After years of fits and starts, it seems that the much heralded convergence of still photography and video finally is on the verge of happening. Will you be ready for it?
In 2003, I sat in a movie theater in Los Angeles, Calif., and watched a huge collection of still images from 1980s Hollywood come to life on the screen. The movie, The Kid Stays in the Picture, is a documentary about movie mogul Robert Evans. The directors, Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgan, portrayed the photographs by employing a pan-and-scan technique made popular by Ken Burns in his epic documentary The Civil War 13 years earlier. But they added a unique twist to the Ken Burns effect. Some of the photographs in their movie had a contrived 3-D effect similar to what you’d see if you looked through a kid’s View-Master viewer. That, combined with the compelling narrative by Mr. Evans himself, resulted in an extraordinary motion picture comprised primarily of still images. I wish I knew then that I was looking at a harbinger of the next evolutionary step of the photography industry.
The Youth Of Today:
Veronica Wilson is a young, talented, up-and-coming photojournalist whose work I caught wind of about six months ago. Recently, Miss Wilson e-mailed me a link to what I assumed would be an online gallery of the photographs of a story she just finished shooting for an East Coast newspaper. It wasn’t—it was an audio interview of the subject of the photographs playing over a slideshow of the images—a multimedia piece. I could feel the hairs on the back of my purist photographic sensibilities start to stand on end. As I watched her presentation, it was obvious that the piece was solid and the photographs themselves were fantastic. I quickly realized that there was little difference between what Miss Wilson had done and what I lauded as great moviemaking in The Kid Stays in the Picture. A few days later, I came across a similarly styled photojournalism/multimedia piece on the widely read news website for the BBC. Miss Wilson wasn’t trying to set a new trend; she was competing with an existing one. (For more on this issue, check out the article “Photojournalism In The Age Of YouTube” on the DPP website—go to www.digitalphotopro.com/business/photojournalism-in-the-age-of-youtube.html.)
Multimedia Societ:
Survey your own online viewing experiences to understand how the audience for your work has evolved their expectations. If you find viewing a slideshow of an airplane landing in the Hudson River with a soundtrack of the dialogue between the pilot and the tower compelling, you’re not alone. Conversely, if you feel that adding a soundtrack to your own images would diminish the value of your photography, you will be alone.
The rookie generation of shooters like Miss Wilson already are indoctrinated with this multimedia way of thinking because of their very early exposure to the Internet. What they’re bringing to the table, unfettered by any predisposed idea of the traditional definition of a photographer, is exactly what contemporary commercial clients want to see available to them for their advertising campaigns. What they don’t have when compared to a veteran photographer is experience. However, in the shadow of technological prowess, the currency of experience will devalue rapidly unless those with it apply it to what’s shaping up to be the next era in our industry.
24 fps:
Three years ago, wedding shooter William Henshall declared to me that wedding photographers were going to one day shoot high-definition video in their SLRs and pull frames from the footage for the photos. Even if he was right, I was confident in my skepticism that this practice would never spill over into the commercial world. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Last July, rumors started circulating that a few photographers were being asked to shoot catalogs with the RED Digital Cinema camera. The video would be used for, among other things, web snippets in the same vein as a YouTube video, and the images for the print publication would be pulled from the footage. At the time, corroboration wasn’t readily available. However, when I revisited the assertion for this article, I was able to get verification of the trend from two high-profile photographers’ agents who asked for anonymity. “In the last six months, several jobs were lost because of the video issue,” said one agent. The agents I spoke with were protective about which photographers were affected. But the trend is clear: Video now is a requirement for landing gigs.
The wedding world is changing, too. Mr. Henshall told me recently that the traditional, 30-minute wedding video with the schmaltzy soundtrack was being replaced with the three-and-a-half-minute, tightly edited YouTube-style video of the highlights of the wedding with a rocking soundtrack. Although this style of video has typically contained stills with transitions much like Miss Wilson’s presentation, Mr. Henshall assured me that high-definition video frame-pulls were just around the corner.
To get my head around the radical changes that I was uncovering, I tried to embrace the concept. I’ve worked in both still and motion, but in the latter format, I’ve almost always directed and rarely ran the camera. To me, applying a still photography discipline to a motion-capture device is counterintuitive. Photography at its philosophical soul is the “decisive moment.” How in the hell am I supposed to react to click a button with a video platform?
...I think this is a brilliant turn of events for photographers. It’s going to open up our industry to a broader horizon of creativity and wealth of new possibilities in terms of usage-rights income.
I brought the question to Jaron Presant, the director of photography who has shot many of the commercials I’ve directed. He theorized that the shutter-release button will evolve into an electronic flagging device, marking the frame of the digital video that the operator feels is the “decisive moment.”
After thinking about it for a few minutes, I bought into it. I could work this way. Much as a smoker in the process of quitting needs a pencil to hold in his fingers while chewing nicotine gum, I need to reactively push a button when I see a scene I like. If I have that, I don’t really care how I’m capturing the image as long as I’m getting the quality I’m seeking. And that’s the small levee holding back the wave of widespread adoption of the frame-pulling workflow. While the images are usable for some situations, they aren’t good for everything in advertising. In order to compress the visual information enough for effective throughput to the recording media, the effective size of the image sensor needs to be diminished, resulting in a lower-quality still frame as compared to a single-image capture. But that limitation quickly will be overcome. This growth phase is an ideal time to learn this style of shooting for the new era of photography. If we don’t, our industry will have to contend with a new group of competitors.
Red-Headed Stepchildren:
The entertainment industry has always seen photographers as red- headed stepchildren—we’re family, but only by marriage. The border between the two fields has always been crowded with photographers looking over at the cinema side. Rarely do you find a DP looking back the other way; it would be considered a step down.
As video capture for stills (VCS) rapidly becomes a reality, DPs already are buzzing about moving in on our territory because work in their genre is diminishing with the current lousy economy. It will be a turf war about who’s more qualified to shoot the new technology. Having played on both sides of the fence, my vote goes to the photographer. We’re used to having every millimeter of our shot scrutinized. A DP has the luxury of hiding mistakes in the flow of the motion. Unfortunately, that point will be relevant only to the academics. Unless we present ourselves as capable of motion, clients will start looking at reels instead of portfolios.
Another advantage we have is the fact that we’re directly involved with the client. DPs are shielded from clients by a production company and a director. As you well know, dealing directly with clients, bids and politics is a skill unto itself that can come only from experience.
Telling Stories To Get A Gig: The Treatment:
To win a commercial, a director has to submit a treatment to the client. This is a one-page story of the execution of the boards drawn by the art director. This demonstration of your creativity is crucial to getting a commercial gig. It’s like a mini-screenplay written in a narrative format.
The treatment is becoming more commonplace in advertising photography, as well. The same pitch that you use when you speak to an art director to try to win a photography job should go into your written job description. Getting into the habit of defining your vision in a short one- or two-paragraph narrative will put you in brilliant shape for the changes that are coming to our industry.
Phew!
While a lot of people may have seen this sea change coming, very few could have predicted how fast it would be on top of us. Personally, I think this is a brilliant turn of events for photographers. It’s going to open our industry to a broader horizon of creativity and a wealth of new possibilities in terms of usage-rights income. Because whether it’s still or moving, you own it until you license it. Most of all, I love the fact that this will put a chasm-sized line of demarcation between us and the pedestrian public who call themselves photographers—because the new definition of photographer is one based much more on skill than on luck and access to digital stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Lesko is a freelance photographer, director, writer and frequent Digital Photo Pro contributor. He’s looking forward to the future of multimedia. http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/will-video-kill-the-still-photography-star.html
Thursday, October 7, 2010
This might be old but the information is still very relevant ...
The Convergence Newsletter
From Newsplex at the University of South Carolina
Vol. II No. 1 (July 7, 2004)
http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/issue12.html
Exploring the Meaning of Media Convergence
The purpose of this newsletter is to provide an editorially neutral forum for discussion of the theoretical and professional meaning of media convergence.
We welcome articles on any topic directly related to media convergence, including academic research or information about convergence experiences in your newsroom. We also welcome information about conferences, publications and related links.
Holly Fisher
Editor
convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Feature Articles
Newsletter marks first anniversary
New roles in converged newsrooms
Multiskilled journalists are prepared to tell stories in many forms
Newsplex announces 2004 technology picks
Five steps to a convergent news lab
Election Connection covers conventions
Newsplex News
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Conference Information
Digital Revolution Conference
Digital Story Master Class
Society of Professional Journalists National Convention
Convergence: The Tour
Convergence for Teams: Visions & Values in Action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Announcements/News
Writing a book about convergence?
Online newspapers tempt readers
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Feature Articles
Newsletter marks first anniversary
One year ago this month The Convergence Newsletter was introduced as a new source of information and ideas about the expanding field of convergent journalism. That first newsletter contained information on the IfraNewsplex and its Affiliates Program, convergence and diversity, as well as updates on conferences and seminars.
Since then, the newsletter has addressed changing roles in newsrooms, reported academic research on convergence and profiled those who have gone through convergence training at Newsplex. The Convergence Newsletter now has more than 500 subscribers, including students, journalists and educators around the world.
I have to admit when I took over as editor of the newsletter in January I knew convergence was a trendy journalism buzzword, but I had to do a great deal of research in order to bring myself up to speed with developments in the teaching and practice of convergent journalism.
A newspaper purist, I have often snubbed my nose at the idea of producing anything that might be considered broadcast journalism. My experience with this newsletter has made me change my tune, and I am seeing the value of using pictures, video and the Web to tell a story.
In May I spent a couple of days sitting in on a seminar at Newsplex for journalism professors. They were immersed in new technologies and the concept of doing journalism for print, broadcast and the Internet.
They soaked up the information like sponges. I likened them to first-year journalism students hungry to absorb as much as possible about their craft. We could barely tear them away from their computers at lunchtime they were so immersed in their work. Had you walked in uninformed you might have thought a huge story had just broken in Columbia, S.C.
They scurried about putting together packages on the State Farmer’s Market, a colorful place within walking distance of Newsplex. Using the newsroom roles—storybuilder, newsresourcer, multiskilled journalist and newsflow editor—these experienced journalists and professors produced story packages that included writing for the Internet with a video component. They left the seminar excited and eager to share these new techniques with their students.
I understand how they feel. I, too, get excited learning new skills that will enable me to share the news with a larger audience in a variety of media. Even the purists have to realize technology has changed us. By embracing convergence, we can make journalism better. We can tell our stories in different ways and bring even more detail, information and news to our readers, viewers and Internet surfers.
I hope you enjoy reading each issue of this newsletter and that it contributes to your learning about convergence and how best to use it in your newsrooms and classrooms. As we embark on our second year, we will be looking at ways to make this newsletter even better. Your feedback is valuable, so please feel free to e-mail me with comments, suggestions and story ideas. As always, we welcome your article submissions.
Happy converging,
Holly Fisher
Editor
convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
New roles in converged newsrooms
Editor’s Note: In this issue we conclude our series looking at the four new roles in a converged newsroom as developed by IfraNewsplex director Kerry Northrup. Over the last three issues, The Convergence Newsletter has looked at the role the storybuilder, the newsresourcer and the newsflow editor have in a newsroom. The storybuilder supervises all aspects of an individual story, coordinating the reporters, photographers, and other personnel assigned to a story in the gathering of information and the distribution of the stories produced across media. The newsresourcer combines writing, editing and news judgment with the best of librarianship and information management to manage the wealth of information coming into the newsroom. The newsflow editor focuses on the content of a story rather than the delivery method. Similar to a managing editor or producer, the newsflow editor makes sure all elements of the story work together to create the best product. Our series wraps up this month looking at the multiskilled journalist.
The most important characteristic of these new roles is that they do not necessarily reflect individuals or specific positions in a newsroom. Rather, each of the four represents a new set of responsibilities and activities in a newsroom. In Newsplex training, individuals are assigned to each role, but, in newsrooms, the roles may overlap across individuals or may be split, with two or more people combining to serve the role.
As you read these articles, please keep in mind that there may be other emerging roles that also should be profiled. If you have identified any other new roles, please let us know so that we can address those in a future edition.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Multiskilled journalists are prepared to tell stories in many forms
By Dr. Augie Grant, Associate Professor, College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, University of South Carolina
The most recognizable new role in convergent newsrooms is the multiskilled journalist. This term describes reporters who are skilled at interviewing, collecting audio, video and still images, editing those images, and writing stories for delivery across multiple media.
By definition, a person who is assigned to do two or more of these tasks is a multiskilled journalist. Focusing on these tasks, however, ignores the most important role of the journalist in a converged environment: To be able to look at a story to determine what materials need to be gathered for the various media that might be used to disseminate the story.
Consider everyday situations: The first one on the scene of any breaking story needs to be able to capture as much information as possible, including pictures, videos, interviews, etc.—with the ability to clearly deliver the story right away. Freelancers have long carried this combination of skills onto the battlefield and into remote regions, sometimes being a sole witness to a story that can and should be delivered across media. Even mundane coverage such as routine city council meeting can be shared more widely if one or more of the reporters attending delivers a roundup for a radio newscast after (or before!) filing the story for the next day’s Metro section.
The first skill of the multiskilled journalist is therefore to look at all the opportunities a story represents for each of the media fed by the journalist. In practice, that means the ability to identify all of the elements of a story, including interview sources, photographic subjects, video opportunities, etc.
The next skill is the ability to tell the story in the appropriate format, ranging from an inverted pyramid for newspapers to a linear, broadcast narrative. Writing across media may be one of the most difficult skills to master, but the task is made easier by the presence of story builders, editors, and others who can help refine the story for presentation.
Multiskilled journalists must also have photographic skills, with the ability to capture both still and video images. This does not mean each reporter must be an authority on photography and other technical skills, but it does mean that, in the absence of a photographer, videographer or audio engineer, the multiskilled journalist is capable of capturing the images and sounds that will help tell the story.
Time is a critical variable for multiskilled journalists. On the scene of a story, they need to know which medium needs to be fed first—the Internet, the radio station, the television broadcast, or the newspaper. It’s not unusual for a journalist working for an organization such as CNN to feed a live television report, record a follow-up report, rewrite the script for the Web site, and then do a feed for a radio network, all in the space of an hour or two.
In my experience, the most exciting part of the roles training we provide at Newsplex is watching experienced journalists and academics who have just been introduced to multimedia reporting take on this role, delivering pictures and sound along with text. The technical skills are absorbed and practiced almost automatically as focus remains on the story and how to deliver it across each medium.
Few topics in convergent journalism have generated as much debate as the “multiskilled journalist.” This position is sometimes referred to as the “backpack journalist” and the “one-man band,” with each of these terms implying that one person can take on the roles formerly filled by two or more individuals. (Martha Stone and Jane Stevens have shared an interesting point-counterpoint on this subject in the Online Journalism Review. “Backpack Journalism is here to stay” by Stevens at http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771575.php and “The Backpack Journalist Is a ‘Mush of Mediocrity’" by Stone at http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771634.php)
There are certainly a few journalists who are accomplished photographers, but the norm is not—and will never be—a person who has mastered all the skills related to gathering information. Indeed, many news directors/editors say they do not expect every journalist to do everything. On the other hand, the norm in converged newsrooms is likely to be that all journalists will share a basic set of technical skills to enable them to be more effective in gathering information for distribution across media when necessary or desirable.
That brings up the issue of equipment. Electronic newsgathering equipment, from digital cameras to laptop computers and cell phones is becoming more compact and less expensive, making it easier to equip all journalists with cameras, recorders, and other tools that contribute to the process of gathering news. Multiskilled journalists must know basic equipment operation and composition in order to use this equipment, but there is not a need for them to be masters of each craft. (It may also be argued that photographers and audio engineers need basic writing and interviewing skills as well!)
The lower cost and small size of the cameras and other equipment used by these “backpack” journalists enables an organization to equip all of their journalists so that breaking news is more likely to be captured any time, any where. (See the related article on Newsgear later in this newsletter.)
Again, the primary concept of the multiskilled journalist is not the mastery of a particular set of skills but simply the mindset that the information being gathered will be distributed through a variety of media, with recognition of the individual elements that must be captured in order to bring the story to the consumer.
From a practical perspective, there are few job listings today that require all of the skills discussed above. But when choosing from available candidates, hiring decisions will more often than not favor reporters who bring additional skills to the newsroom. That’s perhaps the best reason for making sure our graduates are ready for converged newsrooms.
The multiskilled journalist is the most traditional of the four roles in a converged newsroom that are being explored in this series (http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/index.html). Other roles are certain to be identified as converged newsrooms proliferate, and these four existing roles are certain to change over time. The multiskilled journalist—the eyes, ears, arms, legs and voice—remains at the heart of any conception of converged journalism.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Newsplex announces 2004 technology picks
Journalists interested in convergence enjoy learning about how to write for the Web, how to package stories and the benefits of telling the news across multiple media. But they also enjoy learning about the “toys”—those gadgets and gizmos that have reporters abandoning the notebooks and pens of yesterday and taking up the laptops and camera phones of the 21st century.
Each year Newsplex Director Kerry Northrup scours the land of technology armed with $10,000 and a desire to arm a backpack with all the tools a journalist would need to cover a story for multiple media.
The 2004 Backpack Edition includes:
*Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet PC with a full-size keyboard and good battery life, making it a great tool for the multiskilled journalist.
*Apple iSight Video Conferencing system makes desktop video conferencing easy for bureaus and source interviews.
*Sony DCR PC330 Camera’s high quality captures broadcast quality video and still pictures at newspaper quality.
*Archos AV320 Video Recorder is an all-in-one digital media tool used for Web-quality video, print stills and audio compatible to Mac and PC.
*Nokia 6600 Imaging Phone can provide audio and video for breaking news as well as low-resolution streaming video over high speed networks.
*DaKine Pod 1 Urban Backpack is rugged, stylish and durable, which makes it a great case for everything a multiskilled journalist wants to tote around.
*Canon BJC-55 Portable Printer has high-quality printing capabilities and an optional replacement for the ink cartridge turns it into a scanner.
*Visioneer Strobe XP100 Scanner is extremely portable, allowing reporters to scan documents and image at the news site.
Also included in this pack is Serious Magic Visual Communicator Pro, a simple software suite that makes packaging of news stories easier and less expensive than a full-scale recording studio.
The entire list—including descriptions, Web links and prices—is available at www.newsplex.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Five steps to a convergent newslab
By Dr. Augie Grant, Associate Professor, College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, University of South Carolina
Since we began publishing this newsletter a year ago, the most frequent question I’ve received from faculty is, “What software and equipment do I need to put in a convergent newsroom?” Here’s a brief summary of the way I most often answer that question:
1. First and foremost, make sure more attention is paid to curriculum than to tools. The underlying philosophy of delivering news across media is much more important than any specific tool. For example, you can use standard Microsoft products available in almost every writing lab, ranging from Word and PowerPoint to Windows Moviemaker to do almost all the jobs that need to be done if you don't have the resources to equip a lab.
2. The acquisition tools come next. You have to be able to record still pictures, and your options range from expensive digital cameras to inexpensive camera phones. You have to be able to record audio and video, again with options ranging from simple audio cassette recorders and still cameras to broadcast-quality video cameras. You need to be able to generate graphics—almost any graphics program will do, but you have to have one (most people are using Photoshop today because of its versatility).
3. Editing tools are next. You need to have a tool to edit pictures (Photoshop, again). Video can be edited on a range of programs from imovie and Windows Moviemaker to FinalCut Pro and Avid Newscutter. Your best video editing option is the tool you are already using in your broadcast news sequence, although it is easiest to teach the basics of video editing on imovie or Moviemaker. Word is an adequate text editor, but the newsroom software you are already using in your broadcast and print newsrooms works as well.
4. Finally you need to package the content for delivery. Visual Communicator is the best package for non-broadcasters to use in creating "broadcast-like" packages, but you should check with your broadcast faculty first to get them on board. The quality of Visual Communicator is low, but the output is perfect for the Web. You also need a Web editor, either Dreamweaver or GoLive, depending upon what is used in the rest of your operation. (I do not recommend FrontPage or Word for Web page editing.)
The key throughout is to have a clear picture of what you see as the output of your convergent newsroom, and then make sure the tools are there to teach the process of gathering, editing, and delivering the content needed across all the media. In my opinion, enabling students to experience each part of the process is more important than providing the highest-quality output to individual media.
This response is based upon the process of adapting Newsplex training to teaching environments. In my discussions regarding convergent newslabs around the country, I’ve seen many other approaches. If you would like to provide a different answer to this question, we would love to include your thoughts in a future edition of The Convergence Newsletter. Please email your thoughts to convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Election Connection covers conventions
By Randy Covington, Director of Advancement/Instructor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina
Student journalists from around the country this summer will use photo phones to cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions as part of the Election Connection, an innovative project funded by Cingular Wireless and coordinated by the IfraNewsplex at the University of South Carolina.
The students will cover official events, protests and human interest sidebars. Their images and text will be posted to a mobile weblog at www.RUCingular.com/election. Cingular is underwriting the cost of the project, including providing stipends to participating student journalists.
For the Democratic Convention in Boston, the Election Connection reporting team will include four students from the University of South Carolina, two students from Emerson College and two students from Northeastern University.
At the Republican National Convention in New York, four reporters will come from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and four others will come from the University of California at Berkeley.
The work will be overseen by faculty members from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It will be edited in Newsplex, a newsroom of the future in Columbia, S.C., that is jointly operated by the USC journalism school and Ifra, the German-based press consortium.
To cover the fall presidential election, Cingular anticipates expanding the program to include other journalism schools, though details are still tentative.
The Election Connection initiative follows an earlier partnership among Cingular, TextAmerica, Newsplex and USC. Student reporters used photo phones to cover the South Democratic Presidential Primary, posting their pictures and reports to a mobile weblog (http://scprimary.textamerica.com).
For more information, contact Randy Covington at Randy.covington@sc.edu or (803) 777-6898. Or if you are going to be at the AEJMC Convention in Toronto, stop by the Newsplex booth.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Newsplex News
By Julie Nichols, IfraNewsplex Projects Director
Steam’ – Summer has arrived in South Carolina with strong sun, high temperatures and dramatic thunderstorms. Although life on campus has slowed down for the summer, the Newsplex staff is busy as ever with professional training and preparation for the upcoming coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
The most recent trainees in residence were participants in Ifra’s Backpack Journalism course. Attending from the Finnish publishing group Ilta-Sanomat were managing editor Kari Ylanne, news editors Iina Artima-Kyrki and Timo Paunonen, staff reporter Tuomas Näveri, and sports writer Rami Tuisku.
Joining them from London was Paul Roberts, production operations specialist with BBC Training and Development, and broadcast news executives Rich O’Dell, president/general manager, and Mike Garber, news director of WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C., and Darren Richards, news director of WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C. The seminar concluded with a special backstage tour of CNN for the broadcast group hosted by the delightful Marianna Spicer-Brooks, director of news standards and practices for CNN News Group. Also addressing the group about convergence at CNN was Manuel Perez and Annic Jobin of CNN.com.
John Stevens, telecommunications manager for the IT Division at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, visited in June as well. John was on a 45-day tour of the United States, gathering information on the latest developments in journalism school technology for use in the design of a new building for the journalism program at Rhodes.
The Newsplex staff was delighted to hear that he’d been directed to Newsplex over and over again during his travels. We wish him the best of luck with the project, and can’t wait to hear about the results.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Newsplex at the University of South Carolina Web site: http://newsplex.sc.edu
For information about our Academic Affiliates, visit www.newsplex.org/affiliates.shtml
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Conferences
A Conference on The Digital Revolution: The Impact of Digital Media and Information Technologies
Oct. 14-16, 2004
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
The purpose of this conference is to provide a scholarly examination of the attributes and implications of the digital revolution, including discussions of social influences, media practices, integrated information systems, cultural issues, legal implications, information needs and effects upon consumers. A showcase of convergent media practices will run concurrent with the academic conference. Paper presentations will address theoretical and practical examinations of digital photography, video, information archives, telephony, consumer electronics and information infrastructure. The agenda for the conference will be published in the August issue of this newsletter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A Showcase of Digital Media and Information Projects and Practices
Oct. 14-16, 2004
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
The purpose of this showcase of digital media and information projects and practices is to provide a venue for scholars and professionals experimenting with digital media and information technologies to demonstrate their systems, processes, experiments and innovations. This showcase is the demonstration component of The Digital Revolution: The Impact of Digital Media and Information Technologies, an academic conference exploring practical, theoretical, phenomenological, critical and/or empirical approaches to digital media and information technologies.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Digital Story Master Class
July 26-30, 2004
http://www.mediacenter.org/04/Digitalstory/
Reston, Va.
Geared toward online content managers, editors, directors, visual and graphic designers, and senior producers for any Internet site where compelling content is critical to success; traditional print and broadcast journalists who want to learn new ways to communicate with online audiences. Attendees will learn ways to push the creative, journalistic limits of the Internet to serve audiences better and an understanding of the latest trends and state-of-the-art tools in online story-telling and interactive communications.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Society of Professional Journalists National Convention
Sept. 9-11
New York City, N.Y.
http://www.spj.org/convention_preses.asp
Convergence 101 is one of the sessions presented as part of a pre-convention training program Convergence 101 will look at ways to ground convergence in good journalism and how to plan a multimedia story. The full convention also will have sessions on convergence, including blogging tools and a look at the best convergence models in journalism.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Convergence: The Tour
Oct. 19-22, 2004
http://www.mediacenter.org/04/Convergence/index.cfm
Location: TBA
Visit three of the most fully converged multi-platform newsrooms in the world in this convergence tour hosted by the American Press Institute. Meet executives and rank-and-file staffers who “do” convergence, see firsthand what convergence is all about and learn what it takes to build a converged news operation. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the costs and benefits of the various convergence models and of the nuts and bolts of structuring a convergence partnership. Tuition is $2,100 or $1,890 if you register by the Aug. 19 early-bird deadline.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Convergence for Teams: Visions & Values in Action
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar_view.asp?int_seminarID=3128
Oct. 24-29, 2004
St. Petersburg, Fla.
A Poynter Institute program
Companies are eager to build and discover ways to share their journalism on television, radio, in newspapers and on the Web. But many fear they will damage their core values or water down their reputation for excellence. Converged newsrooms need a practical plan that will help them strengthen their journalism, maintain their standards and reach more people. You will see the plans and best practices of other converged newsroom around the country. As a team, you will evaluate your own convergence efforts and make specific plans to move forward and you will get feedback from your newsrooms about what is working and what needs work in your convergence plan. You also will explore the ethics and leadership issues that arise when newsrooms converge.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Announcements/News
Writing a book about convergence?
The Convergence Newsletter will be publishing an article in the August issue about books that address the subject of convergence. If you have written or are in the process of writing a book about convergence and would like The Convergence Newsletter to feature your book, contact Holly Fisher, editor, at convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online newspapers tempt readers
Source: BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk)
By Peter Feuilherade (June 1, 2004)
The number of newspaper websites around the world has doubled since 1999, a study has found.
There has been a tremendous boom in the consumption of online editions.
Timothy Balding, director general of World Association of Newspapers said web audiences for newspapers have grown by 350% over the last five years.
He was addressing editors and executives from hundreds of newspapers who are meeting for the society's annual congress in Istanbul this week.
The rapid growth of broadband in many countries means people are spending less of their leisure time watching television, preferring to surf the web instead.
This led to more visits to newspaper web sites, according to research by the World Association of Newspapers and ZenithOptimedia presented at the Istanbul gathering.
Read the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3767267.stm
From Newsplex at the University of South Carolina
Vol. II No. 1 (July 7, 2004)
http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/issue12.html
Exploring the Meaning of Media Convergence
The purpose of this newsletter is to provide an editorially neutral forum for discussion of the theoretical and professional meaning of media convergence.
We welcome articles on any topic directly related to media convergence, including academic research or information about convergence experiences in your newsroom. We also welcome information about conferences, publications and related links.
Holly Fisher
Editor
convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Feature Articles
Newsletter marks first anniversary
New roles in converged newsrooms
Multiskilled journalists are prepared to tell stories in many forms
Newsplex announces 2004 technology picks
Five steps to a convergent news lab
Election Connection covers conventions
Newsplex News
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Conference Information
Digital Revolution Conference
Digital Story Master Class
Society of Professional Journalists National Convention
Convergence: The Tour
Convergence for Teams: Visions & Values in Action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Announcements/News
Writing a book about convergence?
Online newspapers tempt readers
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Feature Articles
Newsletter marks first anniversary
One year ago this month The Convergence Newsletter was introduced as a new source of information and ideas about the expanding field of convergent journalism. That first newsletter contained information on the IfraNewsplex and its Affiliates Program, convergence and diversity, as well as updates on conferences and seminars.
Since then, the newsletter has addressed changing roles in newsrooms, reported academic research on convergence and profiled those who have gone through convergence training at Newsplex. The Convergence Newsletter now has more than 500 subscribers, including students, journalists and educators around the world.
I have to admit when I took over as editor of the newsletter in January I knew convergence was a trendy journalism buzzword, but I had to do a great deal of research in order to bring myself up to speed with developments in the teaching and practice of convergent journalism.
A newspaper purist, I have often snubbed my nose at the idea of producing anything that might be considered broadcast journalism. My experience with this newsletter has made me change my tune, and I am seeing the value of using pictures, video and the Web to tell a story.
In May I spent a couple of days sitting in on a seminar at Newsplex for journalism professors. They were immersed in new technologies and the concept of doing journalism for print, broadcast and the Internet.
They soaked up the information like sponges. I likened them to first-year journalism students hungry to absorb as much as possible about their craft. We could barely tear them away from their computers at lunchtime they were so immersed in their work. Had you walked in uninformed you might have thought a huge story had just broken in Columbia, S.C.
They scurried about putting together packages on the State Farmer’s Market, a colorful place within walking distance of Newsplex. Using the newsroom roles—storybuilder, newsresourcer, multiskilled journalist and newsflow editor—these experienced journalists and professors produced story packages that included writing for the Internet with a video component. They left the seminar excited and eager to share these new techniques with their students.
I understand how they feel. I, too, get excited learning new skills that will enable me to share the news with a larger audience in a variety of media. Even the purists have to realize technology has changed us. By embracing convergence, we can make journalism better. We can tell our stories in different ways and bring even more detail, information and news to our readers, viewers and Internet surfers.
I hope you enjoy reading each issue of this newsletter and that it contributes to your learning about convergence and how best to use it in your newsrooms and classrooms. As we embark on our second year, we will be looking at ways to make this newsletter even better. Your feedback is valuable, so please feel free to e-mail me with comments, suggestions and story ideas. As always, we welcome your article submissions.
Happy converging,
Holly Fisher
Editor
convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
New roles in converged newsrooms
Editor’s Note: In this issue we conclude our series looking at the four new roles in a converged newsroom as developed by IfraNewsplex director Kerry Northrup. Over the last three issues, The Convergence Newsletter has looked at the role the storybuilder, the newsresourcer and the newsflow editor have in a newsroom. The storybuilder supervises all aspects of an individual story, coordinating the reporters, photographers, and other personnel assigned to a story in the gathering of information and the distribution of the stories produced across media. The newsresourcer combines writing, editing and news judgment with the best of librarianship and information management to manage the wealth of information coming into the newsroom. The newsflow editor focuses on the content of a story rather than the delivery method. Similar to a managing editor or producer, the newsflow editor makes sure all elements of the story work together to create the best product. Our series wraps up this month looking at the multiskilled journalist.
The most important characteristic of these new roles is that they do not necessarily reflect individuals or specific positions in a newsroom. Rather, each of the four represents a new set of responsibilities and activities in a newsroom. In Newsplex training, individuals are assigned to each role, but, in newsrooms, the roles may overlap across individuals or may be split, with two or more people combining to serve the role.
As you read these articles, please keep in mind that there may be other emerging roles that also should be profiled. If you have identified any other new roles, please let us know so that we can address those in a future edition.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Multiskilled journalists are prepared to tell stories in many forms
By Dr. Augie Grant, Associate Professor, College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, University of South Carolina
The most recognizable new role in convergent newsrooms is the multiskilled journalist. This term describes reporters who are skilled at interviewing, collecting audio, video and still images, editing those images, and writing stories for delivery across multiple media.
By definition, a person who is assigned to do two or more of these tasks is a multiskilled journalist. Focusing on these tasks, however, ignores the most important role of the journalist in a converged environment: To be able to look at a story to determine what materials need to be gathered for the various media that might be used to disseminate the story.
Consider everyday situations: The first one on the scene of any breaking story needs to be able to capture as much information as possible, including pictures, videos, interviews, etc.—with the ability to clearly deliver the story right away. Freelancers have long carried this combination of skills onto the battlefield and into remote regions, sometimes being a sole witness to a story that can and should be delivered across media. Even mundane coverage such as routine city council meeting can be shared more widely if one or more of the reporters attending delivers a roundup for a radio newscast after (or before!) filing the story for the next day’s Metro section.
The first skill of the multiskilled journalist is therefore to look at all the opportunities a story represents for each of the media fed by the journalist. In practice, that means the ability to identify all of the elements of a story, including interview sources, photographic subjects, video opportunities, etc.
The next skill is the ability to tell the story in the appropriate format, ranging from an inverted pyramid for newspapers to a linear, broadcast narrative. Writing across media may be one of the most difficult skills to master, but the task is made easier by the presence of story builders, editors, and others who can help refine the story for presentation.
Multiskilled journalists must also have photographic skills, with the ability to capture both still and video images. This does not mean each reporter must be an authority on photography and other technical skills, but it does mean that, in the absence of a photographer, videographer or audio engineer, the multiskilled journalist is capable of capturing the images and sounds that will help tell the story.
Time is a critical variable for multiskilled journalists. On the scene of a story, they need to know which medium needs to be fed first—the Internet, the radio station, the television broadcast, or the newspaper. It’s not unusual for a journalist working for an organization such as CNN to feed a live television report, record a follow-up report, rewrite the script for the Web site, and then do a feed for a radio network, all in the space of an hour or two.
In my experience, the most exciting part of the roles training we provide at Newsplex is watching experienced journalists and academics who have just been introduced to multimedia reporting take on this role, delivering pictures and sound along with text. The technical skills are absorbed and practiced almost automatically as focus remains on the story and how to deliver it across each medium.
Few topics in convergent journalism have generated as much debate as the “multiskilled journalist.” This position is sometimes referred to as the “backpack journalist” and the “one-man band,” with each of these terms implying that one person can take on the roles formerly filled by two or more individuals. (Martha Stone and Jane Stevens have shared an interesting point-counterpoint on this subject in the Online Journalism Review. “Backpack Journalism is here to stay” by Stevens at http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771575.php and “The Backpack Journalist Is a ‘Mush of Mediocrity’" by Stone at http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771634.php)
There are certainly a few journalists who are accomplished photographers, but the norm is not—and will never be—a person who has mastered all the skills related to gathering information. Indeed, many news directors/editors say they do not expect every journalist to do everything. On the other hand, the norm in converged newsrooms is likely to be that all journalists will share a basic set of technical skills to enable them to be more effective in gathering information for distribution across media when necessary or desirable.
That brings up the issue of equipment. Electronic newsgathering equipment, from digital cameras to laptop computers and cell phones is becoming more compact and less expensive, making it easier to equip all journalists with cameras, recorders, and other tools that contribute to the process of gathering news. Multiskilled journalists must know basic equipment operation and composition in order to use this equipment, but there is not a need for them to be masters of each craft. (It may also be argued that photographers and audio engineers need basic writing and interviewing skills as well!)
The lower cost and small size of the cameras and other equipment used by these “backpack” journalists enables an organization to equip all of their journalists so that breaking news is more likely to be captured any time, any where. (See the related article on Newsgear later in this newsletter.)
Again, the primary concept of the multiskilled journalist is not the mastery of a particular set of skills but simply the mindset that the information being gathered will be distributed through a variety of media, with recognition of the individual elements that must be captured in order to bring the story to the consumer.
From a practical perspective, there are few job listings today that require all of the skills discussed above. But when choosing from available candidates, hiring decisions will more often than not favor reporters who bring additional skills to the newsroom. That’s perhaps the best reason for making sure our graduates are ready for converged newsrooms.
The multiskilled journalist is the most traditional of the four roles in a converged newsroom that are being explored in this series (http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/index.html). Other roles are certain to be identified as converged newsrooms proliferate, and these four existing roles are certain to change over time. The multiskilled journalist—the eyes, ears, arms, legs and voice—remains at the heart of any conception of converged journalism.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Newsplex announces 2004 technology picks
Journalists interested in convergence enjoy learning about how to write for the Web, how to package stories and the benefits of telling the news across multiple media. But they also enjoy learning about the “toys”—those gadgets and gizmos that have reporters abandoning the notebooks and pens of yesterday and taking up the laptops and camera phones of the 21st century.
Each year Newsplex Director Kerry Northrup scours the land of technology armed with $10,000 and a desire to arm a backpack with all the tools a journalist would need to cover a story for multiple media.
The 2004 Backpack Edition includes:
*Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet PC with a full-size keyboard and good battery life, making it a great tool for the multiskilled journalist.
*Apple iSight Video Conferencing system makes desktop video conferencing easy for bureaus and source interviews.
*Sony DCR PC330 Camera’s high quality captures broadcast quality video and still pictures at newspaper quality.
*Archos AV320 Video Recorder is an all-in-one digital media tool used for Web-quality video, print stills and audio compatible to Mac and PC.
*Nokia 6600 Imaging Phone can provide audio and video for breaking news as well as low-resolution streaming video over high speed networks.
*DaKine Pod 1 Urban Backpack is rugged, stylish and durable, which makes it a great case for everything a multiskilled journalist wants to tote around.
*Canon BJC-55 Portable Printer has high-quality printing capabilities and an optional replacement for the ink cartridge turns it into a scanner.
*Visioneer Strobe XP100 Scanner is extremely portable, allowing reporters to scan documents and image at the news site.
Also included in this pack is Serious Magic Visual Communicator Pro, a simple software suite that makes packaging of news stories easier and less expensive than a full-scale recording studio.
The entire list—including descriptions, Web links and prices—is available at www.newsplex.org.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Five steps to a convergent newslab
By Dr. Augie Grant, Associate Professor, College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, University of South Carolina
Since we began publishing this newsletter a year ago, the most frequent question I’ve received from faculty is, “What software and equipment do I need to put in a convergent newsroom?” Here’s a brief summary of the way I most often answer that question:
1. First and foremost, make sure more attention is paid to curriculum than to tools. The underlying philosophy of delivering news across media is much more important than any specific tool. For example, you can use standard Microsoft products available in almost every writing lab, ranging from Word and PowerPoint to Windows Moviemaker to do almost all the jobs that need to be done if you don't have the resources to equip a lab.
2. The acquisition tools come next. You have to be able to record still pictures, and your options range from expensive digital cameras to inexpensive camera phones. You have to be able to record audio and video, again with options ranging from simple audio cassette recorders and still cameras to broadcast-quality video cameras. You need to be able to generate graphics—almost any graphics program will do, but you have to have one (most people are using Photoshop today because of its versatility).
3. Editing tools are next. You need to have a tool to edit pictures (Photoshop, again). Video can be edited on a range of programs from imovie and Windows Moviemaker to FinalCut Pro and Avid Newscutter. Your best video editing option is the tool you are already using in your broadcast news sequence, although it is easiest to teach the basics of video editing on imovie or Moviemaker. Word is an adequate text editor, but the newsroom software you are already using in your broadcast and print newsrooms works as well.
4. Finally you need to package the content for delivery. Visual Communicator is the best package for non-broadcasters to use in creating "broadcast-like" packages, but you should check with your broadcast faculty first to get them on board. The quality of Visual Communicator is low, but the output is perfect for the Web. You also need a Web editor, either Dreamweaver or GoLive, depending upon what is used in the rest of your operation. (I do not recommend FrontPage or Word for Web page editing.)
The key throughout is to have a clear picture of what you see as the output of your convergent newsroom, and then make sure the tools are there to teach the process of gathering, editing, and delivering the content needed across all the media. In my opinion, enabling students to experience each part of the process is more important than providing the highest-quality output to individual media.
This response is based upon the process of adapting Newsplex training to teaching environments. In my discussions regarding convergent newslabs around the country, I’ve seen many other approaches. If you would like to provide a different answer to this question, we would love to include your thoughts in a future edition of The Convergence Newsletter. Please email your thoughts to convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Election Connection covers conventions
By Randy Covington, Director of Advancement/Instructor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina
Student journalists from around the country this summer will use photo phones to cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions as part of the Election Connection, an innovative project funded by Cingular Wireless and coordinated by the IfraNewsplex at the University of South Carolina.
The students will cover official events, protests and human interest sidebars. Their images and text will be posted to a mobile weblog at www.RUCingular.com/election. Cingular is underwriting the cost of the project, including providing stipends to participating student journalists.
For the Democratic Convention in Boston, the Election Connection reporting team will include four students from the University of South Carolina, two students from Emerson College and two students from Northeastern University.
At the Republican National Convention in New York, four reporters will come from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and four others will come from the University of California at Berkeley.
The work will be overseen by faculty members from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It will be edited in Newsplex, a newsroom of the future in Columbia, S.C., that is jointly operated by the USC journalism school and Ifra, the German-based press consortium.
To cover the fall presidential election, Cingular anticipates expanding the program to include other journalism schools, though details are still tentative.
The Election Connection initiative follows an earlier partnership among Cingular, TextAmerica, Newsplex and USC. Student reporters used photo phones to cover the South Democratic Presidential Primary, posting their pictures and reports to a mobile weblog (http://scprimary.textamerica.com).
For more information, contact Randy Covington at Randy.covington@sc.edu or (803) 777-6898. Or if you are going to be at the AEJMC Convention in Toronto, stop by the Newsplex booth.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Newsplex News
By Julie Nichols, IfraNewsplex Projects Director
Steam’ – Summer has arrived in South Carolina with strong sun, high temperatures and dramatic thunderstorms. Although life on campus has slowed down for the summer, the Newsplex staff is busy as ever with professional training and preparation for the upcoming coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
The most recent trainees in residence were participants in Ifra’s Backpack Journalism course. Attending from the Finnish publishing group Ilta-Sanomat were managing editor Kari Ylanne, news editors Iina Artima-Kyrki and Timo Paunonen, staff reporter Tuomas Näveri, and sports writer Rami Tuisku.
Joining them from London was Paul Roberts, production operations specialist with BBC Training and Development, and broadcast news executives Rich O’Dell, president/general manager, and Mike Garber, news director of WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C., and Darren Richards, news director of WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C. The seminar concluded with a special backstage tour of CNN for the broadcast group hosted by the delightful Marianna Spicer-Brooks, director of news standards and practices for CNN News Group. Also addressing the group about convergence at CNN was Manuel Perez and Annic Jobin of CNN.com.
John Stevens, telecommunications manager for the IT Division at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, visited in June as well. John was on a 45-day tour of the United States, gathering information on the latest developments in journalism school technology for use in the design of a new building for the journalism program at Rhodes.
The Newsplex staff was delighted to hear that he’d been directed to Newsplex over and over again during his travels. We wish him the best of luck with the project, and can’t wait to hear about the results.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Newsplex at the University of South Carolina Web site: http://newsplex.sc.edu
For information about our Academic Affiliates, visit www.newsplex.org/affiliates.shtml
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Conferences
A Conference on The Digital Revolution: The Impact of Digital Media and Information Technologies
Oct. 14-16, 2004
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
The purpose of this conference is to provide a scholarly examination of the attributes and implications of the digital revolution, including discussions of social influences, media practices, integrated information systems, cultural issues, legal implications, information needs and effects upon consumers. A showcase of convergent media practices will run concurrent with the academic conference. Paper presentations will address theoretical and practical examinations of digital photography, video, information archives, telephony, consumer electronics and information infrastructure. The agenda for the conference will be published in the August issue of this newsletter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A Showcase of Digital Media and Information Projects and Practices
Oct. 14-16, 2004
Location: University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
The purpose of this showcase of digital media and information projects and practices is to provide a venue for scholars and professionals experimenting with digital media and information technologies to demonstrate their systems, processes, experiments and innovations. This showcase is the demonstration component of The Digital Revolution: The Impact of Digital Media and Information Technologies, an academic conference exploring practical, theoretical, phenomenological, critical and/or empirical approaches to digital media and information technologies.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Digital Story Master Class
July 26-30, 2004
http://www.mediacenter.org/04/Digitalstory/
Reston, Va.
Geared toward online content managers, editors, directors, visual and graphic designers, and senior producers for any Internet site where compelling content is critical to success; traditional print and broadcast journalists who want to learn new ways to communicate with online audiences. Attendees will learn ways to push the creative, journalistic limits of the Internet to serve audiences better and an understanding of the latest trends and state-of-the-art tools in online story-telling and interactive communications.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Society of Professional Journalists National Convention
Sept. 9-11
New York City, N.Y.
http://www.spj.org/convention_preses.asp
Convergence 101 is one of the sessions presented as part of a pre-convention training program Convergence 101 will look at ways to ground convergence in good journalism and how to plan a multimedia story. The full convention also will have sessions on convergence, including blogging tools and a look at the best convergence models in journalism.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Convergence: The Tour
Oct. 19-22, 2004
http://www.mediacenter.org/04/Convergence/index.cfm
Location: TBA
Visit three of the most fully converged multi-platform newsrooms in the world in this convergence tour hosted by the American Press Institute. Meet executives and rank-and-file staffers who “do” convergence, see firsthand what convergence is all about and learn what it takes to build a converged news operation. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the costs and benefits of the various convergence models and of the nuts and bolts of structuring a convergence partnership. Tuition is $2,100 or $1,890 if you register by the Aug. 19 early-bird deadline.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Convergence for Teams: Visions & Values in Action
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar_view.asp?int_seminarID=3128
Oct. 24-29, 2004
St. Petersburg, Fla.
A Poynter Institute program
Companies are eager to build and discover ways to share their journalism on television, radio, in newspapers and on the Web. But many fear they will damage their core values or water down their reputation for excellence. Converged newsrooms need a practical plan that will help them strengthen their journalism, maintain their standards and reach more people. You will see the plans and best practices of other converged newsroom around the country. As a team, you will evaluate your own convergence efforts and make specific plans to move forward and you will get feedback from your newsrooms about what is working and what needs work in your convergence plan. You also will explore the ethics and leadership issues that arise when newsrooms converge.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Announcements/News
Writing a book about convergence?
The Convergence Newsletter will be publishing an article in the August issue about books that address the subject of convergence. If you have written or are in the process of writing a book about convergence and would like The Convergence Newsletter to feature your book, contact Holly Fisher, editor, at convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online newspapers tempt readers
Source: BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk)
By Peter Feuilherade (June 1, 2004)
The number of newspaper websites around the world has doubled since 1999, a study has found.
There has been a tremendous boom in the consumption of online editions.
Timothy Balding, director general of World Association of Newspapers said web audiences for newspapers have grown by 350% over the last five years.
He was addressing editors and executives from hundreds of newspapers who are meeting for the society's annual congress in Istanbul this week.
The rapid growth of broadband in many countries means people are spending less of their leisure time watching television, preferring to surf the web instead.
This led to more visits to newspaper web sites, according to research by the World Association of Newspapers and ZenithOptimedia presented at the Istanbul gathering.
Read the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3767267.stm
NPPA's Convergence '10 Will Challenge, Teach, And Inspire.
Workshops planned for Convergence '10 will cover still photography, videography, multimedia, editing, storytelling, and the equipment and software used by today's cutting-edge visual journalists.
Special emphasis will be placed this year on online visual journalism, as well as the business and revenue side of the industry for both freelance and staff visual journalists.
"We've spent more than a decade teaching ourselves how to do online visual journalism. It's time to learn how to make it pay," said Mark E. Johnson, a photojournalism lecturer at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Johnson is the chair of this year's Convergence program.
"Convergence '10 will address best practices in newsrooms, we'll look at how to do what we do so that we can do it better, and we'll open up a conversation with the business side to talk about how our skills will help our news organizations or further our freelance efforts."
Online registration is now available at www.nppa.org/convergence. Convergence '10, billed as "One Event, Countless Opportunities," will be centered at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC.
Since 2005, Johnson has been rebuilding the photojournalism emphasis at his university to include audio, video, and online journalism. He's been a leader in the journalism department's efforts to modernize the school's curriculum and to prepare the next generation of journalists through the creation of new courses and online news sites run by the students. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and during his career he's worked as a photojournalist and editor up and down the East Coast.
"We are very lucky to have Mark working on Convergence '10," NPPA's executive director said. "In keeping with the successful and popular model laid out at last year's Convergence event, Mark is planning a line-up of practical, new skill-building and bottom-line improving workshops of substance that will help our attendees to go out and immediately compete in today's economic environment. We will, as always, be adding the awesome visual presentations from some of this year's award-winning visual journalists, but we learned from last year's event that attendees want a balance of both inspiration and application from our workshops."
"If you've never done video, we'll show you where to start – from hardware to software to where to point the camera," Johnson said. "If you've already done that, we'll show you how to do better daily online journalism. If you've been doing that for a while, we'll dive more deeply into video and audio editing software to really put a polish on your work. If you manage a group of people who do these things, we'll talke about resource allocation and coaching creative people. If you do it on your own, we'll talk about using social networking to find new revenue sources. It's time to make innovation pay."
Included in this year's plan are some workshops that are a longer format and meant to be more intensive, addressing technical, technique, and business issues. There will not be separate tracks for still photography, television video, and multimedia, but a "matrix" of workshops that will occur more than once so that attendees can mix and match their desired course of study to fit their individual needs, Straight said.
"Just like last year, we are aiming to challenge attendees in a classroom setting that requires active participation instead of just sitting in a lecture or watching a slideshow," Straight said. "While there will be some outstanding presentations that are meant to inspire, what we really want to do is to give people experience and skills that will help them to do their job successfully."
Some of the speakers and topics Johnson has confirmed for Convergence '10 include:
Sean Elliot, NPPA vice president and visual journalist at The Day: Navigating the Downturn, a panel presentation on succeeding in the new economic realities of the industry
Damon Kiesow, managing editor/online at the Nashua Telegraph: Managing a Multimedia Newsroom, Free (or Cheap) Tools for a Mobile Workflow; Going Mobile - Trends in Content Creation and Delivery; Mind Your Metrics - Measuring Success and Progress
Steve Masiclat, professor at Syracuse University, on search engine optimization for Video; Going Granular - The Third Screen is Now the First Screen, looking at mobile technology
Stanley Leary, NPPA Business Practices chair: Pitching Multimedia to Corporate Clients
Jim Biddle, Apple Certified Trainer and professor at the University of Georgia: Multiple high-level Final Cut Pro sessions including ones on Color, Soundtrack and Compressor.
Special hotel rates at the Francis Marion Hotel will also be offered to attendees and will be available on the Convergence '10 Web page, Straight said. "In an effort to make this as affordable as possible for people to attend, given the challenging economic climate, NPPA also announced that its prices will remain the same as 2009. This is only possible through the generous support of Convergence '10 sponsors Canon and Nikon."
NPPA's annual Awards Program, where the organization's annual top honors and awards from the recently-judged 2010 Best Of Photojournalism contest are presented, will be held at the conclusion of Convergence '10.
NPPA's Convergence '10 is officially sponsored by Canon and Nikon. For more information, please see www.nppa.org/convergence.
http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2010/04/converge.html
Special emphasis will be placed this year on online visual journalism, as well as the business and revenue side of the industry for both freelance and staff visual journalists.
"We've spent more than a decade teaching ourselves how to do online visual journalism. It's time to learn how to make it pay," said Mark E. Johnson, a photojournalism lecturer at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Johnson is the chair of this year's Convergence program.
"Convergence '10 will address best practices in newsrooms, we'll look at how to do what we do so that we can do it better, and we'll open up a conversation with the business side to talk about how our skills will help our news organizations or further our freelance efforts."
Online registration is now available at www.nppa.org/convergence. Convergence '10, billed as "One Event, Countless Opportunities," will be centered at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC.
Since 2005, Johnson has been rebuilding the photojournalism emphasis at his university to include audio, video, and online journalism. He's been a leader in the journalism department's efforts to modernize the school's curriculum and to prepare the next generation of journalists through the creation of new courses and online news sites run by the students. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and during his career he's worked as a photojournalist and editor up and down the East Coast.
"We are very lucky to have Mark working on Convergence '10," NPPA's executive director said. "In keeping with the successful and popular model laid out at last year's Convergence event, Mark is planning a line-up of practical, new skill-building and bottom-line improving workshops of substance that will help our attendees to go out and immediately compete in today's economic environment. We will, as always, be adding the awesome visual presentations from some of this year's award-winning visual journalists, but we learned from last year's event that attendees want a balance of both inspiration and application from our workshops."
"If you've never done video, we'll show you where to start – from hardware to software to where to point the camera," Johnson said. "If you've already done that, we'll show you how to do better daily online journalism. If you've been doing that for a while, we'll dive more deeply into video and audio editing software to really put a polish on your work. If you manage a group of people who do these things, we'll talke about resource allocation and coaching creative people. If you do it on your own, we'll talk about using social networking to find new revenue sources. It's time to make innovation pay."
Included in this year's plan are some workshops that are a longer format and meant to be more intensive, addressing technical, technique, and business issues. There will not be separate tracks for still photography, television video, and multimedia, but a "matrix" of workshops that will occur more than once so that attendees can mix and match their desired course of study to fit their individual needs, Straight said.
"Just like last year, we are aiming to challenge attendees in a classroom setting that requires active participation instead of just sitting in a lecture or watching a slideshow," Straight said. "While there will be some outstanding presentations that are meant to inspire, what we really want to do is to give people experience and skills that will help them to do their job successfully."
Some of the speakers and topics Johnson has confirmed for Convergence '10 include:
Sean Elliot, NPPA vice president and visual journalist at The Day: Navigating the Downturn, a panel presentation on succeeding in the new economic realities of the industry
Damon Kiesow, managing editor/online at the Nashua Telegraph: Managing a Multimedia Newsroom, Free (or Cheap) Tools for a Mobile Workflow; Going Mobile - Trends in Content Creation and Delivery; Mind Your Metrics - Measuring Success and Progress
Steve Masiclat, professor at Syracuse University, on search engine optimization for Video; Going Granular - The Third Screen is Now the First Screen, looking at mobile technology
Stanley Leary, NPPA Business Practices chair: Pitching Multimedia to Corporate Clients
Jim Biddle, Apple Certified Trainer and professor at the University of Georgia: Multiple high-level Final Cut Pro sessions including ones on Color, Soundtrack and Compressor.
Special hotel rates at the Francis Marion Hotel will also be offered to attendees and will be available on the Convergence '10 Web page, Straight said. "In an effort to make this as affordable as possible for people to attend, given the challenging economic climate, NPPA also announced that its prices will remain the same as 2009. This is only possible through the generous support of Convergence '10 sponsors Canon and Nikon."
NPPA's annual Awards Program, where the organization's annual top honors and awards from the recently-judged 2010 Best Of Photojournalism contest are presented, will be held at the conclusion of Convergence '10.
NPPA's Convergence '10 is officially sponsored by Canon and Nikon. For more information, please see www.nppa.org/convergence.
http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2010/04/converge.html
The 5Dmk2 - what happens when a mass market convergence technology is within the reach of everyone.
Written by Mitch Aunger for the industry leading Canon EOS 5Dmk2 digital camera (July 9, 2009) -
Ever since the Canon EOS 5D Mark II was announced, there has been a lot of hype/
anger/excitement/confusion about why video was added to a DSLR. Just why did
Canon add video to a still camera?
Canon would likely call it ʻconvergence – “converge (verb) (of several people or things)
come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.” In this case, the
merging of stills and video into one camera. There’s also a term for it in the output,
merging stills and video into one result is now called “fusion”. No matter what we call it,
there’s great debate about this convergence.
So, let’s not get into the details or try to decide which viewpoint is ʻrightʼ because that’s
a losing battle. Let’s talk about the future by looking at the past. Five years ago, digital
cameras were finally coming into their own, with good quality and good images. At that
time, there were people still clinging to the belief that film would never be replaced by
digital. I think the same discussion is happening now with stills and video. The future is
not one or the other, it is both.
Think back those five years ago and there barely even a thought of something like
Youtube (note: it launched in 2005) And now look at the use of video by just about everyone and the growth is stunning. Video used to be expensive. Video used to be only for those who could afford expensive equipment. Now, you can buy a Flip for $200 and record 720 HD video any time, any where.
Sure, there are arguments that there’s nothing really new in this “fusion” of video and
stills, people have been doing it for decades. But the revolution is that it is now so easy
and inexpensive, that even mom and pop can use software to easily generate their own
fancy schmancy home DVDs in HD.
Just look at these Internet video projections from Cisco:
“Internet video is now approximately one-third of all consumer Internet traffic, not
including the amount of video exchanged through P2P file sharing.
The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand, Internet, and P2P) will
account for over 91 percent of global consumer traffic by 2013. Internet video alone
will account for over 60 percent of all consumer Internet traffic in 2013.”
Granted, we have to take that with a grain of salt. Of course video traffic consumes a lot
of the Internet traffic, the files are huge-much larger than the HTML content of the web
page itself. But the bottom line is that video growth is coming.
Getting back to the 5D mk ii. There are two sides to the popularity of the camera, the
photographers and the videographers.
For photographers who’ve never shot video, the other side of the fence can be a bit scary. But with the 5D mk ii and a little bit of practice, the still photographer can leverage all of their knowledge of lenses, composition, lighting etc. quickly to video. Don’t believe me, then look at this video “The Nichols Family” made by a family portrait photographer. I asked about her video experience? “Nothing more than the family camcorder” was her reply. Sure, experience and some training will help her improve, but the customers were happy right off the bat!
Wedding and portrait photographers are quickly adopting the “Fusion” skillset – merging
stills and video to produce beautiful montages that couples and families just love.
We’ve even found people branching into the senior fusion market – something that
wasn’t around last year. Heck, we’ve even seen people creating demos, podcasts and
someoneʼs even used the 5D2 as a webcam. I’ve often seen photographers on twitter
comment that they bought the 5D mk ii for the stills, but once they dipped their toes into
video, they were stunned by the quality and wanted to learn more about the video
capabilities.
Not only were photographers impressed with the stills and video from the 5D2, but
videographers are coming out of the woodwork wanting to use the 5D Mk II for movies,
commercials and online broadcast. Canon says they aimed the 5D2 at the traditional news media – who could shoot stills and video with one camera thereby removing the need for two sets of equipment in the field. They didn’t aim the camera at the movie industry, but that didn’t matter, directors and DPs have flocked to it like moths to the light even tho it initially didn’t have full manual controls.
Oh yea, the news media is doing what Canon thought they would. They’re buying them
in bulk and giving them to all their staff photographers – for stills and video in one kit.
You may not want it to happen, you may want to stay in the digital photography world,
but like it or not, just like the move from film to digital, there’s a huge move on to
incorporate video into the DSLR and I can almost guarantee that every new model
announced by all of the major vendors will now include video. So, like it or not, the
future is here and video is here to stay.
Ever since the Canon EOS 5D Mark II was announced, there has been a lot of hype/
anger/excitement/confusion about why video was added to a DSLR. Just why did
Canon add video to a still camera?
Canon would likely call it ʻconvergence – “converge (verb) (of several people or things)
come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.” In this case, the
merging of stills and video into one camera. There’s also a term for it in the output,
merging stills and video into one result is now called “fusion”. No matter what we call it,
there’s great debate about this convergence.
So, let’s not get into the details or try to decide which viewpoint is ʻrightʼ because that’s
a losing battle. Let’s talk about the future by looking at the past. Five years ago, digital
cameras were finally coming into their own, with good quality and good images. At that
time, there were people still clinging to the belief that film would never be replaced by
digital. I think the same discussion is happening now with stills and video. The future is
not one or the other, it is both.
Think back those five years ago and there barely even a thought of something like
Youtube (note: it launched in 2005) And now look at the use of video by just about everyone and the growth is stunning. Video used to be expensive. Video used to be only for those who could afford expensive equipment. Now, you can buy a Flip for $200 and record 720 HD video any time, any where.
Sure, there are arguments that there’s nothing really new in this “fusion” of video and
stills, people have been doing it for decades. But the revolution is that it is now so easy
and inexpensive, that even mom and pop can use software to easily generate their own
fancy schmancy home DVDs in HD.
Just look at these Internet video projections from Cisco:
“Internet video is now approximately one-third of all consumer Internet traffic, not
including the amount of video exchanged through P2P file sharing.
The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand, Internet, and P2P) will
account for over 91 percent of global consumer traffic by 2013. Internet video alone
will account for over 60 percent of all consumer Internet traffic in 2013.”
Granted, we have to take that with a grain of salt. Of course video traffic consumes a lot
of the Internet traffic, the files are huge-much larger than the HTML content of the web
page itself. But the bottom line is that video growth is coming.
Getting back to the 5D mk ii. There are two sides to the popularity of the camera, the
photographers and the videographers.
For photographers who’ve never shot video, the other side of the fence can be a bit scary. But with the 5D mk ii and a little bit of practice, the still photographer can leverage all of their knowledge of lenses, composition, lighting etc. quickly to video. Don’t believe me, then look at this video “The Nichols Family” made by a family portrait photographer. I asked about her video experience? “Nothing more than the family camcorder” was her reply. Sure, experience and some training will help her improve, but the customers were happy right off the bat!
Wedding and portrait photographers are quickly adopting the “Fusion” skillset – merging
stills and video to produce beautiful montages that couples and families just love.
We’ve even found people branching into the senior fusion market – something that
wasn’t around last year. Heck, we’ve even seen people creating demos, podcasts and
someoneʼs even used the 5D2 as a webcam. I’ve often seen photographers on twitter
comment that they bought the 5D mk ii for the stills, but once they dipped their toes into
video, they were stunned by the quality and wanted to learn more about the video
capabilities.
Not only were photographers impressed with the stills and video from the 5D2, but
videographers are coming out of the woodwork wanting to use the 5D Mk II for movies,
commercials and online broadcast. Canon says they aimed the 5D2 at the traditional news media – who could shoot stills and video with one camera thereby removing the need for two sets of equipment in the field. They didn’t aim the camera at the movie industry, but that didn’t matter, directors and DPs have flocked to it like moths to the light even tho it initially didn’t have full manual controls.
Oh yea, the news media is doing what Canon thought they would. They’re buying them
in bulk and giving them to all their staff photographers – for stills and video in one kit.
You may not want it to happen, you may want to stay in the digital photography world,
but like it or not, just like the move from film to digital, there’s a huge move on to
incorporate video into the DSLR and I can almost guarantee that every new model
announced by all of the major vendors will now include video. So, like it or not, the
future is here and video is here to stay.
The Convergence of Still Photography and Video
This is a great article written by Michael Reichamnn of The Luminus Landscape.
He writes: "Social adoption of technological change takes place for one of two reason...
1 – A need is determined and someone then finds a way to fulfill it
2 – A new technology evolves and people then discover what can be done with it
I believe that we are at a point in time where a profound change is about to take place in the photographic industry. It is being driven not by user demand, but by the inevitable convergence of a number of required technologies. In combination, and when a certain nexus is reached, they will allow the creation of a new type of photographic instrument which will radically change the way photographers and film makers work."
________________________________________________________________
Here is the full text:
The Nexus
Each new step in technology requires that previous fundamental capabilities exist beforehand. As but one example, video disks couldn't exist before lasers were developed. (James Burke's TV series Connections does a marvelous job of exploring these relationships).
I believe that due to a convergence of technologies we are now about to see the creation of a new type of camera that will allow the shooting of very high quality images, which can then be purposed as stills or image sequence (for lack of a better word), or even turned into some new form of hybrid imaging presentation that we haven't yet conceptualized.
Before proceeding to understand what this might be like, we need to understand that this is taking place not because photographers and film makers are clamoring for it, (we're not), but rather because the simultaneous emergence of several new technologies will make it inevitable. It will then be up to us image makers to make of it what we will.
These technologies include...
– high resolution CMOS sensors (already here)
– high speed sensors (the Mysterium sensor in RED One and the unique Sony sensor in the Casio EX-F1 show what's possible)
– high speed processors and pipelines able to handle over 100 MB/sec (already here)
– pellicle mirror systems allowing simultaneous ultra-high frame rates and optical viewing (been here for decades)
– small, fast, ultra-high capacity removable memory systems (already here; Sony SxS and Panasonic P2 as well as SSD drive systems and the new CFast specification, which will allow Compact Flash cards capable of 3Gb/sec transfer rates
Indeed, virtually every enabling technology for creating a hand-holdable camera with optical reflex viewing that can shoot very high resolution raw video and stills (20MP+) either already exists, or will be commercially available in the next 18 months or so.
________________________________________________________________
The Camera Makers
It's worth taking a moment to realize that there are four companies who will be at the forefront of this sea change in visual technology. They are Canon, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung. Each one of these companies currently designs and makes DSLRs, video cameras, and imaging sensors. Each has a semiconductor fabrication facility as well. Each of these companies is positioned to create just such a hybrid camera as we are discussing here.
________________________________________________________________
The Harbingers and the Place Holders
In the first half of 2008 there are two cameras that point toward where I see us going. The first is the Casio EX-F1, and the second is the RED Scarlet. The EX-F1 is shipping and Scarlet is still some 10 months away, though the RED One camera exists and has been in use for nearly a year, so that technology is here as well.
Consider what we have today in terms of both still photography and video cameras. Our DSLRs (at least the ones that are at the leading edge) have sensors of 20 Megapixels or more, and frame rates of 10 frames per second are possible with today's still cameras. Why not faster? Largely for mechanical reasons – moving mirrors and shutter mechanisms. But pellicle mirror systems have existed for decades, and so there's no need to imagine that such a camera will need to use a dreaded electronic viewfinder.
The sensors in the Casio and Red cameras are able to shoot at 60 FPS and 100 FPS respectively without mechanical shutters, and at speeds as high as 1/40,000 second, so that barrier has already been crossed.
Video cameras can now shoot raw (required for the highest quality stills or video). The RED cameras show that this works, and works exceptionally well. The Sony SxS and Panasonic P2 card technology is in current use, and existing 1080i camcorders have built-in hard drives with 120GB.
Use the new generation of self-shuttering sensors along with a pellicle viewing system, and the limitation of 10FPS no longer exists. Add in a high capacity hard drive or memory card system, and we can have still cameras able to shoot at 30 FPS, 60 FPS or even higher. (The already announced RED Epic (coming Q1 2009) will have a roughly 20MP sensors able to shoot at 100FPS and will produce raw video – and still – files).
________________________________________________________________
What is it?
So, imagine a Canon 1Ds P MK1V or a Nikon D4x of 2011, just three years from now – or maybe the RED Scarlet II, when someone helps them realize that they can potentially build a world-beater still camera as well as a video camera. What would such a camera be like?
Imagine something about the size and weight of a medium format camera. It will have optical reflex viewing and interchangeable lenses. It will be able to shoot raw still images at 30 frames per second – continuously, and without the need for a mechnical shutter at just about any required shutter speed. It will have a recycling memory buffer so that it is constantly recording images, buffering the last couple of seconds and then disposing of them if not needed. That way the image can be captured even before the shutter has been pressed.
When the shutter is pressed the last couple of seconds are saved to disk or card and the camera now continues to record, as long as the shutter release is held down, and without any real time length constraint. So if 5 seconds are recorded, 150 frames are as well. The still photographer or editor can then later choose the frame that is best.
The videographer, if that's who's at the other end of the eyepiece, will have theater-quality motion capture. And if the still photographer needs higher speed, at least 100 FPS will be possible. At that speed the videographer also has lovely slow motion recording capability.
________________________________________________________________
Who's it For
Who needs this? How about photojournalists?! How about sports photographers?! How about wildlife photographers?! Would any of the above not give their mother's eye teeth to have such capabilities? These are the very photographers who buy the current high speed cameras from Nikon and Canon. They are therefore the natural constituency for products like this.
________________________________________________________________
Thinking Outside The Box
Nothing I've described so far is theoretical or impractical. All of the pieces are existing technology. All that's required is for these pieces to be put together and marketed at a price that potential purchasers can afford.
But – be afraid. Be very afraid!
What I fear is two-fold. Firstly – history has shown that the major camera makers' products are designed by engineers first, marketers second, and users – hardly at all. This means that early generation products will likely not meet the true needs of working professionals and users. This will take time, as user feedback makes its way slowly back to the design teams. This is especially true for the big Asian companies who unfortunately have an almost xenophobic "not invented here" mentality when it comes to implementing requested features and functions. (Need I mention the words Canon and mirror lock-up in the same sentence?)
My second concern is that we, the potential users, simply don't yet understand what these new tools will really be able to do for us. We can postulate, as I have above, how one might use a hand-holdable camera that can shoot professional quality stills and video simultaneously. But that's old think. That's not what these tools will really be about. Their potential lies in applications that no one has yet conceived of.
That's what excites me the most. Give a creative professional photographer a still camera that can simultaneously shoot movies, and a cinematographer a movie camera that can shoot pro-grade stills, and what kind of creativity will this engender? I don't yet know, but it's very exciting to contemplate.
Toronto – May, 2008
________________________________________________________________
Postscripts
If you have ever gone out to shoot with both a stills camera and a video camera in your kit at the same time you'll immediately understand what I'm saying when I discuss how hard it can be to use both on the same day, let alone simultaneously. The languages that each speak, so to speak, are as different as Japanese and English, not just in their vocabulary, but in their grammatical structure and syntax.
Whether we are still photographers or film makers, we are at the core story tellers. But still photographers can be said to take visual verbs, adjectives and nouns and lay them out for the viewer (reader?) to organize as they see fit, or are able. A maker of moving pictures (what a lovely phrase that is) is much more akin to a novelist or poet, who takes the various words and parts of visual speech available and structures them into a cogent narrative.
The film maker (another soon-to-be antique construct, like dialing the phone), blends images into sequences, unfolding the story in a predetermined matter, along with motion and sound. The still image can require more work on the part of the viewer, and is therefore by definition more enigmatic, while the moving picture can better lead the viewer where its author wishes them to go.
From a functional perspective the creation of stills and movies are quite different. The photographer finds moments in time and space and freezes them to share with others. The film maker, even when doing documentary style shooting without a script, finds sequences of events in time and space and them blends them together into a coherent narrative. These are almost diametrically opposed activities and quite difficult to do simultaneously.
If therefore the convergence of stills and motion pictures comes to pass I don't believe that it will produce works of either art or visual communication that are simply extensions of what we currently do, but rather, I expect, (and hope) something new.
For Example
Electronic paper has been talked about and shown in prototype form for some time, and is getting closer to reality. This is a malleable plastic sheet as thin and flexible as paper that is capable of displaying changeable text and images. Now imagine a newspaper or a magazine where the pages are made of electronic paper and where the content is transmitted and updated wirelessly.
The Amazon Kindle electronic book is one such device – an opening salvo if you will. Ultimately we will have multiple screen pages instead of just one, and in colour and with motion instead of B&W and just text.
If you can visualize such a magazine / book / device, now think about what its content would be like. Imagine a car ad where instead of a glossy still image of the latest model you actually have a mini-video commercial. It looks like an still image, but swipe your finger on the page, or leave the page open for more than a few seconds, and a motion video versions begins to display.
Where does the image / motion video come from? WiFi of course. Just as an Apple TV gets content from its built-in hard drive, your computer located in another room, or over the Internet via a broadband connection, and where the actual images and sound you're viewing are coming from is transparent to you at any given moment, so to an electronic magazine would reach out wirelessly to various sources for content and updates.
Now, think about who's going to create this content, and how?
Real Photographers Don't Need High Speed
I can see it now. No sooner will this essay be online than someone on one of the forums will lament how cameras such as what I've described will be the work of the devil, because real photographers wait for the moment of peak action and then take the one shot that captures it best. Machine-gunning in the hope of getting the decisive moment will damn photographers that use them to hell, or at least lead to scorn from ones peer.
OK, fine – whatever. But trust me – people who have to make their livings by capturing action photographs don't give a rats derier what those forum folks think. They've got an editor waiting and deadlines to meet, and if 30 -100 FPS gets the shot, then it's the ticket. Baby needs a new pair of shoes.
________________________________________________________________
Other Observations
Film Director / Cameraman Chris Sanderson comments...
My guess is that it will be forward-thinking photographers who can visualize how these new media will converge, and who will in turn invent the new visual language that will be needed while utilizing the exciting tools that are on their way.
I can 'see' that a new form of image sequence that uses motion to explore the nature of a subject and yet relies on the definition and 'scrutability' of a still image is likely. Where the two exist harmniously together as a whole. Motion culminating in the still. (or vice versa)
Imagine a newspaper photoeditor (oldspeak for clarity) looking at the sports photojournalist's output for the medal ceremony of the Olympic 100 meters. The 'still images' start with the anticipatory look down at the medal and presenter, she bends to receive the medal and then stands straight and raises her arms.
The editor will pick the last image because it says "triumph".
The image sequence editor will pick the whole sequence from the bend which highlights so much of her physicalty and let it play to the final image. Here we get to see her in motion.The viewer passing the flat screen on the subway platform will see how the body moves and the muscles stretch and then be able to absorb the triumph of the final still image...
________________________________________________________________
Published in April, '08 in Technology Review...
Crossover Camera
Will a new low-price, high-def video camera make traditional still cameras obsolete?
________________________________________________________________
Well known commercial and fashion photographer James Russell comments...
After 10 years in LA I got bitten by the film bug and decided to build my reel as a director.
I shot 16 and DV usually on the side of still productions, sometimes dedicated to a specifically to movement and like all personal projects once I learned to cut, effect, title, time and display it, I pretty much just got back to my day job and forgot about it.
Then I had a few clients ask if their film/video crew could shoot on our still sets and I said well, we can do both so those doors opened up to us.
http://www.russellrutherford.com/
After a few years the momentum built, especially once we moved to digital still capture and the cross over from digital still technique o digital moving technique was not that great of a leap, so we continued.
The issues I had with digital video capture, especially in standard def was the look and the quality. Once past web play or even a 12” television screen small DV just wasn’t that good and couldn’t be purposed over from moving to still even in a freeze frame. With a lot of post processing it just got worse. In fact the still imagery I inserted in moving images, even on SD was much more clear and “film like”, partially because it captured so much data to begin with and partially because the still cameras I used had larger chips and the ability to throw focus, crop, drop out backgrounds etc.
In this process I was always amazed that Canon, or Nikon didn’t take their 1d, or their D3 and just ramp up the processor, add a huge buffer and at least give us 24fps.
It is o’ so close and if you’ve ever taken a Canon 1dmk2, set it on medium jpeg and shot with your finger on the button you will get a series of 8fps still images that rival 35mm film capture, (well at least when you freeze them).
Now how does this equate to converging the two mediums?
It’s not the medium that is lacking, because it’s here today, on your laptop, desktop, cell phone and in Times Square. It’s not even the bandwidth to play it, because in many areas there is already fiber optic connection and with the G network we have public wireless transfer that is almost fast as usb2. The blank canvas is sitting there for someone to put something unique on it. It’s the capture equipment, costs and traditional mindset that keep the two genres apart.
I can’t comment on the Red because I haven’t used it, but I can comment on how much closer even the prosumer hdv cameras have come to our standard still digital capture.
The only difference I see is the inability to throw focus and the massive compression that makes holding detail when the files are crushed, or abused in post for a film like effect and once again why Canon, or Nikon haven’t produced a 24fps still camera is beyond me.
I was instrumental in designing a still stage on the Sony Culver movie lot, so I work there periodically and have a good view of how extremely large budget film production is carried out.
Without a doubt high end production, still or video takes dedicated professionals that are trained in their specific tasks, but when I hire film/video crews and shoot a combination of still and moving imagery, I see the roles and lines blurred. A still assistant is just as capable of hanging a 2k hmi as a lighting grip, a still digital tech can calibrate a monitor just as well as a camera tech and a still photographer is just as expert and exacting as crafting a scene as a director, DP and cinematographer and I don’t buy into the thought that if I work a traditional vertical frame, I can’t design a wide 16x9 image.
Maybe this isn’t traditional thought and some traditions die hard, but if money is involved they usually die fast. 6 years ago every lab in Los Angeles, New York and Paris told me that still digital capture would never be a standard and film is far superior. Of those labs only one is in existence today and still trying to find their way in the digital market, so that tradition is history.
I work closely with a few clients that sponsor celebrities and world class athletes. They need released, dedicated imagery in still and video and the still part is easy, the video part is way more problematic and not because it’s that difficult of a medium, but because the traditional mindset is a “film” production must be dedicated only to the specifics of film including the higher costs of locations, talent, unions, broadcast rights, etc. and because it is impossible for me to shoot one camera that will capture both images in the look and quality that is desired.
http://ishotit.com/running1.mov
Don’t think for a moment that this sequence would not have been more compelling at 24fps, vs. 6.
Don’t think that even at 12mpx the client would not have preferred 20mpx.
So I guess after going all round the houses, I think that convergence is coming and though the Red is an incredible leap forward, it will take more than one camera to do it.
It will take a new generation of easier to use non linear editors, quicker and more simplified color correction, (maybe even a lightroom for video (see da Vinci 2k) a standard codec that plays on TV and the web, (this I could write 10,000 words of confusion on) and most of all an opening of the mind by artists, clients, networks, carriers and manufacturers.
The “protect my area” process never has and never will work.
Radio marginalized newspapers, TV marginalized radio, the web is marginalizing them all, including print.
it’s not the consumer that stands in the way of convergence, it’s the producers and providers, trying to hold on to their last acre of territory. Broadcast networks don’t really want to embrace the web, cable wants to hold onto it’s pay for view market, the internet providers want a cut of the action and print just languishes behind not really knowing if they want to put their magazines on line or just give keep pushing paper on the newsstands and in discounted subscriptions.
The unions and talent agents still don’t have a handle of how to judge web play or compensate their artists for the content and commercial production has the mindset that commercial production must be 2 to 10 times the costs of still production.
The viewing consumer doesn’t care if the image is in a magazine, or a billboard, a wall, a moving truck, or the inside of a NY taxi. The consumer just doesn’t notice unless the message is compelling.
The consumer doesn’t care if they click on apple TV to see a television show or watch the news, or for that matter, any device as long as it’s easy, inexpensive and convenient.
The consumer doesn’t care if they read the NY times at a bus stop or the laptop as long as it’s readable, accessible and makes sense.
I shot one still and video session for a large lingerie concern and the you tube video and web play far outpaced the viewer ship of a million dollar print run, so the power of a free carrier doesn’t go unnoticed by corporations or advertising agencies.
Personally I think it’s time the visual creation industry pulled their head out of the sand and started embracing all of this as new opportunity rather than holding onto traditions that nobody is asking for in the first place.
The viewing numbers reflect these changes and people are spending less time in tradition media, more time on the computer and as we all know the only tradition that will not change is the 24 hour day.
From a technical standpoint I believe it will be the lower ends of the market that drives this. First the hobbyist that wants decent stills and video of their summer vacation or that once in a lifetime trip through Europe.
Next will probably be the huge wedding and event market, where video and stills have converged for a long time. After all it was the wedding photographers that originally drove the professional still capture market, (and probably still do).
It’s going to converge whether we embrace it or not. Getty, Corbis and the stock industry are fighting to hold onto numbers in the face of dollar stock but most of that is because they are working with large antiquated film libraries (in both moving and still). Imagine if they started fresh today and every stock production was accompanied by parallel high quality footage.
So in my view the convergence is here, the only thing left is affordable cameras of quality.
James Russell
________________________________________________________________
Chris Sandberg
I attended a lecture/slide show/presentation by photographer Sam Abell last week, as part of the National Geographic Live! season in Minneapolis. Mr. Abell has had a 25-year career shooting for National Geographic, and he was asked what an aspiring young photographer who wanted to follow in his footsteps should do, He responded that the National Geographic now looks to only hire still photographers who are also video-trained! His advice was that young photographers should be sure they are versed in both disciplines.
So, we may be seeing not only the tip of the iceberg on the technology side, but truly a convergence on the artistic side, as well.
________________________________________________________________
Extracted on Oct 7, 2010 from http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/convergence.shtml
He writes: "Social adoption of technological change takes place for one of two reason...
1 – A need is determined and someone then finds a way to fulfill it
2 – A new technology evolves and people then discover what can be done with it
I believe that we are at a point in time where a profound change is about to take place in the photographic industry. It is being driven not by user demand, but by the inevitable convergence of a number of required technologies. In combination, and when a certain nexus is reached, they will allow the creation of a new type of photographic instrument which will radically change the way photographers and film makers work."
________________________________________________________________
Here is the full text:
The Nexus
Each new step in technology requires that previous fundamental capabilities exist beforehand. As but one example, video disks couldn't exist before lasers were developed. (James Burke's TV series Connections does a marvelous job of exploring these relationships).
I believe that due to a convergence of technologies we are now about to see the creation of a new type of camera that will allow the shooting of very high quality images, which can then be purposed as stills or image sequence (for lack of a better word), or even turned into some new form of hybrid imaging presentation that we haven't yet conceptualized.
Before proceeding to understand what this might be like, we need to understand that this is taking place not because photographers and film makers are clamoring for it, (we're not), but rather because the simultaneous emergence of several new technologies will make it inevitable. It will then be up to us image makers to make of it what we will.
These technologies include...
– high resolution CMOS sensors (already here)
– high speed sensors (the Mysterium sensor in RED One and the unique Sony sensor in the Casio EX-F1 show what's possible)
– high speed processors and pipelines able to handle over 100 MB/sec (already here)
– pellicle mirror systems allowing simultaneous ultra-high frame rates and optical viewing (been here for decades)
– small, fast, ultra-high capacity removable memory systems (already here; Sony SxS and Panasonic P2 as well as SSD drive systems and the new CFast specification, which will allow Compact Flash cards capable of 3Gb/sec transfer rates
Indeed, virtually every enabling technology for creating a hand-holdable camera with optical reflex viewing that can shoot very high resolution raw video and stills (20MP+) either already exists, or will be commercially available in the next 18 months or so.
________________________________________________________________
The Camera Makers
It's worth taking a moment to realize that there are four companies who will be at the forefront of this sea change in visual technology. They are Canon, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung. Each one of these companies currently designs and makes DSLRs, video cameras, and imaging sensors. Each has a semiconductor fabrication facility as well. Each of these companies is positioned to create just such a hybrid camera as we are discussing here.
________________________________________________________________
The Harbingers and the Place Holders
In the first half of 2008 there are two cameras that point toward where I see us going. The first is the Casio EX-F1, and the second is the RED Scarlet. The EX-F1 is shipping and Scarlet is still some 10 months away, though the RED One camera exists and has been in use for nearly a year, so that technology is here as well.
Consider what we have today in terms of both still photography and video cameras. Our DSLRs (at least the ones that are at the leading edge) have sensors of 20 Megapixels or more, and frame rates of 10 frames per second are possible with today's still cameras. Why not faster? Largely for mechanical reasons – moving mirrors and shutter mechanisms. But pellicle mirror systems have existed for decades, and so there's no need to imagine that such a camera will need to use a dreaded electronic viewfinder.
The sensors in the Casio and Red cameras are able to shoot at 60 FPS and 100 FPS respectively without mechanical shutters, and at speeds as high as 1/40,000 second, so that barrier has already been crossed.
Video cameras can now shoot raw (required for the highest quality stills or video). The RED cameras show that this works, and works exceptionally well. The Sony SxS and Panasonic P2 card technology is in current use, and existing 1080i camcorders have built-in hard drives with 120GB.
Use the new generation of self-shuttering sensors along with a pellicle viewing system, and the limitation of 10FPS no longer exists. Add in a high capacity hard drive or memory card system, and we can have still cameras able to shoot at 30 FPS, 60 FPS or even higher. (The already announced RED Epic (coming Q1 2009) will have a roughly 20MP sensors able to shoot at 100FPS and will produce raw video – and still – files).
________________________________________________________________
What is it?
So, imagine a Canon 1Ds P MK1V or a Nikon D4x of 2011, just three years from now – or maybe the RED Scarlet II, when someone helps them realize that they can potentially build a world-beater still camera as well as a video camera. What would such a camera be like?
Imagine something about the size and weight of a medium format camera. It will have optical reflex viewing and interchangeable lenses. It will be able to shoot raw still images at 30 frames per second – continuously, and without the need for a mechnical shutter at just about any required shutter speed. It will have a recycling memory buffer so that it is constantly recording images, buffering the last couple of seconds and then disposing of them if not needed. That way the image can be captured even before the shutter has been pressed.
When the shutter is pressed the last couple of seconds are saved to disk or card and the camera now continues to record, as long as the shutter release is held down, and without any real time length constraint. So if 5 seconds are recorded, 150 frames are as well. The still photographer or editor can then later choose the frame that is best.
The videographer, if that's who's at the other end of the eyepiece, will have theater-quality motion capture. And if the still photographer needs higher speed, at least 100 FPS will be possible. At that speed the videographer also has lovely slow motion recording capability.
________________________________________________________________
Who's it For
Who needs this? How about photojournalists?! How about sports photographers?! How about wildlife photographers?! Would any of the above not give their mother's eye teeth to have such capabilities? These are the very photographers who buy the current high speed cameras from Nikon and Canon. They are therefore the natural constituency for products like this.
________________________________________________________________
Thinking Outside The Box
Nothing I've described so far is theoretical or impractical. All of the pieces are existing technology. All that's required is for these pieces to be put together and marketed at a price that potential purchasers can afford.
But – be afraid. Be very afraid!
What I fear is two-fold. Firstly – history has shown that the major camera makers' products are designed by engineers first, marketers second, and users – hardly at all. This means that early generation products will likely not meet the true needs of working professionals and users. This will take time, as user feedback makes its way slowly back to the design teams. This is especially true for the big Asian companies who unfortunately have an almost xenophobic "not invented here" mentality when it comes to implementing requested features and functions. (Need I mention the words Canon and mirror lock-up in the same sentence?)
My second concern is that we, the potential users, simply don't yet understand what these new tools will really be able to do for us. We can postulate, as I have above, how one might use a hand-holdable camera that can shoot professional quality stills and video simultaneously. But that's old think. That's not what these tools will really be about. Their potential lies in applications that no one has yet conceived of.
That's what excites me the most. Give a creative professional photographer a still camera that can simultaneously shoot movies, and a cinematographer a movie camera that can shoot pro-grade stills, and what kind of creativity will this engender? I don't yet know, but it's very exciting to contemplate.
Toronto – May, 2008
________________________________________________________________
Postscripts
If you have ever gone out to shoot with both a stills camera and a video camera in your kit at the same time you'll immediately understand what I'm saying when I discuss how hard it can be to use both on the same day, let alone simultaneously. The languages that each speak, so to speak, are as different as Japanese and English, not just in their vocabulary, but in their grammatical structure and syntax.
Whether we are still photographers or film makers, we are at the core story tellers. But still photographers can be said to take visual verbs, adjectives and nouns and lay them out for the viewer (reader?) to organize as they see fit, or are able. A maker of moving pictures (what a lovely phrase that is) is much more akin to a novelist or poet, who takes the various words and parts of visual speech available and structures them into a cogent narrative.
The film maker (another soon-to-be antique construct, like dialing the phone), blends images into sequences, unfolding the story in a predetermined matter, along with motion and sound. The still image can require more work on the part of the viewer, and is therefore by definition more enigmatic, while the moving picture can better lead the viewer where its author wishes them to go.
From a functional perspective the creation of stills and movies are quite different. The photographer finds moments in time and space and freezes them to share with others. The film maker, even when doing documentary style shooting without a script, finds sequences of events in time and space and them blends them together into a coherent narrative. These are almost diametrically opposed activities and quite difficult to do simultaneously.
If therefore the convergence of stills and motion pictures comes to pass I don't believe that it will produce works of either art or visual communication that are simply extensions of what we currently do, but rather, I expect, (and hope) something new.
For Example
Electronic paper has been talked about and shown in prototype form for some time, and is getting closer to reality. This is a malleable plastic sheet as thin and flexible as paper that is capable of displaying changeable text and images. Now imagine a newspaper or a magazine where the pages are made of electronic paper and where the content is transmitted and updated wirelessly.
The Amazon Kindle electronic book is one such device – an opening salvo if you will. Ultimately we will have multiple screen pages instead of just one, and in colour and with motion instead of B&W and just text.
If you can visualize such a magazine / book / device, now think about what its content would be like. Imagine a car ad where instead of a glossy still image of the latest model you actually have a mini-video commercial. It looks like an still image, but swipe your finger on the page, or leave the page open for more than a few seconds, and a motion video versions begins to display.
Where does the image / motion video come from? WiFi of course. Just as an Apple TV gets content from its built-in hard drive, your computer located in another room, or over the Internet via a broadband connection, and where the actual images and sound you're viewing are coming from is transparent to you at any given moment, so to an electronic magazine would reach out wirelessly to various sources for content and updates.
Now, think about who's going to create this content, and how?
Real Photographers Don't Need High Speed
I can see it now. No sooner will this essay be online than someone on one of the forums will lament how cameras such as what I've described will be the work of the devil, because real photographers wait for the moment of peak action and then take the one shot that captures it best. Machine-gunning in the hope of getting the decisive moment will damn photographers that use them to hell, or at least lead to scorn from ones peer.
OK, fine – whatever. But trust me – people who have to make their livings by capturing action photographs don't give a rats derier what those forum folks think. They've got an editor waiting and deadlines to meet, and if 30 -100 FPS gets the shot, then it's the ticket. Baby needs a new pair of shoes.
________________________________________________________________
Other Observations
Film Director / Cameraman Chris Sanderson comments...
My guess is that it will be forward-thinking photographers who can visualize how these new media will converge, and who will in turn invent the new visual language that will be needed while utilizing the exciting tools that are on their way.
I can 'see' that a new form of image sequence that uses motion to explore the nature of a subject and yet relies on the definition and 'scrutability' of a still image is likely. Where the two exist harmniously together as a whole. Motion culminating in the still. (or vice versa)
Imagine a newspaper photoeditor (oldspeak for clarity) looking at the sports photojournalist's output for the medal ceremony of the Olympic 100 meters. The 'still images' start with the anticipatory look down at the medal and presenter, she bends to receive the medal and then stands straight and raises her arms.
The editor will pick the last image because it says "triumph".
The image sequence editor will pick the whole sequence from the bend which highlights so much of her physicalty and let it play to the final image. Here we get to see her in motion.The viewer passing the flat screen on the subway platform will see how the body moves and the muscles stretch and then be able to absorb the triumph of the final still image...
________________________________________________________________
Published in April, '08 in Technology Review...
Crossover Camera
Will a new low-price, high-def video camera make traditional still cameras obsolete?
________________________________________________________________
Well known commercial and fashion photographer James Russell comments...
After 10 years in LA I got bitten by the film bug and decided to build my reel as a director.
I shot 16 and DV usually on the side of still productions, sometimes dedicated to a specifically to movement and like all personal projects once I learned to cut, effect, title, time and display it, I pretty much just got back to my day job and forgot about it.
Then I had a few clients ask if their film/video crew could shoot on our still sets and I said well, we can do both so those doors opened up to us.
http://www.russellrutherford.com/
After a few years the momentum built, especially once we moved to digital still capture and the cross over from digital still technique o digital moving technique was not that great of a leap, so we continued.
The issues I had with digital video capture, especially in standard def was the look and the quality. Once past web play or even a 12” television screen small DV just wasn’t that good and couldn’t be purposed over from moving to still even in a freeze frame. With a lot of post processing it just got worse. In fact the still imagery I inserted in moving images, even on SD was much more clear and “film like”, partially because it captured so much data to begin with and partially because the still cameras I used had larger chips and the ability to throw focus, crop, drop out backgrounds etc.
In this process I was always amazed that Canon, or Nikon didn’t take their 1d, or their D3 and just ramp up the processor, add a huge buffer and at least give us 24fps.
It is o’ so close and if you’ve ever taken a Canon 1dmk2, set it on medium jpeg and shot with your finger on the button you will get a series of 8fps still images that rival 35mm film capture, (well at least when you freeze them).
Now how does this equate to converging the two mediums?
It’s not the medium that is lacking, because it’s here today, on your laptop, desktop, cell phone and in Times Square. It’s not even the bandwidth to play it, because in many areas there is already fiber optic connection and with the G network we have public wireless transfer that is almost fast as usb2. The blank canvas is sitting there for someone to put something unique on it. It’s the capture equipment, costs and traditional mindset that keep the two genres apart.
I can’t comment on the Red because I haven’t used it, but I can comment on how much closer even the prosumer hdv cameras have come to our standard still digital capture.
The only difference I see is the inability to throw focus and the massive compression that makes holding detail when the files are crushed, or abused in post for a film like effect and once again why Canon, or Nikon haven’t produced a 24fps still camera is beyond me.
I was instrumental in designing a still stage on the Sony Culver movie lot, so I work there periodically and have a good view of how extremely large budget film production is carried out.
Without a doubt high end production, still or video takes dedicated professionals that are trained in their specific tasks, but when I hire film/video crews and shoot a combination of still and moving imagery, I see the roles and lines blurred. A still assistant is just as capable of hanging a 2k hmi as a lighting grip, a still digital tech can calibrate a monitor just as well as a camera tech and a still photographer is just as expert and exacting as crafting a scene as a director, DP and cinematographer and I don’t buy into the thought that if I work a traditional vertical frame, I can’t design a wide 16x9 image.
Maybe this isn’t traditional thought and some traditions die hard, but if money is involved they usually die fast. 6 years ago every lab in Los Angeles, New York and Paris told me that still digital capture would never be a standard and film is far superior. Of those labs only one is in existence today and still trying to find their way in the digital market, so that tradition is history.
I work closely with a few clients that sponsor celebrities and world class athletes. They need released, dedicated imagery in still and video and the still part is easy, the video part is way more problematic and not because it’s that difficult of a medium, but because the traditional mindset is a “film” production must be dedicated only to the specifics of film including the higher costs of locations, talent, unions, broadcast rights, etc. and because it is impossible for me to shoot one camera that will capture both images in the look and quality that is desired.
http://ishotit.com/running1.mov
Don’t think for a moment that this sequence would not have been more compelling at 24fps, vs. 6.
Don’t think that even at 12mpx the client would not have preferred 20mpx.
So I guess after going all round the houses, I think that convergence is coming and though the Red is an incredible leap forward, it will take more than one camera to do it.
It will take a new generation of easier to use non linear editors, quicker and more simplified color correction, (maybe even a lightroom for video (see da Vinci 2k) a standard codec that plays on TV and the web, (this I could write 10,000 words of confusion on) and most of all an opening of the mind by artists, clients, networks, carriers and manufacturers.
The “protect my area” process never has and never will work.
Radio marginalized newspapers, TV marginalized radio, the web is marginalizing them all, including print.
it’s not the consumer that stands in the way of convergence, it’s the producers and providers, trying to hold on to their last acre of territory. Broadcast networks don’t really want to embrace the web, cable wants to hold onto it’s pay for view market, the internet providers want a cut of the action and print just languishes behind not really knowing if they want to put their magazines on line or just give keep pushing paper on the newsstands and in discounted subscriptions.
The unions and talent agents still don’t have a handle of how to judge web play or compensate their artists for the content and commercial production has the mindset that commercial production must be 2 to 10 times the costs of still production.
The viewing consumer doesn’t care if the image is in a magazine, or a billboard, a wall, a moving truck, or the inside of a NY taxi. The consumer just doesn’t notice unless the message is compelling.
The consumer doesn’t care if they click on apple TV to see a television show or watch the news, or for that matter, any device as long as it’s easy, inexpensive and convenient.
The consumer doesn’t care if they read the NY times at a bus stop or the laptop as long as it’s readable, accessible and makes sense.
I shot one still and video session for a large lingerie concern and the you tube video and web play far outpaced the viewer ship of a million dollar print run, so the power of a free carrier doesn’t go unnoticed by corporations or advertising agencies.
Personally I think it’s time the visual creation industry pulled their head out of the sand and started embracing all of this as new opportunity rather than holding onto traditions that nobody is asking for in the first place.
The viewing numbers reflect these changes and people are spending less time in tradition media, more time on the computer and as we all know the only tradition that will not change is the 24 hour day.
From a technical standpoint I believe it will be the lower ends of the market that drives this. First the hobbyist that wants decent stills and video of their summer vacation or that once in a lifetime trip through Europe.
Next will probably be the huge wedding and event market, where video and stills have converged for a long time. After all it was the wedding photographers that originally drove the professional still capture market, (and probably still do).
It’s going to converge whether we embrace it or not. Getty, Corbis and the stock industry are fighting to hold onto numbers in the face of dollar stock but most of that is because they are working with large antiquated film libraries (in both moving and still). Imagine if they started fresh today and every stock production was accompanied by parallel high quality footage.
So in my view the convergence is here, the only thing left is affordable cameras of quality.
James Russell
________________________________________________________________
Chris Sandberg
I attended a lecture/slide show/presentation by photographer Sam Abell last week, as part of the National Geographic Live! season in Minneapolis. Mr. Abell has had a 25-year career shooting for National Geographic, and he was asked what an aspiring young photographer who wanted to follow in his footsteps should do, He responded that the National Geographic now looks to only hire still photographers who are also video-trained! His advice was that young photographers should be sure they are versed in both disciplines.
So, we may be seeing not only the tip of the iceberg on the technology side, but truly a convergence on the artistic side, as well.
________________________________________________________________
Extracted on Oct 7, 2010 from http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/convergence.shtml
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tablet Wars!
The iPad is not new technology, that we all know, as tablet computing has been around for quite a while. However, it certainly revived the interest in tablet use. So much so that we are seeing a surge in new products for the consumer’s pickings and the start of the tablet war era.
The contenders right now are: iPad vs HP Slate vs JooJoo vs Dell Mini 5 vs Archos7 vs Notion Ink Adam
In this group, the one that stands out is the Dell Mini 5 (also called Streak). Why? One simple answer: it is also a phone, making it a true pocket-able hybrid between an iPad and an Android phone. It is due for release this year.
Here is a Tablet Chart which shows all the differences (© Gizmodo).
While the Dell Mini 5 may not be the perfect tool for everyone, it does answer some of the questions which iPad doesn’t. The iPad lacks multi-tasking, Flash capabilities, a camera, and not pocket-able, but the biggest issue is that it doesn’t replace anything. It is really just a scaled up iPod Touch. And it is not cheap. A fully option loaded iPad will set a person back about $900.
According to Mr. Neeraj Choubey, head of Dell’s tablet program, the Dell Mini 5 on the other hand will have Flash built in, the latest Android 2.1, 3G connectivity, wifi, a 5 mp camera, a 5 inch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor for multi-tasking capabilities and access to Google’s entire open source applications. There is no pricing information at this time, but Mr. Choubey says it will sell for less than the iPad.
Right now it looks like (on paper at least and some pre-production model reviews) that the Dell Mini 5 is a serious contender to the iPad (or other portable tablet devices). The only issue is that Dell had better release it before there is a new model around the block. (Google is rumored to be coming out with their own tablet phone soon).
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Canon EOS 5Dmk2 films 'House' episode
Reported on DPReview, Apr 13, 2010 - A Canon EOS 5D Mark II has become the first video-capable DSLR to film a whole episode of a US prime time series. Greg Yaitanes, director of FOX broadcasting company's medical drama series 'House', used the camera , a selection of of Canon's prime lenses, the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses to shoot the season finale. Speaking via Twitter, he said that this was to achieve a shallow depth of field and a 'richer look'. He also said he 'feels it’s the future'.
The director for the season finale of House MD, Greg Yaitanles, has revealed that the entire episode was shot with 3 Canon EOS 5Dmk2 cameras. He summarized his experience in a few points:1. Love that I did with actors faces and how it pulled them out of the background.
2. Love the post-processing workflow and the many options available to them.
3. Used all of the primes and the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm zoom lenses.
4. Used a 16 GB card which gave 22 minute of footage at a time.
5. Focusing was tough but they had skilled camera men.
6. Recorded sound on a completely different system.
7. the 3 EOS 5Dmk2s replaced 2 of the usual video cameras they would use.
8. Used the latest firmware.
9. Loved the compact nature and how it was less intrusive to the actors.
Actually the thing is that both the Canon 5Dmk2 and the 7D is more capable than any video camera on the market today. It competes with digital film cameras where only few can compare in terms of image quality and they cost at least 10 times more and are much larger and heavier. There is no other camera that approaches the DSLR:s in terms of low light capability. The 5Dmk2 has the largest sensor of any video camera and the 7D has the sensor size very close to the classical Super-35mm format (and is larger than anything else on the market except for the 5Dmk2).
The video capabilities of DSLRs are a major revolution and the list of film industry professionals using them is long, including George Lucas, Robert Rodriguez and Ron Howard.
The shortcomings of the cameras for video (aliasing, rolling shutter, no XLR inputs, color compression etc) can be for the most part worked around and the massive size of the sensors (high IQ, shallow DOF, low light capabilities) combined with availability of high quality lenses (very cheap compared to for instance Panavision lenses) makes it very interesting for professional production.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Thousands strip for nude Spencer Tunick photo in Sydney
NY Daily News - About 5,200 naked people embraced each other on the steps of Sydney's iconic Opera House on Monday for a photo shoot by Spencer Tunick.
Tunick, who is known for his nude group photos in public spaces, posed participants for more than an hour in a variety of positions.
"It was difficult to get the straight participants to embrace the gay participants and vice versa," Tunick said. "So I was very happy that that last set up finally got done and everyone came together (in a) united, friendly kiss, a loving kiss in front of this great structure."
Nineteen-year-old student Art Rush said he was thrilled to participate.
"I'll never get a chance to do this again; it's not worth being inhibited," Rush said. "It doesn't feel sexual, it just feels tribal, a gathering of humanity."
Tunick has made a name for himself with his works featuring hundreds of naked people at unusual venues.
Tunick, who is shy and adheres to mostly black dress, prefers to be called an artist, not a photographer and refers to his work as installations.
View the video: http://www.smh.com.au/national/thousands-strip-for-nude-spencer-tunick-photo-in-sydney-20100301-pbnm.html
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hawaii Pacific News Logo
The two school colors ie Columbia Blue and Kelly Green, shows the heritage, while the new Turquoise color is a marriage of the two school colors which symbolizes unity and fluidity at the same time.
The stylized 3 (radio) waves are both reminiscent of the 3 tear drop yin-yang school logo as well as familiar icons of Hawaii - waves, Diamond Head, sails; and they are in constant motion, forever working, spinning, never static.
Motto:
"Learn the Power of defining your Thinking, accurately Expressing it, and Understanding the World around you through Hawaii Pacific News".
HPN Logo was created by Mike Ang & Justin Ornellas in 2009.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Environmental Portraits For A Cause - The Hawaii Family Portraits Exhibition
I have always created photographs with a purpose. However, none provided me the opportunity to see the reactions of my viewers in such a way as the Hawaii Family Portraits Exhibition did. I saw tears, happiness, and joy, as they read the stories that accompanied each photo. Together, the text and photographs formed a powerful medium that carried a special message.
The sole purpose of this photography project was to introduce members of the Hawaii community to others who live in the same community but may have a different opinion about love and life. My photographs carry the primary message: “New Perspectives, Traditional Values” for the Equality Hawaii Foundation; a GLBT organization supporting the HB444 bill for civil union in Hawaii.
The photographs were all in monotone for simplicity and purity of its message. Colors can distract, detract, and ethnic differences be heightened.
This exhibition accomplished several firsts for me. It was the first time I was photographing portraits of same sex families in Hawaii. It hung for two weeks at the Hawaii State Capitol building. It was my first solo exhibition at the Honolulu Design Center. The photographs are currently on display at Borders, Victoria Ward for the month of Feb, 2010.
If I may quote from the Equality Hawaii media promo:
“Family. Redefined.
The term family takes on new meaning as Equality Hawaii Foundation moves its traveling exhibition Hawaii Family Portraits to Borders at Ward Center for the month of February.
Showcasing nearly 20 families, the stories captured through the lens of photographer Mike Ang take viewers on a journey ... sharing joys, tears, triumphs and tragedy with GLBT parents with children, parents with GLBT children, GLBT couples and extended ohana.
Although very different in their composition and experiences, they are bound by a common thread ... a unifying sense of love, devotion and commitment that conquers all challenges.”
The photographs made news on KGMB Sunrise, KHNL News 8, Star Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser, HPU Kalamalama paper.
http://www.khnl.com/global/Category.asp?C=151146&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=91610&topVideoCatNoB=4758&topVideoCatNoC=75035&topVideoCatNoD=124377&topVideoCatNoE=96072&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4496862&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
http://www.khnl.com/global/Category.asp?C=151146&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=91610&topVideoCatNoB=4758&topVideoCatNoC=75035&topVideoCatNoD=124377&topVideoCatNoE=96072&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4498813&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)