The challenge of visual medium

As a print journalist, I have never had to write for a visual medium. Today, I went to Dirck Halstead’s lecture and he talked about how he made a documentary about an Italian movie mogul who married a beauty who was younger than his daughter. He talked about how managed to capture a lively debate between the guy and his little daughter about what made a good film producer. Dirck could capture that scene because of his closeness to the man. And that scene is probably the best part of the film, to me. Like a photojournalist, a video journalist needs to be able to get close to other people and shoot such intimate details. A print journalist does not have to do that. He/she could have used a witness’s words, for example. In telling the same story, a video journalist’s job seems much more challenging.

I was a little daunted when I thought about the next assignment. How am I supposed to carry that heavy camera and the tripod at the same time? What kind of difficulties am I going to face when I shoot people while interviewing them? Some agree to be interviewed, on the condition that their faces are not photographed or put on film. But then, that’s the excitement of being in journalism, I guess. There are always unexpected things waiting for you.