- Start small: Shoot stills with your stories, even if that just means getting head shots of the people you interview. When it comes to video, instead of posting a full package, which can take a long time for a novice to edit, consider putting up some B-roll as one file, and a sound bite, even an edited 1-3 minute interview as another file.
- Tell the story: The story is everything. It’s all that matters. If you spend two days editing a video package but the article it runs with is faulty, you’ve missed an opportunity.
- Use what you know: If you’re a Windows person, try to stick with that OS. You can edit useable video on almost any new laptop sold today (OK, you want at least 1G of system memory).
- Go with minimal equipment: Try not to carry what you don’t need. Assuming you’re gathering digital content for the web, consider a still camera that doubles as a good video unit, like the Canon S3 IS, now less than $350. If resources are not an issue, you may wish to consider the Apple Mobile Field Editing Solution for $7,341. The key: Don’t wait until you have $7,300 to become a backpack journo...
- The medium is NOT the message. Video is just another kind of pencil you’re carrying. Just as a writer shouldn’t fall in love with a good phrase or a good quote, don’t fall in love with a technique. Video is not that big a deal to the audience – they’ve seen it before.
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