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AI-AP | Pro Photo Daily » State of the Art: Shutterstock Predicts the Creative Trends of 2019

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This year it will be back to the future.

At least in design styles and visual production.

Stock giant Shutterstock has released its 2019 Creative Trends Report, which is based on the use of search terms from clients, and it appears as if the future is going to look a lot like the past ... with some twists.

"What's old is new again," notes the report. "With interest in terms like "Synthwave" increasing 717% , "Retrowave" up 676% and "Duotone" up 230 percent, this trend is an optimistic redux of early-tech - a focus on what yesterday's tomorrow looked like. It's all about the looks and sounds that defined futurism at the daw of the digital age like bold purple, blue, and pink duotone gradients, basic vector graphics, and dreamy synth music."

Such predictions are in line with the techy colors that Shutterstock previously predicted will dominate in 2019: UFO Green ("evokes lush countrysides alongside whirling rows of binary code, a la 'The Matrix'"); Plastic Pink ("harkens back to a certain iconic toy but carries a whole new intensity in meaning"); and Proton Purple ("buzzing neon signs, humming devices, vibrating phones").

Among the creative trends Shutterstock sees coming this year: the return of Zine culture. But the "raw, homemade aesthetic" will get a digital update, notes the company. "With a 1376% increase in searches for 'contemporary art collage,' zine culture clearly lives on in the decentralized mindset of the digital age through social media, where independent makers can share and niche groups can discover. Built on principles of collage and largely influenced by the invention of the photocopier, it is paper cutouts, noise and grain textures, and rough-edged layers that define this trend," notes the report.

Also on its way this year is the return of '80s opulence. "The '80s are back and ready to party," declares Shutterstock. "The term 'chain print' is up 731% and 'elegance pattern' searches increased 1060%. Forget good taste, this is about good times. Clashing is the key word for this trend. Think leopard print (up 167%) and snakeskin (up 157%), peacock feathers and gold chain belts, soft fur and hard metal textures."

Or, just think "Dynasty," the classic television show born in the heyday of Reagan-era over-abundance.

"The year-over-year search increases provide insights that are not only helpful for other marketers as they prepare for campaigns throughout the year, but also valuable to artists, photographers, videographers and musicians," adds Shutterstock.

With the release of the 2019 Creative Trends report, we also perused some of Shutterstock's other predictions for 2019, including the company's Top Video Marketing Trends report. Among those trends is the continued "democratization" of video with less expensive prosumer 4K cameras saturating the market.

The report also notes that while Facebook "has seemingly backed off from its laissez faire approach to content and video," Facebook owned Instagram has trended in the opposite direction for video makers and marketers alike. "With a reported 1 billion active monthly users, engagement on branded Instagram content is up to 10x that of Facebook content," notes the report. Reddit is also becoming more video friendly.

Meanwhile, celebrity social media influencers may be less influential over time, while knowledgeable "brand ambassadors" are gaining clout.

But there's more to that story.

In Shutterstock's Digital Marketing Trends report for 2019, the company highlights the power of micro-influencers.

"Most people think of influencers as celebrities with millions of followers on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, but it doesn't take a massive audience to wield influence on social sites. The Kardashians, Zach King, or The Rock may be able to sell products with a mere mention of a brand, but the cost of such celebrity endorsements makes them unattainable for most brands. Instead, small businesses are now looking to "everyman" social media users with smaller niche audiences," notes the report.

So here we are in 2019, living through the Trump era, which honestly hasn't been much fun for anyone, and looking back with fondness to the metallic sheen of the 1980s. As Shutterstock notes, we're ready to party. At any rate, as we find our path through the thicket of Kardashians in the hope of finding some kind of authenticity, we can look forward to 2020, which is now just eleven and a half months away. Get in your DeLorean, crank up the flux capacitor, and before you know it you'll be there.

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AI-AP | Pro Photo Daily " State of the Art: Shutterstock Predicts the Creative Trends of 2019

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This year it will be back to the future. At least in design styles and visual production. Stock giant Shutterstock has released its 2019 Creative Trends Report, which is based on the use of search terms from clients, and it appears as if the future is going to look a lot like the past ...

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15 YouTubers Who Can Help You Learn About Photography - Resource

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Photography can be a fun hobby to learn. A way to learn photography is using YouTube which is a major platform into learning different hobbies. Here is a list of twelve amazing YouTubers to help strengthen your photography skills.

One of their livestreams; youtube.com

Tony and Chelsea Northrup
This YouTube channel is run by a couple that teaches different techniques. They also haveDIYs of light sources you can use while shooting. They also offer different reviews of cameras so if your beginning in photography- they can suggest you a camera. J

Some of the hosts; adorama.com

Adorama TV
This channel is very different in how they use a lot of different hosts not like the other channels on our list. These different hosts are able to use their different experiences in the field to connect with their audience which is their mission. With this mission in mind- their audience is their main motivation.

logo; scoop.it

COOPH
COOPH which means Cooperative of Photography is DIY central takes place in this channel. They will help with different hacks and tips for any level photographer. This is definitely one to look out for

logo; slickdeals.com

B&H Photo Video
Not only is B&H being a very well-known electronics store, but they have another tool which this YouTube channel is. Not only is reviews but they also cover different events as well. The events they go to will benefit photographers. So you'll get a lot of information on cameras and different equipment.

tutvid.com

Tutvid
Have you ever used Adobe Photoshop? Do you need more practice on it? This channel will be able to help you in many. But it be able to tell you on more Adobe programs and even video programs as well. This is different than other channels on our list but it wouldn't hurt to check this out.

creativelive.com

Creativelive
This community turned into a global community to help people strengthen people's skills or even help beginners as well. They use their videos to enagage with their audience.

seamless photo.com

Jessica Kobeissi
The first fashion photographer on our list. She can teach you the right way shooting your subject in different settings and how they should look with their different outfits. She also specializes in portraits as well.

youtube.com

Mango Street
They are all about photography tutorials in this channel. Not only do they do photography cameras but they also do tutorials for mobile devices. So not only will you learn on a professional camera but on your phone as well.

theslantedlens.podbean.com

The Slanted Lens
This is a little bit of everything for everybody. You got reviews, different techniques to learn and many more. This one is the one for you if you want to learn as much as possible.

youtube.com

Peter McKinnon
Not only is he a photographer but he's a cinematographer as well. Some of he's videos include vlog like videos, but you get the different photographer videos like the ones on our list. He's pretty unique in his videos; it will be a good tool to see what he offers.

one of his videos; youtube.com

Chris Hau
These videos are so beautiful to look at. Your learning about photography but you also get to see how Hau uses the different landscapes and how the different techniques he uses. He does one video on how to photograph the stars. Even though he's just started his channel, hes one to check out.

youtube.com

RGGedu
This channel is all about different styles of shoots. Some of these styles include vintage and even modern. Their mission is to educate using in depth videos and use tutorials for their views. If you want to learn different styles this is for you.

pinterest.com

Kai W
W is definitely the nerdiest out of everyone on our list. He is another vlogger but still has a little hint of photography reviews and a lot of tips for you to digest. He has a nerdy personality that makes very watchable, so you'll never be bored.

logo; fstoppers.com

Fstoppers
Another group channel of different professionals that all share the same common interest. You will get some tutorials, reviews, vlogs and many more videos. You'll be entertained while at the same time being educated.

one of his videos; youtube.com

Karl taylor
Last but very not least- we are introduced to the technique of taking picture of products. He'll even teach how to use Adobe Photoshop as well. This one will be very informative for every level of photographer you are in.

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15 YouTubers Who Can Help You Learn About Photography - Resource

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Photography can be a fun hobby to learn. A way to learn photography is using YouTube which is a major platform into learning different hobbies. Here is a list of twelve amazing YouTubers to help strengthen your photography skills. Tony and Chelsea Northrup This YouTube channel is run by a couple that teaches different techniques.

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Earlier this year, the China-based organization NGOCN released the results of a survey to determine how friendly the policy environment is for non-governmental charity groups across China. NGOCN surveyed domestic Chinese non-profits in 10 cities, compiling results from 680 completed questionnaires and around 80 focus group sessions. With these results, NGOCN created the below infographic, which The China NGO Project has translated into English from the original Chinese. (China Development Brief has also published an abridged version of the full report.)
Translated from the Chinese by Kelly Ng and Jessica Batke.

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What Chinese Charities Are Facing, in One Easy Chart

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Earlier this year, the China-based organization NGOCN released the results of a survey to determine how friendly the policy environment is for non-governmental charity groups across China. NGOCN surveyed domestic Chinese non-profits in 10 cities, compiling results from 680 completed questionnaires and around 80 focus group sessions.

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How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of mixing audio stories

Podcast mixing - in fact, mixing audio stories of any kind - can be tedious. It's the part of the production process where you create balance, consistency, and clarity with all of the audio elements in your story. But for many, it's the least understood and most overlooked part.

This step-by-step guide outlines a straightforward way to mix podcasts and audio stories. As you explore the process, you can play along:

Download these example audio files to try out the methods in your own audio production software. To use these files, import them into your audio editor and align each file to the top of the session (0:00). The audio is already organized for you.

For a more detailed look at mixing, as well as a list of the tools you'll need, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories. And if you're new to this, check out these posts:

Eight steps to the perfect mix:
Follow this order every time for an efficient workflow.

Step 1: Organize

The first step in mixing is to organize your mixing session. The goal is to create a project that looks organized, is properly labeled and has similar audio grouped on individual tracks.

1. Arrange your tracks in this order:

This is a common layout in audio storytelling, whether it's a 20-minute longform podcast or a 45-second news spot. Using the same layout for every project makes it easier to navigate and collaborate with others. As we'll see later on, it will also make it easier to set levels, EQ and compression.

(If you aren't using a master track , you should! It's used to measure the combined levels of all the tracks in your mix. Learn more in The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .)
2. Organize the audio clips:
Skim through your clips and ensure that each track includes only clips that are alike. Each clip on an actuality track should be from the same person and interview, each clip on an ambience track should be from the same scene, and so on. If it's a different voice or scene, it gets its own track.

You may have to make more than the five original tracks to accommodate all your clips. Name them appropriately and avoid generic titles like "Track 1" or "Audio 1". Instead, use descriptive names like "Larry," "Jerry ISDN" or "AMBI market."
3. Cascade the tracks:
Once you have named the tracks and grouped together similar clips, organize them visually so that they cascade diagonally from top-to-bottom, left-to-right. If the "Sara phoner" actuality is heard in the story before "Tracie ISDN," then the "Sara phoner" track should be above the "Tracie ISDN" track. Cascading clips like this will make the project much easier to navigate and mix.

When the organization is done, it will look like this:

Or, for a larger session, like this:

A little time invested in this step at the beginning of the project will make the rest of the process go quicker.

Step 2: Rough in levels

Take a moment to adjust the level of your tracks so that every voice track is roughly at the same level. We are about to assess whether any voices need fixing with equalization (commonly called EQ) and compression. To do that, all of the voices need to be at a similar level, because our brains generally perceive louder sounds as "better."

If your organization has a standard level it uses for mixes, use that as your target. If you don't know what it is, stop now and go find out! Many production organizations have a standard target that everyone uses for mixing, and that helps things sound consistent from one piece to another. Most productions use loudness meters when mixing for .

Don't try to get things perfect at this point, and spend only a minute or two on this step. It's ok for transitions and fades to be rough.

From here, we are going to deal with tracks one-by-one, in isolation. You can use the solo button to do this.

A brief note about solo and mute buttons: They achieve similar outcomes and have very different purposes. Solo is intended to temporarily isolate the selected track and quiet all of the other tracks with one button press. Mute is intended to quiet only the selected track. Use the solo button for its intended purpose, not like an "on" button - it can interrupt routing and change the way your audio editor behaves.

Step 3: Determine if you need to EQ

Now we're going to check whether any of the tracks has a tonal issue that can be improved with equalization. If you'd like to know more about EQ, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .

1. Solo one track and listen
Solo the first track and play it back. Do you hear any unnatural tonal issues like rumble, hollowness, harshness, or sibilance? Are any frequencies jumping out at you?
2. Find and fix the tonal problem
If so, insert an EQ plug-in on the track and follow the steps outlined in to find and reduce the problem frequencies. It's a good idea to preemptively use a hunt for and The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories high-pass filter to clean up useless low-end rumble. You may also need to . reduce a tonal problem
3. Repeat for each track

A note about ambience: Often we record ambience that matches up with voices recorded in the same location, both need to match in tone. So if you adjusted the tone of a voice track with EQ, apply the same change to the accompanying ambience track. Additionally, if there is an environmental issue like rumble or hum in the voice track, it's likely audible in the ambience recording. You can fix it with the same EQ settings.

Remember: A plug-in will process every clip of audio on a track. This is why you organize similar clips from the very beginning.

When you are happy with the results, keep the track soloed and move on to the compression step.

Step 4: Determine if you need compression
If you'd like to know more detail about using a compressor, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .

1. Assess the presence of the voice
Ask yourself these questions:

Does the person speak in an even and consistent way?

Does the speaker sound strong and present?

If you turn the listening level down halfway, can you still hear and understand every word?

If you answered "yes" to all the above, you can probably get by without compression.

But if the speaker emphasizes certain syllables and words in ways that make them sound inconsistent or "jumpy" in level, you might need it. Consider using compression if a voice doesn't sound strong or if it is layered over music.
2. Add a compressor if you need it
Insert a compression plug-in on the track and follow the method to configure it outlined in The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .
3. Repeat for each track

A note about ambience: You don't usually need to apply compression to ambience. However, compression can impact the level of voices. If you used compression on a voice track, you may need to adjust the level of the accompanying ambience to match.

Step 5: Check edits and fades

Now do a quick check of all the edits in the piece to ensure they are distraction-free and natural . You want to avoid doubled breaths , unnatural edits and the like.

1. Listen to each edit
Check every edit in the piece. Does the edit sound ? Are words tone or cadence change ? Is there an audible shift in ambience? Take the time to fine-tune these edits as needed.
2. Check for fades on each clip
Make sure the tops and tails (beginnings and ends) of each clip have fades, even if they are very short. It's best practice to place fades at the top and tail of every clip to avoid abrupt entrances . You might not hear an issue now, but it could pop up later in a different listening environment.

This process is easier if you know some of the keyboard shortcuts for your audio editor. Learn the shortcut to jump to the next edit on the track as well as the shortcut to move the playhead back a few seconds. With those two shortcuts, you'll be able to jump from edit-to-edit, back up a couple of seconds and audition the edit relatively quickly. If you don't know those shortcuts, stop right now and go learn them!

Step 6: Fine-tune levels

Fine-tuning levels is called "balancing." Each audio clip needs to match the clip preceding it - not too loud, not too soft. Ambience and music should be audible, but not compete.

To create this balance, you have to have a foundation. We'll use the host/reporter track for that purpose.

In Step 1, you organized the tracks in this order:

This is the order in which you should balance.

Instead of trying to mix all of the tracks at the same time, use the host/reporter track to create a foundation with which to balance all of the other tracks. Your goal is to balance the clips on the host/reporter track to each other and get them close to the mixing target. Then you'll create the rest of the mix by comparing the balance of the other clips and tracks to the host/reporter track (we'll call it the "host track" from here).

To sum it up: Mix each track from the top down.

1. Balance each clip on the first track to the target level
To start this step, mute all the tracks except for the host track. Listen through the first clip of audio. Does it regularly hit the target on your meter and sound consistent to your ear? You quickly roughed in levels in one of the first steps, so the level should be close - but it might need adjusting.

If a sentence or a phrase seems out of balance, apply the level automation tools in your audio editor to that portion. Try to make changes in sentences or phrases .

Once the host track consistently hits the mixing target on your meter and each clip sounds balanced to the clip that precedes it, you are ready to move on to the next track.
2. Balance clips on the next track to the first track
Turn off the mute so you now hear the first actuality/guest track and the host track together. Listen to the last few seconds of the host clip going in to the first actuality clip. Do the two sound balanced? Make the appropriate change to bring the actuality in line with the host track. Now listen through the rest of the clip and determine if a change is necessary. Finally, check the transition out of the clip into the host track to ensure it is balanced.

Repeat this process for all of your guest tracks, un-muting and adjusting one new track at a time. Once you've balanced each clip to the host track, do another pass and listen to all of the transitions. Use this opportunity to double-check balances and make note of transitions and edits that will need to be

Step 7: Balance ambience and music

This is a tricky step! The ambience and music should not compete with the voice tracks, nor should they be so low that it's not audible when listening in a car or noisy environment.

To judge the level of ambience and music, use the "rock and roll" mixing trick . Also, listen to your mix on headphones and speakers - the balance is going to sound a bit different on each. A compromise between the two options will work well in most situations.

This is also a good time to check the fades on ambience and music.

Note: Often, the waveform of music clips looks quite different from voices. Music production involves lots of compression that makes the waveform look small. It will likely sound louder than it looks.

Listen to the entire mix, top to tail, on headphones. Listen for anything unnatural, and pay close attention to transitions and balances of voice over ambience or music.

That's it! You created a well-balanced mix in an organized and efficient way. The first couple times you do it this way, it might take a long time. But don't worry. It will get easier the more you do it.

You can print out a 1-page checklist below:
is the director of broadcast and media operations at Minnesota Public Radio | American Public Media. His audio engineering there contributed to a Peabody Award and Pulitzer Prize. As part of the NPR Training team, Rob worked with public media producers across the country. He has written other production guides, including The Ear Training Guide for Audio Producers and The Audio Producer's Guide to Loudness . He mixes the Radiotopia podcast .

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How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of mixing audio stories

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This step-by-step guide shows a straightforward method for mixing audio stories, podcasts and more.

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The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories

Whether you are mixing radio news stories or podcasts, this guide provides tips to help you improve the quality of your mixes. You will find a list of essential mixing tools, tips to make adjusting levels less tedious and guidance on how to use equalization and compression. You'll also find suggestions for solving common audio problems, like bad phone tape.

We recommend that you first check out the - it will give you good insight into many of the problems you'll encounter in the mix process. Ear training guide for audio producers

You can scroll through the entire guide, or toggle to a specific section below:

Learn more about a section in-depth:

For a detailed look at an efficient and organized approach to mixing, check out the companion piece to this post: How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of mixing audio stories.

What is mixing?

Mixing is the process of creating balance, consistency and clarity with differing audio sources. It only happens when the elements of the story are edited and arranged.

In mixing, voices become clearer, transitions are smoothed, loudness is made consistent and or music beds are balanced so they do not compete with dialogue. Technical issues , like plosives or tinny audio, are also addressed in mixing.

Definitions

Software that allows you to edit, arrange, and mix audio. Another name for an audio editor is digital audio workstation, or DAW. Audio editor:

Plug-in: Software that performs a specific audio function, like a meter, equalizer, or compressor. Audio editors typically offer a suite of stock plug-ins but you can also use third-party plug-ins. Depending on the audio editor, you can use plug-ins on all audio on a track, on single audio clips, or both.

Loudness: Describes how intense the audio sounds to your ears. Loudness is a reference to perception.

Level: Describes the intensity of an audio signal. The term should be accompanied by a descriptor, such as listening level . When talking about mixing in audio editors, is informally used to reference both a measurement of the overall mix as well as the individual balance of each track in relation to the others.

Volume: Used to describe the listening level of a speaker or headphone.

The tools you need to mix audio storytelling are headphones, audio editing software, and a loudness meter. Equalization and compression plug-ins can be helpful, and a noise reduction plug-in can help polish your work.

Headphones
A quality pair of headphones is essential for mixing. You want a pair that fits comfortably around your ears to block out the competing noises in your working environment (but stay away from noise cancelling headphones ). Most importantly, they need to be high quality to allow you to hear problems - wind noise, plosives, bad edits, tonal issues, etc. The earbuds that came with your phone probably won't cut it, nor will consumer headphones popular for enjoying music.

Speakers are very useful, but they are finicky tools. A pair of speakers will sound different in every room. Some rooms will make the speakers sound bassy, some will make them sound bright (too much high frequency). That's why you see all sorts of acoustic treatment in recording studios - to cut down on inconsistent frequencies and reflections.

Laptop speakers are useful for assessing a mix (since people will listen to your work with them). However, they should not be used as your primary monitoring device, since they cannot come close to reproducing the full range of frequencies.

Regardless of which you use, pick a working environment that is free of noise, office chatter, and other distractions.

Audio editing software
The work of mixing for audio storytelling is achieved with the tools that come with most any audio editor: Level controls, equalization, compressors, and meters. There are a few things to consider when picking an audio editor, and most have nothing to do with audio!

Audio production is often a collaborative experience. It's common for a story to go through multiple people on a production team - and they will all use the same audio editor. Unfortunately, it's relatively difficult to move projects between different audio editors. For that reason, pick the audio editor that your frequent collaborators use.

"OMF" and "AAF" Projects
You may have heard the terms "OMF" or "AAF" discussed when talking about moving projects between audio editors. These are tools to translate a session from one application to another. OMF and AAF will transfer a minimalized version of the project, with clips and levels intact, but won't transfer advanced features like plug-ins. This option can work but can also be problematic - especially in large sessions. Your best bet is to keep projects in one format.

Loudness meter
Meters show a visual representation of audio level. They are necessary to avoiddistortion and can help you mix in a consistent manner.

Peak meters and loudness meters are the most common. Peak meters display the electrical level of audio, and are helpful to ensure that your levels don't . They can also be useful to see if audio is panned to one side or the other of the stereo field. If you use a portable recorder, it likely has a peak meter to help you capture clean audio. However, peak meters don't do a good job of representing how the audio actually sounds. That's where loudness meters come in.

They measure audio in a way that is similar to the way we hear. They know our ears are more sensitive to high frequencies and less sensitive to low frequencies. They also know we are more sensitive to sounds that have a long duration versus a short one. They tend to be easier to use than peak meters and will help you achieve more consistent results.

EQ plug-in
Equalization (EQ) plug-ins are used to adjust tone - the balance of frequencies. For example:bright, tinny sounds have too much high frequency, and using an EQ plug-in to reduce the loudness of high frequencies can help make the audio sound more natural and balanced.

Audio editors typically come with an EQ appropriate for audio storytelling production. A parametric EQ plug-in will be most useful to your work, as it allows for natural-sounding changes and includes helpful functions like filters and shelves. Look for an EQ plugin that offers a few bands of adjustment along with high- and low-pass filters.

To learn how to use an EQ plug-in to fix problems, jump to the section , " Compression can bring control."

Compression plug-in
Compressors allow for control of dynamics - the range of soft and loud sounds. When set appropriately, a compressor can smooth out loudness variations in a voice and can add strength and power.

Like EQ, most audio editors come with a compressor of some kind. Look for one that offers an adjustable threshold, ratio and make-up gain. Simplified "one knob" compressors exist but generally won't result in the most natural sound when used on spoken-word material.

To learn how to use a compression plug-in, jump to a deeper dive into EQ and compression.

Optional: Noise reduction
This guide won't cover noise reduction, but it's a good tool to be familiar with. Noise-reduction software can reduce hisses, hums, and background sounds present in dialogue recordings. But beware: it's easy to push the reduction to a point where it sounds processed and results in a garbled or "watery" sound.

Most noise-reduction software requires a short sample of the noise (in the clear, without conversation) in order to learn the noise that you want to remove. However, some products are getting so advanced that they no longer require a noise sample. Through machine learning, the software knows the difference between a human voice and noise and is able to separate the two.

Adjusting levels

When the levels of a mix are well-balanced, it will be easy to listen to, and no one will feel the need to adjust the listening volume mid-story. Mastering your audio editor's level controls is essential to creating a great-sounding mix.

Every audio editor comes with a way to adjust levels. You can adjust faders in the audio editor's mixer, but the most common way is to adjust a line (representing the fader) drawn over the waveform. You create points (sometimes called handles, breakpoints, keyframes, or automation points) on the line and adjust those points to create adjustments to level. This is often called level automation.

Level automation makes adjusting levels easy - but creating a smooth, consistent mix is challenging. Here are some tips for improving this essential mixing step.

Listen to your ears, not your eyes
The ultimate decider is how your mix sounds, no matter how the level automation looks or what the meter says. If your ears tell you something's not quite right, it's not right. In the words of audio engineer Flawn Williams: The eyes can help ... but the ears should still reign!"

To focus your listening experience, take the visual information away. Audio editing software typically provides an avalanche of distracting visual information, so close your eyes (or turn your display off) and just ... listen.

To make the process easier, adjust levels in sentences and phrases. You'll find that this approach results in a more natural sound. There are certainly times when adjusting a syllable or a word is appropriate (laughter or a yelled word, for instance). But if you find yourself constantly making level adjustments to syllables and words, you might be making the process more difficult than you need to.

Be mindful of the zoom!
It's easy to start making tiny changes to words and syllables if the view is zoomed in too far. Keep yourself zoomed out so you see sentences and phrases, not words and syllables.

Know the difference track-based levels and clip-based levels
Some audio editors give you two places to create level automation: on the track or in individual audio clips. Track-based levels allow you to adjust levels across an entire track, while clip-based levels allow you to adjust levels to individual clips only.

Track automation allows level changes anywhere on a track.

Clip automation, however, allows level changes only on the clips themselves.

But there's a bigger difference between the two options, and that's the level adjustment occurs. In most audio editors, track-based level automation happens any adjustments made with plug-ins like EQ or compression. Depending on the audio editor, clip-based level automation happens the plug-ins, and using it may change the sound of the processed audio.

Clip gain may also cause distortion when used to boost level. Since clip automation usually comes before track automation, it's possible to raise the level so high on the clip that it distorts but compensate for the level boost by bringing down the track automation. Now the meter will look fine - but you'll hear distortion!

Both are useful tools, but be sure you understand how they work inside of your audio editor. If you are in doubt, stick with track-based level controls.

Use a master track!
In order to create a mix that is consistent and maintains proper levels, you need to keep an eye on the cumulative level of the mix. To do that, use a master track. All of the tracks in the session (the mix) will be routed to the master track. To monitor levels you can use the meter built in to the track - or you can insert aloudness meter , as mentioned above.

All of the tracks in the session route to the master track, allowing you to monitor the cumulative levels.

In some audio editors, you have to add the master track manually, but in others, it's automatically placed in the session.

Mask edits with ambience
Every environment you record in has its own ). We record ambience to take our listener to a particular place, often usingactive sound . But it is especially helpful for creating a smooth mix. You can use ambience to mask the entrances and exits of audio clips.

Now, here's that same edit, using ambience to mask the transition:

Note that the ambience is raised in level just before the transition. In this particular case, that sounded best - but a small bump in level won't always be necessary. Use your ear and decide for yourself what sounds the most natural.

Also, be intentional about the placement of ambience. Ambience has the power to take the listener to a place - it can also take them out of that place:

Fades
Fades are a nuanced part of mixing that can make or break the immersive listening experience. Like good mixes, good fades don't call attention to themselves. We've already talked about using fades tomask entrances to actualities, but fades can be used for transitions, to create a music , or to scene sound.

Consider these points with ever fade:

Content: Changes in level are less noticeable with sparse content (the ambience of an office or acoustic music) than dense content (the ambience of a factory or rock music). Sparse, light content can usually fade more quickly and subtly than dense, heavy content.

Length: Longer fade-ins and fade-outs are usually less noticeable. Long fades are especially useful when establishing ambience or a music bed. Short fades are useful at the top and tail of actualities, but be careful: without masking ambience they can be distracting. Quick, sudden fades will call attention to themselves, but can be a useful device for transitions - when used sparingly.

Into a post: If the fade is going into a (where a of content will be faded up into the clear after a clip of dialogue), you may find that trying to do the fade all at once is jarring. Instead, cut down on the amount of level the fade has to cover. Begin the fade a few seconds before the end of the clip by slowly raising the level 2-3 dB. As the clip finishes, on the last word, quickly fade the content up into the clear 2 dB from where you want it to sit. Use the next couple of seconds to raise the level the remaining 2 dB. This method uses more time to make the fade happen in a way that does not call attention to itself.

Out of a post: The same idea applies to coming out of a post to a bed underneath a dialogue clip. Bring the level of the content down 1-2 dB during the last few seconds of the post. Quickly fade down underneath the first word of the clip - but don't go all the way to the bed level. Instead, take the next few seconds to fade down the remaining 3-4 dB.

Our friends at Transom.org have more to say about fades here: More about fades
Stupid fade tricks.

Here is an example of poor music fades. Notice that the fade under the voice is very early and the fade out is late. You notice the fade; it's telegraphed.

These fades are better; they're tucked under the voice and are less noticeable:

As you evaluate a fade or transition, remember: listen with your ears, not your eyes.

Normalization
Normalization is a function that is often talked about like it is a "magic button" for mixing. But it's not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it comes with many traps! It's important to understand how normalization works before implementing it, because it may not be the right tool for the job.

There are two kinds of normalization: loudness and peak normalization.

Loudness normalization is based on a perceptual measurement - how the audio actually sounds. It measures the average loudness for the file and then adjusts the level of the file to achieve the target loudness. It doesn't react to peaks but it is able to manage them.

Here we see two voices on different tracks. The green clip is much lower in level than the red clips:

Listen to what this sounds like:

The green clip is loudness normalized to match the red clip. Note that the entire clip has increased in level.

Loudness normalization results in a consistent and even sound. It's not perfect, but it's close:

Loudness normalization is a great way to get multiple clips to the same loudness quickly. However, keep in mind that loudness normalization is not aware of context. If you use loudness normalization on a clip of dialogue and a clip of ambience, they will both be the same loudness. The ambience would be much louder than normal and it would sound rather odd.

Some audio editing platforms include loudness normalization tools to help you achieve similar levels when importing audio. As long as you are very careful about context, you may find it saves you time.

These days, peak normalization is not the most useful of tools for production. Peak normalization reacts solely to the highest peak in the audio file. It moves this peak up or down in level to reach the chosen target and then changes the rest of the audio the same amount. It reacts only to the waveform - the electrical level - and has nothing to do with the way the audio sounds.

Since peak normalization is based on the highest peak in the file, processing two audio clips from the same interview can have very different results. For example, if one clip includes a high peak from laughter but the other doesn't. Applying peak normalization to both will achieve a lower overall level in the clip with the laughter.

Because this clip contains a high peak in the waveform, peak normalization won't help make the two clips sound even. Here, the green clip is peak normalized - but the high peak means its level can't be raised any higher.

It sounds almost like the original - not very helpful:

The next two sections deal with equalization and compression. In your audio editor, you'll likely access these functions via a plug-in. Here are some things to note when using plug-ins:

Before your next project, include a conversation about plug-ins. Which ones will you use? Does everyone on the team have them? If not, how will you manage that?

It is also possible to distort inside a plug-in. If you ask the plug-in to add too much level, it will distort. Many plug-ins come with built-in peak meters. Keep an eye on that meter to make sure it's at a tolerable level!

To help make that decision, compare the fixed audio to the original audio. While the audio is playing, use the plug-in's "bypass," "power," or "on/off" button to switch the plug-in on (fixed) and off (original).

Here's a video to show you how:

Ask yourself: do you prefer the change you made, the original audio, or perhaps something in between?

Equalization can bring clarity

Use EQ when you want to adjust tone. In audio storytelling, we come across recorded voices that sound muddy and boomy or shrill and tinny. These adjectives typically describe an excess of frequencies. Muddy, boomy audio describes audio that has too much of the lower bass frequencies. Tinny or harsh audio describes the opposite - too much high frequency. With an equalizer we can reduce the excessive frequencies and help the audio sound more natural (we can "equalize" it).

Can you recognize tonal issues? Take this to find out, and learn more in the Ear training guide for audio producers .

There are two types of EQ useful in audio storytelling: the high-pass filter and the parametric EQ.

High-pass filters remove rumble
High-pass filters (also known as low-cut filters) remove audio below a certain frequency. Another way to put this: high-pass filters let the highs pass. We can use high-pass filters (HPFs from here on) to reduce boominess, muddiness, rumble, unnatural noise caused by wind, some kinds of handling noise, and plosives (p-pops). It's especially useful to clean up field tape. Factories, traffic noise, HVAC systems, or wind can all create distracting low frequency issues that a filter can fix.

Here's an example of how a high-pass filter can help. First you'll hear the original audio, then the audio with a high-pass filter:

To use the high-pass filter in your EQ plug-in:

1. Insert the EQ plug-in on the track.

2. You may first have to turn the HPF on by clicking a button to engage it (it might say ON or HP).

3. Next, set the slope of the filter. The higher the number of the slope, the more frequencies the filter cuts out. Slope is set in increments of 6 dB. A slope set to 12 dB is a good place to start. Slopes of 18 or 24 dB will sound less natural (and can cause other tonal problems) but are useful in situations when audio is incredibly muddy.

4. Now set the frequency. A good place to start for many issues is 80 Hz. If the problem is not reduced, move the frequency up to 100 Hz. You can raise the level higher, but depending on the individual voice, anything above 110-120 Hz may start to sound unnatural.

Here's a video to show you how:

Your mic may have a built-in high-pass filter!
Many microphones include a high-pass filter. You can turn it on with a simple switch, and it's a fantastic problem-solver. Learn more in Don't fear the filter from the Association of Independents in Radio.

The Parametric equalizer
Parametric equalizers allow you to variably adjust many different "parameters" of tone. They are very helpful for fixing audio that has an excess of low or high frequencies .

Parametric EQ plug-ins generally have the following features:

Multiple frequency bands that allow you to adjust more than one range of frequencies with a single instance of the plug-in. Each band has a center frequency at which any level change is concentrated.

A gain adjustment for each frequency band. This is so you can adjust the level of the selected frequency range.

A Q or bandwidth adjustment. This allows you to fine-tune the adjustment around the center frequency. A wider bandwidth (lower Q) will adjust more frequencies than a narrower bandwidth (higher Q).

Note: you'll find other kinds of EQ available, like the "graphic" EQ, but the parametric EQ generally offers the most natural sound for audio storytelling work.

Find and fix a tonal problem with EQ EQ allows us to adjust the level of frequencies - you can either raise or lower levels. As a rule of thumb in audio storytelling we generally use EQ to
reduce the level of frequencies, not raise it. The most common tonal problem in audio storytelling is audio that has a buildup of frequencies. For example, muddy or boomy audio has too much low frequency - there is a buildup of lower frequencies. Tinny or bright audio has a buildup of high frequencies.

With this in mind, let's use the EQ's frequency selector to find a problem frequency and then reduce it:

1. First, make an educated guess as to where the problem frequencies are. Use this list as a rough guide:

Does it sound hollow? Try 300 Hz-800 Hz.

Does it sound nasally or pinched? 900 Hz-2.5 kHz

Does it sound harsh or sibilant (pronounced "ess" sounds)? 4 kHz-7 kHz

2. In the EQ plug-in, find a frequency selector for one of the available bands. Set the frequency selector to the bottom of the ranges from Step 1. You can move the knob to the bottom of the range or type the number in directly.

3. Set the Q (bandwidth) control to 1.0.

4. Slowly boost the gain knob to about 6-8 dB (be careful, you are raising level. Don't raise it so high or so quickly that you hurt your ears!).

5. move the frequency selector to the right, up the scale (in most plugins you can click and drag on the frequency selector and slowly glide up to higher frequencies).

6. Once you find the frequency, the problem will become more pronounced and louder. If nothing jumps out, you might have missed it. Start from the bottom of the range again and repeat. If you still don't hear the problem jumping out at you, you might be in the wrong range. Move the frequency selector to the bottom of one of the neighboring ranges listed and sweep again.

Once you've found the problem frequency, most of the hard work is done. The next step is to reduce the level of the problem.

7. Set the gain knob back to 0 dB so that no EQ changes are taking place. Take a minute to listen to this "un-EQ'd" setting for a moment to re-acquaint your ears with the problem.

8. Set the gain knob to -2 dB. You should hear the problem decrease in level. If you want to reduce the problem more, you can, but know that gain changes of more than 5 or 6 dB start to sound unnatural with most spoken-word material. Make your changes in 2 dB increments and stop when you notice that the problem feels better.

Here's a video to demonstrate:

After you reduce the level of the offending frequency range, you may notice another tonal problem appear that you hadn't heard before. That's ok, and is quite common. The first issue was probably masking this new one. Repeat the process to find the new problem, but be careful: this can be a rabbit hole that ends up with too many EQ changes and an unnatural sound. One or two reductions should be all you need for most fixes.

You might be inclined to compensate for a buildup of frequencies by raising an opposite set of frequencies. For example, if you are presented with muddy audio, you might raise the high frequencies in order to add clarity. Reducing a problem frequency usually has a more natural sound than raising another frequency to compensate. And, raising a range of frequencies also means you are increasing the overall level of the audio which might have unintended consequences, like distortion.

Compression can bring control

Compressors control words and syllables when they are emphasized more than others. As audio moves through a compressor, the tool is looking for level that moves above a threshold that you set. Anything that passes above that threshold will get pushed lower. How much the audio gets pushed lower depends on a control called ratio.

What does compression look like?
Check out this fantastic visualization of compression: The animated guide to compression.

When done well, compression controls level without impacting the natural sound of speech. In fact, compression can help to improve exaggerated dynamics caused by miking voices closely. However, it is easily overused and can result in an aggressive, pumpy, in-your-face sound . This is sometimes a desired effect in music or sound design applications, but in audio storytelling it's not pleasant. Keep in mind that a little compression goes a long way.

This audio example compares overly compressed audio with natural sounding audio:

It's also worth saying that compression is not a replacement for level automation . To maintain a natural sound, the majority of the balancing work should be done by level automation. The compressor will simply help round it out and add strength to the voice.

Compressor plug-ins have the following controls:

Threshold: Sets the level where the compressor will act on the audio. Any audio that goes beyond this point will be compressed.

Ratio : Tells the compressor how much reduction to apply. It will be listed as an actual ratio, like 2:1 or 5:1. For dialogue, stick with a ratio in the 1.5:1 to 2:1 range. Anything higher will yield an aggressive, unnatural, and over-compressed sound.

Gain (or make-up gain): The gain control allows you to boost or "make up" the level lost after the compressor has acted on it.

Compressors will also usually have two other controls called attack and release. They control how fast the compressor responds to input beyond the threshold. They are time-based settings and marked in milliseconds (ms). Attack time determines how quickly the compressor will reduce the level when it passes the threshold. Release time determines how quickly the compressor will stop acting on the signal after.

Finally, a very important part of the compressor is the gain-reduction meter. The gain reduction meter is a good visual for how much the audio is getting compressed.

Using a compressor on dialogue involves the following steps:

1. Insert a compressor plug-in on the dialogue track.

2. Set the ratio to 1.5:1 (a setting appropriate for natural-sounding dialogue).

3. Set the attack time to 11 ms.

4. Set the release to 110 ms.

5. Lower the threshold until the gain reduction meter consistently shows 2-3 dB of reduction, occasionally peaking to 5 or 6 dB when the speaker emphasizes a word.

6. If you set the threshold and ratio appropriately, the overall level has likely dropped a couple of decibels. To make up for this drop in level, adjust the make-up gain up 2 or 3 dB.

7. Listen to the fix and compare it to the original using the bypass or power button.

8. If you think the voice needs more control (less dynamics), try 1.8:1, then 2:1.

Here's a video showing you how:

Each voice will require a different threshold based on the level of the recording and how dynamically the person talks.

Remember, to achieve a natural sound, compression should not be used as a replacement for level automation.

In mixing for audio storytelling, we are primarily concerned with mitigating problems. We use EQ to cut back on frequencies that sound unnatural, and we compress to bring a little more control to a dynamic voice.

For that reason: EQ first, then compress. By doing this, you can clear up tonal problems before compressing. If you compress before you EQ, you may end up accidentally accentuating tonal problems.

Fixing common mixing problems

This section addresses some of the more common mixing problems you'll encounter in audio storytelling:

A rumbly, boomy or bassy voice is a recipe for hard-to-understand dialogue in noisy listening environments. This problem is a prime candidate for the

Start with the filter set at 100 Hz, with a slope of 12 dB/octave.

If 100 Hz thins the voice too much, lower to around 85 Hz.

If 100 Hz is too bassy, raise to 110-120 Hz.

This is an example of boomy audio with and without a high-pass filter:

Read more about an easy phone audio fix with step-by-step instructions .

Here's some hissy phone audio. First you'll hear it untreated, and then with the fix:

This video walks through the steps to apply the phone audio fix:

You can also use noise reduction to fix phone tape, but it's usually not necessary, often takes more time, and may accentuate some problems.

, or p-pops, are blasts of air formed by words that begin with the letter "p" (and sometimes "b", "t" and "k"). They are most easily prevented with good mic placement . But when they occur in recordings, you can sometimes snip them out with an audio editor. A high-pass filter can also help to remove low frequencies present in p-pops. Some noise reduction software has de-plosive modules. For more on dealing with plosives, see The ear training guide for audio producers from NPR Training and P-pops and other plosives , from Jeff Towne at Transom.

The first step in your decision is informed by the final product. If your program or podcast format is distributed in mono, you should mix in mono. Forcing stereo elements into a mono show may present you with unexpected differences in level between the stereo and mono elements.

If the final destination is a stereo program, then you need to decide if the content itself is worth keeping in stereo. First, ask the person that recorded the content they recorded it in stereo. Then, give it a good listen. Is there anything in the stereo field that enhances the story? Is there information in the stereo content that you wouldn't get if it was mono? Or, is the stereo content distracting - perhaps needlessly pulling your attention from one side to the other? If the stereo nature of the audio distracts, or if there's nothing compelling about it, you can decide to make it mono.

More on stereo recording
Flawn Williams is a master of recording stereo content in the field. Hear his thoughts on the topic in this interview with How Sound.

Is the stereo content music? If so, and your final destination is stereo, keep the content in stereo. Stereo music often works better under dialogue, and summing stereo content to mono (see below) can result in odd tonal shifts. Stereo music will simply sound better.

Stereo is often used to record in " split-track " - an interview with a different voice recorded in each channel. For example, the reporter might be recorded in the left channel, and the guest in the right. This allows individual control of levels during mixing, but would eventually need to be summed (see below).

If you need to convert stereo content into mono, you have two options. You can either combine the two sides into one with panning (known as "summing") or you can use just one side of the stereo audio and throw the other one out (called "pulling" left or right).

Use summing when there is useful information on both sides of the stereo field that you need to retain. For instance, use summing when you want to use stereo music in a mono podcast, because there are likely instruments or sounds on one side of the stereo image that aren't on the other. To sum, simply use the audio editor's pan function to pan each side of the stereo track to the center. Note that the audio level will audibly increase with this method (the left and right side will become more equal on the master meter, too).

Pull left or right when the information you want is only in on one side (like in a split-track recording) or if the same information is on both sides (for instance, if a one-mic interview was accidentally recorded into a stereo file). Audio editors all have different workflows for this process, but most will let you copy stereo audio onto two mono tracks. At that point you can delete the track you don't want (don't forget to remove the original stereo track, too).

Assess your mix

Listen to your mix in multiple ways
Your audience will listen to your work in various ways and in all sorts of environments, so you should do the same. Music engineers do this all the time . They'll make critical decisions about a music mix in the studio on professional speakers, then they'll listen in their car to learn how the mix translates outside of the studio.

If you've spent a ton of time on a mix, you're probably consumed by the details and the process of mixing. Separate yourself from it; get a good night's rest and listen in the morning. At the very least take a break, go for a walk, and listen again. The space will bring a fresh perspective.

Use a rock and roll trick Take advantage of a trick that music engineers use to judge balances. Turn down the listening level significantly so you have to really focus to understand the words. The mix should be just audible enough for the words to be intelligible. If any part of your mix sticks out too much or drops away, you need to make an adjustment.

This video demonstrates the rock and roll mixing trick:

This trick works whether you're on speakers or headphones. But you should generally keep your listening level consistent. When you use this trick, remember to note your original listening level so you can get right back to it.

Conclusion and thank-yous

Thank you to Serri Graslie, Dylan Scott, Deborah Lee, J. Czys, Lorna White, Casey Herman, Rund Abdelfatah, Sami Yenigun, Alex Drewenskus, Kevin Wait, Matt Fidler, Jeremy Bloom, Alex Kosiorek, Cameron Wiley, Kyle Wesloh, Andy Huether, Jamie Collazo, Zac Schmidt, Casey Holford, Matthew Boll, Jonathan Mitchell and Patrick Murray. And a special thank-you to Flawn Williams, Johnny Vince Evans, Corey Schreppel and Michael Raphael for your generous guidance and enthusiasm for this project.
is the director of broadcast and media operations at Minnesota Public Radio | American Public Media. His audio engineering there contributed to a Peabody Award and Pulitzer Prize. As part of the NPR Training team, Rob worked with public media producers across the country. He has written other production guides, including The Ear Training Guide for Audio Producers and The Audio Producer's Guide to Loudness . He mixes the Radiotopia podcast .

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The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories

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Whether you're making a podcast or audio documentary, this in-depth guide will help you improve the quality of your mixes.

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Freelancing is tough! It can be an unpredictable, unreliable grind, and sometimes things fall through even if you've done everything right.

As Smarter Living editor at The New York Times, the bulk of my job is working with freelancers. On the slowest days, I'll get around a dozen cold pitches in my inbox; on busy days, almost 200. (Lol sorry if I owe you an email, promise I'm working on it.)

The thousands of pitches I've read over the last few years usually fall into one of three categories: great (very few), something we can work with (a small, but decent, amount) and bad (everything else).

Before we go on, it's worth remembering: A bad pitch is not the same thing as a bad story idea. Pitches get turned down for countless reasons - you pitched the wrong outlet, the wrong editor, your idea wasn't fully fleshed out, the timing wasn't right, etc. And especially as news outlets are evolving in their approaches to digital storytelling, publications are increasingly open to nontraditional storytelling structures. So don't be shy about getting weird sometimes. (I, for one, love when I get an ~out there~ or innovative story idea.)

But most bad pitches are bad for the same few reasons, and they're often salvageable with some tweaking. After consulting with about a dozen editors who commission stories at publications ranging from small, niche blogs to national magazines and newspapers, I've pulled together the six most common mistakes freelancers make when pitching - and what you can do to impress an editor.

You don't know what your story is.

Most editors are willing to take a chance on a great story idea, even from a new writer - 75 percent of the stories I commissioned last year were from first-time New York Times writers. But we can't help you if you don't know what you're pitching.

The most common variant is this: "Hi, I'm a freelance writer and I'm interested in covering [x topic] for your section." I'm glad you're interested, but...what's the story?

Another version is the super-lengthy email pitching a meandering, unfocused "look," "exploration," or "deep dive" into a topic. I'm glad you've thought so much about your topic, but don't forget to think of the actual story you're telling.

Even worse: You want me to tell you what your story is.

"Freelancers should always come with story ideas," said Sarah Kessler, deputy editor of Quartz at Work. "I get a lot of emails that just say, 'I'd like to be a contributor for Quartz at Work.' That isn't much help."

A good safeguard against this is to write a solid, clear, powerful nut graf. It'll be just a draft - after all, you won't have done all the reporting for the story yet - but knowing exactly what your story is about is crucial to piquing an editor's interest.

You didn't check the archives.

Even if you think you have the most original idea in the world, and you're 100 percent sure the outlet you're pitching has never done it, check to see if the outlet has already done it. Then check again. Skipping this step shows you're either blindly shooting off pitches en masse, or you just don't care enough to look.

Meet your new best friend: Google site search. Just type "site:[newsoutlet.com] [your keywords]" and you're set. ( Do not rely on a news outlet's built-in search engine.)

"Pitching a version of something I've already published, or a version of something the writer has already published but for a different pub" never works out, said Lisa Bonos, editor of Solo-ish at The Washington Post. "This latter one REALLY gets me. You don't get to sell the same personal essay more than once. If you're writing a variation on a story you've told before, be upfront about how this new story is different."

You pitched the wrong editor or section.

It's sloppy and it shows you didn't do the basic research required to get your story published. Be absolutely sure that your idea fits within the section or outlet you're pitching, and that you're emailing the right editor.

"Pitching me something that doesn't make any sense for the publication, subject-wise or tonally, shows me you haven't read through the site," said Gina Vaynshteyn, editor-in-chief at First Media. "If you haven't done your homework, I wonder how diligent you'll be about your story."

You're too aggressive with following up.

"It's O.K. to follow up on unanswered pitches, but wait a week, not 24 hours," said Kristin Iversen, executive editor of Nylon. "When a freelancer's pitches are turned down, they should not follow up with more pitches a day or two later; please don't pitch me more than once a month, unless it's something very timely."

Your story is too low-stakes or narrow.

This mistake is a little hard to define, but it probably accounts for at least half of the stories I decline. If you're going to ask an editor to pay you for your idea, make sure it's an idea worth paying for. Think scope, reach, and impact.

This problem emerges in a lot of ways, but the most common issues I see are: Your story requires very little - or no - reporting; it could be written by anyone; it applies to a very small demographic (caveat: this isn't a problem if that's intentional and the publication is interested in that audience); your story has a very limited shelf-life (again, not a problem if that's intentional and you know the outlet would be interested); or it just doesn't have any sweep or scope. Editors want important, substantive stories.

Ask yourself: If an editor responded and said, "So what? Who cares?" - would you have a real answer?

You don't disclose conflicts of interest.

Most publications have codes of ethics and/or guidelines around conflict-of-interest disclosures. They can vary widely, so always - always! - err on the side of over-disclosure. The worst-case scenario is that outlet finds out you had a conflict after publication (and they will find out), which usually results in a correction with the disclosure and that writer possibly being blacklisted from the publication.

A travel editor at an international outlet shared this story:

I'm not allowed to accept press trips, and same goes for people who write for us. I can usually tell when someone went on a press junket even if they don't disclose it, because multiple writers all pitch me the same story about the same destination all at once. Often, it was a trip I was invited on myself and had to decline.

A writer pitched me one of these stories, and I wrote her back politely giving her a heads-up about the no-press-trips rule. Her response: "You must have figured out I was on a press trip because YOU'RE STALKING ME."

Good tip: Don't accuse editors of stalking you. And also be honest about stuff.

So now you know what not to do - here's what you should do. It boils down to basically three things:

Be concise yet informative.

Very few cold pitches need to be more than, say, 10 sentences, and the best ones are often less.

Explain why anyone should care.

Get me interested to learn more, but more important, make me want to tell this story to the readers of my publication.

Show that you can pull it off.

If you want to pitch the huge, ambitious, weighty feature you've been mulling over months, go for it. But make sure you've laid out how you're going to put it together, along with the clips to demonstrate that a story like this is within your range.

"The best freelancers use their pitches to showcase their writing skills - especially when pitching an editor for the first time," said Nick Baumann, an editor at HuffPost. "A pitch gives me a better sense of your raw copy than your edited clips do. If your pitch has a fascinating, beautifully written lede, your story probably will, too. If the pitch is confusing, the filed story is likely to be, too."

To end, here's one of the best cold pitches I've ever gotten. This was my first interaction with this writer - Anna Goldfarb - and she's since become a regular New York Times contributor:

Hello!

I saw your call for pitches so I figured I'd toss my hat in the ring. Let me know if any of these ideas resonate! [She had sent three different ideas, but I'm including only the one I accepted and later published.]

(Essay) What I wish I know before moving in with my boyfriend - I'd always pictured moving in with a guy like diving into a pool; a graceful, swift action. It turns out I was absolutely wrong. Instead of a dive, it was like doing like the doing the Macarena, in that there's a series of steps that need to be executed in a certain order for it to be considered a success.

A little bit about me: I'm a culture and food writer based in Philly. I'm currently a contributor to Elle, The Kitchn, Refinery29, Thrillist and more. You can see my full list of writing clips here.

Thanks for your consideration!

Why's this so good? Four simple reasons: There's no filler; she told me everything I need to know about the idea without getting bogged down in irrelevant details; she knows exactly the story she's pitching and how to execute it; and she sent clips with a link to more.

Yes, it's that simple. Don't overthink it.

Tim Herrera is Smarter Living editor at The New York Times.

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How to successfully pitch The New York Times (or, well, anyone else)

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Most bad freelance pitches are bad for the same few reasons. But they're often salvageable with a little tweaking.

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Beyond the 5 W's: What should you ask before starting a story?

We all know the classic "5 W" questions journalists ask: Who, what, where, when, why (and bonus, "how"). But you should also consider the six additional questions listed below, which complement those fundamentals. They are informed by journalism but focused on storytelling.

Your answers to these questions may change in the process of reporting. That is OK. The idea is not to set a course and refuse to veer from it, but rather to make a creative investment at the beginning of your story process that will help guide you to the end of it.
Print this poster out! Here's a PDF. (Illustrations by Chris Kindred)
What is my story's driving question?

You may be accustomed to writing a focus statement. There's nothing wrong with that, but I'm partial to questions instead of statements. A question gives you a mission; a puzzle to solve. The process of answering that question focuses your reporting and allows your story to become a journey for the listener or reader. (For example, " Why are members of the state legislature voting to give themselves a raise?")

Beware: If you have multiple questions, you probably have multiple stories. Stick to one and answer it well. Your audience will stay with you.

What is the story not about?

Too often, we bite off far more than we can chew in our stories. It's understandable. We feel an obligation to be comprehensive and we fear the consequences of leaving out a detail. But no story - not even an hour-long documentary or a -length essay - can encompass an entire topic.

Our first job is to communicate clearly and memorably - and that requires leaving things out . So make a list of the angles, questions and context you can cut. Test them against your driving question: Will this help to answer the question for listeners? Will it distract, or diffuse, the focus? And then, release yourself from this sense of obligation (editors, you must help reporters do this). Let yourself tell the most focused story possible.

How will I ensure my story is fair to the people and ideas it represents?

As journalists, we understand the importance of fairness. NPR's Ethics Handbook is a great guide . As storytellers, achieving fairness can feel more complicated. A narrative may be stronger if it presents one person's journey, instead of multiple perspectives. And yet, is that fair?

Related reading
Exercise: Imagining your story How audio stories begin A good lead is hard: Here's how to write a good one

First of all, ask yourself if your story is transparent enough. Does it make clear to the audience that different viewpoints exist, even if it doesn't delve into them?

Secondly, seek tension. Stories that present one viewpoint often lack the tension that a compelling story needs. So even if you are focusing on one person or situation, ask yourself where the conflict resides. (If there is no conflict or tension, or nothing significant is at stake, you may not have a story.)

Finally, remember that fairness can be achieved coverage. Each story can't present all viewpoints equally, but comprehensive coverage can. Tell your audience where related stories can be found and be transparent about your editorial approach.

How will I engage my audience - and hold them?

Always try to put yourself in your audience's shoes. Just saying an issue is important or the stakes are high rarely gets the job done.

How can you illustrate it in a way that's interesting? Why would your audience want to listen to or read this? Is there a big, compelling idea? A character whose story should be prioritized? An emotional or intellectual thread that can run throughout the story? Are there ear- or eye-grabbing ways to attract the audience? This is your chance to think creatively about story and storytelling.

What are my dream ingredients?

Imagining the elements of your story ahead of time is a time-honored approach. It helps you conceive your story and plan your reporting.

What voices are essential? What complicated issue must be explained? What quotes will clearly address your driving question? What moment or scene will make the story unforgettable? What transition will tie the pieces together? What will give the story personality?

Think big. Of course, you can't produce all the ingredients you want and many of the best ones should be serendipitous or results of reporting - but thinking about them ahead of time helps you reach for the best story you can tell.

What will the audience remember when it's over?

This is a great thought experiment that keeps in mind the limitations of the audience. We rarely remember entire stories; more often, it's particular quotes, scenes, characters or ideas.

So put yourself in the shoes of that listener in her car or walking down the street with earbuds. She has just finished your story. What is she thinking about? Is she left with a question to ponder? A new way of seeing her neighborhood or her city or her country? An idea that expands her thinking?

You can build your stories to have the impact you want them to have - by keeping in mind what you want the audience to remember and working towards it as you report, write and produce. (And yes, you should always be prepared to pivot when you learn new things in the course of your reporting.)

A final note

Don't feel there are natural answers to these questions floating out in the ether, if only you can grasp them. There aren't. Answering these questions is all about you making choices. Liberate yourselves to make them.

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Beyond the 5 W's: What should you ask before starting a story?

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We all know the classic "5 W" questions journalists ask: Who, what, where, when, why (and bonus, "how"). But you should also consider the six additional questions listed below, which complement those fundamentals. They are informed by journalism but focused on storytelling. Your answers to these questions may change in the process of reporting.

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You may have already gone on Paul Nurkkala's thrill ride.

Nurkkala, a very skilled drone pilot, used a custom-built drone equipped with a GoPro Hero5 Session camera to create a viral video that takes viewers around, inside, onto, and under a moving train. There are also a few barrel rolls, in case you need extra visual stimulation.

The video, noted DP Review recently, "has split the internet into two predictably conflicted camps. The first thinks it's just the coolest footage to ever come out of a drone, because Nurkkala is clearly such a talented pilot. The second is infuriated that he would do something so obviously illegal, post the results online, and receive so much praise and adulation."

Today we feature the video, along with other recent drone news that you should be aware of. That includes a new ban on flying drones over the Statue of Liberty and nine other U.S. landmarks and a new legal ruling determining that Federal Aviation Administration drone rules take precedence over state and local laws. There's also an interactive map that will show you drone laws around the world. And there is DJI's new "privacy mode" for flying drones offline. We also include a new drone journalism ethics policy from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

A Controversial "Flight of the Year"
Judge Rules FAA Rules Take Precedence Over Local Regulations
FAA Restricts UAV Use Over the Statue of Liberty and Other Landmarks
If you're plugged into the dronester world, notes DP Review, you've probably already seen Paul Nurkkala's Flight of the Year video. Nurkkala captured the video using a custom-built drone equipped with a GoPro Hero5 Session and piloted from afar using special FPV goggles. Comments from viewers have ranged from the very positive - this is a cool thrill ride, no doubt about that - to the infuriated: Should we really be devoting adulation to a dronescapade that is so obviously illegal, and potentially dangerous? Or can we feel both feelings at the same time? Your opinion?

A Map Showing Drone Laws Around the World
DJI Launches Privacy Mode for Flying Drones Offline
Poynter's Drone Journalism Ethics Policy
A court has ruled that federal drone laws take precedence over local drone regulations in instances where the two are in conflict, notes DP Review, adding that the decision sets a new and "very important" precedent for commercial and recreational drone pilots alike. According to The Wall Street Journal, the ruling was passed down by U.S. District Judge William G. Young in a legal case involving the city of Newton, Massachusetts. It was brought by Newton resident Michael Singer, who challenged four Newton provisions including a requirement to get permission before flying a drone over private property. The city had argued that the FAA allows for the local co-regulation of civilian drones, but Judge Young ruled otherwise, in part because the local regulations were sometimes in direct conflict with the FAA's.

The Federal Aviation Administration FAA has announced that it is restricting drone flights over 10 major landmarks in the U.S., notes PetaPixel: Starting today, Oct. 5, drone operators will not be able to fly their aircraft over 10 Department of the Interior sites, including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and Hoover Dam in Nevada, Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona, as well as Folsom Dam and Shasta Dam in California. The FAA has created an interactive map; see its B4UFLY mobile app.

The flights over these sites are forbidden up to 400 feet. "But, keep in mind that flying above this altitude is also against the FAA rules," notes DIY Photography. Drone operators who violate these restrictions may face civil penalties and even criminal charges.

Speaking of maps: Blogger and frequent traveler Anil Polat has created a useful map of the world detailing the laws of each country; even better, notes PetaPixel, the map is is updated frequently. Polat has also included links to registration forms and contact information you might need to request permission to fly in each country. And he has included separate laws for U.S. states, along with any area-specific laws found in other countries. The full map is hosted on Google My Maps.

Two months after the US Army ended its use of DJI drones due to "cybersecurity" reasons, DJI has launched a new privacy mode that allows operators to fly completely offline, reports PetaPixel. DJI says the goal is to provide "enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers." The new "Local Data Mode," as it's called, stops all internet traffic to and from the DJI Pilot app. "This adds an additional layer of security for operators of flights involving critical infrastructure, governmental projects or other sensitive missions," says DJI.

Over the past year, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies has conducted a series of workshops training 325 journalists and journalism educators how to safely and ethically fly drones. Poynter has now released a new drone journalism ethics policy. Leading the lists of dos and don'ts: Do not endanger people, animals or property. Another takeaway: Respect the integrity of the photographic moment. "Drones have the potential to interrupt events, especially when hovering low. While photographing subjects, drone journalists should not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events," notes Poynter.

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AI-AP | Motion Arts Pro " Drone News: A Controversial Thrill Ride, and a New Flying Ban that Starts Today

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You may have already gone on Paul Nurkkala's thrill ride. Nurkkala, a very skilled drone pilot, used a custom-built drone equipped with a GoPro Hero5 Session camera to create a viral video that takes viewers around, inside, onto, and under a moving train. There are also a few barrel rolls, in case you need extra visual stimulation.

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Getting exposure for video isn't all that much different from getting a good exposure with photography. The only real difference is that neutral density filters are more commonly used with video than they are with stills, so they need to be taken into account more regularly. So, the exposure triangle becomes a square. Well, a trapezoid, really. Shutter speed, aperture, gain (rather than ISO), and neutral density.

In this video, Chris and Jordan from DPReview delve into the topic of video exposure. They discuss the things you need to know to understand the exposure relationship, the difference between T stops and F stops, the 180° shutter rule, and everything else that goes into getting a good exposure for your shot.

T stops vs F stops

This one is often misunderstood. Because the numbers are similar, many think that T stops is just what the video world calls F stops, and that the two are interchangeable. But there is a subtle, but very important difference between the two.

The F stop is the relationship between the focal length of the lens and the physical diameter of the aperture. So, a 100mm lens with an f/2.0 aperture, in theory, has an aperture with a radius of 50mm (in the real world it's not quite like this, because of optical design that bends the light into a smaller space, but it's the same principle).

A T stop works slightly differently. While the size of the aperture is roughly the same as an F stop, a T stop is based on the actual light transmission coming through the lens. So, while you might have half a dozen photography lenses that all vary slightly from each in "brightness" at f/2.0, cinema lenses at T2.0 should all be identical.

As an example, you may have a 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 photography lenses. If you shoot all three of them at the same target, with the same settings, with all lenses set to f/2.0, each may have a slightly different exposure, especially if the lenses come from different manufacturers. For stills this isn't really a massive issue, because you're only looking at a single image at a time.

Even in a set of images, there's enough latitude that you can quickly and easily correct an image from one lens to match the exposure of images from another lens and batch them all. The difference is usually quite minimal and isn't really that obvious.

For video, though, where you're watching many images played back at 24 or more frames per second, with multiple cuts and different lenses, and often very different cameras, this exposure difference between f stops on lenses can become noticeable very quickly. But if you shoot half a dozen different T2.0 lenses, they will (in theory) all have exactly the same exposure at the same settings.

Shutter speed

Like photography, shutter speed determines the amount of motion blur in the shot. For stills, you often want as fast a shutter speed as possible in order to eliminate camera shake from handholding it, or to freeze your subject in motion. For video, though, you typically don't want too fast a shutter speed unless you're shooting a high framerate (like 120fps for slow motion) or you're doing it for creative effect.

Generally you want to follow the 180° shutter rule, whereby your shutter speed is 1/double your framerate. So, if you're shooting at 24fps, then ideally 1/48th if your camera suports it - 1/50th for those that don't. If you're shooting at 120fps, then you'd aim for 1/240th, but most cameras would only offer 1/250th, which is close enough.

It's the one thing that often stays the same throughout your entire production with video. Which is very different to stills photography, where it can be changing from shot to shot.

Gain (ISO)

I always thought stills cameras should've switched to using "gain" as the new standard parlance, instead of keeping ISO/ASA as the "sensitivity" for digital. Because changing the ISO doesn't really change the sensitivity of anything. A digital sensor always sees the same thing and responds in the same way. Where things change is after the sensor sends the light elsewhere and converts it to a digital signal.

Inside many digital cameras (stills and video) there are two processes applied. There's the "native" ISO, where the analogue signal coming into the sensor is amplified (gain is applied), and then it's converted over to a digital value. This is the native ISO range of your typical photography camera. After it's converted to a digital value, another level of gain is potentially applied.

For example, on the Nikon D850, the native ISO range is 64-25,600. This is gain applied to the signal while still in its analogue state before it's converted to digital. This ISO is expandable to 102,400. This extra range from 25,600 to 102,400 is applied after the signal has been converted to digital.

Video cameras work in basically the same way, and a given ISO value on a DSLR or mirrorless camera, say ISO800, translates directly to a gain of 800 on a video camera. Because of the relatively slow shutter speeds used by video, though, this often doesn't need to be that high of a value, even in relatively low light conditions.

Neutral Density

This is a consequence of having that long shutter speed. Many video cameras have a native gain starting at 800. In fact, even with some mirrorless cameras, if you want to shoot log footage, the ISO range available starts at 800, too.

I have a Sony A7II with me at the moment for a project, and when shooting S-Log2, the lowest ISO I can get is ISO800. If I'm shooting 24fps with my shutter at 1/50th of a second, even with a lens stopped down all the way to f/22, I'm going to be overexposed on a bright sunny day. So, neutral density is required to bring that exposure down to more manageable levels.

Exactly how much ND you'll need to apply will depend on the lighting conditions and the aperture at which you wish to shoot to give you the depth of field you need.

According to the Sunny 16 rule, if you were shooting ISO800 film at an aperture of f/16, you'd need a 1/800th of a second shutter speed. So, if you want to bring that down to 1/50th of a second, and open your aperture up to f/2, you're gaining 10 whole stops of light. So, yes, you'd potentially need a 10 stop ND filter to get a good exposure with video.

Exactly how you wish to apply each of these will depend on the shot your after. But adding another exposure variable to the old triangle isn't too much of an issue once you get used to it.

[via DPReview]

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How to set a great exposure when shooting video - DIY Photography

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Getting exposure for video isn't all that much different from getting a good exposure with photography. The only real difference is that neutral density filters are more commonly used with video than they are with stills, so they need to be taken into account more regularly. So, the exposure triangle becomes a square.

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New to the cutting room? Need a little advice? Here are the nine essential cuts you should know when editing a film or video project.

It doesn't matter which NLE you use, editing cuts work in every program. They are tools to tell a story, and that story can drastically change depending on the type of cut you use. Once you understand these nine essential cuts, you can do more with your edits than simply splice scenes together. Let's take a look.

1. Standard Cut

This is the cut that all of us know and love. It's probably the most used cut out there, and you can think of it as "Shot-Reverse Shot." It's the continuation of the previous clip from a different angle - or a way to bring two different shots together. If you have ever just placed a clip next to another clip, you've used a standard cut. This cut is great when you're trying to keep things simple.

2. Jump Cut

There are two types of jump cuts: one that looks good and one that doesn't. The ones that don't look good cut during an actor's dialogue or are otherwise somehow jarring. But in recent years, the jump cut has been transformed from a bad cut to a easy way to slim down a long take. The only way this kind of cut works, though, is when you tie it together with something else, like a soundtrack that plays behind the cuts.

3. J-Cut

The J-cut is a great way to connect two clips that otherwise wouldn't go together. You simply take the audio of the tail clip and let it bleed into the first clip. By extending the audio to the left, you'll see a loose resemblance to the letter J in your timeline. This helps immerse the viewer into the next clip before it even appears.

4. L-Cut

This is the opposite of the J-cut. The L-cut extends the audio from the first clip into the tail clip. This cut is essential in dialogue-heavy scenes because it breaks up the monotony of a shot-reverse shot conversation. This cut also lets you show immediate reactions, rather than cutting away from the speaking actor.

5. Cutting on Action

When editing an action sequence, it's always a good idea to blend the cuts together as seamlessly as possible. To cut on action, you merge two clips by cutting between them during a moment of action. This ties the two clips together and tricks the audience into ignoring the cut. It's a perfect choice for a fight scene or a chase sequence.

6. Cross-Cutting

A cross-cut smashes two perspectives into one sequence. This cut takes two different perspectives from your narrative world (such as one character chasing another) and melds them by cutting between each. The audience will automatically connect the two perspectives as one whole since they are watching them play out in "real time."

7. Cutaways

Cutaways, otherwise known as "establishing shots," showcase the narrative's environment. These shots establish the characters' location and anchor your audience in your narrative world. Just make sure not to linger too long on these shots, or you risk losing your audience's attention.

8. Montage

Want to span days, months, or years in a 45-second sequence? Then the montage is what you need. They're a great way to show the passage of time - or a period of growth. Take a series of clips that show your character's progress, layer in some inspirational music, and you've got yourself a montage that would make Rocky jealous.

9. Match Cut

The match cut is one of the ways that an editor can really flex their creative chops in post-production. Take a clip of some action, then immediately cut to a different scene that matches that action. If you need a reference for this cut, check out the most famous one of all: the Lawrence of Arabia match cut (with a literal match).

Looking for more filmmaking tips and tricks? Check out these articles.

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Video Breakdown: 9 Cuts Every Editor Should Know

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It doesn't matter which NLE you use, editing cuts work in every program. They are tools to tell a story, and that story can drastically change depending on the type of cut you use. Once you understand these nine essential cuts, you can do more with your edits than simply splice scenes together.

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The Missouri Drone Journalism Program has flown more than 450 sorties since December. Our drones have spent more than 38 hours in the air. We've had 32 different student pilots fly our drones, and they've flown our drones for more than 38 miles. In that time, we've had no serious incidents. In fact, our most serious incident was two broken propellers.

We're proud of our safety record, but we've learned some hard lessons along the way. I wanted to share them here, because they're particularly applicable to pilots who don't have a lot of time on the sticks - which describes the Section 107-qualified operators at many media outlets.

Lesson 1: Currency is important

The FAA requires private and commercial pilots to fly with a flight examiner occasionally to prove their proficiency. This provision doesn't exist - yet - for certificated drone operators, so it's on us to stay current. Skills degrade over time and so does the feel for the drone. Professional drone operators will tell you that an hour a day of practice - indoors or outdoors - is the antidote for that. I'm not sure that journalists who use the drone as part of a reporting toolbox can spare that hour. But you can spare 15 minutes. Go and purchase a cheap Cheerson drone and fly it until its tiny battery runs out, about 12 minutes. And have a practice plan: Today I'm going to do 10 banks to the left, 10 banks to the right, 10 banks with an ascent, 10 banks with a descent, etc. Flying around with no plan is fun, but it doesn't build the skills the way you want.
Related: Poynter workshops produce new drone journalism ethics policy
Lesson 2: Don't just fly in P-mode

Most drones have three modes - P, or positioning; A, or attitude; and S, or sport. P is the safest in a lot of ways, in that the drone will use GPS satellites to hold its position in a hover. A-mode holds the drone vertically, but horizontal inputs are open - that is, it will keep moving in the direction it was going at the time the stick was released or if a gust of wind hits it. P-mode, for all its safety, is susceptible to wireless interference that can cause the drone to fly away out of your control. It also can cause jerky movements when you're trying to stop. A-mode takes away the GPS interference issue and gives much finer control to the pilot.

But it's about more than that: At some point flying in P-mode, something bad or unexpected is going to happen. The drone's navigation software will burp, a warning like "Compass error - exiting GPS mode" will come up on your screen and the drone will stop obeying your inputs. It happened to me one night in June doing a post-maintenance flight on a DJI Phantom 4 Pro+. It was in P-mode and the flight plan was to rise straight up to 20 feet, fly straight forward at 8 mph, stop and then rise to 60 feet and hover. Everything worked great until halfway through the rise-to-60-feet portion when "Compass error - exiting GPS mode" came up on the screen and the drone started drifting backwards. I pushed the right stick forward to try and counteract the drift and nothing happened. Then the drone started to drift to the right without my commands. I switched into A-mode and brought it back down safely, but there were 30 white-knuckle seconds in there.
Related: The Drone Journalism School Webinar
Lesson 3: Beware of helicopters in low-cloud ceiling environments

We were flying one of the drones on a mapping mission in the middle of nowhere. We were 60 miles away from the nearest airport or helipad. We were flying at 400 feet with solid clouds beginning at 1,200 feet, well within legal limits. Mapping mission went fine. Drone came down fine.

About two minutes later the air filled with the sound of rotor blades. A medical evacuation helicopter flew within a half-mile of where we were at about 120 feet off the ground - right about where the drone would have been a few minutes earlier. There are no flight minimums for helicopters. And this pilot was trying to find clear visual flight conditions underneath the clouds. He or she had no expectation that a drone was going to be flying. And because they were coming from upwind, we didn't hear it coming until it was almost right on top of us. If the drone was in the air when the helicopter came by, I don't think we could have dropped it fast enough. And I don't think the pilot would have seen a white drone against a gray sky.

Lesson 4: Wind is variable

You're down at the surface and it's dead calm, or maybe a 5 mph gentle breeze. You get up in the air and the drone is getting buffeted by 10 or 15 mph winds - or more. We've had situations with a 25 mph wind difference between the surface and 50 feet in the air. There's a mental disconnect between pilot and craft, which creates its own dangers. And then there's the whole physical struggle: How do you keep a drone balanced and oriented while also fighting the wind? The drone's motors can do a pretty good job of fighting the wind - until you catch a 50 mph gust and the best forward speed you can muster is 25 mph. At that point, you're going backwards at 25 mph and need to mitigate quickly. The graphic below - made using AirData's wind-calculation algorithm - shows how quickly wind can change. Note how the drone is really pretty much in the same geographic space (as indicated by distance from the homepoint), even as the wind is changing significantly.

Knowing, or assuming, that the wind will be different above the ground than it is on the ground is an exercise in planning. For instance, let's say that you're getting video for a story on a water tower that's surrounded by trees. It's a cleared space, but there's not a lot of room for error. Planning for wind at altitude means planning either a filming orbit above the trees or knowing you have to keep a close watch on the drone and be ready to do an emergency rise to keep you out of the pines.

Lesson 5: Plan everything

This sounds trite and kind of ridiculous, but get in the habit of planning out the entire flight, from liftoff to landing. Your batteries are your lifeblood; you don't want to spend precious power figuring out what you're doing. Using Google Maps and a marker can take you far when it comes to storyboarding shots. Mark out personal no-fly zones, build a shotlist. There's always room for serendipity in aerial shooting, but you should go in with a plan.

Planning also includes checklists and briefing. You should be running a pre-flight checklist, either paper or electronic, at the flight site every time you fly. Check equipment, check weather conditions and airspace, etc. If something goes wrong, you'll have a record that you checked everything. The briefing is just as important. The pilot and visual observer or observers need to be on the same page - and in possession of the same information. Our pre-flight briefs go over airspace, weather and what situations to look out for. But they include more than that. They include mission objectives and communications.

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Five lessons learned about the drone part of drone journalism

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The Missouri Drone Journalism Program has flown more than 450 sorties since December. Our drones have spent more than 38 hours in the air. We've had 32 different student pilots fly our drones, and they've flown our drones for more than 38 miles. In that time, we've had no serious incidents.

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Coming to a Halt | Motivated Camera Moves | The Film Look

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Cinematic Drone Shots You Need to Master: From Where I Drone with Dirk Dallas

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The bare, plaster walls of Yu Zu'en's new government-issued apartment are adorned with three decorations: an old photo from his years as a soldier, a shelf for his harmonica, and a poster featuring the busts of every Chinese Communist Party secretary since Chairman Mao. He points to the newest one and smiles.

"I wouldn't be here without Xi Jinping," he says. "Under his wise leadership, we're now taken care of. Before, we barely survived. Our village was up in the mountains. Corn didn't grow well, no roads. Then the leaders mobilized us and the entire village moved here."

As a tribute, he reaches for his harmonica. The 84-year-old Korean War veteran belts out " The East Is Red," shutting his one good eye in concentration. He lost the other one in 1951, when American planes bombed his battalion's position in North Korea, nearly killing him.

After the war Yu returned home to China's poorest province - Guizhou, in the country's southwest, where a tenth of the population falls below China's poverty line. Since then he has managed to survive on a terraced plot of corn in a mountainous village whose name hinted at its inaccessibility: Above-the-Dragon.

But in May, the government declared Above-the-Dragon village impoverished. Nobody there was making more than $1.17 a day, China's official poverty line. So the government offered the residents new homes at Bright Field New Village, a housing project made up of dozens of white apartment blocks topped with red Spanish roof tiles on the outskirts of Guiyang, a metropolis of 4 million and the capital of Guizhou.

Just months ago, 45-year-old transplant Qin Huamei lived in a mud home, where she had to fetch water each morning from the village well. Now it flows whenever she turns on the tap inside her two-bedroom apartment.

"Life here is much better than my hometown, but now I need money to pay for my food," says Qin. "Before, we just ate what we grew."

But a disposable income will require a job, and the ones on offer here, like street cleaning, aren't enticing to Qin. She is holding out for something better, motioning to the new technological park being constructed across the street from the public housing complex.

China's government hopes city life will push tens of millions into the workforce on their way to joining the world's largest middle class. In the first five years of Xi's presidency, more than 60 million Chinese have risen above the poverty line; Xi wants to move 70 million more Chinese above that line within the next three years, a goal China's government is more tightly focused on than ever.

"I think they have fundamentally changed the way they are doing things, and there's just so much more money flowing through the system," says Sarah Rogers, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne.

Rogers, whose focus is poverty alleviation in China, says that under Xi, China's government has transformed how it tackles the issue. One big change has been evaluating local officials not just on GDP growth but on how well they alleviate poverty.

"You've got a particular target for poverty alleviation," says Rogers. "If you don't meet that, you're in a bit of trouble."

And officials in Guizhou are looking to avoid trouble - they plan to move more than 750,000 people off farms by the end of the year from nearly 3,600 villages.

Hours away from a decent road in the province and tucked into a narrow valley between steep mountains is the village of Changba, far to the east of Guiyang, where farmers thresh the autumn rice harvest in wooden boxes as the sun begins to set behind the mountains. Farmer Dang Xiaosi, 38, wipes sweat off his forehead and says he is ready to move.

"I've been wanting to leave for a while," he says, chuckling, adding that he is just waiting for authorities to get their ducks in a row and will move "when they tell me to."

Dang already is thinking about the housing project he will be moved to, city life, and the new expenses he'll have there. He asks me for a favor: "Tell the government not to charge us for electricity," he says. "You journalists can do that. They won't listen to us villagers."

I tell Dang there's less of a chance of its working if a foreign journalist makes a request like that. He nods his head. Once the government moves him to his new home, he reminds himself, he'll be on his own.
Yuhan Xu contributed research to this story.

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Xi Jinping's War On Poverty Moves Millions Of Chinese Off The Farm

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The bare, plaster walls of Yu Zu'en's new government-issued apartment are adorned with three decorations: an old photo from his years as a soldier, a shelf for his harmonica, and a poster featuring the busts of every Chinese Communist Party secretary since Chairman Mao. He points to the newest one and smiles.

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Is that photo of a shark swimming down a highway in Texas real? Is that story published on what looks like the website of a national broadcaster all as it seems? Is that Twitter account being quoted across the mass media legitimate - or is it a bot, troll or imposter?

In the past three years, we've trained thousands of journalists to answer such questions - and many more.

Similar skills and techniques allowed the Washington Post to scrutinize digital footprints and avoid falling victim to a hoax about Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in November. They are the same that enabled Storyful to alert its media clients worldwide that the wrong person was being publicly blamed for a mass shooting.

Today, we're releasing our short course on essential verification skills to train even more journalists, teachers and others dealing with online information on how to authenticate what they see online.
Access the course by going to firstdraftnews.org/learn and clicking the 'Get Free Access' button.
This one-hour course is free to use and requires just a one-step registration. The quick-start program includes four modules that teach what we mean by verification; the tools involved; how to independently verify the authenticity, time and location of photographs; and how to investigate digital footprints.

The course was developed by Claire Wardle, the executive director of First Draft and a co-founder of one of First Draft's founding partners, Eyewitness Media Hub. She holds a PhD in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught verification in universities and newsrooms all around the world. In this video, Claire explains how her interest in verification began.

We believe making our verification coursework available to a wider audience is critical. If you know someone who might be interested in learning verification basics, please share this article or include the link in your social media posts.

And if you're curious if the course is right for you, test your skills with this verification challenge. If you get some questions wrong, take our course and see if your score improves. If you get them right, check out whether the course can help take you to the next level.
Access the course by going to firstdraftnews.org/learn and clicking the 'Get Free Access' button.

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Free Online Course on Identifying Misinformation

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Is that photo of a shark swimming down a highway in Texas real? Is that story published on what looks like the website of a national broadcaster all as it seems? Is that Twitter account being quoted across the mass media legitimate - or is it a bot, troll or imposter?

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For South Korea's LGBT Community, An Uphill Battle For Rights : Parallels : NPR

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For South Korea's LGBT Community, An Uphill Battle For Rights : Parallels : NPR

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South Korea is one of the world's richest nations, a modern place with trends changing as fast as its Internet speeds. But when it comes to some social issues, the country has been slow to change - especially for gays and lesbians.

While there are shows of support - this month, a record 85,000 people turned up at Seoul's annual pride festival, for example - recent events indicate South Korea's institutions and political class are only reluctantly tolerating sexual minorities.

"We have to get more sexual minorities to vocalize their opinions and feel safe to come out of the closet," said theater actor Lee Sang-hoon, a gay man who goes by the stage name Summer.

His troupe was in the parade and dressed in lingerie for a skit at its booth. It was one of the 110 exhibitors at Seoul's pride fest, which was - as in previous years - protected by barriers and lines of police.

It felt like a party inside the plaza. But outside, thousands of anti-gay Christian protesters demonstrated against the pride celebration, chanting slogans and blasting Korean-language gospel music.

"You have the rather angry protesters, broadcasting their music across here, trying to compete with the party atmosphere on the inside," says Phillip Kendall, the political secretary at the British Embassy in Seoul, which supports the pride festival with a booth every year.

Kendall says it will take time for Korean society overall to celebrate diversity.

"They still have a conservative view in this country to what life should be and what society should be," he says.

There have been some gains for members of the LGBT community in East Asia - Taiwan recently OK'ed same-sex marriage, for example.

But South Korea still criminalizes it. And this spring, for the first time, the military enforced a longstanding ban on homosexual activity and sentenced a gay soldier to six months in jail for having consensual sex with another soldier in a private place. Amnesty International called this part of " an outrageous military gay witch-hunt."

Donghuan Kim, a volunteer with a nonprofit called Military Human Rights Korea that's working to try and change the law, says he was "horrified" by the gay soldier's sentencing. "Younger generations are very open-minded and trying to accept homosexual community to the major society," he says. "But there are 10 million Christians out there. They're very, very homophobic."

His estimate of South Korea's Christian population is actually low, as it has grown over the years. Nearly a third of all 50 million Koreans identify as Christian, and they make up a powerful lobby for traditional values.

Pastor Joseph Joo heads an organization in Seoul called Anti-Homosexuality Christian Solidarity, a group of a few hundred churchgoers who start social media campaigns supporting unions of one man and one woman. South Korea isn't ready to accept sexual minorities, Joo insists.

"Christians make up a huge part of South Korea's public life and they have taken a big role in Korea's modernization. We feel that because homosexuality goes against biblical teachings, it's emotionally unacceptable to the public," he says.

He also cites South Korea's birth rate - the lowest among the world's richest nations - as a reason why he's against same-sex couples.

"As a result of homosexuality, there is no birth," he says. "And relationships are distorted and destroyed."

South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, hails from a progressive party. But when he was pressed during the campaign, he, too, said he opposed homosexuality.

After an outcry, Moon, who is Catholic, apologized - kind of. He said he shouldn't have been judgmental.

Kendall, the British diplomat, says foreign advocates of LGBT rights shouldn't be judgmental, either. "All of our countries went through this years ago," he says. "So we cannot have a holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to these issues. But we try to explain how we got over the issues which Korea is experiencing today."

He and other LGBT rights supporters in South Korea say certain things are making a difference: a pride festival that grows bigger every year, rising international pressure on Korea from the diplomatic community in Seoul and regional neighbors making progress. Parts of Tokyo, like Taiwan, have OK'ed same-sex unions.

"In comparison to other [pride celebrations] in the world, there's more protest out here, as you can see. But it makes me want to fight against them and it makes me want to win," says Lee, the actor.

He and his troupe are dressed in their faux-silk bathrobes for a reason. Later in the day, they all shed those robes during a performance - an artistic expression of coming out. In a country where homosexuality is considered taboo, their radical act is simply being themselves.
Jihye Lee contributed to this story.

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For South Korea's LGBT Community, An Uphill Battle For Rights

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South Korea is one of the world's richest nations, a modern place with trends changing as fast as its Internet speeds. But when it comes to some social issues, the country has been slow to change - especially for gays and lesbians.

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The Pigeon Racers Of Indonesia : Parallels : NPR

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The Pigeon Racers Of Indonesia : Parallels : NPR

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It's a late Saturday morning and a dozen men are hanging out in a scraggly playing field in Borobudur, Indonesia. There's a shaded dugout along one edge, and a worn patch of dirt in the center that makes this look like a lopsided baseball diamond.

It's training day at the Lapak Netral pigeon racer club.

To race, you must have a pair of birds. Pigeons, it turns out, mate for life. The male bird is the racer, and returning to the female provides his motivation.

The males are piled into a cage and ferried by motorbike to a release spot about 2 miles away.

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Ken Rapopo, 40, pulls two birds from the cage and holds them up in the air, one in each hand. He pulls his arms back, then flings the birds up. A split-second later, they spread their wings and start flapping.

The two pigeons circle the field and Rapopo reports their movements by walkie-talkie. Suddenly one bird changes direction and flies in a direct line toward the goal, where his female partner awaits. He disappears over the trees and out of view.

Back at the playing field, two men watch the sky, waiting for their birds to return.

The men squat in the dirt, each with a female bird in one hand. Sometimes they spread the bird's wings and wave her up and down. When the male racer is close, they call: "Way, waaaaay!"

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Since this is an aerial race, the finish line is four tall posts strung together with red streamers that form a box 20 feet in the air.

A winning bird must pass through that box before landing in his owner's hand. Pak Iskan, 50, is the first to walk away with two pigeons in hand - one male, one female. But he's not the winner. Speed isn't the only rule of this game. The bird has to make a perfect landing.

"It's bad, bad pigeon," Iskan says, laughing.

But he and the others clearly love their birds.

Caring for them is an intimate business - giving each bird tiny handmade cups of water after a race, misting their feet with water, like a trainer in a boxer's corner.

Just a decade ago, nationwide infrastructure improvement meant that police closed down a lot of Indonesia's pigeon racing. It used to disrupt traffic. Recently, the sport has grown in popularity - so much so that a slew of recent divorces have been blamed on some men's addiction to the sport.

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The men can spend full days, from morning to night, sitting outside, flying their birds, training them, betting on the winners.

Some decoratively dye their birds' wings or build beautiful cages for them. And they give them unexpected names - like Jack Black.

He's a special bird. A big winner. Someone offered 20 million rupiah - almost $1,500 - for him. His owner wasn't selling.

"Maybe if they have babies," he says, "maybe the babies I could sell."

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Loading... It's a late Saturday morning and a dozen men are hanging out in a scraggly playing field in Borobudur, Indonesia. There's a shaded dugout along one edge, and a worn patch of dirt in the center that makes this look like a lopsided baseball diamond.

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For Some Chinese Uighurs, Modeling Is A Path To Success : Parallels : NPR

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For Some Chinese Uighurs, Modeling Is A Path To Success : Parallels : NPR

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Speaking to a foreign journalist is usually a stressful endeavor for a Uighur in China. Uighurs belong to a Muslim ethnic minority and speak a language closer to Turkish than Chinese. These differences from China's dominant ethnicity, the Han, have been at the root of a tense and sometimes violent relationship between Uighurs and China's government.

But there's another difference many Uighurs possess that the rest of China is attracted to: their appearance.

Speaking to a foreign journalist about that is easy for Xahriyar Abdukerimabliz, a 19-year-old model from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region in China's far northwest.

"Not to brag, but we are very good-looking," he says. "Our facial features are naturally attractive. We've got great eyebrows, big, beautiful eyes and double eyelids that weren't created by a surgeon."

Abdukerimabliz blinks, revealing his naturally creased eyelids. More and more Chinese are undergoing surgery to create a crease in their upper eyelids that about half of all East Asians are born without. Abdukerimabliz's "double eyelids" are topped with striking eyebrows, a long nose and expressive eyes that look either Asian or European, depending on his mood - or pose.

The demand for this look has roots in the birth of Chinese consumerism back in the 1990s.

"There were fewer local brands in China back then," says Max Liu, CEO of the Beijing-based modeling agency Fun Models. "All the famous brands were international, and they all used Caucasian models. As China has developed, local brands now want a local image, but not too local. So they've turned to models who have half-Asian, half-European looks for their brand identity."

Plus, says Liu, Uighur models are Chinese and they speak Mandarin, making it a cinch for agencies to work with them. That's why he's seen a 10 percent increase in Uighur models year to year in China.

"With their looks, they can easily flow through cultures," says Liu. "They can play multiple roles. If you need to cast a foreigner in a movie, they can do that while speaking flawless Chinese. They're incredibly versatile."

At a teahouse in Urumqi, Uighur model Parwena Dulkun shows off a video on her smartphone of her dancing to a local song on Walk of Fame, a talent show on CCTV, China's largest broadcaster. Later, she scrolls to another video of her in a nationwide beauty pageant.

She's busy. Her shape-shifting appearance is in such high demand that she says she has taken to turning down offers of work from some advertisers. "I was in the States recently," she says, "and after that, I went to Europe - I was in Italy, France and Switzerland - and then I had a job in Hong Kong."

And wherever she goes, she says, she gets the same response. "In France, people spoke to me in French, thinking I was French," she says. "In Italy, they spoke Italian to me. The immigration officer in Europe wouldn't stamp my Chinese passport at first because he didn't believe I was from China."

The only country where she isn't mistaken for a local is her own.

"In many Chinese cities, people think I'm a foreigner," Dulkun says, giggling.

She uses these moments to educate her countrymen.

"They try to speak English to me, and I answer in Mandarin," she says. "Cab drivers always turn around and ask me what country I'm from."

She says she smiles proudly and concludes her lesson by announcing: "I'm Chinese."
Yuhan Xu contributed research to this story.

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For Some Chinese Uighurs, Modeling Is A Path To Success

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Speaking to a foreign journalist is usually a stressful endeavor for a Uighur in China. Uighurs belong to a Muslim ethnic minority and speak a language closer to Turkish than Chinese. These differences from China's dominant ethnicity, the Han, have been at the root of a tense and sometimes violent relationship between Uighurs and China's government.

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Finding free, legal music for your online videos can be difficult. As an online video creator you want the perfect soundtrack for your video masterpieces, but you also want to make sure that you don't break any copyright laws. After all, there's nothing more frustrating then working hard on a video only to have YouTube take it down because of a music copyright violation. Luckily there are some great sources online where you can find the perfect music for your video project. We've put together a list of ten great sites for finding royalty free music for your online videos.
Updated: 6 More Places Video Creators Can Find Royalty-Free Music
Incompetech

Incompetech is one of my go-to places for great royalty free music. The site was created by composer Kevin MacLeod and has tons of music, categorized by genre and feel. In the site's FAQ you'll see that the music on the site is free to use for your video soundtrack. Kevin just asks that you place a credit within the video. My favorite music on this particular site are the tracks in the Silent Film Score section, but you can find all sorts of great stuff from horror soundtracks to polka, rock, pop and everything in between.

DanoSongs

Dan-O is a composer that offers his original songs for free download at DanoSongs.com. You can use his songs for free in your project provided you link to his site or credit him in your video.

Moby Gratis

If you want to use music by a well-known artist without paying licensing fees then check out Moby Gratis. At MobyGratis.com, Moby provides doe of his music for free download and use. The music is free to use, provided your film is non-commercial or non-profit.

Free Soundtrack Music

FreeSoundtrackMusic.com provides exactly what it advertises - royalty-free tracks for use in films, YouTube videos, games or other multimedia productions. Some of the music on the site does cost money. However, a lot of it is labeled as "FREE" and can be easily downloaded and added to your video production.

ccMixter

ccMixter is a community music site where you can find tons of music that falls under the Creative Commons license. The site lets you listen to music, sample music, create mashups and more. Just keep in mind that some creative commons licenses may require that you give credit to the source within your video.

Partners In Rhyme

Partners In Rhyme has got all sorts of great stuff, from free music loops to sound effects, midi files and more. Some of the royalty free music on Partners In Rhyme costs money, but they've got a selection of free music loops and full-length tracks for free download as well.

PacDV

PacDV offers free music and sound effects. The tracks are free to use in your video, film, audio and multimedia projects. All they ask is that if you use their tracks you link back to their site or list them in your credits.

Public Domain 4U

When content falls into the public domain it means that there are no longer any intellectual property rights attached to them, either because the rights have expired or been forfeited. Public domain music, video and other content can be used in any way, including in your online videos. Public Domain 4U is a great site for finding public domain music downloads. A lot of the music is old (music from the early 1900s is now in the public domain if copyright was never renewed), but there is also more modern music that is free with artist permission.

Musopen

Musopen is another free site that, like Public Domain 4U, provides music that has the copyright expired. On the site's about page they say, "We provide recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions." At Musopen you can browse music by composer, performer, instrument, period or form. Musopen is great, especially if you are looking for classical music for your video.

Beatpick

Finally, Beatpick offers a great selection of licensed music and if you are using it in a non-commercial or non-profit production it's free. Once you've chosen a song that you want to use, click on "License Song" and choose "Non Commercial projects."

Have you used any of these services to find music for your online videos? If not, what services do you recommend?

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10 Royalty-Free Music Sites Every Online Video Creator Should Know

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Finding free, legal music for your online videos can be difficult. As an online video creator you want the perfect soundtrack for your video masterpieces, but you also want to make sure that you don't break any copyright laws.

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Work in a digital innovation role in local news, or trying to transform your newsroom? Use this new trove of free resources for publishers » Nieman Journalism Lab

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Work in a digital innovation role in local news, or trying to transform your newsroom? Use this new trove of free resources for publishers » Nieman Journalism Lab

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Trying to launch a podcast and wondering what listener metrics to really focus on? Trying to create the best email newsletter to suit the pace of your newsroom? Trying to get creative with article formats but have limited resources?

Better News, which launched Tuesday, offers another good collection of free guidelines to publishers trying to stay afloat in the digital - and largely mobile - news industry. The guides were developed by the American Press Institute as part of the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative, and is funded by the Knight Foundation. (Disclosure: Knight also supports Nieman Lab.)

The hub is a "living resource," and will include media case studies published by other organizations as well as its own original guides:

The Better News site includes best practices and case studies curated from many sources around the web and publishing, as well as new and original content. That original content includes the stories and experiences of news publishing outlets that have been part of the Table Stakes project.

A key component of Better News is that the site is a "living resource" that will feature fresh and new insights and case studies over time, as publishers confront new challenges in a rapidly shifting media environment. It launches today with collections on subjects including newsletters, podcasting, story forms, live events, diversity, and newsroom analytics, and will be adding more areas of expertise in the near future.

"Better News not only compiles in one place proven best practices for transforming publishing, it is organized for people to find exactly the problems they are working on and to add new case studies as they come along," Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute, said in a statement. "Built by a diverse and talented team, Better News is a genuinely unique resource that will keep getting better."

Get started here.

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Work in a digital innovation role in local news, or trying to transform your newsroom? Use this new trove of free resources for publishers

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Trying to launch a podcast and wondering what listener metrics to really focus on? Trying to create the best email newsletter to suit the pace of your newsroom? Trying to get creative with article formats but have limited resources? Better News, which launched Tuesday, offers another good colle...

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Filmmaking can be done on a budget, lets see what we can do with inexpensive gear and household items. Cheap vs Expensive Cameras: https://youtu.be/_3kOeu-Bi-c Actor - Mazviona Madzima Actor - Jack Roper Producer - Alexa Rodrigues Host and Creator - Simon Cade Graded with FilmConvert - 10% off: http://dslrguide.tv/filmconvert (I earn a commission from purchases ^^) WEBSITE: http://dslrguide.tv TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/dslrguidance INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/cadevisuals CONTACT: simon@dslrguide.tv

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The Dos and Don’ts of Pitching a Story – In The Field

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The Dos and Don’ts of Pitching a Story – In The Field

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Producers and editors get dozens of story pitches a day and it can be hard for your idea to stand out above the rest. However, at Storyhunter, we've seen what can set you and your story apart - and this is what our data shows:

DO research the company's brand before pitching.

Commissioning producers want to know that you get their brand and angle. Then, they don't have to spend as much time explaining their brand to you before or during production. Plus, they might dismiss your pitch even though a slight adjustment on the exact same story could have connected the dot for them. Sending the same pitch to five different companies is not a good strategy. Instead, tailor your story to the client.

DON'T forget to keep your profile up-to-date with your best work.

If your portfolio or Storyhunter profile doesn't show off your best samples and skillset, then it might not matter if you have an amazing story. If the client doesn't feel like you have the experience, then they won't be interested in working with you. Whenever you create new pieces that you're proud of or pick up new skills, such as shooting in 360°, you should add them to your profile.

DO show that your story is unique and has strong characters.

This might be the most important thing you can do when pitching a story. Even if you have the most interesting idea in the world, it won't sound like that if you can't communicate why it's unique or compelling.

"One thing I truly value and that catches my attention is a unique idea. We can usually find a way to fly someone somewhere, but really great story ideas remain precious and scarce."- Adam Ellick, Senior International Video Correspondent and Reporter at The New York Times from 5 Attributes Media Companies Look For In Freelancers

DON'T over promise.

Sometimes freelancers see a call for story pitches on our platform and feel like they need to submit a pitch, even though they're struggling to come up with one. Then, if they don't get a response from the client, they feel like they wasted their time doing research. If you don't have a story idea already in mind for the call and would have to spend serious time coming up with one, then skip it for now. Instead, keep a log of all your story ideas and possible characters as you come up with them. Then you can refer back to this later when you see a call for pitches that might fit it. And don't always feel like you need to rush to get a pitch in. Most calls for pitches on our platform are open for a few weeks at a time.

DO be descriptive and concise.

On Storyhunter, you only have a few hundred characters to pitch your story. Even if you're not pitching a client on our platform, you should keep the pitch short and strong.

DO communicate whether the pitch is urgent.

If you only have a short time to cover a story, put "Urgent" in your title or subject line. This will give clients a heads up to review it in a timely manner.

DO respond to the client's questions.

If you see a client asking for you to state what camera gear you have when you pitch them a story, make sure that you do it. Or answer any questions that they ask in the call for pitches. If you don't, you're basically showing them that you didn't bother to read their instructions.

DON'T pitch a story to multiple clients unless you let them know.

You can learn more about this in our article on reusing a story pitch, but it's a simple courtesy to let the clients know. If they're interested in the story, they'll try to hire you first.

DO rescind your pitch from others when it's accepted.

Along with letting clients know that you're submitting a pitch to multiple publishers, rescind your pitch when you've been hired to produce the video. If you don't, and you allow multiple publishers to hire you for the exact same story, you can run into problems. For example, on our platform, our standard freelancing contract states that the publisher who commissioned the story owns the rights to the footage. If you use that same footage for another client, you'll be breaking the contract and ruining a relationship.

DO check to see if the publisher has already done a similar story.

This comes with doing your research and having a unique story. If they've already published a story on the topic you want to pitch, then they probably won't commission it again unless there is a fresh angle.

"VJs should bring us stories that haven't been covered in video before, that are character driven, that have strong visuals, and that will resonate with our audience." - Japhet Weeks, Executive Producer of News Video at Fusion from 5 Attributes Media Companies Look For In Freelancers

DON'T get hung-up on response time.

Clients often receive way more pitches than they have time to immediately respond to. And they may not want to decline a pitch just in case they want to follow up with it at another time. It's okay to send them a follow up message after a couple weeks have passed, but don't continue to pester them. Unless the pitch is urgent, move on and submit the story to others.

DO ask for feedback if your pitch is declined.

Not every client will give you feedback, but it doesn't hurt to send them a follow up message asking for the reason and how you can improve. And if they do tell you why, make sure you take their advice when revising the pitch.

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The Dos and Don'ts of Pitching a Story - In The Field

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Producers and editors get dozens of story pitches a day and it can be hard for your idea to stand out above the rest. However, at Storyhunter, we've seen what can set you and your story apart - and this is what our data shows: DO research the company's brand before pitching.

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Drone Laws For Every Country In The World (Recreational Use Only)

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Drone Laws For Every Country In The World (Recreational Use Only)

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Drone Laws For Every Country In The World (Recreational Use Only)

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Updated Sep 29, 2017 *You can contribute to this map by commenting here: http://bit.ly/2uUMKDY *Offline version of this map, DroneMate: iOS http://apple.co/2uvvW41 - Android: http://bit.ly/2tsV6iH

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How to hook your audience

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How to hook your podcast audience

As more and more people create podcasts, there's a lot of competition for listeners' ears. But there's a reason so many public radio producers are finding success in the podcasting space - we know how to tell a good story!

Platforms like NPR One also help provide clues and recommendations for how you can hook your potential podcast audience.

Start strong

We can't understate how important the start of a podcast is. NPR One's Innovation Accountant, Nick DePrey, examined the data and found a typical podcast episode loses 20-35 percent of the listening audience in the first five minutes.

The rate of the drop-off is higher in the first five minutes than any time until the credits roll. Listeners are making a decision to commit in those crucial opening moments. A mediocre episode with a good introduction will almost always perform better than a great episode with a poor intro.

Only established shows with loyal followings can overcome uninteresting or non-engaging beginnings. Read more about how great audio stories begin.

Re-engage your audience every 2-5 minutes

Not only do the podcasts that work on NPR One start strong, they also use techniques to re-engage the audience every few minutes.

When you are creating a radio piece, you can count on having a fairly constant number of people listening throughout the piece, even if it may not be the same people at the beginning of a story as at the end.

But podcasts have their biggest audience at the beginning and smallest audience at the end. This means you have to set up tension and keep forward momentum all throughout your podcast in order to keep as many listeners as possible, and you should not save your best or most important point for the end of a podcast.

Some of our evidence suggests that 18-30 minutes long in podcasts might be a sweet spot for holding the audience's attention. Just because you can go as long as you want on a podcast, doesn't mean you should.

Use good artwork and write strong descriptions

Unlike radio, your artwork and the language you use to describe your podcast are both important to your success. Your podcast artwork has to draw people in. The podcast's description has to function like a headline that makes someone click to listen.

We've seen great podcast episodes fail to do well because the title and description didn't entice people to give the episode a chance. Read more about headline tips to help you write titles and descriptions.

Think about your audience and how you will find them

When it comes to producing station podcasts, it helps to have thought very intentionally about your audience and to have considered how to reach that audience.

Is your podcast geared generally to a national audience, such as Member station podcasts like Death, Sex, and Money or Modern Love? Or is it a local story for your local audience?

A third possibility might be that you have a local story that is actually relevant to people elsewhere. For instance, the topic your podcast is exploring in your community might be relevant elsewhere or perhaps, there are people who live in other places that are still connected to your community.

The producers of St Louis Public Radio's We Live Here and Milwaukee Public Radio's Precious Lives tell stories set in their community about issues facing people in the area, but their stories also speak to much larger issues experienced in many communities throughout the U.S.

We've also seen stations find success with podcasts that build on some inherent interest in their community such as WWNO's Katrina: The Debris and WBEZ's Curious City.

Both of these approaches allow stations to create a podcast that is - on one hand - local, but is also able to reach an audience size that has sponsorship revenue potential.

Watch your data

Podcasts are a growing way to reach new listeners both inside and outside your terrestrial broadcast signal. They are a great place to try out new ideas and let new talent show what they can do. These tips can help you make the most of your podcasts. But as we always recommend here at NPR One, watch your data.
Note: A version of this post was originally published on NPR's Digital Services blog. Tamar Charney is the Managing Editor of NPR One.

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As more and more people create podcasts, there's a lot of competition for listeners' ears. But there's a reason so many public radio producers are finding success in the podcasting space - we know how to tell a good story!

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Every 10 seconds, 4 jars of Nutella are sold and 4,180 Kit-Kat bars are eaten. Aside from chocolate consumption, 10 seconds is also the average amount of time it takes for a YouTube viewer, after clicking a video, to decide whether or not they want to watch the rest. Since YouTube typically registers that view after 30 seconds of watching the video, engaging the audience right away is necessary for some very important reasons: they might go on to watch more videos or subscribe, and it will boost your analytics regardless.

10 seconds is also the average amount of time it takes for a YouTube viewer, after clicking a video, to decide whether or not they want to watch the rest.

Before getting into creating hooks, it's good to know how the view count works on YouTube. For the first 300 or so, views register as legitimate just when the video page is refreshed. After 301 views, YouTube employees will manually verify - through a hidden process, of course - if the views are legitimate. This is to prevent artificially-inflated view counts, created when some dastardly devils use bots to automatically refresh the video page over and over again. Likes and dislikes are subject to the same manual verification, hence an occasional discrepancy between that total and your total views. Also, YouTube has the authority to remove any videos with inflated views purchased from a third party, so if some guy down the alley is selling wristwatches and viral videos, keep walking!

Typical audience retention, as demonstrated by the Vlogbrothers, is about 4 minutes. The best tool for tracking watch time is the Audience Retention page in your Analytics tab on YouTube. It shows how long people watch your videos on average, and the average percentage of a video that the audience watches per view. For instance, people usually watch about 2:56 minutes of my videos, and 48% of the video per view; considering that my content is a bit longer than normal, this isn't terrible! There's other tabs on the page to see the analytics broken down through video, geography, date, subscription status, and whether the person viewed it through YouTube proper or YouTube Kids.

Keeping Viewers Engaged

A good hook has several elements to effectively engage the viewer (for instance, chocolate). Each element is part of creating a curiosity gap and a value proposition. The curiosity gap makes the viewer interested in clicking on the video, while a value proposition establishes that the viewer will be rewarded by doing so. Both concepts work by 1) positing that you know something the viewer does not, and 2) that this concept is something worth knowing, whether it's a historical fact, a lipstick color, or a punchline.

When constructing your intro, consider the purpose of your video and what your audience would be looking for by watching it. Are you educating, entertaining or enraging? They're interested enough from the thumbnail or previous content to watch the video in the first place, but once the video has gotten in front of the audience and someone's actually clicked on it, it's up to you to retain their attention! It's good to keep any intros short to keep it from getting dull.

Adjusting for Different Platforms

These techniques may not function the same across different platforms because of the varying ways that views for native video are counted. YouTube counts views after 30 seconds, but Facebook and Instagram count views after 3 seconds. Those sites also have autoplay, so it even clocks as a view even if someone doesn't actually click on the video. Thanks, Mark!

Vine counts unique users watching the whole 6 seconds, and Twitter registers the view when a user clicks on the video. So, one could hypothetically be lazier on Instagram and Facebook with cross-promotional clips because the view legitimizer is lower, while Twitter might require a flashy thumbnail and intro to get people to click on the video.

Learning from Others

To focus back on YouTube, the 3-second intro for JustBetweenUs is a simple title card with a flash of peppy music, then right into the sketch. The title card, split between the JBU logo and the episode name, has colors that are bright without being grating, and the turquoise text stands out easily. Since it's a sketch show, the creators are sure to have a few jokes in the first moment of action to further hook the audience.

Even without a marked visual intro, it's easy to grab attention through background techniques. For example, Anna Akana doesn't use title cards, but she typically introduces the gist of the video within 5 seconds. In the clip below, there's bright lights in the background and her shirt has a cool texture, visually engaging the audience.

On the educational side, CrashCourse begins right away with a joke, followed by a longer animated intro. The animation is a full 8 seconds, but the skilled illustration and onscreen facts keep people entertained. Because their audience is mostly students, their intros can be a bit longer because the viewers are sure to keep watching for the information. Your intro will vary depending on the subject matter, but humor is generally the best tactic to engage viewers.

It's also up to you to decide whether you have the same intro every time, vary it based on what sort of video it is, or just start fresh each time! No matter what data you find on the Analytics page, the biggest guiding force in your creation should be making videos that you would actually want to watch.
Rhiannon McGavin began making YouTube videos when she was 12, and continues to use the platform to discuss art, literature and lipstick. She interned for 2 years at RED Studios in Los Angeles, and is also the current Youth Poet Laureate of the city.

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How to Use the First 10 Seconds of Your Video to Hook Your Audience and Increase Views

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Every 10 seconds, 4 jars of Nutella are sold and 4,180 Kit-Kat bars are eaten. Aside from chocolate consumption, 10 seconds is also the average amount of time it takes for a YouTube viewer, after clicking a video, to decide whether or not they want to watch the rest.