I had great pleasure in meeting David Dunkley Gyimah an award-winning Integrated Multimedia journalist at SxSW in Austin (@viewmagazine). In short David takes news and makes it art, by capturing content with cameras and editing it into something truly special.
How to Interview
I came away from David’s session with a deep appreciation for the skills needed for powerful digital storytelling including:
- solid interview techniques that put the subject at ease
- an eye for capturing visual moments that fit a narrative story
- access to multiple video cameras for different purposes
- comfort with video editing software
View the short clip at top right, then read about how the interview was created:
- David stood beside his camera and asked me a few questions, recording the answers in one take.
- He moved the camera to a side view of me and asked me the first interview question. I didn’t answer.
- He moved the camera far behind David shooting over his shoulder to me and we just mimed talking while he gestured with his hands as if asking me a question.
- One more shot was taken from behind me facing David the interviewer, again, without dialogue.
- David took another handheld camera and took a few quick shots of audience members afterward.
Getting to the final video product
In his editing suite, David kept the entire audio track, and spliced some of the camera elements from #2-#5 and added some visual effects to produce the final inverview.
Total time to capture the video for the interview – about 2 minutes (including describing to his audience at SXSW what he was doing). Shockingly quick and at ease. This is the work of a video journalist (vj).
Go back and view the interview video again, you’ll see how the different elements were put together.
What this means for capturing video interviews for tourism business or region
- It is essential to hire someone who is comfortable editing video or take a course in producing video yourself to get professional quality. In North Bay, Ontario a new project includes a mobile van with a wide range of video cameras and editing tools that is mobile. They are providing training to help people learn how to tell digital stories. Your community could benefit from a resource like this. Watch for an upcoming post describing this type of service
Links
- ViewMagazine.tv – David’s award winning work is featured here on his Interactive Video Magazine.
