How to Make a Video News Release: Seven Low-Cost Tools to Make it Professional / Part 1

Video News Release

What is a video news release? The good news is that it isn't what it used to be. When I worked in TV news in the pre-internet days, a video news release or VNR was a big gamble. A company or organization would assign someone to produce a news-style story and then pitch the video to news stations via videotape or DVD. It required a lot of work without guaranteeing that anyone in the public would ever see the finished product. Not so anymore, thanks to the internet.

During my summer break from teaching college courses, I was looking for an opportunity to shoot some new videos. The local high school had made major renovations over the summer, including a new athletic complex and football field. After doing some background research, I pitched a story idea to the media coordinator for the school district, Jessica. Our plan was to shoot the video for the district's website and social media and to pitch it to a local online news outlet.

The Plan

The new field and athletic complex were the results of a $27-million dollar bond passed two years ago. That meant there were a number of news articles and information available so I could read up on the details. Jessica provided me with the names and contact information for the superintendent, principal, athletic director, and contractor along with a few other people. I set up interview appointments and arranged to shoot the athletic facilities and new classrooms.

The Equipment

One of the goals of this shoot was to get more practice shooting with a smartphone and the accessories that go with it. Here is a list of the equipment I used to shoot the interviews:

Ulanzi U Rig Pro	Audio-Technica Headphones	Fluid Head Tripod
Portable LED Light	Rode VideoMic	FiLMiC Pro App
iPhone7 Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

The Interviews

I used an iPhone 7 running the FiLMiC Pro app. The app allowed me to monitor audio levels and better control the focus and lighting. 

All of the interviews were shot inside so I chose to use the RodeMic as a directional shotgun. I set up around five feet away so the audio was clear and there was limited background noise.

I mounted the LED light on the U Rig. The light worked as a key light on the subjects' faces. The RodeMic has a headphone jack to allow for real-time audio monitoring. Below are some screenshots of the interviews.

Next Steps

The interviews gave me a clear outline of what I needed to shoot for b-roll. There was a laundry list of playing fields, classrooms, the football stadium, and more. 

This was a good opportunity to break out the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Gimbal and to get creative. 

In my next post, I'll talk about using a gimbal with a smartphone and show some examples of the b-roll.

Link to How to Make a Video News Release: Seven Low-Cost Tools to Make it Professional / Part 2