Behind the Lens

A Broadcast Journalist's Essential Camera & Audio Toolkit

For those of us in broadcast journalism, the camera isn't just a tool to hit 'record'; it's our paintbrush, our way of showing the story as much as telling it. Getting comfortable with it – understanding how to frame a shot, capture clear sound – that's how we bring the news to life and make it resonate.

Think of it like this: when we're piecing together a visual story, we use different kinds of shots, almost like building blocks:

• A-Roll: This is the main stuff – the person talking, the reporter right there on the scene, the key action unfolding. It's the heart of what you're seeing.

• B-Roll: This is the extra footage that helps paint a picture. It shows where we are, what's happening around the main action, little details that add context and keep things visually interesting, so you're not just staring at someone talking the whole time.

• C-Roll (A Bit Fancier): Sometimes we use more creative shots – maybe a sweeping view of the city, a time-lapse of an event, or just a unique angle to give you a different feel for the story.

  
  

And sound? That's just as important as what you're seeing. You can have amazing pictures, but if you can't hear what's going on, it's all for nothing. So, we have different mics for different situations:

• Stick Mic (The Handheld): This is our go-to for quick interviews, easy to grab and go. You just have to be careful not to bump it or get too much background noise.

• Lavalier Mic (The Little Clip-On): These are great because they're tiny and you clip them right on the person's clothes, so their voice sounds consistent even if they move around.

• Shotgun Mic (The Directional One): When it's noisy or we need to pick up sound from a distance, this is our friend. It really focuses on what we point it at and blocks out a lot of other sounds.

  
  

Then there's lighting – it's all about making sure you can see what's going on and setting the right mood. We might use:

• Natural Light: Sunlight is our best friend when we can use it. We just have to watch out for harsh shadows and position people so the light looks good on them. Sometimes we use reflectors to bounce the light around and make it softer.

• On-Camera Light: These are small lights we can attach right to the camera for a little extra light, especially when it's dark. But they can be a bit harsh, so we often use diffusers to soften the light.

• Portable LED Panels: These give us a lot more control over how bright the light is and even the color. We can use them to make the main subject stand out or to fill in shadows.

  
  

And of course, we need something to record everything!

• Camera's Internal Recorder: Most of our cameras have built-in recorders. We just need to know the settings – the quality, how the sound is being recorded, all that technical stuff.

• External Audio Recorders: For really important audio, we sometimes use separate recorders. They often have better sound quality and give us more control over the levels.

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Putting it all together is a skill you learn by doing. I remember my semester in RTV on campus; suddenly, I wasn't just writing words, I was trying to tell a story with a camera. Even a 30-second clip that airs feels like a huge undertaking when you're setting up shots, fiddling with audio, and trying to capture the right visuals. It gave me a whole new level of respect for broadcast journalists. As a print and digital person, writing felt natural, but translating that into a visual narrative was a different kind of storytelling. You realize how much goes into those few seconds of video, learning to use editing software to piece it all together with sound, and even writing scripts for the anchors. It definitely sparked a newfound appreciation for the craft of broadcast journalism