Randy Walk — Multimedia Storytelling, Ohio State & Learning to Shoot for the Edit
Script Ohio. The sousaphone player dots the i. Randy Walk on the field. Photo Credit: Randy Walk. Used with permission.
Randy Walk set the standard for multimedia storytelling in journalism long before most newsrooms knew what that meant. He built an Emmy-winning program at the Columbus Dispatch during the difficult transition to DSLR video. Today he’s Associate Creative Director for Multimedia at The Ohio State University.
In this episode Randy breaks down his philosophy of shooting for the edit, planning before you press record, and how he pulled off a 4-camera story on TBDBITL’s Drum Major in under 72 hours. Hidden GoPro included.
Why It Matters
In the 90s, newspapers had the most important thing already in the building: writers who knew how to find and tell a story. Most forced photographers into video and treated the camera like a replacement skill. Randy understood the camera was never the point. The story was. That discipline is why his work held up while most newsrooms lost their way.
About This Guest
Randy Walk pioneered multimedia journalism during one of the industry’s most difficult transitions, helping the Columbus Dispatch win multiple Emmy Awards for storytelling that combined photography, video, and sound in ways few newsrooms had attempted. His “Death Perception” series, produced, shot, and edited in 2010 alongside a staff photographer, earned an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy and beat out the New York Times in its category. He now serves as Associate Creative Director for Multimedia at The Ohio State University, where he continues building stories designed to make people feel something, whether that’s affinity for an institution or appreciation for the people whose work goes unnoticed.
Randy’s Bonafides
“
I want to make somebody feel something. I want people to think about people whose jobs are doing things you couldn’t possibly imagine, and that it’s important for people to know their story. That’s what motivates me.
”— RANDY WALK, ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR MULTIMEDIA, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITYHear This Episode
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Episode Timestamps
Your ZoomPod — Exit Ticket
After this episode, you'll know:
- Why planning the story before you shoot changes everything about the final edit
- How to execute a complex multi-camera story under a tight deadline
- What shoot for the edit actually means in practice
- Why making someone feel something is the real goal of any story you tell
Gear & Affiliate Links
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Randy’s whole career is built on getting closer to the story before raising the camera. Same instinct applies every time you shoot.
Stop Shooting From the Stands →BUILD NOTE: Full transcript pending paste-in from Buzzsprout.
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