Video on the editorial pages isn't the future ... it's here now.

"Convergence" of print and online media is a topic of increasingly vigorous discussion in the new world of newspapering--including opinion pages.

The Dayton Daily News has this take: Present the traditional editorial both in print form and as an online video documentary.

The experiment began with a challenge: Is it possible for an editorial writer to self-produce an opinion piece both for print and as a "micro"-documentary, more or less on deadline?

The answer is yes, and here's how:

Choose a topic that has a strong visual element, report it in the ordinary way, except bring along a digital camera (one that takes both stills and video), and constantly think about visual opportunities to tell the story.

One writing serves both as the print editorial and narration for the video. This isn't just a matter of efficiency; thinking about how the editorial works visually advances writerly rules about "showing" rather than "telling."

The technology isn't tough, if you are willing to climb a ten-hour learning curve--mostly by doing. Cameras are easy, and the editing software that comes standard with Macintosh computers (iMovie) is designed for the technically challenged, and is very forgiving.

I've produced four combo print/video editorials so far, and my goal is to do one a month. From start to completion, including reporting, filming, writing, editing (video and text), and narrating, each took a very long day and a half.

The first discussed the future of "Building 26," an office building at the old NCR complex where local engineers helped crack the "enigma code" as part of a top secret project during World War II. See: daytondailynews.com/ opinion/content/videos/0705editoriai.html

The second editorialized on a city of Dayton program that deals with abandoned residential property: dayton dailynews.com/opinion/content/videos/housingshame.html

The third was a casual commentary on the tenth anniversary of a large local outdoor rock 'n' roll, called XFest, with on-location footage: daytondailynews.com/opinion/ content/videos/xfestedit.html

The fourth endorsed a local school levy, the funds from which are needed to operate new school buildings voters had approved in 2004: daytondailynews.com/localnews/ content/videos/springborolevy.html

The end product appears on the opinion page in the traditional editorial form, except readers also are referred to the website to view the video version.

Each has offered important tips on how to improve a fledgling concept--length shouldn't exceed three minutes and four hundred words, narration must be enlivened, "titles" enlarged, opening scenes punched up--and more.

They offer new possibilities for how editorials are shared among readers. The radio station that sponsored X-Fest, for example, loved the video and linked to it on its website. The school-levy video was quickly picked up by local organizers, and the link e-mailed widely.

The videos also can open up photo morgues. Great old images are easily incorporated, making vivid historic connections in the way Ken Burns revolutionized.

Many topics lend themselves to the video editorial--which can be made part of the editorial writer's routine, are fun to produce, and have a lot of potential for engaging readers and connecting them with opinion pages.

Eddie Roth is editorial writer and columnist at the Dayton Daily News in Ohio. E-mail [e-mail]