Last month, I was at the mall when I saw some security guards tackling a woman with a baby in one arm and a purse stuffed with clothing on her other arm.   At that moment, I wished I had my Sony Cybershot camera with me.  I never thought I’d see  a struggle in front of my eyes.

What I do know is two things; that video of the security guards and woman could have come in handy on a story on shoplifting, and I should have had a Flip camera in my purse.

Most of us will try to use the best video camera we can on a story, but in a pinch—a Flip camera is not a bad tool to have in your bag.  There are several versions of this small camera, including the Flip Ultra HD that costs about $200.

It’s easy to use, because you press a button and you’re recording.   It’s very convenient when you need to upload your video right away, because it has a flip out USB connector.  You can plug your Flip camera right into your laptop. Yes, it’s that easy. 

You can also buy an underwater case for your Flip camera.  This is great if you want to take shots in a pool.  I bet it would come in handy right now for those reporters covering the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.   

I found this video blog by a citizen journalist who uses a Flip camera for her reports.  It’s an excellent tutorial:

http://dev.freevlog.org/

Here are some basics on the Flip:

FLIP ULTRA

-Fits in your pocket

-Records about 2 hours of video on 4GB

-Uses double A batteries

-Any standard tripod can be used with Flip

-Also has microphone

FLIP ULTRA HD

-Fits in your pocket

-Captures about 2 hours of HD video on 8GB built-in memory

-It comes with rechargeable AA battery pack

-Also has a microphone

-Any standard tripod can fit the tripod mount

Search YouTube for more tutorials on the Flip camera.  Good Luck!

Rebecca Aguilar is a freelance multimedia reporter in Dallas.  She has 29 years of news experience and has been awarded numerous awards, including several Emmy awards.  She’s also on the board of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.  Rebecca conducts reporting workshops around the country (Finding Sources and Stories, Networking, Live Shots, Getting the Best Interview, Writing to Video, and The Basics Of Multimedia.) She can be contacted at aguilar.thereporter@yahoo.com.

O.K. -  so you just shot some footage with your digital video camera.

Now what?

Well, if you’re one of those kids who can’t afford a slick Mac, and you’re stuck with an ol’ PC (like me), you can still edit and produce decent videos with Windows Movie Maker. It’s a standard video editing program that comes with most Microsoft media software packages. Nothing fancy, just basic tools and enough features to allow you to create some nice-looking clips.  It’s a good program to practice on – once you know how to use one video editing program, you pretty much know ‘em all – IMHO, they all pretty much work the same way.

Now then, the only way to learn to edit video….(and sorry for sounding like a sneaker ad here)…. is to just do it.  Here’s how you can get started, in seven easy steps.

1.) First things first: Connect your camera to your PC and transfer your video footage to the computer.  Import the video files into Windows Movie Maker.

2. ) Once you have some video footage to work with, click and drag the  clips to the storyboard at the bottom of the screen. (If you have a lot of footage, it’s a good idea to write an outline ahead of time, so you know where the scenes should fall on the timeline. Oh yeah…and once you start editing, don’t forget to save your Windows Movie Maker project!)

3.) Trim and arrange your clips as necessary. To shorten a video clip, use the “split” button on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Delete the bits and pieces you don’t need.

4.) Add some audio. Mosey on over to the Movie Tasks Pane, look under Capture video, and click on Import audio or music. Drag your song of choice to the video clip where you want the soundtrack to kick in. (If you need to raise or lower the volume, right-click the music on your timeline, and then click on….can you guess?….Volume. Then adjust accordingly.)

5.) Or maybe you want to add a voice-over. To do that, you can record a sound track separately, or connect a microphone to your PC, click on the  Tools menu, and then click Narrate Timeline, and do it right there. You can record your voice to go with individual clips or do the whole movie all at once – it’s your call. But whatever you do – make sure you write a script beforehand. Seriously. Believe me, it’s worth it. If you wing it, and try to narrate your vid on the fly, it’s not going to sound good. (Believe me, I’ve tried. Don’t repeat my mistake. You will not save any time.)

6.) Add titles and credits.  To add written words to your video, just click on the clip where you want to add some text. In the Movie Tasks pane, under Edit Movie, click Make titles or credits. From there, you can choose how many lines the title will have and how it will move. You can also change the size and color of the text.

7.) Preview your movie. If you like what you see, then it’s time to produce your video. Use the Save Movie Wizard to save your project as a .wmv or .avi video file. Once your video file is ready, you can upload it to the web  for all to see. If you don’t have a place to show it off, you can always post it on a free video hosting service such as YouTube or Vimeo.

So that’s my 7-Step tutorial on Windows Movie Maker.

The main sources of information for this article came from the Windows Movie Maker product guide and tutorials on the Microsoft website, and from my own personal experience. FYI, I’ve been editing video for over five years now, and during that time I’ve used many different programs – Final Cut, Cyberlink PowerDirector, Avid, and (of course!) good ol’ Windows Movie Maker. But I must confess, Windows Movie Maker is not my first choice, and I don’t use it that often. So if I missed anything here, please let me know.  I’m especially interested in hearing from any regular users out there – if you have any tips/tricks/hacks to share, please comment below.

————————————————————

Emily Sweeney is a staff reporter at The Boston Globe. You can follow her on Twitter (@emilysweeney) and find her on LinkedIn among other places.

Argentine journalist, Sandra Crucianelli knew something was missing when she attended the IRE conference in Miami in 2008. She couldn’t find a book on digital media tools for journalists in Spanish.

Crucianelli has now written the book in Spanish called “Herramientas Digitales Para Periodistas.”  It’s been published by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, and is available for free in a PDF that can be downloaded. Here’s the link: http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/hdpp.php

I looked over this online book and strongly feel it’s a great resource for reporters who work in Spanish language newspapers or online news sites.  It’s also handy for reporters who are learning Spanish in hopes of someday working in Mexico, Spain, and South or Central America.

The book includes chapters on accessing databases and official documents, using social networks, video conferencing, photo galleries and blogs.

Rebecca Aguilar is an Emmy Award winning freelance multimedia reporter in Dallas. She produces videos, digital slideshows along with her reports. She is currently working on an Associate’s Degree in Multimedia Development.  She can be reached at aguilar.thereporter@yahoo.com

The following instructions are valid for iTunes 9

First you’ll need to have an iTunes account. To set up a free account click here.

CHOOSING/FINDING AN iPHONE APP

There are many ways to find an iPhone app, the easiest is to click on the App Store tab on the iTunes site. Otherwise, you can search sites like Gizmodo which gives you a more detailed review on the apps.

You can use the search field at the top if there is a specific app you want to find.

BUYING AN iPHONE APP

For example, to purchase the free IMDb iPhone app (which is essentially a movie database) type in ‘IMDb’ in the search field.

A new page will appear that tells you how much the iPhone app costs. You will also see the list of requirements (which is important because this will determine if the app will work on your phone), ratings and reviews, and much more.

You’ll see a page with screenshots of how the IMDb app will appear to function on your iPhone.

Click on <Free App>

A new window pops open that requests your Apple ID and Password asking you to sign in – because Apple wants to track what you purchase, even when the iPhone app you want is free.

Click on <Get>

To verify that you have successfully downloaded the iPhone app click on ‘Applications’ under the LIBRARY tab.

GETTING YOUR NEW APP ONTO YOUR iPHONE

In order to use your new iPhone app you’ll need to sync your iTunes to your iPhone.

Plug in your iPhone to your computer. The name of your iPhone will appear under Devices.

Click on your iPhone and in the new window click on the tab ‘Applications’.

You will see all of the iPhone applications that you have ever downloaded and not deleted in alphabetical order (or however you have your specific system set up).

To find the IMDb app go to the search field next to ‘Sync Applications’ and type in ‘IMDb’.

Select the IMDb app for syncing by clicking on the box next to the IMDb app to create a check mark.

On the right hand side you’ll see your iPhone screens.

The number of different applications your iPhone can store will vary with your specific iPhone software version. If you are running version 3.1.2, as of posting, the most up-to-date software version, an iPhone owner can have up to 159 apps on 11 screens.

By default iTunes finds the most open screen to place your new app, however you can select a different screen by dragging the icon to a different screen (the ones that appear scrolling down the pages that appear on the right).

Press ‘Apply’ and you’re done!

Related Link:

The Best iPhone Apps of 2009

Hilary Fosdal is the Interactive Content Manager for Barrington Broadcasting Group. She blogs at hilaryfosdal.com and tweets @hilaryfosdal.

The following content was republished with the author’s permission. This article was originally published on 10,000 Words a blog written by Mark S. Luckie, a print journalist who discovered his hobby of multimedia and his love for journalism could be combined to great effect. You can also follow 10,000 Words on Twitter.

Many multimedia and video journalists require ambient music for their projects, but truly free royalty-free music and sound effects are hard to come by. Most companies charge hefty one-time prices to use their products, which usually puts them out of the price range of the average financially-challenged media outlet.

Incompetech has a host of royalty-free music available, though donations are accepted. Flash Kit also has both sound loops and sound effects available for download.

Another option is to use public domain music, or music that falls outside of copyright protection. Public Domain 4U has a lot of public domain MP3s available (mostly jazz/blues), while Musopen has a large selection of classical music for immediate download.

Sound FX hunters will find both Soundsnap, with its user-friendly search interface, and FindSounds, with its preview waveforms, two of the best online resources for sounds. Mac users can also make use of GarageBand’s sound effects library. Other sites for free sound effects include Soungle.com and SoundJay.com. For more resources, check out Hongkiat.com’s 55 great websites to download free sound effects or this list of additional resources.

There is a prevalent myth among audio-seeking journalists that any piece of music, copyrighted or not, can be used freely as long as the clip is under 30 seconds. This is, in most cases, untrue and opens the user and company up to potential lawsuits. The best approach is to stick with the music and sound effects that are explicitly free.

For a quick history of what makes a great, iconic sound, check out mental_floss’ 17 Most Recognizable Trademarked Sounds.

Additional Resources:

• How to create and share a better podcast
• How to create, edit and embed audio for free

Did you ever want to take a screen-grab of a website or an image on your computer, add a voice-over and share it with a friend?

Sounds complicated, right? You’d need audio equipment and software that performed screen-grabs and a lot of other things that you probably aren’t even aware of needing.

Well now you can create web-based recordings using Screenr in a matter of seconds using either a Mac or a PC.

HOW TO CREATE, PUBLISH AND SHARE A SCREENCAST

Go to Screenr – http://screenr.com/

Click ‘Record your screencast now!’

You will be asked to give Screenr access to your computer.

Now you are ready to screencast!

A small framing window pops up with instructions on how to record your screencast.

#1 Move and resize the frame

#2 Click the red button to record

#3 Press DONE when finished

Tip: The smaller you keep the frame the clearer your screencast will appear when viewed.

Please note: All screencasts are viewable by the general public.

You can add voice-overs to slideshows, screencast a .mov file and a whole lot more.

Screenr will record up to 5 minutes of material.

Oh, and in case I didn’t mention, it’s free!

Once you have clicked ‘Done’ you’ll be taken to a screen that will prompt you to write a 140 character description of your screencast.

Upload your finished product to your Twitter account or post it on your blog.

My favorite feature: You can preview and delete your Screenr if you don’t like how it turned out.

Sharing your content just got a little easier.

Hilary Fosdal is the Interactive Content Manager for Barrington Broadcasting Group. You can read more of her work on Running for Food.

The reality is we’re all becoming  what’s called a one man band reporter. Also known as a mobile journalist (mojo), a backpack journalist  or a digital correspondent.  We’ll do it all; shoot video, take photographs, interview, report, write, video edit, Twitter and blog.  I’ll be honest it can be overwhelming, especially if you’re being asked to provide  a video story with your print or online story. 

Bonnie Gonzalez is a one man band reporter for an Austin television station.  She’s given us a few pointers to share with everyone who finds themselves in the same situation; having to shoot video for a story.  Here’s a simple list we’ve put together.  One that we hope you’ll put in your back pocket and use.

1. Check Your Equipment Before You Head Out The Door

*Batteries-make sure they’re charged.

*Tapes/Memory Cards-bring extras

*Audio equipment-lav, stick mic, receivers for the wireless mics and wind screens.

*Tripod

*Light kit-make sure you have extra bulbs.  Throw a flashlight in the kit. It comes in handy.

*Laptop computer and connections to ingest or capture video at any location.

*Flip Camera for emergencies when your video camera is not cooperating or crashes.

*Rain cover for your video camera.  You don’t want it getting wet, because that causes big problems.

*Lens cleaner

2.  Protection for Yourself.  You never know where you’ll end up.

*Sunscreen

*Insect repellent

*Rubber boots-for rainy, muddy days

*Rain jacket

*First aid kit

*Water

*Ruler-just in case you have to measure snow or water for a story or size of hail.

*Extra change of clothes

*Extra notebooks

 3. Communication Equipment

*Work cell phone-make sure it’s charged

*Personal cell phone

*Car cell phone charger

*Phone numbers and notes for your story.

*Phone book- you never know when you’ll need the yellow pages.

4. Basic Equipment and Short Cuts

*Pen and notepad:  You should always have these basic tools with you, especially if your equipment breaks down.

*Write down time codes: Save yourself time by writing down the time code of a sound bite or quote you plan to use in your video story.

4. Manage Time Wisely

*Pre-interview people before you meet them.  You can just jump into the interview when you get with them face-to-face and not waste time warming them up or wasting tape.  The less tape you use, the less video you have to capture.  Remember computers capture video on real time.

5.  Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help

* You’re on breaking news and you’re carrying all your gear. It’s ok to ask someone to help carry the tripod.  You’ll be surprised how people will volunteer to help.   They will even hold the microphone if you want them to during an interview. 

Everyone has their own style, their own pace, and their own methods.  This is just a short checklist to get you into your groove.  Good Luck!

Rebecca Aguilar is an Emmy Award winning freelance multimedia reporter in Dallas. She produces videos, digital slideshows along with her reports.  She is currently working on an Associate’s Degree in Multimedia Development.

Ready to set up your FREE Skype account?

What is Skype, you ask?

Skype is an Internet based service that allows you to make FREE calls, video calls and instant messaging to other Skype users 24 hours, 7 days a week, everyday of the year.

Yes, that is pretty darn cool.

If you are a recent graduate or a recently unemployed journalist Skype is a great way to hold an interview with a prospective employer. You not only get to show them how tech-savvy you are as a journalist (and judge how up on technology they are too!) – but you also will have the opportunity to read their body language – an important aspect in any interview process.

Other things journalists can use Skype for include:

• Conduct interviews
• Hold conference calls
• Save money (just imagine, no more long distance or international calling fees!)

Read this: Skype: Why Every Journo Should Use It

HOW TO SET UP A SKYPE ACCOUNT

1. Go to www.skype.com/

2. Click on ‘Download Skype now’. Your computer should automatically begin downloading the Skype application. If the download does not start within a few seconds, there will be a link provided on the page to jump start the download.

3. Once the download is completed you will be asked to create a new user account. Pick a username that your friends, co-workers and family will recognize as you or one that matches the branding on your other online accounts.

4. Next you’ll be asked to provide a valid e-mail address in case you need to retrieve a lost password. There is also a field you can complete that lets Skype know what country and city you are Skyping from – people are Skyping from nearly every corner of the globe.

Once Skype has been successfully installed and your new user account created you’ll be taken to the Skype Welcome screen (see image above) where you can learn more about Skype services, check to make sure your equipment is working properly (microphone, headset, webcam) or find friends to call on Skype.

You can start making calls to other Skype users immediately.

It sounds simple, right? It is. The most time consuming aspect is waiting for your computer to download the necessary files which will vary depending on the strength of your Internet connection.

HOW DO I MAKE A CALL USING SKYPE?

Well, first you need to add a contact (someone to call).

The process is a lot like using LinkedIn where you send an introduction message to a person you are interested in adding to your contact list. Once they accept your invitation you will be notified when they are online and can call them (and they can call you!).

Once you have people listed in your Contacts section, to make a call click on the person you want to call in your Contact list. Click the green Call button. To end the call click the red End call button.

***

You can easily spend a lot of time personalizing your Skype account and familiarizing yourself with all the bells and whistles the service provides. Consider customizing your Skype experience by adding a profile photo and managing your privacy settings.

Plus, Skype has loads of helpful documentation to guide you through the basics. For example, how to call someone using a webcam.

Need another reason to use Skype? Live streaming. Learn more

Still want more?

Check out 30 Tools and Tips to Make your Skype Better (All Free!)

Go Mobile – iPhone App for Skype

Is there Skype for Macs too? Yes. Learn more

Hilary Fosdal is the Interactive Content Manager for Barrington Broadcasting Group. You can follow her on Twitter and read more of her work on Running for Food.

The Twitter trial was exhausting.

But the response was worth it.  That’s what I’ve found is usually true in this business. The most difficult reporting brings the best rewards.

I had to take a week’s vacation after the capital murder trial of Ted Burnett just to rest up and refuel.  After weeks of microblogging details of the brutal death of a 14-year-old girl, I didn’t have much left to even keep this blog up.  But thanks to all those who followed my coverage on Twitter and those who may patiently return to this blog to learn what happened, from a journalist’s standpoint.  You all keep me going.

Here’s some of the feedback I received from readers:

• “I’m addicted …”
• “I found myself checking in a couple of times per day just to read your postings.  Due to my schedule, I do not always get to spend time each morning reading the paper and rely on online news during the day.”
• “This was yet another great use for 2.0 tools!”
• “I very much wanted to follow the trial and when I came across your Twitter page I was delighted.  I thought at first it might be annoying to have to continually refresh the page to get updates, but found I could easily get work done and come back every 10 minutes or so and read through your updates.”
• “I loved being able to press the refresh button on my browser every minute for new ‘tweets.’ While I am emotionally involved in this case, I was not able to take a week off work and join my family friends in the courtroom. With twitter I am able to virtually be in the court room and know all of the little details that I had not previously known about.”

I had started using Twitter during jury selection, as a solution to some problems we’d had with trying to file live updates during the trial. We wanted immediacy, and we got it.

One day, I cut and pasted all my “tweet” updates into a traditional story file.  It measured 80 inches.  Now, I don’t think anyone would have read an 80-inch story from the newspaper on this trial, as compelling as it was. My editors certainly wouldn’t have run a story that long.  But what I found is that people will read an 80-inch story, given to them a paragraph at a time, 140 characters long.

In addition to Twitter, I also produced multimedia:  audio slide show such as this one of a co-conspirator explaining the killing of Chelsea Brooks.

Between the text descriptions from the courtroom over Twitter, and the multimedia, we were able to give people a feeling of being there that I had never before been able to do in my career.  This trial had a “press room” in the law library of an adjoining courtroom.

I kept a Macbook Pro in there with Soundslides and Audacity, so I could edit audio files and organize photos on breaks.  I had the photographer on duty download photos to a memory stick I wore around my neck. That saved time.  Most days I was able to complete everything – including writing a story for the morning newspaper – at a decent hour.  The tweets during the day were really my notes that I used to fashion the newspaper story.

It wasn’t perfect.  I had my share of typos, filing live with no copy desk backup.  But no one complained about the occasional misspellings.

Twitter had outages, sometimes during the most dramatic parts the trial.

Here are some lessons I learned that may help other reporters wanting to “tweet” live events:

• Keep a “cheat sheet” handy of key dates, addresses and names of those involved.  It will save time to keep looking them up in your notes.
• Don’t assume anything.  If you’re not sure you totally understand what you’re hearing, save that information until you can ask for further explanations.
• Remember, it’s easier for people to follow narrative stories.  Try to establish what the story is and filter information so that it fits within the storyline.  This was easy in a trial, because certain witnesses were there to tell what happened.  Other parts weren’t as easy, such as forensic evidence. With that, I had to work harder to maintain a story that wouldn’t lose people.
• When the event takes a break, tell people.  I always added a tweet that said “court is in recess for 15 minutes,” so readers wouldn’t keep refreshing the page, hoping to find information.
• Pay attention to the environment around you.  Don’t just report what people say.  Look for reactions and moods.

• You will catch mistakes, most of which you’ll notice right as you hit “send.”  File corrections immediately and mark them as such.  It will keep your readers’ trust.

• Make time to rest, especially if it’s going to be an event such as a trial that lasts for days, even weeks.  You will be exhausted.

You may even find Twitter improves your writing.  When you have to stay within 140 characters, you’re forced to write tight.
Update: We got a big morale boost during the trial from the American Bar Association, which contacted us for this article in ABA On-Line Journal. The article gave us immediate credability with judges and lawyers around the courthouse, which will probably help us continue using this tool.

Collaboration is to be the next step in my multimedia journey.

It’s a natural progression, and a welcome one.  The past year of learning has at times been a lonely process.  But it’s been necessary.  It’s hard to work with someone else, when you don’t know how the process works.  It’s one reason I took a Flash course.  I’m not a designer, but it helps to understand how it all works.  Reporters who don’t at least understand the basics of audio and video, hoping the photo department will pick it up, is destined to frustrate some photographers and videographers.

Last week, photographer Jaime Oppenheimer and I worked on the drug court story.  This week, we got more ambitious and embarked on our new project.  We’re still putting the details together, and I’ll post it here once we finish.  But I thought I’d share the process as we go.

We went to prison.  It was a guided tour, but the state officials were gracious and pretty much left us alone to do our reporting.  We spent hours, and Jaime left her still camera in the car.  She shot everything with a Sony HD cam, and she’ll pull stills off the video.  She hooked up a shotgun mic to the camera, and lugged a heavy tripod along.

I took along my Edirol09 and a pair of earphones to collect some natural sound, interviews and pick up some parts that might augment Jaime’s video.

I was stoked with the information and images and stories we collected in those hours. Jaime, however, felt a little overwhelmed.

It reminded me of the different roles we’d played in the past and how they’re converging in a world of online, multimedia delivery.  As a reporter, I can never get too much information.  I can pick out the best of the best.  I had collected interviews and documents for months.  This was just the color to trim out and dress up the other information.

Jaime had all the images and sounds swimming through her head. She’d filled up two hours of video cards.  How were we going to sort it all out?

Other aspects overwhelm me, such as the thought of actually editing the video.  To me, that’s the hard part.  No problem, said Jaime.  That doesn’t bother her.

That’s where collaboration begins.  On the long drive home we talked about what we remembered about the visit.  We listed the images that stood out in our minds, the sounds, the quotes.  We made a list.  Then from there, we asked ourselves, what would be better told in video?  In stills?  What audio stood out?  What anecdotes would be better detailed in narrative text?

Soon, we had outlined a short video, numbering the scenes in order and the audio bed that would go underneath it.  I don’t think either one of us had actually scripted a video before.  It at least gave us a starting point.

Jaime has the day off today.  I’m going to try to edit some audio tracks, and then give them to Jaime to pick out some images for another video or a slide show.

When I write the story, that will further cut down our material, because we’ve decided we want the multimedia to add layers and depth, not repeat what’s in the story.

Next week, we’ll begin putting it all together. I’m excited at the prspects  I think I’m going to like this role of co-producer.