The Case for Cinematic Aesthetics in Online Video Journalism: The BBC News Authored Story
Abstract
Online journalism is fast becoming a central source of news worldwide. Yet all too often the perception of online is that it’s rough and ready, and what’s worse, that audiences don’t care. This paper argues that the predominantly authored form that we know as video journalism owes more to the cinematic aesthetics of documentary and cinema than traditional news, and that the growth of online digital literacy has had a profound impact on audiences’ expectations of production quality. The author’s recent work for BBC News are used as case studies to reveal how VJs are able to implement cinematic approaches at both a narrative and aesthetic levelReferences
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[18] B. Nichols, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1991.
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[20] F.P. Ramos, “What is documentary mise-en-scène? Coutinho's mannerism and Salles's ‘mauvaise conscience,” Studies in Documentary Film, 8:2, May 2014.
[21] P.C. Rivoltella, Digital Literacy: Tools and Methodologies for Information Society, Hershey, PA: IGI Publishing, 2008.
[22] J.V. Sijll, Cinematic Storytelling, Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.
[23] D. Tewksbury and J. Rittenberg, News on the Internet: Information and Citizenship in the 21st Century, New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
[24] M. Tsagkias, M. de Rijke, and W. Weerkamp, “Linking Online News and Social Media,” Proceedings of the fourth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, pp. 565-574, New York: ACM, 2011.
[25] V. Gill and D.Fasolo. [Interview]. Manchester, 3rd September 2014.
[26] V. Gill and D. Fasolo (2012) “Urban Dolphins: Challenges of City Life Revealed,” BBC News Website. [Online Video]. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23881977
[27] S. Wallace, “Watchdog or Witness: The Emerging Forms and Practices of Videojournalism,” Journalism, 10, pp. 684-701, 2009.
[28] S. Wallace, “The complexities of convergence: Multiskilled journalists working in BBC regional multimedia newsrooms,” International Communication Gazette, 75:99, pp. 99-117, 2013.
[29] J.S. Wilinson, A.E. Grant and D.J. Fisher, Principles of Convergent Journalism, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
[2] M.A. Bock, Video Journalism: Beyond the One Man Band, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2012.
[3] P. Bradshaw and L. Rohumaa, The Online Journalism Handbook: Skills to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age, Harlow, England: Pearson, 2011.
[4] J. Canavilhas, “From Remediation to Convergence: Looking at the Portugese Media,” Brazilian Journalism Research, 8:1, 2012.
[5] A. Cavalcanti, “Sound in films,” Film Sound: Theory and Practice, ed., E. Weis and J. Belton. New York, Columbia: University Press, 1985.
[6] T. Corrigan and P. White, The Film Experience: An Introduction, Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012.
[7] A. Cramerotti, Aesthetic Journalism: How to Inform without Informing, Bristol, UK: Intellect, 2009.
[8] D. Fasolo (2014) “The Balloon Artist who used to be a Truck Driver,” BBC News Website. [Online Video]. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23881977
[9] J. Galliver and D.Fasolo. [Interview]. London, 2nd September 2014.
[10] B. Gorman (2010) “TV Economics 101: Cable vs. Broadcast Dramas,” TV by the Numbers Website. [Online]. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/04/04/tv-economics-101-cable-vs-broadcast-dramas/47327/
[11] J. Grierson, “The Documentary Producer,” Cinema Quarterly, 2:1, pp. 7–9, 1933.
[12] P. Hamilton (2014) “Locating the Sweet Spot: What Will TV Channels Pay for Your Doc?,” IDA Website. [Online]. http://www.documentary.org/feature/locating-sweet-spot-what-will-tv-channels-pay-your-doc
[13] K. Lancaster, Video Journalism for the Web: A Practical Introduction to Documentary Storytelling, New York: Routledge, 2013.
[14] V.A. de Melo, “Sharing (modern) experiences: sport (body) – (image) cinema,” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 39:2, pp. 251-266, 2012.
[15] L. Murray, “Authenticity and realism in documentary sound,” The Soundtrack, 3:2, pp. 131-137, Dec. 2010.
[16] H. Newcomb, Ed., Television: The Critical View, 7th ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
[17] B. Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2001.
[18] B. Nichols, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1991.
[19] C. Peters and M. Broersma, Ed., Rethinking Journalism: Trust and Participation in a Transformed News Landscape, London: Routledge, 2013.
[20] F.P. Ramos, “What is documentary mise-en-scène? Coutinho's mannerism and Salles's ‘mauvaise conscience,” Studies in Documentary Film, 8:2, May 2014.
[21] P.C. Rivoltella, Digital Literacy: Tools and Methodologies for Information Society, Hershey, PA: IGI Publishing, 2008.
[22] J.V. Sijll, Cinematic Storytelling, Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.
[23] D. Tewksbury and J. Rittenberg, News on the Internet: Information and Citizenship in the 21st Century, New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
[24] M. Tsagkias, M. de Rijke, and W. Weerkamp, “Linking Online News and Social Media,” Proceedings of the fourth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, pp. 565-574, New York: ACM, 2011.
[25] V. Gill and D.Fasolo. [Interview]. Manchester, 3rd September 2014.
[26] V. Gill and D. Fasolo (2012) “Urban Dolphins: Challenges of City Life Revealed,” BBC News Website. [Online Video]. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23881977
[27] S. Wallace, “Watchdog or Witness: The Emerging Forms and Practices of Videojournalism,” Journalism, 10, pp. 684-701, 2009.
[28] S. Wallace, “The complexities of convergence: Multiskilled journalists working in BBC regional multimedia newsrooms,” International Communication Gazette, 75:99, pp. 99-117, 2013.
[29] J.S. Wilinson, A.E. Grant and D.J. Fisher, Principles of Convergent Journalism, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Published
2015-09-15
How to Cite
FASOLO, Damian.
The Case for Cinematic Aesthetics in Online Video Journalism: The BBC News Authored Story.
Култура/Culture, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 11, p. 43-53, sep. 2015.
ISSN 1857-7725.
Available at: <http://journals.cultcenter.net/index.php/culture/article/view/163>. Date accessed: 19 feb. 2025.
Section
English Articles
Keywords
Video Journalism, Aesthetics, Multiskilling, Cinematography, Cinema, Documentary, Authored

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