Video Editor

Question 1

Can you walk us through a time when you had to make a quick decision about whether to publish or hold back a video under tight deadlines? What factors did you consider?

Answer 1

Footage from a helicopter in pursuit of a suspect that was shot.

Question 2

How do you prioritize news stories when multiple events are happening simultaneously, and what role does video play in your decision-making?

Answer 2

Toy Story Land grand opening

Question 3

Can you give an example of a time when you identified a visual storytelling opportunity that others might have missed? How did you act on it?

Answer 3

Race and reconciliation

Unmarked graves in a gated / locked cemetary - proposed that they revisit the site and reflect.
- similar to stories of unmarked graves The Globe has covered in the past in Mexico.

Question 4

How do you ensure accuracy and fairness in the videos you produce, especially in fast-moving news situations?

Answer 4

It is better to be correct rather than make a mistake and have to retract or edit because the latter can harm The Globe’s credibility. When in doubt, get another person’s perspective to weigh in.

Question 5

Tell me about a time when you worked closely with a visual journalist to shape a story from start to finish.

How did you guide the process?

Answer 5

The Bridge documentary series with Shannon.

Pre-production meeting to determine focus of the story.

Build a shot list where every shot takes the viewer closer to addressing that focal point of the story.

Looking for the best visual opportunities to show action versus telling (avoiding talking heads).

Eg. The Bridge: Fight for Amendment 4

Situation:
Davion Hampton, main story subject - what is at stake? His ability to vote and have a voice in issues that impact his kids.

Action:
Asked reporter about a visual opportunity we could capture with Davion interacting with his kids.

Result:
Attended a high school football game with Davion and his kids. Also captured footage of Davion interacting with community members most impacted by the amendment, Sanford, FL.

Question 6

How do you handle creative differences or conflicting opinions when working with a team of designers, developers, or photo editors on a project?

Answer 6

Challenge - Action - Result

Train photojournalist in video editing. They were senior at the paper and reluctant to take on video.

I asked them to teach me something about photography.

Created a relationship with them formed on mutual respect. They became more open-minded to learning video from me.

Question 7

Can you describe how you collaborate with a team in a fast-paced, breaking news environment? How do you manage the balance between speed and quality?

Answer 7

Challenge - Action - Result
Producing a daily livestream news show.
1. Plan the day before, coordinate with reporters on stories they’re working on that need video. Source visuals from archive / server or dispatch a visual journalist.
2. Create run-of-show, pre-edit all the media assets for broll.
3. Set-up studio in advance.

Question 8

What role do you see video playing in the future of mobile-first journalism, and how do you plan to push innovation in this area?

Answer 8

Majority of viewers are on their phone. Even at home on the couch reading the news on their phone.

Format multimedia for display on phones. Always consider how visuals can help create or foster their engagement

Eg. easy to navigate through a story and read on a small screen.

Question 9

How do you keep up with new trends and technologies in video production and storytelling for digital platforms?

Answer 9

YouTube tutorials
Avid consumer of content
Constantly optimizing workflow to improve efficiency without compromising quality: Livestreaming, live switching / editing, troubleshooting technical problems.

Question 10

Can you give an example of a time when you introduced an innovative process or tool that improved video production workflows?

Answer 10

Challenge - Action - Result

High volume of video work causing a bottleneck in the production pipeline.

Streamlined part of the production process, integrating a video switcher into Riverside so that I could live switch and edit video podcasts.

Podcasts were ready for first round of feedback within minutes after recording.

Question 11

Can you describe a situation where you had to edit multiple video projects under tight deadlines? How did you manage your time and ensure quality?

Answer 11

Toy Story Land media coverage
Challenge: Two reporters, from Business and entertainment desks, covering the grand opening of Toy Story Land. About 5 stories to capture in one day.

Action: Pre-production meeting to create a schedule and shot list for all the stories.

Result: Efficiently worked together to capture all stories in one day and meet deadline for print and web. Prioritized stories by in order of publish deadline.

Question 12

How do you handle technical challenges during editing or media management under deadline pressure?

Answer 12

Challenge - Action - Result

Solutions oriented mindset. How can you leverage the tools / situation at hand to achieve the goal.

Capture video and a portrait of a fireworks designer during a fireworks display at Disney’s Cinderella castle. The show was about 7 minutes.

Question 13

What do you think the Globe does well?

Answer 13

Producing stories that resonate because they are timely.
- Biking Lawyer and the frequency of cycling accidents
- Dry January and surgeon general warning on alcohol
- Sound baths and mental health / stress living in the city

Small team and very intentional with what stories they capture with video + how it is placed in the story - it is not intrusive. Integrated well with text overlayed video, small snippets of soundbites or relevant video in-between photos and text.
- Reference tronc era of video on every single story.

Question 14

What do you think the Globe can improve?

Answer 14

Video Optimization

YouTube: Thumbnails, video podcasts, video playlists

Website: Video playlists, placement on homepage, search function

Question 15

Can you share an example of a story or topic where you demonstrated strong news instincts to decide the best approach for video coverage?

Answer 15

Fight for Amendment 4,
Looking for ways to capture natural action to show versus tell.

Question 16

How do you stay on top of global and local news trends?

How do you ensure you’re always thinking about how video fits into the larger conversation on those topics?

Answer 16

1. Podcasts: Canadaland, CBC, Decibel
2. Ground News
3. YouTube

Question 17

Given the smaller size of our video team, how would you ensure effective collaboration with colleagues from different disciplines, such as designers and photo editors, to create compelling video content?

Answer 17

Communication is key.

Challenge: Small team, not video centric (was often considered an after thought, which meant video opportunities were missed).

Action: Took initiative to show what was possible when the video team is looped into the process, lead by example, built trust and gained access to team’s stories so I could see what was coming down the pipeline. I’d reach out if I saw a story that was especially good for video. Shared examples of good video done from other newspapers.

Result: Earned the team an Emmy in documentary video - reporters started looping me into the process in advance to for pre-production.

Question 18

The role requires working with a variety of video content, from raw footage to fully edited packages.

Can you walk us through your process when you receive raw footage? How do you decide what stays, what gets cut, and how to shape the narrative?

Answer 18

Who is most affected
What are the stakes
Source
Date
Location
Ethic

Process:
Verify the source, location, and relevancy (timeliness, is it the most up to date?)
Consider if the content demonstrates the following: who is most affected, what are the stakes? - does it give necessary context? Find the focus of the story and every shot must take us closer to this focal point.

Question 19

How do you handle breaking news situations when you’re working on a tight deadline?

Can you give us an example where you had to produce video content quickly under pressure? What was the outcome?

Answer 19

Election night coverage, I arrive as early as possible to set-up my workstation (connect to wi-fi, fill out meta-data info in advance, build foundation of video edit).

Question 20

We’re focusing a lot on mobile-first journalism. How would you adjust your video editing and content approach for mobile platforms? Can you give an example of how you’ve done this in the past?

Answer 20

Record video with vertical video format in-mind, the majority of phone users do not turn their phones horizontal to view video.

Title and thumbnail optimization

Format of video edit. Consider what platform it is on.

Question 21

Vertical video is a priority at The Globe. How do you feel about creating content for platforms like TikTok, and what would be your strategy for engaging viewers in this format?

Answer 21

Analytics to measure performance such as viewer completion rate, shares, etc.

80% video view completion rate on The Bridge episode.

Specific attention to using the first few seconds of the video to explain why this story and why now?

Question 22

How do you manage collaborating with external freelancers or partners while ensuring the final product aligns with the Globe’s editorial standards?

Answer 22

Freelancers at conferences for video interviews, large volumes of footage.

Pre-production meeting and document that defines expectations/requirements, roles, and deliverables.

Documentation that provides all necessary information (time, location, contact information, logistics, etc)

Provide reference images of expecations/deliverables.

Question 23

The Globe’s video team is small, and it sounds like we’re working in a collaborative environment. How would you advocate for the importance of video in editorial decision-making when working alongside other team members and departments?

Answer 23

Take initiative to find out what stories other teams are working on to see where the best opportunities for video might be.

Question 24

This role requires a good deal of editing and organizing video footage. How do you manage large volumes of footage and stay organized while maintaining a high quality of work?

Answer 24

Challenge - Action - Result

Large volumes of footage from key note speakers, panel discussions, interviews captured at a conference.

Define the file naming conventions, prepare method of transferring footage ahead of time, create a call-sheet for the crew, and finalize a publishing schedule so the team knows how to prioritize video edits.

Question 25

Can you describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a team of visual journalists, designers, and other stakeholders to produce a multimedia story?

How did you contribute to the team’s success?

Answer 25

Producing the live daily news show.

Question 26

Why do you want to work at the Globe?

Answer 26

Legacy
Be part of the solution to help address Canadians distrust of the news.

Question 27

Ethics: How to decide when to run video

How do you determine which video content has the most news value, especially when covering breaking news?

Answer 27

Who is most affected
What are the stakes
Source
Date
Location
Ethic

Question 28

The Holy Trinity of ethics

Answer 28

1. Obligation to the story itself. what is happening, why is it important, who is it going to affect?
2. People who read the story, important to readership, does it serve them?
3. People you are telling the stories about. Shouldn’t be surprised by what they see.

Question 29

How do you balance ethics with the need to be meet fast deadlines?

Answer 29

• Always important to go quickly, but more important is to make sure it’s done right.
• NYT mistake with bombing of hospital. Initial coverage “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear those claims could not immedietly be verified.”
• Can hurt credibility/trust with readers.
• Get feedback, in a solutions oriented way.

Question 30

Ethics of photojournalism

Answer 30

1. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. While photographing subjects, do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
2. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects.
3. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups.
4. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
5. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.

Question 31

Story Pitch / What topics are you interested in?

What POV do you contribute to the Globe?

Answer 31

1. Producing and designing multimedia stories for mobile. Engage users in an era of distrust.
2. Motion graphics
3. Technology / Science (A.I., law, mobile applications)
4. Livable cities (lived in different parts of the city each year, experienced a different pocket as a newcomer, I live in a condo in the heart of the city yet I’ve biked to work and got hit by a car

My Contribution:
- Optimizing and engaging with viewers on platforms like YouTube.
- Make content accessible for better engagement (eg. Asmongold reacted toa. Trump press conference and achieved over 1 million views in 17 hours.)

Question 32

Tell me about a time when you had to adjust your approach or strategy midway through a project due to unforeseen circumstances. How did you adapt, and what was the outcome?

Can you provide an example of a time when you had to quickly adapt to unexpected changes or challenges in a project? How did you maintain productivity and quality despite the disruptions?

Answer 32

Hot Docs sponsorship placement
- Preparation / organization

Disney fireworks designer

1 mic, placed between two subjects.

Question 33

Tell me about a time when you had to coordinate with photographers, editors, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless workflow and project completion. How did you keep everyone aligned and on track?

Answer 33

Project management with trello at TWN and EarthLabs

Creative briefs, uploading all media assets, status updates, publishing schedule to prioritize work, feedback/review process.

Question 34

Can you discuss a situation where you had to balance the need for accuracy and thoroughness with the pressure to meet tight deadlines?

How did you ensure the quality of the final product was not compromised?

Answer 34

Election night coverage,
- arrive early, set-up work station, fill in as much metadata ahead of time, edit foundation of video.
- pre-production meeting with reporters to understand the focus of the story - make sure main points are communicated - figure out what outcomes to anticipate and formulate a plan.

Question 35

How will you prioritize which story to make video (considering top stories aren’t video friendly)

Answer 35

Video takes a lot of investment (time and resources) and yet it is difficult to produce a worthwhile ROI.

Priority #1
If it is an easy access to video, eg. wire feeds of press conference or video of public record.

THEN

Leverage stories that have action unfolding to get better return on video that would foster engagement - avoid talking heads whenever possible.

Question 36

How do you work with someone who doesn’t understand video (at any point in a story’s life)

Answer 36

1. Ask and listen first to understand their concerns to inform my approach.
2. With story subjects: Show how the process works, give them a peek into the framing and set-up for transparency.
3. With colleagues: Show examples of other stories with video and a plan (eg. shot list, draft of a script) that will help us achieve that shot or sequence in the edit.