Video for SMEs

In late September 2015, I followed a Guardian Masterclass run by Rosenblum TV entitled Professional Video Boot Camp. The course covered how to film and edit videos using Adobe Premiere Pro. There was a lot to take in during the 4-day course. It has taken a while to experiment and consolidate my learning alongside other business tasks. This blog is about that journey and how I am now actively using videos in my marketing plans.

The Course

Firstly, note that this is not a course for the faint-hearted. Michael Rosenblum is a fierce critic. The flaws in your early filming and editing efforts will be exposed in front of the rest of the class. The good bits will be noted too and his expert and sound advice will carry you forward to your next video. It’s all done in good humour and with your best interests at heart. Just leave any ego at the door.

Video editing and voice-over production with modern handheld camera on desk

First Video at the Barber's

My first effort took me to an Italian barber’s shop close to the Guardian’s HQ. The owner, assistant and customer were all obliging. I tried to follow the advised Rosenblum technique. Theory and practice are different. On my return, I edited a 3-minute video. Michael’s main criticism was that I didn’t get close enough to the action. I pleaded the presence of some very sharp scissors and bruising bumps from the hairdresser. Never mind all the tricky mirrors. Not accepted. Apparently, I should have suffered scissor cuts and bruises for my craft.

Tricky filming situation: sharp scissors, moving barber and mirrors

Action Movie at the Park

My next effort took me to Regent’s Park in search of a moving action sequence. I spotted a group of 3 women walking and chatting in the park. The elderly lady was in a wheelchair, but she kindly agreed to help with my little training video. I took some great footage. My stroke of luck made it even more powerful than I could possibly have imagined. Michael was impressed.

Elderly lady in wheelchair in park

After the Course

Most of my early efforts remained in the camera. I investigated filming conditions with my local borough. The insurance requirements and other stipulations proved prohibitive for a small business. They seemed better suited to a BBC or major film company production. I was not going to arrive with several articulated trucks, a film crew or even a tripod to obstruct passers-by.

Given Michael’s advice, I avoided boring talking heads. He’s right that no-one wants to listen to 20-50 minutes of that. How do you film yourself? Ever resourceful, I ended up using a toy robot (actually my son’s pencil sharpener) to fit my storyboard idea. I stayed well clear of passers-by and the High Street. Just a modest little video for local purposes.

Format

I discovered another problem with videos. You can’t post them in the same format on different social media. They often won’t play. Twitter restricted the length and formats used. Videos catch the eye in a feed. I noted that the feed presents videos differently on my laptop, iPad and mobile. I reverted to photos as the more eye-catching method until more recently.

Generation Y (Millennials) and Z are very visual. Many of today’s marketing decision-makers are Millennials. Most translators only think in text formats to attract their attention. Millennials like to see rather than just listen.

YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. 

When confronted by a listening or viewing time of 20-50 minutes, many of us will delay until later. We may not come back at all. Videos of 1-3 minutes are more likely to be viewed immediately. I took the Rosenblum course to understand the medium better. It has served me well, as I now work with an amazingly creative French design company.

Opportunistic Videos

More recently I have become more opportunistic in my own video efforts. The subject of translation bores clients, so I film cultural events. Such events are well staged and lend themselves to filming by the amateur, semi-professional and professional alike.

I currently prefer my iPad to cameras for video and photographs. The quality is always improving and people are less self-conscious about being filmed in this way.  I frame shots better and can switch between the video, slo-mo and photo settings easily.

Viewing video on tablet

Editing time is also another bonus. On New Year’s Day, my iMovie video appeared as the second YouTube video posted for the London parade. Rosenblum’s filming technique equips you to edit speedily. I now know not to drag the camera, to focus on small details to create interest and not to worry about people walking in and out of my shot.

Video on its own doesn’t always gain interest. I find that using video, animation and photos in conjunction with blogs and social media raises my business profile. They carry on working for me when I am busy translating or at other events. I have been amazed at the increased viewing figures in my blog’s analytics.

Translators concern themselves with fine details. Giving up perfectionism isn’t easy. I never envisage becoming a full-time professional video editor. It’s another skill in my marketing toolbox. It’s helped me to understand how to make words and pictures work together better.

For a truly professional video, I would call in an experienced expert – just as I would expect a video expert to call upon a professional translator for marketing translations. Social media video postings don’t have to be perfect. Their quality may not meet Rosenblum TV’s standards, but they are fit for my immediate purposes and offer better quality than Periscope. 

And video editing is a fun skill to learn.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Your Right to Know

At the Guardian's Masterclass on Investigative Journalism, Helen Darbishire of Access Info gave a fascinating talk on our right of access to information. Her presentation was entitled Your Right to Know: Legal Leaks. This is a topical subject in Britain. 2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. There is also much discussion about a British bill of rights.

Following a brief history, Helen explained that Freedom of Expression includes the Right of Access to Information (UN Human Rights Committee, Article 19, 27 July 2011). Such information includes records held by a public body, regardless of the form in which the information is stored, its source and date of publication (e.g. even an official's handwritten notes). 

There are two obligations:

i) Reactive - obligation to respond to FOI requests

ii) Proactive - obligation to publish information.

Helen gave the audience ten top tips to follow in pursuing FOI requests

·      TIP 1

            It might be public already!

·      TIP 2

            Set prejudice aside

            (Don't assume that you will never get the desired information).

·      TIP 3

            Know your right/law

·      TIP 4

            Keep a record of your requests. Set an alarm.

            European FOI time frames vary

            Best in class: Estonia, Iceland & Sweden at 5 days

            Worst in class: Austria at 42 days

            United Kingdom: 20 days

·      TIP 5

            Think laterally

·      TIP 6

            Go public with your request

            A request is a story. Campaign for an answer.

·      TIP 7

            Be prepared for the answer

            Have experts on standby to help you analyse the data on receipt.

·      TIP 8

            Anticipate exceptions

           Send separate requests. Don't be too obvious in what you are after.

           Cross-referencing information can fill in blanks.

·      TIP 9

            Appeal, Appeal, Appeal

            Know the deadlines. Ask for an expert. Cultivate pro bono lawyers.

·      TIP 10

            A refusal is a story to publish

·      BONUS TIP

            It's your right: use it or lose it!

Karen Andrews runs Anglicity Ltd. She is an entrepreneurial French to English translator, editor, content writer and marketing consultant. Contact karen@anglicity.com for further information on Anglicity's services.

 

Guardian Masterclass on Investigative Journalism

Wikileaks, CIA secret flights, Qatar World Cup, Prince Charles's "black spider" memos, social housing scandals, chicken and horsemeat scandals, Serco, HSBC... The list reads like a summary of some of the best investigative journalism of recent years. Attendees at July's Guardian Masterclass were treated to inspiring guidance from the reporters behind these prominent news stories.

The four experts sharing their experiences of investigative reporting were none other than:

David Leigh, Investigations Executive Editor, The Guardian & City University

Felicity Lawrence, Special Correspondent & Investigative Reporter, The Guardian

RobertBooth, Senior Reporter, The Guardian

HelenDarbishire, Executive Director, Access Info Europe

The audience was a mixture of aspiring and working journalists - as well the curious from a variety of backgrounds.

Basic reporting skills

Robert Booth began the day with a presentation on the basics. He described how various sources built the Prince Charles stories. An initial investigation can turn into a much bigger story - e.g. a migrant worker abuse story moved ever closer to the Qatar World Cup organising committee. Relatively little of weeks or months of work finds its way into the eventual story.

" Investigative journalism can be arduous,

but it creates some of the best reports"

Dogged determination

Felicity Lawrence's investigations have largely focused on food production. She described the dogged determination required to pursue a story against the politics of food, big brands, powerful lawyers and transnational companies. The latter can be more powerful than a State in the modern world.

Felicity described how to work with confidential sources and whistle-blowers. She stressed the importance of going to the companies concerned and asking questions in an appropriate manner. She prefers to make an initial contact by phone and then follow up with her questions in an email.  Felicity described her approach as working within her personality, i.e. not aggressive.

Legal threats

If the company decides to employ a top legal firm to warn you off the story, you know you are "on to something". Twelve-page legal letter? Time for high-fives.

Personal safety

Both Felicity and Robert emphasised the importance of having colleagues to share difficulties with. In Felicity's case, working with a team provided some protection when the story revealed organised crime.

"Great merit in being a middle-aged woman with grey hair.

When you walk in, no-one sees you"

Felicity stressed the strength of video in modern journalism and the role of undercover filming in the chicken news stories. The downside is that there is no room for nuance, subtleties or the denials required legally. Some people clam up on video. Others even find being confronted by a notebook intimidating. A combination of reporting methods is the ideal mix.

After Felicity's tales of dirty chicken, it was a relief to discover that the Guardian canteen had a fish and vegetarian menu. The canteen has a great view of the somewhat aptly named Battlebridge Basin.

Guardian Canteen overlooks the canal and Battlebridge Basin

Freedom of Information

After lunch, Helen Darbishire gave a presentation entitled Your Right to Know: Legal Leaks. She is based in Spain, the country with the most recent Freedom of Information Act of 10 December 2014. From her historical presentation, it rather seemed that the UK is endeavouring to buck the trend for greater access.

Helen provided a wealth of information that could form its own entirely separate blog. She stressed how Freedom of Expression includes the Right of Access to Information. Her ten tips on how to request information and success stories should encourage all attendees to launch their own FOI requests in future. As she said in her final tip:

It’s your right: 
use it or lose it!

"The Enemies"

David Leigh's presentation Enemies of Investigative Journalism was the highlight at the end of a fascinating day. He described how 50% of the energy in any news story has to go into getting the story out and published.

Who are these alleged enemies? 

1. The journalists' own bosses who may not want to "tweak the cat's tail at this difficult time".

2. A subset of the intelligence services - especially if the story touches on their own activities as in the case of Snowden.

3. The Law - there are all sorts of legal hurdles. Top lawyers are paid to intimidate investigative journalists on behalf of high profile individuals. (There is no such protection for ordinary people). 

David carefully and dramatically uncovered these alleged enemies using the wording of the legal firms' own websites.

Libel

Libel law has journalists treading on eggshells. A libel case can cripple an NGO. A case is expensive whether you win or lose. An apology can be exacted for a trivial mistake, even if there is substantial evidence that a company has been "up to no good".

UK legal fees

A University of Oxford academic study compared legal fees for defamation proceedings across Europe. Fees in the UK under a conditional fee agreement are 140 times more costly than the average cost of the other countries (Source: International Bar Association). David explained The Reynolds Defence. The new UK Defamation Act of 2014 has reduced libel tourism.

The traditional newspaper business model is difficult to fund in the internet age. People want to save investigative journalism for the Nation. A story rarely ends well for a whistle-blower. Massive data leaks cannot be prevented. They will happen over and over again in the future.

Cross-border collaboration brings success today in investigative journalism.

"Rich and victorious time for investigative journalism"

I came away from the Guardian Masterclass inspired and full of admiration for the reporters who pursue news stories so doggedly. Investigative journalism and freedom of information make a difference in our world. The small organisation and "the little guy" stand a much better chance of being heard thanks to professional investigative reporters.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant. 

Contact karen@anglicity.com 
for further information 
on Anglicity's services.