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How to Shoot Sequences for Spot News
April 4th, 2011
Learn how to shoot sequences for breaking news.
Sequences move visual storytelling along. Each shot should advance the story.
Multimedia journalist Galen Culver offers his insights during a workshop in Corpus Christi, TX.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training | 1 Comment »
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Multimedia Minutes: MMJ Station Manager
October 21st, 2010
Meet the first Multimedia Station Manager in the country, at least as far as we can tell. Mary Beth Farrell, station manager of Reno’s KRNV, uses her Flipcam when she spots the right opportunities. What made you think of shooting Flipcam video?
The President of our company, Ralph Toddre, suggested we get a couple of extra cameras for just this purpose so I bought flip cams for all of my Department Heads to expand our ability to gather video.
Being a news junkie, I’m always on the lookout for good video, and for something I think our viewers might be interested in seeing. That includes everything from breaking news to Fact Finders, to events coming up this weekend, and everything in between.
Did anybody at the station know you shot the videos?
Yes they always know when I’m sending video… I call right away. Or, they know in advance if I’m shooting a package.
Any reactions by them?
At first, people were surprised that the station manager was shooting stories but they’re getting used to it. I think it sets a good example and sends a strong message about my priorities and the station’s priorities. We work hard for our communities and news doesn’t take the day off.
One reporter/producer/photographer said “If she’ll do stories — and do them on her days off, I think we can all afford to go the extra step”.
When the stories air — like this one related to a major traffic tie-up — we tell viewers that the video was shot by a News 4 employee.
That’s because you can tell it’s not the same HD quality as our regular newsgathering cameras, and that gives us the opportunity to ask viewers to send us their video or photos.
News has always been my passion, and quite honestly, this has given me the chance to go back to my first love: telling stories. There’s something very meaningful about it and it’s fun.
Bob Note: Article appeared here last year, but it’s still timely and relevant.
WHY THIS BLOG IS VALUABLE: WHAT A GENERAL MANAGER SAYS
Regarding the blog videos, I’d say the most value is in their regularity and frequency. It’s good having something like that coming at the younger talent in the news room because it not only helps them in their growth, but makes them feel they’re on the “inside” and we’re engaged with them. — Greg Raschio, General Manager, KVAL-TV/Eugene, OR
Posted in Multimedia Journalism | 18 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: A Tool to Focus on What Matters
May 27th, 2010
Several years ago, a ND and I asked a producer to assess his newscast. He said, “We kicked butt.” He then went on to talk about several live remotes (with nothing going on) and some “neat graphics.”
Unfortunately, although the producer was elated, the newscast failed to deliver on the ND’s goals, which reflected the needs of viewers in the market. The problem was that the goals for each newscast were unclear, so the producer defined “success” one way and the news director defined it another way.
A simple checklist or scorecard quickly solved the problem. Here’s an example. Yes, a simple yet powerful concept to keep goals and progress front and center. No matter what your responsibility is in a news gathering organization, you’ll benefit from a scorecard or at least a checklist.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: This Franchise Recruits Viewers
May 26th, 2010
One of the most powerful franchises we ever tested is simple in concept: Alert viewers to neighborhood crime trends so they can protect themselves. Many viewers say they’ll leave their favorite station to watch it because personal safety is important to them. Here’s an example of the concept.
Sharpen your skills as a multimedia journalist by watching the videos under Recent Posts — fast becoming the largest on demand 24/7 library of learning videos for MMJs in the world.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 31 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Selling a Visually Weak Story
May 10th, 2010
One of the most frequent complaints from multimedia journalists and promotion producers is “How do you engage viewers when your visuals are dull?” The solution comes in the planning and the role the reporter plays, as you see in this example.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 2 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Point of View Isn’t Always Pretty
May 4th, 2010
Point of view photography plunges the viewer into the experience. This example is from Darren Brown, News9.com Web Journalist:
I visit the blog OFTEN. Great stuff on there. I covered a story the other day I think might help demonstrate the “you never know” category. Here’s the skinny.
NFL Draft Day is a big deal around here. OU and OSU always have guys going early. But this year was even bigger–3 of the first 4 guys were from OU. Those guys were all in NYC, but there were some family draft parties around town. I was sent to cover Gerald McCoy’s. Since there was so much family and friends, they decided to have it a church nearby.Here’s the rub.The church didn’t have cable. Now that might not be a problem on Sunday mornings, or on Sunday nights, or on any other day…but when you’re having a DRAFT PARTY…IT’S A HUGE PROBLEM.The draft was supposed to start at 6:30PM. We all knew Sam Bradford was going first, but weren’t sure if McCoy was going 2nd or 3rd. So I figured I needed to be there when it started.I pulled up to the church at around 6:13, and walked inside expecting folks to be waiting patiently (or impatiently.) What I found was chaos. People were running around yelling, and there were laptops and cables everywhere.They couldn’t get ESPN. Someone had brought a satellite dish and they were fiddling with it, but it wasn’t working and neither was the laptop signal ESPN was streaming live.Now it’s 6:20PM. McCoy’s aunt, who was my contact for the party, was freaking out. “I’m not gonna miss this,” she was screaming.“Let’s go to my house!” yells some guy. “It’s just a couple minutes away!” And then more chaos.Folks ran outside, piled into cars, and took off. I rolled on it, and rolled on the drive to the guy’s house, where their boy got drafted number three overall by the Tampa Bay Bucs.After that, it was back to the church for more celebrating, a self-shot standup, and food…of which there wasn’t much left.I’ll admit that the shooting in this pkg is not my best, ESPECIALLY the stuff at the front. But I think it captures the chaos of the moment, and I can live with that.Sometimes you gotta go with what works even if it ain’t pretty.Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 18 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Sweeps Story Idea
April 28th, 2010
Just about everyone who drives is affected by this issue: Where the roughest roads are, potholes and all. Some roads have reputations for being tough on cars, but just compiling this list provides helpful information for viewers. And you can’t find an “official” list, invite your viewers to submit their suggestions. Here’s how WRAL-TV/Raleigh, NC visualized the information (no audio) on its Web site as I clicked through.
A story like this opens the door to asking the people in charge: “When are you going to do something about this?”
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Short Can Sell
April 27th, 2010
Cut the fat in your writing — especially for teases. Here’s an example from our files of a very short “sell” we tested with our Real Time Response methodology. You can see second-by-second interest by viewers and news people rise during the promo.
Here’s the short video. Watch carefully. It goes by fast but engages viewers. The first few seconds shows the above graphic, then the spot.
TAKEAWAYS
Use your best video, but on-camera “sell” can be effective.
Focus on the viewer benefit.
Get to the point fast when possible.
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Increase your value as a multimedia journalist by learning from the videos to your right — fast-becoming the largest library of MMJ learning videos on the planet.
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Multimedia Minutes: Quick Tip on Differentiating Newscasts
April 26th, 2010
You’ve heard the viewer complaint: “Your newscasts are alike, so I just watch one now.” Here’s a simple, practical, and proven approach you can do today.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Quick Tip for Sweeps
April 26th, 2010
This simple chart will help you choose among sweeps ideas. As simple as it looks, it’s a map that separates the winners from the losers, so you can focus on what offers the most potential.
“Identify moments” refers to the defining moments in the story — what will stick in viewers’ minds and provide promotion with compelling material. For example, a tough question holding a person in power accountable or a memorable soundbite of a parent who’s scared to send her child back to school because of bullying.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »
