Monday 6 October 2014
Because in our news package we may get Vox pops from the general public, i done some research into how to go about getting Vox Pops, here's the research results below.
Whilst doing the research however, unfortunately, the books that i took our from the library does not mention anything about Vox Pops, however, because a Vox pop is classed as a type of interview, the books i've taken out cover a lot on interviewing techniques, most of which apply to a Vox Pop.
What is a Vox Pop?
(Taken from media college)
The term "vox pop" comes from the Latin phrase vox populi, meaning "voice of the people". The vox pop is a tool used in many forms of media to provide a snapshot of public opinion. Random subjects are asked to give their views on a particular topic and their responses are presented to the viewer/reader as a reflection of popular opinion.
For video and television vox pops, the interviewer approaches people "in the street" and asks them simple questions about the topic. These people will be new to interviews and will often be nervous, flustered, giggly, etc. It's therefore important to make them feel comfortable and relaxed.
When asking people to participate, fast is best - don't give them time to worry about how they look or what their friends will think. Use a short, sharp standard question such as "Would you mind answering a couple of quick questions about genetically modified food for TV3 news tonight?". (Note: Everyone will want to know what channel you're with and when the programme will be broadcast, so it helps to get that out of the way quickly.)
As always, ask open-ended questions and avoid leading questions. At the same time, you must be specific enough to obtain brief answers.
Camera shots are usually framed as an MCU or close up. It's important to think about the guest's looking direction, and get an equal number of left-facing and right-facing subjects. These can then be alternated in post-production. Some producers go so far as to get all answers with a particular opinion facing one way, and answers with an opposing opinion facing the other way. Whether or not you think this is effective is up to you — you may feel that it is too contrived.
It pays to ensure that an accurate mix of genders and races are represented, appropriate to the population being surveyed.(www.mediacollege.com/video/interviews/voxpops.html)Following up on the opened-ended questions, a page taken from the video journalism multimedia storytelling book by Kenneth Kobre has a good explanation and example of what is a closed-ended and opened-ended question.
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| P.162 video journalism multimedia storytelling book by Kenneth Kobre |
Some other useful information that i took out from this book that also relates to Vox Pops is...
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| P.162 video journalism multimedia storytelling book by Kenneth Kobre |
This is important because the whole reason your getting a Vox pop, is to get that personal emotional opinion from your interviewee about their experience with the specific subject matter i.e. on a wild dog roaming around the streets.
These last two captioned pictures are just additional advice in regards to framing your interview, and also the do's and don'ts of interviewing.
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| Framing your interviews (www.mediacollege.com/video/interviews/voxpops.html) |
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| Advice on interviewing, the do's and don'ts P.164 video journalism multimedia storytelling book by Kenneth Kobre |
Below are a few examples of News packages which contain Vox Pops.
Here's some more information i found on how to go about getting Vox pops, by Melanie Grant, an experienced broadcast journalist who's worked at 1Xtra, Radio 1 and Radio 4.
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| Recording Vox pops (http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112136311) |
