• A Loser’s Winning Moment

    July 5th, 2011

    Example of clever writing:  A loser’s winning moment. Don’t you love this headline?

    The article describes how gracefully a former Wimbledon chamnpion handed over the top honor to the new champ.

    What you might appreciate most is this poignant image of the ex-champ applauding the new one.   For many people who watched, it represent a defining moment.

    How can you get these shots and write so well — especially if you cover everyday stories?

    Keep an eye out for contrasts — like a winner and loser in the same shot.

    Consider how a person who lost rose to the occasion with many seeing that person as a winner in their own right.

     

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, TV news training | No Comments »

  • Viewers Crave this Type of Journalism

    July 1st, 2011

    The Washington Post’s Fact Checker does what the name implies.  It’s a great example of going the extra step to distinguish its content.

    The writer, Glenn Kessler, provides a reality check so a President or anyone doesn’t pull a fast one.  He also gives so-called Pinocchios.  Two means the presentation made serious mistakes.

    He writes:

    In a bit of class jujitsu, the president six times mentioned eliminating a tax loophole for corporate jets, frequently pitting it against student loans or food safety. It’s a potent image, but in the context of a $4 trillion goal, it is essentially meaningless.  The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years.

    Viewers value this type of reporting because you’re nailing down important facts, serving as viewer advocate.  So:

    • Look for opportunities to check facts on important pronouncements — especially political ones.
    • One way to make this relatively easy is to check with that person’s greatest critics.
    • After you nail down your facts, give the official or politician an opportunity to respond while asking them the tough questions.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Social Media Video, Uncategorized | No Comments »

  • Learn from Extreme Makeover

    June 30th, 2011

    You’ll find great storytelling elements here.  See how many you can spot, then look at my takeaways. This moves fast, which is the point.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training, Uncategorized | No Comments »

  • “No Pictures, Please”

    June 26th, 2011

    How do you shoot a person when you can’t show anybody else in the picture?  We often get this question when, for example, a multimedia journalist has permission to shoot one student in a classroom or gym but nobody else.

    First, prepare to pass up on some of your best shots.  It seems there’s always someone in the background.  So you have to consider your best options:

    • Shoot up, although sometimes these shots aren’t flattering.  Bottom left example below.
    • Shoot tight or tight enough so the people in the background are out of focus.  Bottom right example below.
    • Shoot down by holding the camera over your subject.  Bottom example.
    • Invite the subject of your shoot to move to an area where nobody is in the background.
    • Schedule the shoot when nobody else is around, but that didn’t work in this base because the idea was to capture the energy of the workout class.

    The client, The Four Seasons Resort, was happy with the results my colleague Regent Ducas and I produced and shot for this web video showing Sports Club member Meredith Johnston.  Nobody else working out was even remotely concerned about the video shoot, which was the goal.

    Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »

  • Hold This for When You’re Overloaded

    June 26th, 2011

    With furloughs and layoffs hitting every business, some are asking: “How do I get through this?  I’m already overloaded.”

    You don’t have many choices unless you’re independently wealthy.  Here’s what we recommend:

    Write down the big projects.

    Make a realistic estimate as to how much work and time they’ll require.

    Consider what you believe are the higher and lower priorities, even numbering them.

    Ask the person you report to — and everybody we know reports to somebody — whether these priorities are aligned with what they have in mind.

    If something has to give, make sure you both know what is it.  Same for what can’t give.

    You’ll still work hard, but your chances of avoiding what’s happening to this poor creature will be better.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »

  • How to Avoid Getting Stuck

    June 26th, 2011

    It’s good to succeed and become efficient, but only it it really matters to your customers.

    An MBA student in one of my international advertising classes at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management said she was great at his daytime job, but she wasn’t promoted as she hoped.  She was in her 30s, had international marketing experience, but was going nowhere.

    We discussed what her company saw as most valuable, but her traditional advertising contributions weren’t as important as leveraging the power of social media — especially video.

    In short, rather than going right for the cheese, she got caught in a maze, doing today what she did yesterday.

    Are you stuck in the maze?  If you’re lucky enough to see a clear goal, what training do you need to get there?

    Remember that what go you here, won’t get you there.

    In working with students and executives, we help them clarify their goals based on the dynamics of the marketplace, then guide them to develop a social media marketing strategy playing to the power of video.  It doesn’t come across as advertising to consumers.  They see it as engaging storytelling.  For example, this short story promoting The Four Seasons Resort during a major golf event which my colleague Emmy award winning Regent Ducas and I produced and shot.

     

     

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, TV news training, Web Video | No Comments »

  • Planning Your Personal Brand

    June 26th, 2011

    With sweeping changes affecting virtually every business, what’s your lifeboat to the future?

    Yes, that’s a huge topic, so you need a tool to get started.  In our strategic planning with corporations and individuals, we recommend you include this simple tool called SWOT.

    It stands for your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  Since most of us our familiar with Nike, you can see how it frames their brand.

    Regarding your situation, fill in the sections.  For Threats, consider the fact if in you’re in broadcasting, the job you were hired to do may be eliminated in its original form.  That’s true for many reporter and photographer positions.

    If you’re in business, sweeping changes mean you need to get a grasp of social media and how companies are leveraging web video to dominate their category through search engines.  We’re working with several companies and individuals, so we like to begin our strategic walks with the SWOT analysis.

    One of their biggest mistake is to look at their direct competitors as threats.  It’s the same mistake a TV station can make thinking their competition is the other stations as opposed to something called digital media.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Web Video | No Comments »

  • How to Eliminate Weak Links

    June 26th, 2011

    One of the big challenges in any company is successful and consistent execution. After all, that’s what it’s all about ultimately.

    One simple way to improve your batting average to plan an exhaustive discussion of the weak links.  Examine what will get in the way.  Yes, you want to cheerlead, but now is the time to be realistic.  Consider:

    Are people  ready to do this?

    Are you ready?

    What skills do you and others need to learn?

    What’s plan “B” when it looks like the yogurt is hitting the fan?

     

    The best time to consider these questions is in your planning process.  We discuss this when we help corporations, small businesses, and TV stations developing their strategies.

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Web Video | No Comments »

  • Power Tool to Break from the Past

    June 26th, 2011

    We developed a powerful tool to help companies execute innovative initiatives.

    It’s surprisingly simple, but many managers rave about it because it leaves the past behind, accelerating execution.

    This is for reporters at one TV station.  But it works for marketing managers, CEOs, multimedia journalists, and anyone wanting to innovate or lead a team trying to implement new initiatives.

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media Video | No Comments »

  • Use This Tool To Succeed Faster

    June 26th, 2011

    Use this execution tool to get projects done. It’s simple, yet powerful.  Whether you’re a manager, a CEO, or a multimedia journalist, divide your goal into steps.  Lumping everything together overwhelms.  But this way you can make progress, step by step.

    This is an actual example of a partially filled in template for a powerful franchise, Crimetracker, which alerts viewers to crime trends so they can protect themselves.  Most stations tell us they want to launch Crimetracker because it pulls viewer in.  But they usually flounder because they don’t divide it into steps.  This is just the first page of a series of steps, but you likely get the point.

    This is one of several tools we help clients “install” as part of strategic planning or simply answering the question:  ”Why is it so hard to get things done?”

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »

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