• Multimedia Minutes: Top Ten Tips from an MMJ Anchor

    October 30th, 2009

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    Work on tomorrow’s story today is one of the top ten tips from multimedia anchor Marc Schollett of TV7-4/Traverse City, Michigan where he anchors three newscasts a day:

     

    TOP FIVE DO’S

     

    1.)   Plan ahead. Be working on tomorrow’s story today if you can. Spend a few minutes each day making phone calls for stories that are not going to be turned today. It provides a depth to your coverage that would be almost impossible to get in a “day of” piece. This can be a great strategy in dealing with agencies or people that are notorious for being slow in answering media responses. It makes it almost impossible for them to duck your questions, if you don’t give them a deadline they can just let pass.

    2.)   Use your tripod.  Legs make things stable. You have two, a tripod has three. It wins every time. Shooting is slower with a tripod, but editing is so much faster.

    3.)   Spend a few minutes talking to your interviewee before you start and as you are leaving about anything other than either of your jobs or the story you are working on. You might be surprised this is how some of the best sources are developed. Talk about their motorcycle in the driveway, the deer head hanging on their wall, the kid’s pictures in the family room….anything. They will see you as a person, and not just the person on TV, and be far more likely to call you in the future. I can’t tell you how many people call me and say “you interviewed me about this, but I wanted to let you know about something completely different.”

    4.)   When time is tight, keep it simple and clean….and get it done.

    5.)   Be excited about your stories. Most of us can watch a story and tell right away if the VJ was excited to do it. How? If they are excited, its well thought out, thorough, creative, and has certain energy. If you are not excited for your stories, find new stories. These days you may be able to have more say in what stories you are doing. It doesn’t mean you will get to do fluff, but enterprise some stories and turn them well, and your news director may give you a little more freedom when it comes to story selection.

    If they know you are going to turn a thorough, energetic story that connects with viewers they are more likely to let you do it, even if it falls outside the “normal” stories your station runs.

      

    TOP FIVE DON’TS

     

    1.)   Don’t think of you video as an afterthought. Good video might save a story, but poorly shot wallpaper video will certainly ruin one.

    2.)   Don’t complain about carrying gear. There are hundreds of darn good reporters out there who are carrying resumes right now who would kill to be carrying gear.

    3.)   Don’t forget what it’s like to be a viewer. See each day’s story as if you were watching it from home. Did you get the take home message across? Did you like video? Did it all make sense? Would you want to watch it again? Would you need too?

    4.)   Don’t rush the writing. That’s where real mistakes are made.

    5.)   Don’t use being a one man band as a crutch or an excuse. It’s the wave of the future and a great skill to have.

     

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | 197 Comments »