Internet Learning Volume 5, Number 1, Fall 2016/Winter 2017 | Page 60

Teach like a Video Journalist Thinks
tions, is to bring out a plastic down pipe
tube from a sink, the U-bend. The three
sections of down pipe, U-bend, and
horizontal waste outlet explain the essence
of all filming. Despite all the wonderful
variety of our movie experience,
every sequence is really only a variation
of one a simple structure: introduce the
idea, show the idea, and reinforce the
idea seen with supporting material.
Video is easy. The serious message
to educators is that a teaching video
illustrates a point quickly, easily and,
can be filmed in minutes.
Think the spoken word. Brevity is clarity.
It is possible to make a point clearly
with fewer words. Write short sentences:
one idea per sentence. Use active
verbs and keep it simple. It might come
as a shock, but except for discussions
and interviews with the public known
as Vox Pops in the United Kingdom
or SOVs in the United States, the spoken
word on radio or TV is all written
down beforehand in spoken English.
Interviews can take hours in preparation
and all via paper or autocue. There
are practical, well-understood methods
for presenting a piece to camera.
Every news journalist starts thinking
about his or her piece for camera several
hours before going on air; but writes
and reads out loud and rewrites over
and over again on a phone or tablet to
get the message just right. The structure
is typically: the introduction, one key
idea, examples comments, and a closing
statement. Think about delivering this
to students in the first 30 seconds and
then start the long body of your story.
Repeat points at the end. What is the
educational impact of these processes?
A research project might reveal valuable
new data; but meanwhile, tricolon,
the repetition of three phrases, worked
for Greeks and is still used regularly in
modern media.
Think like a presenter. Presenters
should always talk to one person; perhaps
someone you know well. Be informal;
smile; and use hand movements in
moderation. Be aware of unfortunate
mannerisms. Make sure you are in the
frame and lean forward just a little as
the effect is startling. Avoid being too
low in the frame (i.e. dropping out of the
picture); or too high (i.e. leave enough
space at the top of the picture called
head room). Take the center of screen
position of the newsreader to deliver
the serious important message. Take a
kinder more informal position to one
side of the screen, used in interviews
and conversations. This position takes
advantage of the golden mean, with an
offset center, and is pleasing to the eye.
But make sure you have a relevant background,
or thinking space. All of these
suggestions for good media presentation
are examples of embodied metaphors
(Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). Watch
and re-watch your performance, which
is the normal task of a professional,
however painful.
Long-life a Lecture
When a great deal of work has
gone into a session presentation
plan, including creat-
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