THE INTERACTIVE FILM MAGAZINE
.tv
films sell well for many reasons. It doesn’t always follow that those films are worth watching, though. OK, so we know we’re not going to convince people to stop watching Transformers 2 in favour of Waltz with Bashir, nor do we necessarily want to. But just because there’s a huge amount of money around its promotion, doesn’t mean Transformers 2 is worth £7 of punters’ money. (Even if that does work out as less than 5p a minute! Bargain!)
All the while, our role can be educational to an extent too. From experience, we know that if people were to give some films a chance; they’d have a much more rewarding time. Think Milk, Telstar, and Moon this year alone. None had the exposure of Transformers 2, but all were more worthwhile.
• Larry & Paul’s The BIG Screen Podcast can be accessed via http://www.thebigscreenpodcast.com or by using the search tool on iTunes.
In pod we trust
Camera angles
Viv Thomas on moving into
multi-media journalism
multi-
I've just taken my first steps into the brave new world of multi-media journalism.
After just an hour's training, I was let loose on filming videos for Archant Newspaper's Norfolk sport websites and editing them (using Windows Movie Maker) ̶ to complement my traditional work as a sports reporter/sub-editor.
To say it's a steep learning curve is the understatement of the century ̶ the frustrations are many and I've had to clear so many hurdles I've taken to calling myself Sally Gunnell.
Some of the problems encountered have included; background noise causing continuity problems, interviewees providing a great quote when you first meet them but once the camera is rolling it's much more stilted, people messing about
in the background, not being able to get the angle you really want, camera battery not recharged fully, forgetting to switch a microphone on, the system crashing in
mid-edit ...
in the background, not being able to get the angle you really want, camera battery not recharged fully, forgetting to switch a microphone on, the system crashing in
mid-
It all gets rather stressful ̶ like being a cub reporter all over again. Rather than just relying on a phone or face-to-face interview with good old shorthand, then re-packaging what has been said, it's all there on film as it happened, minute by minute.
It takes a huge amount of time to convert various bits of footage into
“When I first started, journalism was all about cut and thrust. Now it’s cut, thrust, pan, zoom, edit, retake . . . and if you’re a sub it’s just cut and paste”
a video lasting just three minutes compared to written work.
It probably makes it worse having been a film critic ̶ you have a very clear idea of what you want to do but limitations of time, experience and basic equipment mean you fall short of expectations.
Learning by experience, I've found better ways of filming
and editing each time I've undertaken a new video. It has certainly given me an increased admiration for the work of film-makers.
Although it's a long and intensive process it's a hugely rewarding and enjoyable one. Let's just say Gurinder Chadha and co can rest easy, though!
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Every fortnight, we publish our, usually rambling, thoughts on the latest cinema releases. It’s a 30-minute podcast that sits on the websites of 25 Bauer Radio stations, and can be subscribed to, free, via iTunes. It is promoted on-air, and via social networking sites.
Each edition, we put together reviews, news, interviews, and pretty much whatever random tomfoolery tickles our fancy.
We’re unashamedly pop, frankly honest, and try to entertain, rather than educate. We reviewed Pelham 123, for example, ‘live’ from a train, in the hope it would be hijacked, too. It didn’t happen.
Publishing online allows us to work without the sort of commercial pressure that our on-air DJs find themselves under. So, despite a sizable marketing campaign, we were able to give Lesbian Vampire Killers the slating it deserved.
We’re both fans of popular movies, Paul is a Bond buff, and The Matrix remains one of Larry’s favourites, and we know that popular
