AAJA: Asian American Journalists Association


Four AAJA Members Initiate Multimedia Training Classes

Four AAJA members kicked off the multimedia training classes that are part of the AT&T Foundation's Excelerator grant program. AAJA was awarded $25,000 in December 2007 to provide multimedia training to student and professional members and purchase equipment.

The four participants in the May 10 session were:

  • Matt Dunn, television director, KRON-TV (freelance)
  • Diana Le, student, Pennsylvania State University, political science major
  • Jessica Lum, senior staff photographer/arts and entertainment writer, UCLA Daily Bruin, English major
  • Corinna Wu, freelance science writer and editor

They learned high-definition camera basics with the Panasonic HVX200 camcorder and P2 technology that is popular among journalists and documentary filmmakers.

Instructor Kristine Enea of shooterkat LLC intricately demonstrated the many visual and sonic functions of the HVX. After intense classroom training, each student was equipped with an HVX camcorder and converged on a political rally in San Francisco's Civic Center adjacent to the AAJA national office where the class was held. Each videographer conducted their own interviews and captured B-roll, while also managing visual and audio controls.

"The prospect of learning how to shoot video was intimidating to me at first," said Corinna Wu, "but the instructor really made me feel comfortable with the technology. The opportunity to practice with an actual camera made a huge difference. Going out and shooting video in the field made me realize how tough it is -- so many things to keep track of! Now I know what I will need to pay attention to in the future. I think I learned the most from watching everyone else's footage. It gave me ideas of how best to frame my shots and how to use the picture to tell the story."

"Even though I do have some experience with video cameras, it was good to get training on AAJA's new camera equipment and P2 technology," said Matt Dunn. "We have some really top tier stuff, I can't wait to get started on a project."