The Mouse And The Shoe Box

Thoughts and Musings: Aim for the Heart

The primary thing I took away with me through these readings is the facet of writing and reporting, at least the good ones, is that they all "aim for the heart" of the audience. As mentioned in my last post, if one is able to resonate with the audience on an emotional level, that story will sink deeper into their consciousness. For another theme repeated throughout the segments is that people remember what they feel a whole lot longer than what they knew. 

So, in order to achieve this, the first thing the reporter has to do when working on a project is attain an understanding of the two-levels of "what's the story about?"

As my professor Ted Gup would always drill into us, every article that's written has two meanings when you ask what the story is about: the first is the basic overview, the spark-notes of the piece. Meanwhile the second, deeper definition concerns itself with what the story truly represents, what moral or theme is it trying to convey? For example a story of a boy playing adopting a stray at first is just about a boy and his dog. The second level could be about the bonds between man and animal, or the dangers of overpopulation among pets, .etc

To get to this core meaning, you're gonna have to work at it through interviews and research.

When interviewing a subject, being a good listener is ESSENTIAL. The goal of any interview is to try and get the subject to be as comfortable and trusting around you as possible. To make them open up to you is the first and hardest step of any interview. Sometimes, the person is open and talkative, others are as tight as a clam shell. Regardless, if you can establish that intimacy, it will make the whole process a whole lot easier for yourself.

If the subject thinks you don't care, or believes you see them only as a font of information and not a human being, they can and will shut down before you. And at that point, trying to get anything out of them is like trying to ice skate uphill.

Getting to the second level of About, comes from good interviews. And you cannot have a good interview without good characters. The people you choose and the things they say that you include are the lifeblood of the piece. Any good story has good characters that bring the color to it. Finding the right subject and asking the right questions are a two-fold skill to have in the field. 

In terms of interviewing practices the central lesson is "less is more."

When talking to people, approach with an naive air. Ask a lot of questions to break through the jargon and get to the core of what they're saying. Ask basic open ended questions, it's up to the interviewee to fill in the silence. Make them work for it a bit. And when it comes to the tough questions, don't be afraid to ask them. Lastly, ask ONE question at a time. Keeping a tight and focused reign on your thoughts and questions leads to a simple path and less of a chance for your subject to dodge the question.

One time I ate probably way too many mushrooms and I could feel my trip going bad. So, I turned to my roommate and I said something along the lines of,

"I feel amazing but I feel like this sensation has a price and I'm about to pay it."

To which he responded, "What are you, catholic?" And that knocked me so firmly out of my mental state that the rest of the trip was hands down the best time I ever did mushrooms.

A Journalist's Progress: Vid Interview (part deux)

This past Friday marked a couple major advancements for our project. We finally nabbed our second interview session with our subject and even better he said "I'm used to the camera now." Which was true from his whole demeanor throughout the session. He was more natural and fluid, not as conscious of the machinery recording him and focused more on us. His quotes and the pics he provided were very deep and interesting to have.

It always amazes me how much a person can get used to people over such a short time period. Considering how shy and awkward I am at almost any given moment in my life, the act of talking to a stranger about some of the most personal stuff you can get into with someone is an act of insanity as far as I'm concerned.

I think it has to do with being able to watch the slow transformation from strangers to acquaintanceship -- that delicate and steady progression as we talk like normal people and not a good cop bad cop scenario or interrogation. Despite the initial horror I feel at every outset, being able to bear witness to that shift makes it worth it. Every single time.  

Current Events, Tribulations, and All that Jazz

After a long bout of delays, we finally got our subject for our 5 min video interview! He was pretty nervous at first but after talking with him for a bit, he warmed up considerably (though to be fair, I get nervous before every interview I do anyway). We got A-Roll done along with some B-Roll and we plan to do some more this coming Monday. Overall, a huge weight feels lifted from our heads now that we got this part all settled. The rest shall fall into place smoothly enough (hopefully anyway).

AI disturbance overlays for those who don't have Ibis paint premium. found them on tiktok

Thoughts and Observations: Kramer vs. Tompkins (vs. Kramer)

The readings from the last few sessions of Tompkins and Kramer really worked well together for me. 

Essentially in chapters 9-12 of Aim for the Heart the importance of B roll and variety of shots became the tantamount elements for video journalism and when doing interviews. Images can add so much more to a news report or feature piece than words alone. Plus, having different shots and angles gives the viewer a greater sense of the world you are introducing them to.

When doing the interview, try to display the items and activities that help describe who the subject is. This can also be provided in the B roll. The support video showing action and movement to liven up the piece. This B roll can be hobbies or activities, sights and sounds, or even just some busy work. Over all the sense of the person must be best portrayed throughout. 

This all segways rather handily into Kramer's section. The focus was primarily on how to set up the frame work for a story. Organization is key for any writing job - be it a hard news lede or grand magazine article. Setting up that rough skeleton is key to a good body of work. Secondly, don't think that your first draft is going to be gold from the start. There is always going to be something to tweak, something to tighten, something to add or take away.

The central thing to bear in mind so you don't become obsessive over it is that you're out there to make the best thing you can in the time you have. If you can honestly say that, then you've done a damned good job. 

Telling True Stories: Thoughts (pages19-59)

The first section of reading from Telling True Stories came as a good introduction to what is needed for good non-fiction writing in general and essentially good reporting. What I particularly felt pulled by was the section on finding topics to write about. This has always been a bit of a thorn in my side when it comes to my writing process. The idea of sitting before a blank screen became more frightening to me than being at the muzzle end of a firing squad (at least with that, I knew where the story would be going).

From reading this section, it all really comes down to the people. The topic you choose could be the most dynamic, electrifying, epic topic to burst onto the scene in a long while, but without a good subject -- without that spark of humanity, the story will always fall flat. So the key to any good topic for a story has got to start with the people and the subject working as one unit. When a face is put with the news, it makes the story all the more lively and worth paying attention to. 

Going with the theme of topic, it's best to choose something that can resonate with the reader. Sometimes, this can be found rather easily like if the topic is about jobs or the economy. But other times, and this I believe is the true test of a good writer and reporter, is when you can find the commonality between people of various walks of life and circumstance. If you can make a connection between the reader and a globe-trotting playboy, you know you have something great.

And that connection can only be found through the next point made: details and observation. When interviewing, whether you do so with pen and paper, recorder, by sheer force of memory, or some mixture of the three, you must always be aware of the little details that reveal nuances of the subject. Look about their room what do you see? Pictures of the family? No pictures of the family? Artworks? Little Precious Moments Doll collections? And what about some memories of their own? What did they do as a child? Was their father around? What about siblings? Romances? Or lack thereof? All these things factor into what makes this person, your subject, tick. It's all right there, bubbling under the surface like a river under a thick sheet of ice: sometimes the ice is thin and easily broken, other times you have to work at it a bit before you can break through. 

What I particularly liked was theme of establishing intimacy with the subject. Before they open up, they have to trust and be comfortable around you. If their guard is up, nothing will come to pass and you'll be at a stalemate with deadline approaching. Being able to establish rapport is a key skill to develop as a reporter. 

Be a dear and check me and many other fine writers out at Game Podunk! 

Coming Events: Otaku/Geek Extravaganza!

Next week is going to be a busy day for geeky, anime, and gaming enthusiast. In what can only be explained as proper alignment of the planets, both Pax East and Anime Boston --the biggest expos for gaming and anime on the east coast respectively. 

And yours truly will be attending them both. Expect Twitter commentary on the sights and sounds of both events as they unfold next weekend from April 6 to 8. 

(my resulting collapse from exhaustion may or not be documented).

follow me on twitter at @dimanched1

"I am a writer because writing is the thing I do best." -Flannery O'Connor