Multimedia Minutes: Impact Team

May 9th, 2010

Viewers want to know where their taxpayer money– including stimulus funds – is going.  They also want to be sure there’s no fraud, no waste.  This promo shows the commitment of one TV station to deliver on that.

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

Multimedia Minutes: Want to Anchor?

April 20th, 2010

“How can I become an anchor here?” is a question we often get.  Of course, you need the qualities of a great communicator to even gain considered.  And now, news directors are looking for what we call Chief Journalists — anchors who can serve as journalists and leaders.

Based on AR&D”s extensive body of research, we created this model to show the six levels of anchor growth.  Getting to the sixth level — anchors who drive viewing — is a journey.  It takes alot of work, but it’s possible.  Anchors at this level connect emotionally with viewers.  In the words of one viewer, “He’s part of our family.  We trust him.”

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

Multimedia Minutes: “Forget the Italian Shoes”

March 14th, 2010

Major market multimedia journalist Scott Broom says one of the “secrets” to great storytelling is “Forget the Italian shoes.”  I interviewed him via Skype between stories he was reporting and shooting for WUSA-TV/Washington, DC.

More insights from Scott Broom:

Multimedia Minutes: “Secrets” to Help People Open Up on Camera

March 9th, 2010

 What impressed me about Galen Culver’s profile of a ten year old “Lil’ Rapper” from Oklahoma City was how open and comfortable the girl looked and talked on camera.

Galen, a multimedia journalist for KFOR-TV, has been producing “Is This a Great State or What!” since 1991.  He partners with me in the training of multimedia journalists at client stations.

What’s your “secret” for getting people to be so open and at ease on camera?

 There’s nothing like a one person crew to connect with the person you’re interviewing. It’s just you and your subject. I like the informality of just ‘coming over’ to someone’s house, sharing a cup of coffee, talking things over.

Two or three people and a lot of equipment can feel like ‘company’. An MM journalist feels more like a friend dropping by. It’s more intimate. Great for good interviews.

An MM journalist has all the power. For every great experience reporters and photographers have together there are probably an equal number of horror stories where someone you work with doesn’t know what they’re doing or care.

They miss a shot or mangle the language or they’re just plain hard to be around. Working alone is a simpler process. You get what you need. You’re as creative as you want to be. You make the decisions. There’s more responsibility, no one else to blame when something goes wrong, but if you work hard then good things usually happen.

What’s your favorite experience?

Some of my favorite experiences as an MM journalist have come late at night or very early in the morning when I’ve felt as though no one else has ever done what I’m doing with my camera. No one else has ever captured this kind of moment or been here at this spot to take a picture.

Those experiences come through initiative alone. They don’t involve asking the desk to OK the overtime for a photographer or having to wait around for a reporter who didn’t feel the need to get up so early. It’s just me and hopefully a very interesting person to talk to and learn from. Those are the kinds of stories I recall most fondly. 

What’s most challenging?

Physically, the MM journalist’s job can be demanding. There might not be anyone available to help carry equipment. On something like a downtown shoot, in a government building, or hospital it’s a long walk to and from the car. Shoulders and knees take a beating if you don’t have a luggage cart or someone nice enough to help you nearby.  I carry a cart with my news unit for just such occasions.

Logistically, an MM journalist can find themselves at a numerical disadvantage when it comes to certain stories.  Big events where there are lots of other two or three person crews are tough. There’s no way to compete with extra boots on the ground. Court stories can be especially challenging if you have to listen to testimony and try to get pictures at the same time. It can be done, but not as well as the traditional two person local TV crew.

Safety can also become an issue on certain stories. A one person crew is wise to have trusted escorts in certain neighborhoods or when door to door canvassing. I try to keep a police officer in sight when covering spot news, and there have been instances where the police have cleared a crime scene and I refused to shoot anything because I was concerned for my safety.

Writing, shooting, editing is more difficult in many day to day instances. It can take longer especially if you’re on a learning curve but it’s not as hard as it used to be and it’s never been impossible.

Personally, I have to make a special effort to stay connected with the rest of the newsroom.  Working alone, there are times when I miss the camaraderie good reporters have with good photographers. I’m usually the last to hear good ‘scuttlebutt’.  As the only MM journalist in the shop it’s easy to become the forgotten man.

More About Galen

In 1991, Galen began a unique assignment to find and showcase amazing Oklahoma sights and stories. Since that time the “Is This a Great State or What!” segment has aired nearly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on various NewsChannel 4 broadcasts. 

Prior to joining NewsChannel 4, Galen worked as a reporter, photographer and weekend anchor in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

He broke into the television business a reporter and photographer in Missoula, Montana. Galen earned his degree in Journalism and Communications from Washington State University.

Galen has received many photojournalism accolades including the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. His coverage of the first Gulf War won an Oklahoma Associated Press Award for Best General Reporting.

Galen is married to NewsChannel 4 anchor and producer Tara Blume. They and their Oklahoma born daughters, Evelyn and Holly, live in Oklahoma City.

 ————————————–

Sharpen your skills as a multimedia journalist by watching the short videos listed under Recent Posts.  It’s fast becoming the largest library of MMJ learning videos in the world. 

Posted in Multimedia Journalism | 10 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: How to Take Control of a Story

November 6th, 2009

You sometimes have to take control to get the best shots as you’ll see in this story with limited visuals.

Multimedia journalist Galen Culver discusses this story at a three day AR&D training workshop at KSBY in San Luis Obispo, California.

From a viewer’s standpoint, “Don’t change reality.”  Capture what the person does, but don’t tell him to do something else to get better shots.  TV news needs to show what’s really happening.

We welcome your comments.

For more Multimedia Minutes, look at Recent Posts in the column on the right.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

Multimedia Minutes: Your Story Just Changed Big Time. What Do You Do?

October 21st, 2009

Here are lessons from a multimedia journalist who also provides shooting tips, which we start with.  After you enjoy the story, read below about the story behind it.  You’d never know this by watching the story itself.

TURNING A NEAR DISASTER INTO A GOOD STORY

Here’s a detailed critique by multimedia journalist Galen Culver who faced the challenge.  It’s a great example of how flexible you need to be.  Now Galen in his own words:

I offer this story as an example of how you can salvage a story even when it doesn’t turn out to be quite what you might expect. Everyone who set up this story assumed Lon Hedge’s was turning 100 years old. The makers of his favorite drink were using the occasion to promote its return to the Oklahoma marketplace. The master distiller came all the way from Kentucky. The largest liquor distributor in the state was there and I had a press release telling me that old Lon was to get a specially signed 3 bottle gift from the makers of ’4 Roses Whisky and Bourbon’.

It didn’t turn out that way. Lon was turning 94 not 100 and he’d stopped his drinking at the behest of his wife back in the 1940′s. So is there still a story here? You bet. Sometimes uncomfortable moments also make for great television. It turned out that Lon, if not 100, certainly was a gracious host. He hoisted one back just for his guests, making for a lovely ending to what turned out to be a sweet, memorable story.

As for shooting. There’s a pretty good sequence off the top. Lon is feeding cattle. The shot of the bucket going into the feed and then onto the four-wheeler both come into the frame. He drives it into frame. The next shot is a wide shot of the four wheeler pulling up to the trough. It’s a little bit too short. The next shot is a cutaway of a hungry calf, then he comes into frame again with the feed bucket. I shot that sequence in the space of ten minutes. I tried to put a little sound from him underneath the video but you can’t really tell what he’s saying. I should have taken it out. The next element is a slide show of old pictures with a little sound underneath.. Then we introduce the elixir. I set the bottles up beneath a table lamp. The light gave the bottles a nice, alluring glow. I didn’t use a light during the interview. That same lamp lit one side of Lon’s face while daylight from the porch lit up the other side. I white balanced in between and got a nice result. White balancing can be really tricky in situations where there is a warm, tungsten light mixing with daylight. I re-white balanced several times to make sure I was getting something usable. You can tell the difference in the next two interviews. I shot them at the kitchen table with a window light off to the side and in the back. I framed them so they each had a dark background behind them.

I shot the official giving of the gift then hit with the suprise of the story. Lon doesn’t drink anymore. There’s a nice reaction shot of his wife. I’ve got several uneasy, nervous laughter type shots from the gathered friends and distillers right after he says ‘I give it up.’ There’s a good natured sound bit from Lon where he admits to a nip when he’s sick. Then there’s a transition to the table. I started with a couple of clinking glasses. I got a little lucky with the bottle in the foreground and Lon acting angry about all the fuss. There’s a little sequence of people scooting up to the table, another piece of sound from Lon, tight shot of pouring, wide shot of table, tight of housekeeper, then the toast. The final toast is the payoff. Old Lon drains his shot and then goes after the dregs. The very last shot goes back to the bottle. Pretty good story from what could have been a disaster. Lon Hedges did most of the salvaging but I’m glad I hung around to see what would happen. 

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

Multimedia Minutes: A Simple Secret for Great Shots

October 16th, 2009

Multimedia Minutes provides practical information for multimedia journalists as well as reporters and photographers who are making the transition to MMJs.

For more practical tips to improve your craft, click on the links to the right, “Recent Posts.”

And we invite you to submit your comments and questions to us.

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

Multimedia Minutes: What to Do When You Miss the Big Shot

October 13th, 2009

It’s no secret that you need to be flexible when covering spot news.  In this case, the story about a rescue couldn’t include video of the actual rescue, because it happened out of camera range.  Here are lessons learned when you deal with a tough situation:

 For other Multimedia Minutes, click on the Learning Videos in the column to the right under “Recent Posts.”

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

Multimedia Minutes: How to Spice Up a Story

October 2nd, 2009

Learn how to add visual elements to a story to spice it up.  

You might also click on links in the Recent Posts column to the right to see other examples aimed at improving your storytelling.

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

Multimedia Minutes: Building Blocks

September 30th, 2009

Learn about the building blocks of strong storytelling — including sequencing and wide/medium/tight shots — in this video.

Learn more by looking at videos you’ll find under Recent Posts to the right  They include “How to Shoot a Story that’s Hard to Shoot” and “Shooting Your Own Standups.”

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