Cameramen In New Media Era

Have you noticed we are in the era of New media? New media, they say, refers to on-demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation. More like, information at your fingertips and on-the-go.

The emergence of New media has changed the current media landscape for journalists. Online journalism such as blogging has become an important tool on the World Wide Web.

Many traditional media houses are parking up because of their ignorance or negligence to embrace the New media approach. With the increasing market for PR reports, brown envelope journalists and government propaganda the situation gets even worse as readers distrust for this conventional media grows daily. So, it is either they embrace the "New media" approach or extinct, as many have.

However, information gotten from this new media platform can be false, hoax and unreliable - often times originating from mischievous persons. One reason being that it is an unregulated content, and often having characteristics of being manipulated.

But Videos don't lie. Undoubtedly, I can easily lie with a written report but lying with the video would definitely require a much more expensive and sophisticated tool. Truth is, I can alter/ stage an event to suit my objectives. Yet, the video still won't lie.

Lets start with "What makes a video?" A video is a composition of shots with the object and subject set within the frames (simple definition). The video tells the exact story the way it sees it. It is what we call "WYSIWYG." Yes, it is WYSIWYG! Stick with me, I'll clarify.

Many ignorant people still think of a cameraman as a nuisance, they think cameramen are the unfortunate people in the society who have failed woefully in education. They think camera operation (camera operator is usually called a cinematographer) isn't a professional occupation. Notwithstanding, any monkey can operate a camera or own a camera but it takes a professional to compose, frame and record a video while combining the technicalities.

It will shock you to know, even journalists think of themselves as superior to cameramen, especially in the Nigerian media settings. This is obvious when at an event and the journalists shook hands with other invited guests but expect the cameraman to watch from behind and doing the same would be an offense. And while most ignorant officials can’t see beyond the camera to its operator, the Cameraman is treated like shadow (behind the scene), he’s always there but who cares?!

Besides, some events can be very annoying! Imagine when event organizers invite a production crew through the cameraman who established the first contact. Yet, ignore him when they see the reporter or the other crew member. I really don't blame them. Perhaps, it is this ignorance of the New media playing out. What is supposed to be is, the right hand washing the left hand and vice versa because when the media house parks up, both are affected, regardless of superior or subordinate.

It is said, "Notwithstanding, the tallness of the yam tendrils, at harvest time the tuber will be dug from the ground." So, no matter how twisted, biased or unbalanced the written report might be – whether out of context quotes, inclusion of uninvited guest in text reports, the video would be the only resource that clarifies 'what is' and 'what is not'.

WYSIWYG - 'What You See Is What You Get' is usually what you get with Videos. But don't get it twisted, the cameraman can also compel, convince or incite the viewers to think in a certain direction. Every video has an amount of emotions from the cameraman and can be shot in a direction that can incite people either to violence or create a cheerful mood. You can tell a video badly done in a sad mood or even when the cameraman is subjective. Journalism is becoming less about news and more about entertainment.

Imagine an event with lot of reporters, without a press release or event theme, the journalists will report same event but in different angle. It's like different species of fish swimming in different direction in the same river. Similar scenario is applicable to cameramen when (s)he is subjective. Good example would be news videos. Most videos recorded for news are like fast foods - prepared in a rush, emotionless, brief and often requiring a written report for clarification / explanation.

You see, I have been beating and bruised, left in the mercy of angry thugs as my accompanying reporter took to heels when the coverage of displaced dwarves turned into communal crisis. I remember receiving beatings from different angles. Survival was my only option. Another instance, I will never forget was when a man in uniform, an Army precisely, gave me a dirty slap (thank goodness I survived) for recording a convoy of foreign diplomats and threatened with his gun when I showed him my Identity card. They both had one thing in common; they wanted the footage deleted or camera seized.

You know, I have worked long enough in this profession to know that whether in United States where Cameramen earn an average $50,590 (7, 841,450 Naira) per year or in Nigeria where cameramen live on meager salaries and remains endangered species as they’re continually easy targets for attacks, video production remains the larger driving force for new media which will not only supplement rather replace old and conventional media if necessary action is not taken swiftly.

NB: I am NTAphobic. This article was not written with NTA in mind as it can only be classified as OLD and OUTDATED media.

Chi Josh