May 11, 2006

By BOB STOVER
Florida Today

• Use of video increases at Florida paper

• Tips for newsroom video training

• Florida Today's video and editing equipment

Mary Fallon, Florida Today's multimedia editor, is in charge of coordinating our video efforts throughout the newsroom. Here are some tips she would suggest to anyone who wants to put a large segment of their staff through intensive training:

• Require reporters in training to write scripts like they would any story – most don't write broadcast style. Writing a great sounding script is just as important as getting a good image.

• For the Web, great sound is even more important than great pictures.

• In class, take time to talk about the workflow of shooting, ingesting, and transcribing when ingesting so you can write a script and a story.

• Provide printed "how to" guides and prepare a PowerPoint presentation people can review.

• We had our trainees work in teams of four. Teams of two or three might be better.

• Unless you're a really plush newsroom, people will be sharing cameras and computers loaded with editing software. You should establish protocols for this so people won't be fighting over them, and so cameras are ready with tapes and charged batteries for the next person.

• Reserve at least one camera for breaking news only.

• Once the initial training is done, have follow-up sessions and one-on-one coaching.

• Recognize that some will learn more slowly than others or differently than others, sometimes merely because the workload in their regular job slows them down. Allow for follow-up that lets them continue with their training and not feel left behind.

• Have regular team meetings to discuss what's learned/what's not working for them. Share experiences so we learn from each other.

• Celebrate achievements – creating videos isn't easy work.