Digital News Unit: Filming Mini Project About Rochester

As part of our development and practice - we got given a task to create a news package for tourists. We got into our groups and we decided to do Rochester as that was the best place for all of us to access.

We started off with a brainstorm, with everyone coming up with different ideas and different places to film. We then made a rough script to follow once we finalised what places we were going to film. Rochester is very historic so we all straight away mentioned the castle and cathedral. Not only are these famous landmarks, but they are also great features to have on film and sums up Rochester nicely.

We took up our usual roles, with Helen writing the script and gaining access to different locations, Chris was editor and chief cameraman, and I was the director while also starring/presenting in this project. I find it useful to be on camera sometimes, as it helps you realise what actors/presenters have to deal with, as well as find/work out what helps them and what they need from the production crew.

We met up at Chris' flat (which is luckily in Rochester) and began prepping. We then headed off to the different locations filming cutaways as well as pieces to camera. Helen and I then filmed the castle and cathedral as they were vital for our piece. Chris then worked his magic with the editing, and it turned out great! We were all happy with the end result, and learnt different things with making a package for a news piece.

The main thing I learnt was the role of the reporter. Movement on camera is key, and the delivery needs to be clear. We will have to get an engaging reporter for our digital news project