag
walang partikular na tao o bagay na kinukunan kundi malawak lang na shot ng lugar.

Cowboy Shot – kuha na makikita ang ulo hanggang tuhod ng tao.

Medium shot - kuha na makikita ang ulo hanggang baywang ng tao. Madalas itong gamitin sa interview.
Minsan, ganito rin ang shot kapag stand-upper o mid-spiel ng reporter, at pwede siyang off center o
wala sa gitna ng frame. Pwedeng gamitin ang kuhang medium shot at cowboy shot kung hindi
kailangang kunan ang emosyon ng tao, at para Makita ang galaw ng kanyang mga kamay. Sa ilang
pagkakataon, ginagawang defocused ang background para mahighlight ang subject.
 
Close-up – mas malapit na kuha sa mukha ng taong kailangan sa istorya. Pwede itong gawing na
hanggang dibdib (medium close-up), buong mukha lamang o bahagi lang mismo ng mukha o parte ng
katawan ng tao (extreme close-up). Ginagamit ang extreme close-up kung nais mong pagtuunan ng
pansin ang isang bagay o emosyon (kuha sa matang lumuluha, nanginginig na kamay, patak ng ulan,
natuyong dahon) at kung sensitibo ang istorya ang hindi pwedeng makita ang buong mukha ng tao.
 
Two-shot – ito ang karaniwang ginagawa kapag may sit-down interview, at nakikita ang reporter at ang
interviewee. Ginagamit rin itong video support ng reporter habang siya ay kumakalap ng balita.

Over the shoulder – kuha ito mula sa likuran ng balikat ng isang tao, na layong takpan ang kanyang
mukha at makikita lamang ang background. Ginagamit rin ito kapag kailangang protektahan ang identitiy
ng iyong interviewee, o magkaroon ng ibang anggulo sa iyong ginagawang istorya. Sa Amerika,
tinatawag itong “Noddy Shot” kapag ang kuha ay nagpapakitang tumatango-tango ang reporter habang
kausap ang interviewee.
 
Reverse over the shoulder – Sa anggulong ito, makikita lamang ang balikat at likurang bahagi ng ulo ng
interviewee, at ang makikita ay ang reporter na nag-iinterview sa kanyang harapan.
 
Cut Away Shot – ito ang neutral na kuha sa reporter habang naglalakad kausap ang interviewee,
nakaupo habang may kausap, nakatingin sa computer habang may ka-videocall.

Point of View Shot – sa kuhang ito, ipinapakita ang epektong mula sa view o mata ng interview o ng
reporter ang kuha. Pwede itong magpakita ng lalim ng anggulo o para bigyang-diin ang isang bagay.
 
Defocused Shot – ginagamit ito kapag nais itago ang pagkakakilanlan ng mga tao o lugar na kinukunan, o
nagpapakita ng karahasan. Halimbawa, raid sa isang night club na nagpapakita ng pag-rescue sa mga
menor de edad. Minsan ay hindi na nagagawa ng cameraman na gawing defocused and kuha dahil sa
bilis ng pangyayari, kaya ito ay ginagawa na lamang sa editing.

Tracking Shot – ginagamit ito para ipakita ang galaw ng reporter o ng subject mula sa isang lugar
papunta sa isa pang lugar, o maipakita ang bakas na tinahak ng isang tao o pangyayari gaya ng bagyo.
Ginagawa rin ito ng newsteam para ipakitang binabaybay mo yung lugar.

Drone Shot – Madalas na itong gamitin ng newscasts para bigyang-diin ang lawak ng pinsala ng isang
lugar mula sa kalamidad, makita ang ganda ng isang lugar, o anumang epekto na tila dinadala ka sa
mismong lugar ng istorya.
 
One Shot – Ito ay uri ng shot na tuloy-tuloy lang sa isang sequence, at hindi pinuputol-putol sa gitna.
Halimbawa, kukunan ang pag-akyat ng PWD sa isang building na walang rampa. Ang buong sequence
mula sa pagbaba ng sasakyan hanggang mahirapan siyang makapunta sa second floor ay hindi puputulin
ang kuha at ipapalabas ng buo. Karaniwan ay ginagawa ito sa mga pelikula, tuloy-tuloy ang pagkuha ng
aksyon halimbawa ng isang sundalong sumasabak sa giyera hanggang makarating siya sa pagtataguan.
Ang punto rito ay maipakita ang natural na daloy ng aksyon o pangyayari. Mainam itong gamitin sa long-
form storytelling, pero pwede ring subukan sa ilang news story.
 
Artistic Shot – ito ang mga kuha mula sa mga di-pangkaraniwang anggulo o treatment na ginagawa ng
isang shooter (cameraman o reporter) para magkaroon ng ibang element o itsura ang istorya. Isa itong
uri ng eksperimento na dapat gawin ng buong pag-iingat dahil pwedeng ikaganda, o ikasira ng istorya.
 

WHY DIGITAL STORYTELLING IS IMPORTANT

Let’s make nonfiction that is more thrilling than fiction. Let’s use the best of what fiction has to offer and
make it more exciting because what happened was real. – Ellen Windemuth from Off the Fence

Crucial Toolset in Photojournalism

1. Story telling
2. Process of gathering audio and combining sound with their still images to create a cinematic package.
(Ambient sound and interviewing the subject of a story)

WHen do You know it is a good story?

Do you want to forward this to 10 of your friends right away?”

Benefits of gathering audio from Bob Sacha

A great story that is only talking heads is not a great video story. Never.
Always use some ambient sound.
Story structure is crucial.
Outline it on a sheet of paper before you start editing.
Start with something compelling.
People have a short attention span when watching stories online so they may never get to the
interesting stuff if you start with the context.
Color correction. There’s no way you’d let a picture go straight out of the camera into print without
toning it (at least for contrast.) So why would you not apply the same effort to your video? These days
color correction is easier than ever since Premiere added Lumetri, with Lightroom like color controls.

EDITING REMINFERS:

EXPLORE APPS AND PROGRAMS TO LEARN

USE NATURAL SOUND JUDICIOUSLY
DON’T CUT EMOTIONAL PARTS ABRUPTLY
SHOW AND TELL
DON’T PLAGIARIZE, ACKNOWLEDGE OTHER’S WORK
DON’T STEAL FROM OTHER’S WORKS
LOOK OUT FOR FREE TO USE CONTENT
PREVIEW, PREVIEW, PREVIEW ENTIRE CONTENT

EDITING REMINDERS from Poynter

Log all your video shoots to save time in the editing process.
Log your best shots and your best sound bites so you know exactly what you have. Then use that log to
put your story together.
Use a “straight cut” to say that this shot has a relationship to the next shot, to the next shot, etc.
A “dissolve” signals that something is changing or something new is happening.
A “fade to black” tells people something enormous is changing.
Audio is more important than video when creating a video story. You can get away with weak video, but
you can’t get away with bad audio.
With a split audio and video edit, use J cuts to start audio before video. Or use L cuts to trail audio.
Review your work. Give it some time, go back and look at it, and get someone else to look at it. Critique
sessions will improve your work.