There are only a few things I am sure of in the world of journalism, but this is one of them: In 2009, journalists will be capturing more video and working alone more often. This is already happening
in local TV, in the newspaper and online worlds, and as you are about to see, even CNN's photojournalists are out there producing entire shows by themselves.
CNN photojournalist
Bethany Swain, who works out of the D.C. Bureau, got the idea rolling for a series of big projects called "In Focus." The series began in 2007 with the premise that the stories would be shot, written, edited and produced by photojournalists.
Since then, CNN photojournalists have taken on tough-to-tell stories for the half-hour show. "
Guns in America" aired the same month the Supreme Court released its decision on the D.C. handgun ban. And the photojournalists have addressed more feature-oriented topics, like "
Giving in America" during last month's holiday season.
The stories are photographed in HD and once all of the pieces are done, they are produced into a half-hour special. They are also bundled into a large online package and CNN.com includes still photos taken from the pieces.
One element worth studying in these stories is that there is no reporter narration. It is hard to create a "natpak" (natural sound package) of any complexity and have it hang together without narration. Frankly, I believe most stories benefit from narration, even sparse narration. But some pieces can work just fine without it. I discussed this and more with Bethany Swain.
Al Tompkins: Why did you start the "In Focus" series?
Bethany Swain: I've always believed that if we made better use of our photojournalists, aired compelling, well shot and edited stories and wrote to video then viewers wouldn't be able to turn away. While spending time on the road I met some talented photojournalists who needed to be inspired again. We all wanted to turn our own stories, but didn't have an outlet for it. So, I decided to create one.
I approached some of these colleagues from a handful of bureaus, including Emmanuel Tambakakis, Bob Crowley, Kevin Myers, Chris Turner, Derek Davis and Dominic Swann, and they all liked the idea. We came up with a topic, wrote a proposal and sold it. I wanted to touch every corner of the growing number of platforms: Newsource affiliates, CNN-TV, CNN.com, CNN.com/LIVE, etc. And in the five (shows in the) series, we have been able to do that, in a growing list of ways.
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Bethany Swain covered the presidential campaigns for CNN. |
As the project has continued, one of my favorite parts has been to meet and work with colleagues from different parts of the company that I wouldn't spend time with otherwise. They have inspired me to be a better person and a better photojournalist. It has been a roller coaster, but working with such great people and telling stories that probably wouldn't be told otherwise, helps me find the energy to work through the challenges. And having numbers like over 1.3 million page views for our last full series, we have had some successes, too.
What makes a great natpak versus a full package with narration?
Swain: I love natpkgs. It's a format I've embraced since college and my first days in local news. To me, an effective natpkg needs a great character and good nat sound. Strong pictures can always make good television, but I think a good natpkg should have sound so powerful and smooth that it could almost work as a radio story, too. These traits could also exist in packages with narration, but I think nat pkgs are often done with a different mindset. You need to have the characters tell the story, or else it doesn't work. When you are doing a natpkg, you have to shoot and plan smart or else you end up stuck in a corner. It's a lot of work to do this by yourself, but it also means you have a lot more control.
Natpkgs give a different experience to the viewer and add diversity to the newscasts because you are taking the reporter out of the story. Correspondents are an important part of any news organization, so this is not about taking away their value. I see it as giving them more time to focus on other stories, so everyone benefits.
No doubt, in 2009, we will see many stations and maybe networks relying more on folks working alone as photojournalist and reporter to cover stories. What opportunities are you finding when working alone and what kinds of stories are harder?
Swain: Technology and the economy will no doubt lead to more "one-man-bands" with reporters, producers and photogs all reaching beyond their traditional roles. It's a lot of work to do as one person, so you definitely need to work smart. I've been lucky in that most of the natpkgs I've produced are also stories that I've pitched. They are stories I have asked to do, rather than been assigned to.
What skills are photojournalists finding that they need to develop if they are going to do these kinds of stories alone?
Swain: Being a photojournalist these days is not just about shooting, editing, producing, writing, driving, navigating and feeding (via truck or ftp). It is also about sales, PR, text writing, still photography and even doing phoners. It's about filing for TV and for dot-com. When it comes to working solo, you are often on your own to find, set up and sell your stories. With the In Focus series, I spend just as much time "selling" the stories (before to get approval and after to get placement) as in production. When you put your heart and soul into a story, you want show producers to know so people can see it.
The photojournalists all have years of TV experience, so we are learning about the dot-com side of the business, including what still photos work best, and how to write text pieces for the site. To do this, I have found you need to set aside the assumptions we have about the needs for dot-com because it is so much more than just a Web version of TV.
It has been very interesting to use this series to track the numbers on the different outlets we are providing content for. Some video stories reach a lot of eyes on dot-com, but don't catch the attention of show producers. And most text still does significantly better than video on the Web. The bottom line is to succeed you need to be able to do it all, and tailor it for each of the unique platforms you are serving.
I recommend setting up a good support system. When you are working on a story as a team, you can bounce ideas off each other. When you are working by yourself, it can be helpful to have people to act as that sounding board. I have people I send my pieces to before sending them for official approval. It helps to have a fresh set of eyes because you can get too close to a story to know something isn't working or they can encourage you when it is.
What has the reaction been from photojournalists to having what amounts to their own show?
Swain: It has been rewarding to see the reaction and growth in my colleagues who have been involved in the In Focus projects. Personally, it has re-ignited the spark that led me into this field in the first place. It's a creative outlet and an opportunity to explore other aspects of the industry. It's a lot of work, and extra effort because the news of the day doesn't stop just because we're doing these extra stories. The fact that we were able to do these shows during this election year still amazes me.
I hope this is something we can continue doing. You can't help but feel proud when you hear people say, "Photojournalists did all this?"
Al... Last week when local news was rather sparse here...
