Beyond the aperture: A closer look at our video team's work

PA’s live video coverage plays a crucial role in its news service to customers.

A team of videographers captures the footage every day, and here we put the spotlight on Video Producer Nick Warren to find out more about the role. 

Nick tells us what a typical working day at PA is like and discusses the biggest challenge when trying to capture engaging news footage on camera. He also reveals his biggest achievement in the team to date.

What does a typical day look like?

That’s somewhat of a trick question for us as there is no real ‘typical day’. Due to the fast-paced nature of breaking news there’s a lot of unpredictability in what my day will actually look like. We also cover a wide range of areas from politics, sport, general news, and everything in-between. You could start the day editing in the office, have a sit-down interview before lunch and then be covering a protest in the afternoon. This job can take you all over the country or even all over the world. I remember one morning I arrived in the office expecting a relatively quiet day, by the time I went to bed I was in Portugal.

However, amid the rush there are moments of calm where I’ll join the desk, helping to process, edit and push through the video content we receive from all over the country onto our newswire. For the most part I would describe my days as racing around London with a camera and a microphone, gathering comment and recording the events of the day. Everyday really can be a lottery, but that’s one of the reasons I love it.

What is the biggest challenge when trying to capture engaging news footage?

I’d say the biggest challenge when trying to capture engaging footage is the time constraint. Working in video journalism, your job is to capture a series of sequences that will allow yourself or others to tell the story of an event in the most truthful, complete, and visually striking way. Often, events happen very quickly and there are no second takes. Therein lies the fundamental challenge, particularly when this is combined with atmospheric changes.

Unlike a film set where factors such as the lighting, sound and background activity can be controlled, real life is chaotic, and situations can change rapidly. You can constantly be juggling with your exposure, framing and focus while still trying to keep an eye out for any interesting details or moments of action. It is inevitable that you will miss things and sometimes capturing a sequence that could define a news day or lead a bulletin could be as simple as being in the right place at the right time.

What qualities does a videographer need?

I would say some of the most important qualities would be a strong news sense, perseverance, and a photographic eye. It’s important to know what makes a story news and which details will be the most important or impactful. Applying this to my work for example, it could be prioritising the interactions and expressions of an individual who you know will most likely dominate a story. From my experience, this is a skill that is honed over time allowing yourself to, more and more so, trust in your own instincts.

Perseverance is also key as even if you don’t initially get the shot or are shrugged off when asking for comment, you should try and never let that demoralise you. If you don’t give up, the chance may come again. Also, maintaining a positive attitude and having a willingness to learn from those around you who may have more experience will always pay off in the long run.

Having a photographic eye is also something that can grow sharper the more you work in the field. Knowing how to frame a subject or news event in such a way that best tells the story and is also aesthetically pleasing is challenging but incredibly satisfying. I’ve also found myself more aware of small details that can have a much greater sense of meaning than they first appear when given the right attention.

What has been your biggest achievement?

My biggest achievement so far has been getting an on-camera interview with Elon Musk at the AI Safety Summit last November. His appearance at the summit was a story in itself and, being lucky enough to be one of the few journalists in the room, I felt I had to try my luck and see if he would speak to me. After prepping some questions, I was eventually able to grab him and conduct a short interview on what I felt were the most newsworthy topics from the summit. The interview had loads of interest from our national and international clients and the lines ended up making headlines in the UK and running in stories around the world. Being able to handle a high-pressured situation like that gave me a lot of confidence moving forward.

Have you seen your role change since you first started in the industry and how much do you see it evolving further?

I think the biggest change I have seen since working at PA has been our new Live Video Service. Filming live means you have to think about how you frame and transition between shots in a completely different way and can have far more room for error. However, our ability to broadcast the news as it is happening puts us on par with the world’s best international agencies and broadcasters.

In the future I could envisage, not just my role, but that of a lot of journalists become much more of a multimedia position. As the news-space becomes ever more digitised, technology improves and consumers become accustomed to visual engaging content, I see the line between reporters and videographers becoming increasingly blurred.

Find out more about PA Media’s video services here and it’s live video offering here.

Watch the on-demand webinar recording about our live video service here.