Visual journalism schools teach you how to combine provocative words with appealing visual imagery in the world of journalism and beyond. When you attend a visual journalism school, you will learn to use concepts of design to report the news. This includes photography, video, and audio to tell a well-researched story to the public. Video journalism spans the fields of photojournalism, graphic design, writing, and reporting to produce works ranging from flyers with eye-catching graphics to informative documentaries.
Video journalism schools teach students to utilize lighting, pictures as stories, editing, documentary creating, web creation, as well as writing for mass media. This style of journalism includes documentaries and website design as part of the storytelling mediums. You will learn to use a variety of multimedia such as 3-D graphics, computer imaging, as well as digital photography and audio devices. You will learn how to use technology to edit images and pair with messaging to make a strong statement.
Skills that students from visual journalism schools should develop by the time they graduate include the ability to process still images, how to edit and complete video projects, how to write for media, how to mix audio, and how to broadcast multimedia content.
You can get a Bachelor of Science in Visual Journalism or you can continue your education with a Master of Arts in Multimedia Journalism. While you are a student at a video journalism school, you may have the opportunity to gain an internship that will allow you to put your knowledge into practice for your future career.
There are several careers relevant to this field of study. Graduates often work as journalists, copy editors, foreign correspondents, freelance journalists, graphic designers, production assistants, public relations assistants, script writers, technical communicators, website editors, and writers.
Skills earned from study at a visual journalism school can additionally be applied to a non-journalistic area, such as the non-profit sector. Non-profit organizations rely on being able to successfully communicate a message to encourage philanthropy. A visual journalist can bring to life a story and encourage people to donate.
As the internet continues to develop and advance into new areas such as social media and mobile websites, your skills as a visual journalist will be in greater demand. More organizations will be looking to hire journalists with visual skills rather than the traditional reporter who leaves the imagery to a photographer or graphic designer.
If you are interested in journalism and becoming a reporter or correspondent, you may want to consider attending a visual journalism school to give you the edge among others in your field. Being able to combine messaging with powerful images is a skill that many editors, publishers, and media owners are looking for. Your journalism skills will only become more sought after when you add visual skills.
