How to Become a Budding Reporter using yourCamcorder

There has never been a better time to flex your reporting muscles, and use your camcorder to show the world the fruits of your investigations. If you harbour journalistic ambitions the world of news is your oyster, so grab your camcorder and our mini guide and get out there, you never know where it might lead you.

From small seeds – where to start your Camcorder Reporting Journey

As a child, ex Big Breakfast presenter Richard Bacon made news reports in his back garden with a
Camcorder. These early efforts translated swiftly into a job at Blue Peter and a successful career as a presenter. If you can avoid certain bad habits, this and more could happen for you.

The best place to start is with what you know, go to local events, request interviews with local celebrities and never dismiss a ‘story’. With some imagination footage from a school sports day, interspersed with sound bites from athletes and spectators could showcase your talents, and find an enthusiastic audience of competitors, families, friends and staff.

The news is out there – do your Research

Spend some time watching reports from the field on local and national news stations, some analysis of content and how shots are interspersed with dialogue and background can greatly inform and inspire your own efforts. Even a fairly straightforward political segment is worth considering as start, what makes up the shot? How important is location?

The budding reporter’s tool kit – camcorder and editing technology

Now is a great time to invest in a camcorder. The market is flooded with versatile and easy to use machines that can easily go wherever you do. Intuitive software is making it easier and easier to edit your films so that, with a little effort, professional looking results are within your grasp.
HD camcorders can produce high quality pictures, and perhaps even more usefully for the budding reporter, can reproduce sound at CD quality without the need for external microphones. Obviously some financial outlay is involved, but if you are serious the costs are now relatively low. Do your research and you could soon be the proud owner of the camcorder that will help you launch your career.

Shout it from the rooftops – where to ‘broadcast’ your work

Today’s social media revolution is perhaps the most powerful tool in your favour after your camcorder itself. It is now fantastically simple to reach an audience for your work. Use YouTube, Face book, Twitter, Flickr and be sure to link them all up to your own website or blog. All of this can be achieved with minimum effort, but bear in mind you will need to put in the effort to self promote; send links to anyone and everyone. It is also essential to keep all your pages up to date, tweet, blog and upload frequently to keep your audiences interest and who knows where you could be next year?