KAS: Why should a reporter learn mojo?
Geertje Algera: I believe we are in a video revolution right now. Being afraid of all these developments saying “this is not for me,” or “this is going to be bad for journalism” is not the right attitude. I think one should at least try new stuff and be ahead of the general audience, because that is the only way journalism is going to survive.
KAS: Which fears did you identify among your colleagues?
Geertje Algera: I noticed a huge fear of losing one's status as a reporter and generally of change. Common questions were "will the quality be good enough?" and "won’t we look like total losers who have to film on their iPhone because we don’t have enough money for a proper camera crew?"
KAS: How are you integrating mojo into your newsroom?
Geertje Algera: By showing my colleagues and bosses what is possible with mojo and by experimenting as well as making mistakes. When I started with mojo, things went wrong. When I started as a camera journalist, things went wrong. You grow from that and get better.
KAS: What are the technical challenges you had to overcome and what are your solutions?
Geertje Algera: The frame rate and audio were issues for TV journalism. We fixed the frame rate with a “compressor.” The audio was fixed by using microphones and also choosing filming circumstances wisely.
KAS: What tip do you have for newbies?
Geertje Algera: Put innovation and experimentation ahead of fear.
This interview was conducted by Sara Pacia, Mojo Manual Production Team Member