Big news! Camera Confidential is now available for pre-order
A couple of years ago I wrote a short book called “Camera Confidential” that I sold for charity and made £3000 for the Rory Peck Trust. I was really proud […]
40 years as a news shooter and still going strong
I am lucky enough to meet and be inspired by many great shooters in the course of my travels. One man who stands out is Richard Atkinson – a South […]
Talking careers, kit and vertical video: Imagejunkies on the multimedia week podcast
I’ve been following the guys on the Multimedia week podcast for some time and was chuffed to be invited on for this week’s episode. We talked about getting started in video journalism, how web video is different to broadcast, kit, editing and we even touched on the vertical video debate. Have a listen and enjoy. . .
How to create video “boxes” in FCPX: A quick guide
Have you ever wanted to create video “boxes” in FCPX? i.e have multiple layers of video running on the screen at the same time. It’s something that in my filmmaking […]
Free book – “Life saving travel tips for journalists”
The world of filmmaking and video journalism is changing There is so much to learn – shooting, editing, writing, structure and of course the art of travel in an increasingly […]
The Sony A5100 for shooting news
In this video I take a look at the Sony A5100 for shooting news. I’ve been using this camera now for over six months and love it. The image quality is outstanding and the size of it makes it a perfect camera for taking anywhere.
How I’m using a Nebula 4000 gimbal to shoot news
As you know I’m always looking for ways to bring my shoots to life, to make them stand out. In the last three months one of the ways I’ve been […]
Tips for shooting on an aircraft carrier
In 2012 I was lucky enough to get to spend two days shooting on a U.S Aircraft carrier. It was a pretty awesome experience. And although filming on one is a very rare occurrence I figured it was worth sharing what I learnt from the trip. . .
My Films
For your perusal here is a collection of my latest work since becoming a self-shooting video journalist who produces, shoots and edits all of my pieces. Sometimes I feel that my shooting suffers due to managing so many roles but I certainly feel that my all around story telling has improved a lot and I love the creative freedom that VJ’ing offers.
Video journalism and live broadcasting
The Live shot is an essential part of TV news. If you are working in broadcast then there is a pretty high chance that you will have to either shoot them, or appear in them. The way you go about this will be dependent on a number of things: The story, the location and what technology you have available. Here are more tips and advice for videojournalists
The Sony A7S and the modern video journalist
I’ve been shooting news and documentary for fifteen years as a traditional cameraman using shoulder mounted cameras. But in the last two years I’ve been working more and more as a video journalist. I was given a tiny budget to purchase kit (£4000) and was keen to keep it as light weight as possible while still being practical enough to shoot features and hard news – I went for the Sony A7S, this article will tell you all about it.
FCPX for video journalists
In 2014 I did a three day FCPX training course that showed me how good this software could be. I’ve been cutting on it exclusively ever since. Check out my 30 minute tutorial video in this post…
Better audio – sound tips for video journalists
I believe that professionals put as much effort into recording sound as they do pictures – here are my top tips
Death of the news shooter: do camera people have a future in a rapidly changing industry?
Love it or hate it the VJ/Sojo/Video producer model does make sense on a lot of levels. The problem for me is that too many traditional cameraman see this model as a threat to be avoided instead of an opportunity to be grabbed with both hands.
