Mobile video training: There’s a seminar for that

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By John Strauss
Ball State University

Smart phones make up most of the new mobile phones sold in the United States and usually come with the ability to shoot high-definition video.

But many newsrooms – busy already with breaking news and enterprise reporting demands – haven’t had the chance to learn the new tools.

A new program from the HSPA Foundation, Associated Press Media Editors and Ball State University will get you started and grow the skills you already have – for the same low cost as always at the Road Show for Reporters.

Ball State will host the conference Thursday, June 19 in its state-of-the-art media labs.

Smart Video reporting workshop

When: Thursday, June 19, 2014

Where: Ball State University, Muncie

Cost: $35 (early-bird rate) or $45 (regular registration); includes lunch and a 2014 AP Stylebook

Registration: Watch for mailed and emailed registration information.

“Smart Video” is a concise, hands-on training program for users of iPhones and Android devices.

The one-day conference covers the basics of video storytelling – from smart shooting tips to editing with low-cost apps, to publishing the work online in minutes.

Ball State professors John Strauss, Tim Underhill and Juli Metzger bring extensive community-journalism experience from newspapers, online, radio and television.

Basics of the Smart Video program have been taught at the SPJ conference in Washington, the Poynter Institute, National Press Photographers Association events, and at state newspaper gatherings from New York to New Mexico.

The mobile video conference will cover:

Video basics: The best camera is the one you have with you. So when news happens, you’ll know key elements of composition, sequences and visual storytelling you’ll need to bring back strong video – all from your smart phone.

Editing: This is the bottleneck in many newsrooms. Many people who know how to shoot are stopped short when it comes to turning the footage into something usable. Smart Video starts with simple programs that enable you to trim and edit that material for online. Careful, step-by-step instructions and practical exercises will turn even novice shooters into multimedia content creators.

Publishing: When the video is edited, you’ll need to post it online directly or move it to a workstation for posting. We’ll cover the options and give you practice in using the most common techniques for moving your work to publication.

Planning: Once you have a grasp of the techniques, you’ll want to think through how best to use them: What stories are best for video? When kinds of video best tell the story? How do you fit multimedia into an already busy schedule?

Growing: As you practice the basic techniques you’ll be ready to produce more advanced work. Smart Video starts with “snap video” pieces of interview or action and then shows you the roadmap to interviews with b-roll, natural-sound packages and reporter-tracked pieces.

In Smart Video, you learn at your own pace, practice the basics and leave with the tools you need to contribute multimedia content immediately.

You’ll grow those skills at your own pace as you take on more assignments – just as you learned to write stories.

Watch your mail for the registration form coming soon from HSPA Foundation and an email announcement that online registration is open.