Going Solo: Doing Videojournalism in the 21st Century

Glossary

171 Glossary APJ—all platform journalist. A term coined by CNN to describe its solo videojournalists who must provide material both for cable TV programs and the organization’s Web site. Back light—one of the lights used in a normal three-light setup for an interview .The back light is placed opposite the key light.It helps set the subject away from the background and can provide an interesting lighting effect on the subject’s head. See also Fill light and Key light. Backlight—light coming from behind a subject that creates a harsh shadow on the side toward the camera. It is normally something to avoid unless you want to silhouette a person who wants to remain anonymous. B-roll—also cover video. An old film term, it is raw video a news camera crew shoots to illustrate a story. They will edit several minutes of b-roll down to 1:15 or a 1:30 for a package. Backpack journalist—a term for solo videojournalists used by many Gannett stations. Bite—short for sound bite. Bounce light—a lighting technique used when a VJ has only one artificial light. It creates a more normal-looking lighting scheme by bouncing the light off a ceiling or other object to reduce the harsh shadows that appear when the light is directed straight at the subject. BPJ—backpack journalist. Cinema vérité—a motion picture term. In videojournalism it refers to a style of telling a story that relies on the video and sound to convey realism. Close-up—a tight shot. Part of a sequence of shooting video. Continuity—the act of editing a series of images that flow from one to the other and make sense in the progression of the story. 172 Glossary Cover video—raw video a VJ shoots to illustrate a story. The VJ edits several minutes of cover video down to 1:15 or a 1:30 for a package. Crossing the axis—an imaginary 180-degree line. When a two shot and reverse shot are cut together, they should not cross the axis or it might confuse viewers. Cut—a term used by video editors to indicate one shot edited directly to another without a dissolve or other special effect. Cutaway—a shot showing some logical action in a sequence of video to avoid a jump cut. In a sequence of someone working at the computer, you could start with a medium shot (MS) of the person at the computer looking left, then use a shot of his hands, then a sound bite of him looking right. That shot of the hands is a cutaway, which avoids the appearance of the person’s head “jumping” from left to right if the MS and sound bite were edited back to back. Cut in—a close-up of something previously seen in a wide shot or medium shot. Sometimes used in a standup to draw attention to an object the reporter is holding or demonstrating. Depth of field—in a photograph or video, the range of the image that is in focus or has acceptable sharpness. Digital correspondent—KGTV in San Diego uses solo videojournalists to cover stories, but calls them digital correspondents. Dissolve—a transitional effect. It blends or fades one shot into another. It can be used to make jump cuts less distracting or make a transition to a new scene. Emmy—an award given for excellence in a number of different categories by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. ENG—electronic news gathering. Many TV stations switched from film to this form of recording moving images (video) on tape in the 1970s. Enterprise reporting—the concept of reporters consistently breaking stories that have been unreported before. Fill light—one of the lights used in a normal three-light setup for an interview. Along with the key light, the fill light is placed on the front of the subject , but each on a different side of the interviewee. The fill light is less intense than the key light and helps fill in some shadows created by the key. See also Back light and Key light. Film—the earliest method of capturing moving images for TV news was on celluloid film, usually 16 millimeter with various sound recording methods. Flash frame—in an edited video story, one frame that is between others that does not match the rest. It causes an instantaneous flash that is distracting . [3.22.51.241] Project MUSE (2024...