A Three-Pronged Convergence Plan
by David M. Cole
If you’re anything like me,
all you know about video is how to change the channels on a television.
We won’t ask whether you have the foggiest idea how to operate your
VCR (hey, at least mine doesn’t flash "12:00" all the time).
But, when the Big Pipes come, you’re going to need to know a lot more about video than you do today.
The gargantuan conduits in question will deliver high-speed, high-bandwidth digital service into virtually every home in North America, some of which may actually house your customers—or better yet, potential customers.
The general thinking today is that there’s going to be "convergence," that is, various media—print, online, radio, television (broadcast and cable)—will become interrelated. The general theory is one news staff—the newspaper staff—will gather material for a variety of media. The school-board budget meeting becomes a quick headline in the handheld computer or World Wide Web-enabled phone world, then a brief story on the Web site, a 30-second audio feed for the Web and the radio station, and a 90-second video report for the Web and the TV or cable station.
Oh yeah, when the reporter is done with all that, he or she will write 750 words for the newspaper.
All of which begs the question: What do you know about audio and video?
My guess is not much more than I.
I have begun a three-pronged effort to learn more about video—especially what’s known as "desktop video"—so I can participate in this vision of the future.
Prong one is to learn more about digital-video cameras. For someone who last dealt with a video camera during the first Nixon Administration, things have changed mightily. First and foremost, the low-resolution analog images of the late 1960s have been replaced with a high-quality, almost broadcast-quality, range of cameras that are lightweight and relatively easy to use.
For a relatively small amount of money—say under $5,000—a newspaper can equip itself with a nice little camera that falls into the category of "pro-sumer" (that is, almost professional quality at a consumer price). The most popular brands today are Canon and Sony, but just because they’re popular doesn’t mean they’re right for you.
Prong two is to learn more about shooting video. The prevailing belief is that the existing photo staff will be trained to become videographers. That theory is the basis for a program run under the auspices of the University of Oklahoma and the National Press Photographers Association. Dubbed "Platypus," the annual two-week-long workshop (being held as you read this) teaches still photographers how to shoot video.
Digital-video cameras are not yet at the point where they can be used for still images, meaning your staff will have to carry more equipment. But the technology is getting there.
The use of lights and a tripod are high on the list of big things a still photographer needs to know about video. There’s also the issue of learning film grammar, which is important here and in the editing process.
Prong three is to learn more about editing video. There appear to be three ways you can go in digital-video editing today: the high road, the middle road, and the low road. I think for a pilot effort, a newspaper should start on the low road.
If you already have a recent-generation Macintosh, then all you need for low-end digital video editing is a copy of Apple’s iMovie 2 software ($50) and a book that explains how to use it (for $50, Apple wasn’t about to write a book).
I have been taken by David Pogue’s iMovie 2: The Missing Manual (Pogue Press/O’Reilly & Associates, 2000), which seems very straight-forward in teaching not only how to operate the software, but also a crash course on film grammar.
The middle road would be Apple’s Final Cut Pro or Adobe Systems Inc.’s Premiere, both of which run on a good Macintosh but will set you back between $500 and $1,000. The high road would be professional video-editing software like that from Avid, which costs more like $50,000. I would suggest getting really comfortable with iMovie before moving to Final Cut Pro, Premiere or Avid.
If you take a trek similar to mine, you too might get prepared for convergence.
Or maybe at least your VCR won’t flash "12:00" anymore. 
Cole is a San Francisco-based newspaper consultant and editor of The Cole Papers, a monthly newsletter on technology, journalism and publishing. E-mail, dmc@colegroup.com; phone, (650) 994-2100; fax, (650) 994-2108. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily TechNews or NAA.