Journey of a Journalist

I am fortunate enough to have a video and photography expert as a classmate, friend and coworker.

Jake McLernon, affectionately known as “JollyJPhotog” in the Twitter world, works for Connect2Mason and can frequently be found scouring Mason’s Fairfax campus in search of exciting and interesting photos and videos. He and I now work together on Mason’s first live-streamed news broadcast — his baby, Late Night Patriot — and I am no stranger to his insight regarding shooting video and photography.

He was kind enough to share some of his expertise regarding the BBC 5-shot sequence, which represents an industry standard in terms of shooting video. The sequence of video shorts, added to informative audio, lends itself as an attractive and interesting way to tell whatever story you so desire. Whether you are shooting students hanging out during class or an Occupy movement, this sequence of shots informs viewers while keeping them entertained long enough to stay on your page.

1. Medium Shot: This shot helps to establish the story you are telling your viewers. McLernon recommends keeping this shot sedentary; in other words, don’t move the camera around. It is neither a close-up nor a long-shot, but an angle which helps inform the reader about the topic you will be discussing without singling in on one particular person.
2. Close-Up Shot: After the initial introduction, it’s best to focus in on the person being interviewed/most important statement. This type of shot gives readers an intimate view and understanding of the person whose views are pertinent to the story.
3. Hands/Activity Shot: To keep viewers interested, it is always best to show an action sequence related to the story. McLernon gave the example of students doing homework for class, and how at this point a possible activity shot is their fingers typing on the keyboard. This footage often takes place while the audio is still from the individual being interviewed in the close-up shot — but it entails action, not just words.
4. Over-the-shoulder Shot: This type of footage can either be looking up or down. The idea is to give viewers the impression that they are actually in the story, not just watching it from afar like a bad documentary.
5. Long-range/Random Shot: Much like the Medium Shot explained above, this kind of footage gives an overall description of the setting to viewers and serves as the perfect transition to the next story — or the next BBC sequence. Frequently, the long-range shot utilizes a transitional quote as its audio.

Thrown together, this 5-shot sequence gives viewers an overall understanding of whatever story is being told. We all know that viewers do not respond to constant static images or one person being interviewed for a lengthy period of time. So try out the BBC 5-shot! In less than 30 seconds, McLernon proved to myself and other classmates how valuable this sequence can be.

Tags: 5-shot sequence, connect2mason, jake mclernon, Karina Schultheis, late night patriot, video