In the last few days, Instagram brought out a new feature, or app, or both, depending how you look at it, and these are my thoughts after spending some time with it. I’m referring to IGTV, also known as Instagram TV.
Tag: Interview
MA project: The finished piece

The aim of the project was to explore interactive video, and to find a way of providing additional context to the viewer. To do so, I created four videos. The first was my default, a non-interactive version to act as a point of comparison. Two videos provided interactivity by allowing the user to control the content on screen, and these were achieved using my own web-code and an online tool (Thinglink). The final video, exploring the ability for the user to control the direction-of-view within the video, used 360º cameras to create a virtual reality video.
MA project: Video editing part 2

This is an important milestone to celebrate - not only can I continue with progressing the coded format, but I have discovered, acted on, and learned from some difficulties I wasn't expecting to encounter.
MA project: Planning the second production stage

In my previous blog post, I mentioned the disappointing results with the 360º camera during the two interviews I have so far conducted, with my hesitation around quality and positioning. To exemplify what I mean by this, I've attached a still image taken from my second filmed interview, with Francis Clarke.
MA project: Video editing part 1

I've now reached a point where all interview footage, flat and 360º, have been imported in Final Cut Pro X ready for editing. With other commitments, I haven't spent as much time editing these as I'd originally hoped, however I have reviewed all the footage collected and started to note time-codes of interest.
MA project: First recorded video

This week I recorded the first footage for the content of my project. I did two interviews this week in London and Birmingham, speaking to Sir David Omand and Francis Clarke about the Investigatory Powers Act for my project. Both interviews were filmed with the usual camera setup, but also with a Theta S camera.
MA project: Video content and production

As the sixth week of production comes to an end, it’s time I stepped back from coding to concentrate on the video’s content. Throughout the research stages of the project, I have wanted to test the proportionality of the Investigatory Powers Act - does its benefits justify an increased state of surveillance on members of the public?
MA project: Arranging interviews

It has been a week since my blog post introducing my MA by practice project, titled: In the wake of a growing threat from international and home-grown terrorism, should the public accept less privacy in exchange for greater security?
Introducing my MA project

This is the first blog post in a series that will map out the progress of my MA by Practice module at Birmingham City University. It is the final piece of work on my postgraduate degree in Online Journalism. It hasn't been too long since I submitted the proposal for this assignment, which I opted for instead of writing a dissertation.
Covering an election on Instagram

Following the research I conducted through my News on Instagram posts, I reported on the election for Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority using predominantly mobile journalism techniques, and publishing only to Instagram.
What I’ve learned about publishing news to Instagram

A struggling engagement with young people has resulted in news organisations experimenting with their use of social media as a way of addressing a widening gap in their audience. In a series of blog posts, I have examined the use of Instagram as a platform for distributing news content. I found some common trends and good practices.
Interview: BBC News social media editor Mark Frankel talks Instagram

Mark Frankel is the social media editor of BBC News. He managed a team of audience engagement producers and writers who post regular content to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram. I'm interested in Instagram, and why the BBC is so keen to explore this platform for news.