Since April, I have been working as part of a Drexel University co-op on The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Online Desk. When I was hired, part of the job description stated that I would be involved in developing online video, and further, assisting to develop an online multimedia content strategy. By my first day, the paper’s site had published several videos, but there was no real newsroom video procedure, and there was no real equipment or necessary technology.
In the time I have been working at the Inky, our parent site, philly.com, has hired new management, and the site has been constantly in a process of redesign. It has been difficult to establish standards, but I believe, as a newsroom, we have made great strides towards producing great online video, as only a newspaper can.
We are currently using Sony HDR-SR1 and SR2 AVCHD cameras to shoot the majority of our video. We are editing on an Apple G5 workstation, using final cut pro. Currently, we are shooting our projects in SD mode at a resolution of 720×404 pixels, while staff photographers are sharing HDV cameras for their projects (so that video stills can be pulled for use in the paper). The reporting and photo staff will soon be using, chiefly, SR2 cameras, and we hope that a robust AVCHD solution for Mac and Final Cut Pro will soon be developed.
The SR1 cameras have provided great picture quality, with a vibrant range of vivid color, and great contrast. The hard drive format of the cameras make their use simple, although I spent considerable time developing steps for de-muxing the .MPG files they produce. Video files are converted to Apple Intermediate Codec .mov, are edited in Final Cut Pro, and are exported using Flip4Mac to the (inferior) .wmv format.
Enough for technical specs… Overall, I feel newspapers have a duty, based on their longstanding chief value of journalistic and editorial integrity, to produce the highest quality video. Newspapers have a higher calling than television newscasts. They have the ability to produce more than a 30 second splash. They must produce video that is thoughtful, reflective, more documentary, a bit less harried, and more PBS. The time-tested and awarded art of newspaper still photography requires newspaper video to look through confident, artistic framing and lighting. Storytelling and editing must bow to this higher mission—giving viewers a look, understanding, and empathy into news stories.
Appreciate your interest in offering quality video. A lot of stuff on the web is quite aweful…youtube is pitiful. I just can’t understand why most of the providers still offer their content in WMV format. Fortunately, Flip4Mac is there for us Mac users.