Mark Sanchez Assignment #1

Journalism Video Assignment #1

Learning how to produce videos for the web is hugely important. I can tell you personally, when I’m applying for internships and jobs, on nearly every job description it states that candidates must be well versed in “videos and multimedia”. When I’ve read this on job descriptions, I’ve always been very hesitant about applying as I have no experience, until now, with making videos for the web. But as I’m becoming more adept in learning how to produce video for the web, there are many challenges I will face along the way.

Making videos for websites is not traditional journalism; when I aspired to become a journalist at a young age, I did not even consider Internet multimedia skills. I idolized Seymour Hersh and Woodward and Bernstein; I imagined breaking important news and writing the information for the next day’s newspaper. I’m no computer expert or even a public speaking expert – in my childhood dreams, I was never broadcasting the news, which has become a staple for today’s journalist. So when I make content for the web, I am working in a field in which I am inexperienced and not exactly suited for. But, because I want so desperately to be a well-rounded journalist, I will still learn these skills.

A less abstract and more tangible reason for struggling with producing content for the Internet is money. There is, as any journalist can tell you, little money to be made in the field. But to create a moving or effective piece for the Internet, there are so many tools a journalist must use. I’ve never even owned a camera, much less a video camera. And I’ve definitely never owned a tripod. Moreover, even if I had the physical tools, the online programs can be very costly. Photoshop and Quicktime Pro are essentials for a journalist concerned with multimedia and they can cost a few hundred dollars. There are many obstacles, both abstract and physical, that hinder a journalist from producing quality video for the web. But, to become the best journalist (and one who can be hired), I must learn to produce video for the web.