More Real News

I’ve never really compared video stories from the nightly news and sources online, but once I started to really look at both of them I realized how different they were and that I found the online videos much more interesting.

In terms of the television nightly news, the stories I liked the most were simply because of the subject matter. One package on elephants during the NBC broadcast had some great footage of the cute animals but that was pretty much the only thing that was appealing about it.

Of course the piece was well edited with a variety of different shots and had nice voice over, but those qualities are expected in broadcast news. They’re professional but at the same time pretty boring. There is nothing that grabs the attention of the viewer. And of course the whole piece is through a third-person narrative where the reporter remains objective. While news should remain objective, it can still be done in a way where it doesn’t feel impersonal and stiff.

A great example of this is the stories featured on Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone. The “Occupation: Dreamland” series is fantastic. In Part II we get to follow the camera through a raid in Iraq. Just this fact alone makes the video completely different than anything we might see on the news. But what makes this video great is that it is raw and real.

The camera really gets in the action which makes you feel like you are in there with them. This really took me off guard because stories that I am used to on TV mostly feature action that looks planned and directed. The package isn’t full of stale shots just edited together either. There are longer shots that simply show the audience what is going on. This is what makes the news video great. It’s showing real life as it’s happening.

Another extremely interesting video that shows it like it is on the site is a video about recruitment. You should check it out as well.

Other online videos that are less successful are those on You Witness News and an informational video on You Tube about seahorses. These videos are more amateur with their poor video and sound quality. As well, while they have long sequences like Kevin Sites, they don’t use it in the positive way like the Dreamland sequence does.

Ultimately, I think stories told using online video should be professional like those on TV news, but more raw and realistic. Because sites can be more open without the strict FCC rules in television, they have the opportunity to really capture real life. This can really attract the audience’s attention and make them invest in the stories they are telling.