Backpack Journalism Blog

WASHINGTON, DC, 14 June 2013 — Sam Meddis, the former head of USA Today’s video department in Washington, DC, reviewed my Essential Video Journalism Field Manual on Amazon.com, saying, “it teaches the fundamentals of the craft.” Sam, who recently retired from the newspaper business, said, “the book comes alive with teachable moments.”

To read the whole review, click HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC, 5 June 2013 — This is a film conceived, shot, written, narrated and edited by Eslly Melgarejo, one of the participants in my recent Video Journalism Workshop for the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The story of a blind child’s refusal to accept defeat despite his handicap, the title means, “A Glow in the Darkness.” You can see the film HERE.

What a pleasure it was to work with these Guatemalan storytellers. It reminded me, once again, of the proper use of the tools that too many of us take for granted. Too often.

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, 30 May 2013 — It’s over. My Video Journalism Workshop at Nancy McGirr’s Fotokids ended with a big ice cream cake and this group shot. Great way to end two weeks in Guatemala, the first conducting a workshop for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and the second for Fotokids.

(Photo by a camera on a tripod!)

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, 29 May 2013 — This is a film that Danny Shack, one of the participants in my video journalism workshop, put together last week. It’s a chilling tale about the “XX” patients in local hospitals. XX means the patient has lost his/her memory and is stranded in the hospital until family or friends can be located. The workshop was funded by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and hosted by Nancy McGirr’s Fotokids.

You can watch the film HERE.

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, 27 May 2013 — Jessica, one of nine Fotokids participating in my video journalism workshop, watches films being made during the five-day event. As we transit from the “pre-production” stage into the “production” stage of the workshop, I’m deeply impressed by the tenacity of these young people. By their thirst for knowledge and their grace in pursuing it.

They seem to remember everything I’m teaching them. Concepts with which they probably have very little familiarity. The Controlling Idea. Dramatic Arc. Formal and Informal Interviews. The Six-Shot System. Interview techniques. Video portrait. They get it.

Founded in 1991 Nancy McGirr’s non-profit aims to break the cycle of poverty through training in visual arts and technology.

This is the second workshop I’m conducting here. The first was funded by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and hosted by Fotokids. It included about a dozen professional journalists working here in Guatemala.

(Photos by Bill Gentile.)

Above, Fotokids watch their fruit of their labor.

Above, Nancy McGirr oversees the workshop.

Above, Fotokids working together.

Above, Gaby consults with Nancy.

Above, Nancy at her desk.

GUATEMALA CITY , Guatemala, 26 May 2013 — I meet on the first day of my five-day video journalism workshop with kids belonging to Nancy McGirr’s non-profit organization, Fotokids. Founded in 1991, Fotokids is designed to break the cycle of poverty through training in visual arts and technology.

( Photo by Nancy McGirr.)

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, 24 May 2013 — My video journalism workshop in Guatemala City ended with a group dinner of the professional journalists who participated in the event. They all produced terrific pieces, some of which I’ll be posting here, on my Facebook page, and on my YouTube and Vimeo channels. The workshop was sponsored by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and hosted by Nancy McGirr’s Fotokids.

What an honor to work with, and to help empower, these young journalists, and to pass onto them some of the knowledge and skills that I’ve been fortunate enough to acquire over the years.

I begin another workshop here on Sunday, this time with Nancy’s Fotokids.

PANAMA CITY, Panama, 7 May 2013 — During an interview with “TVN Panama” host Roly Sterling, we discussed how technology has equipped so many with the ability to have a voice, and to raise that voice, on issues important to all of us. I participated in Roly’s show today as part of a State Department-sponsored trip to discuss “citizen journalism,” one component of the broader methodology that we refer to as “backpack video journalism.”

WASHINGTON, DC, 4 May 2013 — Save $100 on my Video Journalism Workshop June 6-9 in Washington. Use my Promo Code, BGENTILE, at http://videojournalismworkshops.com

And check out “Chain Gang” at http://vimeo.com/11084281

WASHINGTON, DC, 1 May 2013 — I’ll be back at this event tomorrow, 2 May 2013, for a two-hour presentation. The Shoot Off Video Workshop mentors military, civil service and government multimedia journalists with an emphasis on video fundamentals. Participants get the tools and techniques to become better visual storytellers.

It’s an honor to be able to address these folks.