Jul 10
28
TV Writing
Jul 10
23
The Interns
After screaming for about five minutes, I realized my intern couldn’t hear me. My mistake was yelling to him from five rows away, and during a hockey game.
When we got to the arena, I said, “Go find us a good spot to set up. I just need to park the car.”
I was doing a “the behind the scenes” story on a Portland Pirates game. I had a microphone on the coach for the duration of the game. I needed to get into position quickly, before the drop of the puck. Unlike a normal sports story, the very beginning was important video. When I returned from parking the car, I walked into the arena and saw my intern sitting comfortably in a paid seat. We we’re suppose to be up top shooting down onto the ice. Since we work for a TV station, we do not sit comfortably in the paid seats. We are there to work. This was the message I conveyed to my intern as soon as the nice woman in front of him directed his attention to me.
Interns are unpredictable. I give every one of them the same speech on their first day. You get out of this what you put into it. I am here to produce TV, not to baby sit. If you want to do something speak up, and express an interest, otherwise you will spend a semester making DVD copies. When we have nothing else for them to do, we have them make DVD’s of stories we have done for the list of people who have made requests. I also explain this too can be a learning tool. Watch and listen to these stories, you can get a lot out of what you see here.
The one watching the hockey game got nothing out of it. He just didn’t care. That was about four years ago.
Over the last couple of years, I have been blessed with great interns. Three of my interns have gone on to get hired by my station, one just this summer. He is the one I am most proud of. He had just started his second internship with us, when my boss decided it was time to move him up. While I would love to take the credit for his stellar abilities, I can’t. He is a smart guy, who greeted each day with remarkable enthusiasm. He was excited about every aspect of his internship. He just absorbed information. He asked all the right questions. He just got it. He learned so quickly how to do the job and how to do it right. He has an incredible work ethic, one I have not seen too often with interns over the years.
To my delight, the intern that followed him was exactly the same way. A fast learner who has an eagerness to learn everything we do and how we do it. I have to give this one up in a couple of weeks. He has made my job so much easier. I love being able to trust my interns. He produced an entire show for me this week, and did it perfectly.
I have a story for just about every intern. One drunk dialed me in the middle of the night. Another ate all of the food of a cooking segment before we could tape. Yet another left after a few weeks saying he could make more money in administration. A year later someone from NBC called me as a job reference for him. Then there was the one took a customer’s seat during a hockey game, when we were there to work.
They’re a mixed bunch. They come in like strangers and leave like family. I always miss them when they leave and dread the next one. When they are into it, we both have fun. I enjoy showing off how cool TV can be and I love teaching them everything I know.
*This posting is for an assignment for ICM 506de.*
One Sentence Pitch: To Students
Twitter junkies and YouTube addicts, learn how to take your hobby and turn it into a career through the UNH Electronic News Degree program!
Elevator Pitch: To Students
Do you wish you had more than 140 characters to tell a story?
Do you find yourself critiquing the videos on Youtube?
Do you think you could produce a better podcast then your friends?
Are you bored with blogging?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then UNH has the program for you. Our new Electronic News Degree program incorporates today’s technology with traditional journalism skills. So if you want to be the next Katie Couric or Stephen Colbert, then enter the new age of communications today at UNH.
Promotional Letter to Potential Students
TELEVISION PRODUCER CREATES NEW “ELECTRONIC NEWS” DEGREE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
The University of New Hampshire has teamed up with news producer and photographer Brett Whitmarsh to develop an exciting new Television & Internet-centered news degree program. The “Electronic News” degree will build on and enhance the university’s established print journalism department.
Anyone can pick up a camera, shoot video, and post it online, so why does the nightly news video look so much better than yours? With this new degree, students will use high-quality equipment and learn professional methods, then apply them to current and future media platforms.
UNH has been turning out excellent newspaper & magazine journalists for decades. Now, as news shifts from print towards television and the web, UNH is preparing their journalism students accordingly. Whitmarsh says now is the time for students to take the hobby of social media and turn it into a profession. He says UNH will provide students the journalistic foundation needed in this new media age. Whitmarsh, who graduated from high school here in Durham, is excited to bring this program to UNH and sees it as the university as a great home.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be entering journalism. Today’s journalists stand at a crossroads. They can take a back seat to emerging technologies or they can jump on for the ride of lifetime. The University of New Hampshire stands poised to direct the course of new media. By embracing new mediums and applying the standards UNH represents, we can mold future journalists and protect and renew our nation’s greatest right.”
Under the “Electronic News” degree, students of the program are the reporters, producers, photographers and editors. Through classes and hands-on fieldwork, students will create a local news story, then share the content online, on-air and on mobile devices. All content is published to the program’s website and then produced in a half-hour broadcast, which is streamed live online, and aired on a local cable channel. The program serves as a local news outlet for the Seacoast of New Hampshire and Maine.
The degree program would uphold the standards established by UNH’s Journalism degree while incorporating new mediums though three concentrations: Print & Web, Broadcast Production, and Broadcast Reporting.
Whitmarsh explains, “We can help students become the next Katie Couric (or even Stephen Colbert), while understanding the rules established by the likes of Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. The mediums through which we deliver content have changed, but the rules of how we produce it stay essentially the same. As technology advances, newsrooms throughout the country are getting smaller. Now is the time to create a journalist who can embrace new technology while still delivering a strong story.”
“Their classroom is the newsroom,” says Whitmarsh. “This program will prepare students for what actual newsrooms will expect of them. Each day students will set out to report on a news story and deliver it to the user through both the web and broadcasting. As soon as their story is done it’s published to the web. Anyone can write a blog or post video online, but we’ll teach today’s students the rules of journalism and broadcasting, so their work is as strong as a New York Times or network news story.”
UNH teaches its students how to compete with today’s way of delivering content, and prepares them for tomorrow’s challenges. With the Electronic News degree program, today’s UNH student can be tomorrow’s “most trusted name in news.”
Jul 10
18
The Pitch to UNH – #506de
*This posting is for an assignment for ICM 506de.*
Electronic News Degree Program at the University of New Hampshire:
One Sentence Pitch: – To UNH
If you’re ready to revitalize your journalism department and prepare students for the ever-evolving world of news and media, then it’s time for UNH to take the next step and begin the “Electronic News” degree program.
Elevator Pitch: -To UNH
Looking to revitalize your journalism program?
Want to attract more of today’s tech-savvy students?
Interested in competing with other major universities on a higher level?
Then it’s time for UNH to start an “Electronic News” degree program. This program will dovetail perfectly with UNH’s established Journalism program, but give students a better grasp of broadcasting and new media. With more than a decade of broadcast news experience and a Master’s degree in Interactive Communications, I have the experience and knowledge UNH needs to enter a new era of mass communication.
Promotional Letter
TELEVISION PRODUCER PROPOSES NEW “ELECTRONIC NEWS” DEGREE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
In an exciting new proposal for the University of New Hampshire, news producer and photographer Brett Whitmarsh is laying out plans for a Television & Internet-centered news degree. The degree aims to update and enhance the university’s established print journalism department. UNH has been turning out excellent newspaper & magazine journalists for decades. Now, Whitmarsh says it’s past time for the university to acknowledge the increasing shift in today’s media from print towards television, and, even more so, the web, and prepare their journalism students accordingly. Whitmarsh, who graduated from high school here in Durham, feels UNH would be a great home for this program, and is eager to implement his plan, saying,
“There has never been a more exciting time to be entering journalism. Today’s journalists stand at a crossroads. They can take a back seat to emerging technologies or they can jump on for the ride of lifetime. The University of New Hampshire stands poised to direct the course of new media. By embracing new mediums and applying the standards UNH represents, we can mold future journalists and protect and renew our nation’s greatest right.”
The “Electronic News” degree program would uphold the standards established by UNH’s Journalism degree while incorporating new mediums. Through classes and hands-on fieldwork, students will create a local news source, sharing content online, on-air and on mobile devices. Students will produce content that will be on-demand and streamed online. Content will be delivered through current, and future, media outlets.
Whitmarsh explains, “The mediums through which we deliver content have changed, but the rules of how we produce it stay essentially the same. As technology advances, newsrooms throughout the country are getting smaller. Now is the time to create a journalist who can embrace new technology while still delivering a story that meets the standards set by the likes of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.”
The Electronic News degree would have three concentrations: Print & Web, Broadcast Production, and Broadcast Reporting. The program would create a local news outlet for the Seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire. Students of the program would serve as reporters, producers, photographers and editors. All content would be published to the program’s website and then produced in a half-hour broadcast, which would be streamed live online, and aired on a local cable channel.
“Their classroom is the newsroom,” says Whitmarsh. “This program will prepare students for what actual newsrooms will expect of them. Each day students will set out to report on a news story and deliver it to the user through both the web and broadcasting. As soon as their story is done it’s published to the web.”
Whitmarsh is getting his Master’s degree in Interactive Communications and has been producing broadcast news for more than a decade. He says he has seen the decline in quality of television news as newsrooms get smaller. By merging his proposed degree with UNH’s Journalism degree he sees today’s television and media students gaining the journalistic ethics that he feels are being lost, while simultaneously giving print-centered students more technology expertise.
“Through social media, we have amazing ways of connecting with the world. Journalists need to embrace these platforms as tools for gathering and delivering news. We can do this without sacrificing quality. Anyone can write a blog or post video online, but we need to teach today’s students the rules of journalism and broadcasting, so their work is as strong as a New York Times or network news story.”
Not only does UNH need to catch its students up to today’s way of delivering content, it needs to prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. With the Electronic News degree program, UNH can influence where new media goes next.
Jul 10
11
506de Midterm Pitch
This article serves as a pitch for the midterm assignment for ICM 506DE:
To: Professor Robert Kalm
From: Producer Brett Whitmarsh
RE: Establishing an Electronic News Degree Program at The University of New Hampshire
The Proposal:
I propose developing an “Electronic News” degree program for the University of New Hampshire. The marriage of television and the Internet is getting stronger everyday. UNH can help guide where these changes in broadcasting are going. This program would capture viewers both online and on-air through a student-produced news product. Educators would oversee the program, but the students would generate and deliver content. With the New Hampshire Seacoast as their classroom, students would have a perfect backdrop for newsgathering, as well as a large potential audience. In New England, prospective students have the choice of attending schools in Boston, northern Vermont, or even further away for degree programs like this. This program would allow UNH to compete with other schools such as Emerson College, Boston University, and Ithaca College, giving New Hampshire students a state-of-the-art option closer to home.
A broadcasting degree has always been an attractive option for students. High schools’ TV programs are seeing more growth and popularity. UNH could be a major player in furthering how these students are prepared for the future of journalism and broadcasting by offering an “Electronic News” degree program.
Why UNH?
New Hampshire has over two million residents, and the Seacoast of New Hampshire is home to nearly half of them. This area needs a local news operation to serve its residents. Currently NH has only one local news TV station, which tends to focus on mid-state matters, leaving the Seacoast often over-looked. With The University of New Hampshire calling Durham its home, they are in a position to both serve the Seacoast and offer its students a unique experience in education. Taking advantage of UNH’s journalism experience, residents of the Seacoast could be offered another choice, both online and on-air. The students gain experience through the program and the community prospers through a new choice in local news.
Why Start This Program?
-What is a white balance and why do we do it?
-When do you use a lavaliere microphone rather than a hand held one?
-How would you edit a story for both web and broadcast?
Today’s television news employees are expected to know the answers to these questions and many more like them. While many learn these things on the job, employers are much more inclined to hire someone who already knows what’s needed, and can hit the ground running. A successful placement rate for these UNH students would reflect well on the college, as well as providing it with potentially high-profile alumni.
What is Our Goal?
As newsrooms merge TV with web, the product must be more versatile, but the quality still needs to be solid. Even if a story is intended only for the web, it should be treated as if NBC Nightly News were about to air it. The rules of both journalism and broadcasting still remain the same, but the way information is delivered has changed. Traditional standards must continue to be taught side-by-side with new technologies. This can be accomplished through a degree program like the one I’m proposing. Journalists must strive to produce the highest quality content possible. This degree program would seek to uphold those broadcast standards no matter what format the content is delivered through.
What Qualifications Do You Bring to the Table?
I am getting my Master’s Degree from Quinnipiac University, through the Interactive Communications program. I am a graduate of the Emmy-award winning communications program at Lyndon State College, in Vermont. I produce the news magazine shows “207” and “Bill Green’s Maine” at WCSH6, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine. I have been involved with all aspects of TV from producing and reporting, to shooting and editing video. I also produce web content for both shows and utilize social media to connect with viewers. I graduated from high school in Durham, New Hampshire and I am proud to call the Seacoast my home.
Summary
By following the platform of “real-world” experience, students would perform this practicum like a job to earn their degree. Students would fill the roles of a newsroom: producers, directors, anchors, reporters, editors, writers, and many more. Their job will be to produce and deliver news content to the residents of the Seacoast. Their medium would be both online and on-air. Live broadcasts streamed to the web and via the cable broadcast. Web stories will be written and produced and supported by edited video.
This “Electronic News” degree program would serve both the need of students looking for a communications option at UNH, and provide a service to the Seacoast residents. Broadcasting and journalism have long been a part of other schools curriculum. The University of New Hampshire has lost out on opportunities to host students looking for these degrees. This program is the opportunity UNH has been looking for to compete with other schools, while offering residents of the Seacoast a new service.
Jul 10
11
Quality Matters
Bill Green's Maine
Nothing screams disaster like coming back to work after a few days off and realizing your show may not make air. This week my other show, “Bill Green’s Maine,” came dangerously close to not airing.
“Bill Green’s Maine,” captures the essence of Maine, like a postcard. Each show is a snapshot of life in Maine. A typical show would have four segments. The first an action story like a Windjammers race (a special type of boat race), an interview segment with someone from Maine who has become big, like Patrick Dempsey. Then a retro, or archive, piece that Bill did long ago. The show then concludes with something of everyday life. A look into the history of Nubble Lighthouse, or a feature on The Shirners of Maine, stories like that.
The show needs to be completed by Thursday nights. It air’s Saturday at 7pm, but BGME is pre-produced. So it needs to be closed-captioned and made ready for the web. There are lots of little things that need happen in order to make the show ready for Saturday night.
We shoot the opens and closes to the show on Mondays or Tuesdays. We call them the wraps. They are the intro’s and closes to the stories. They “wrap” around the story. They should always be shot somewhere pretty. A lighthouse, rocky coast line, you name it. If it’s pretty, and looks like Maine, it will work.
Those wraps are crucial, without them, we don’t have a show. On Thursday, I started to edit the wraps. They didn’t sound right, and what the hell was Bill wearing? The day he shot them, he was wearing an orange shirt and short shorts. He looked like a pumpkin walking on the beach. He wasn’t happy with the outfit, but it was the only time he could shoot the wraps. I was more disturbed by the un-air-able audio. Bill’s voice was barely audible, it sounded like the microphone was being scraped up against the rocks.
We could have gone with what we had. We might have heard one or two bad comments, but it would have been OK. Re-shooting the wraps was going to be a real hassle. Bill’s show had once been known for it’s quality. It is the first show in Maine to have been shot entirely in HD. We have done it two other times since. Shooting the show in HD, all the time, would be very expensive for us.
My first day working at WCSH6, was spent on the rocks of Portland Headlight, shooting the opens and closes for Bill’s show. Back then we had a whole crew that would focus on making the show. We had a special “jib” for the camera (which is like a small crane), and a crew that would shoot the wraps. I would field produce and my boss would often be there too as executive producer.
Seven years later, cost cuts have hit the show. Now it’s just Bill, one photographer, no jib, and no crew. I rarely get to go out on the shoots anymore and have to focus my time elsewhere.
It was about 1pm when I asked Bill how hard it would be to get the wraps re-shot. The show needed to be done before I left for the day. Bill, unhappy with the choice of dress, was eager to re-shoot. Once I had him listen to the audio, he was even more convinced. About an hour later, he was back in the same location, with new clothes and a new mic.
The new opens and closes were back by 5pm. With assistance from my intern, we had the show ready by 6:45pm that night. Just enough time to go produce my live show at 7pm, ‘207.’
In the Internet age, when we are trained to accept lesser quality, we still need to do the best possible job. We can’t just phone it in. Management may not care, but as the producers of content, we can’t give up making good quality productions.
Jul 10
6
The Drama of It All
Many “Doctor Who” fans have embraced the title of “cult” TV show, but former “Doctor Who” executive producer Russell T. Davies says in his book, “The Writer’s Tale,” the show is more than just a science fiction show. I agree, and would argue that the newer series of “Doctor Who” should be considered a drama that’s based in sci-fi.
Strip away the outer sci-fi shell and here’s what you have: a very smart man, who travels around and helps people in need. He never carries a gun, but fights evil with his intelligence. From time to time he gets himself, and his friends, in tough situations, but they always seem to find a way out. He inspires the people around him to live better lives and appreciate life. At its core, that‘s “Doctor Who.”
The writers use the device of science fiction to weave their tales of drama. Add back in the sci-fi: The Doctor is from the planet Gallifrey, and he travels through time and space in a ship that’s bigger on the inside. The Doctor is the last of his kind. His home has been lost to a long and bitter war, what could be more real then that?
In an interview with the BBC’s radio 4 show “Front Row” former executive producer, Russell T. Davies, explained how they approach the series in modern times.
“It’s treated as real, every time you come to a great big science fiction moment you say what would you really be feeling, what really happens.”
Russell’s past TV credits have only been drama. “Doctor Who” was his first science fiction type show, but in his book “The Writers Tale,” he says he sees “Doctor Who” as drama that uses the setting of science fiction. Which he approached as a drama, not a sci-fi show, his other most notable TV credits include, “Queer as Folk” and “Bob and Rose.” Both focus on the lives of gay men living in England. It was his life long love of “Doctor Who” that helped bring the show back from the dead in 2005.
“Doctor Who” first aired in England on November 22, 1963. Due to the assassination of President Kennedy, the show flew under the radar. The BBC tried it again a week later. It was presented as a “tea time” children’s show, “but not being produced by the children’s department, which caused a certain amount of aggravation within the BBC.” Verity Lambert, the show’s very first producer, talked about how the show came to be in the documentary “Doctor Who at The BBC.” Verity goes on to say the BBC wanted the show to have an element of education. When the characters would travel back in time, there was a little history lesson buried in the background of the plot.
The show lasted 26 seasons and was cancelled in 1989. BBC One, the BBC’s drama department, brought the show back in 2005. Under new direction and a polished “feature film” look. Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner served as executive producers and show runners.
Some would argue the special effects in the show would detract from my reasoning. Neil Harris of “Doctor Who Magazine” recently wrote an article called “Special? Effective?”
He asks the question “are special effects such a crucial part of Doctor Who?” Neil cites a recent poll the magazine did where the top favorites were episodes featuring little to no special effects. The highest ranked story was called “Blink.” The plot involves stone angles called “The Weeping Angels,” they are motionless stone when you are looking at them, but if you turn away, or even blink, they attack. They are gentle killers, in the blink of an eye, you are randomly sent back in time where you live out your days. Only one special effect was used in the entire episode. Neil goes on to cite many of “Doctor Who’s” emotional scenes, or dramatic moments, built around the tension of the plot. Will our hero die? Will his friends survive the situation they have gotten into?
It’s that tension that keeps us coming back for more. It’s the drama of having to say goodbye to the woman The Doctor loves. She lived through their latest adventure, but became trapped in a parallel world. Unable to get to her, The Doctor does find a way to communicate with her one last time. As Rose stands on a beach, crying out her love for him, he can’t even bring himself to tell Rose how much he loves her.
The Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook
In “The Writer’s Tale,” Russell said of that scene: “(if your emotional) if you’re, empathizing, you’re feeling it, there’s an echo of every loss you’ve ever had in that. If it’s successful then it’s saying something about you, about the world.”
Yes, we can scoff at things like “parallel worlds” or “Weeping Angels,” but it’s great fun and even better dramatic television. As head writer, we would see The Doctor through Russell’s eyes. That often meant loads of fun, but also the effect of one man’s actions. Running from his past, never standing still long enough to reflect. Davies wrote The Doctor as a lonely man, who had no place to call home. He would have friend’s come and go, but in the end he was alone.
The character has an ability to regenerate when he is near death. Even within that, Russell’s writing shows us just how devastating this ability can be. In the episode “The End of Time: Part 1” The Doctor knows he is to regenerate soon and says: “it feels like dying. Everything I am, dies. Some new man goes sauntering away, and I’m dead.” Sure enough the time came and the regeneration occurred. As the tenth incarnation of “The Doctor” turned into the 11th, his final words were “I don’t want to go.” It was a very emotional scene, a death scene. For fans of the show, it really was like a close friend had died.
When a TV show can make you feel that much emotion, how can it just be classified as science fiction? As William Zinsser points out in “On Writing Well,” some of the best writing is found in science. Then it can be argued that some of the best drama is found in science fiction. “Doctor Who” is simply the best there is. When you strip away all the science, its just good drama.
Jul 10
6
Tweet With Care
I love Twitter, but the other day I forgot just how public my tweets are. Last week I was assigned a large amount of reading for my “User Centered Design” class. While I tried to plow through it, I just couldn’t. I had to finish it though, there was going to be a quiz.
As I kept pushing myself to read on, I would fall drowsy and drift away. The book I was reading was “Communicating Design,” by Daniel Brown. The book is geared towards people who design websites, in other words, not me. It is a very technical book, and one that I could only just understand.
I heard William Zinsser’s voice in my head as I read the book. In his book, “On Writing Well,” he devotes a chapter to writing about science and technology. He argues that some of the best writing has come from scientists and not English departments. He highlights a few rules that are key to writing about technology: “You can’t assume a reader knows what you assume everybody knows.” He goes on to say: “write like a person and not like a scientist.”
As I sat and read Daniel Brown’s book, I didn’t feel like he was writing like a person. I felt like he was writing as a web designer to another web designer. So in my frustration I tweeted: “Having a bad ‘user experience’ on communicating design by Daniel brown, bad writing for such technical matters.” I was angry and the required reading is all about the “user experience” and how to understand it and make it better.
Feeling justified, I went back to the reading. A day later I get this tweet back to me:
”Hoping to clean up much of the writing in the 2nd ed. anything bothering you in particular?”
I was a bit shocked. My original tweet was not directed to him, nor was it really meant for him. I am glad he saw it though. I tweeted back more about the writing.
It was a good reminder that Twitter is a public place and I need to choose my words carefully. Dan’s writing did put me to sleep. Since it is required reading, it should flow better and be more engaging. His information was very technical, but it only played to a crowd who “gets” it. If he is going to write a “how-to” anyone should be able to pick it up and run with it.
The same rule applies to how I produce my show. When someone tunes in to see my show, they should be able to pick up where we are. If they are too confused, they will change the channel. Same with the book, if its too confusing, someone else will come along and write it better.
Jun 10
27
It’s the Producer’s Fault
Spinning plates on Ed Sullivan
Producing television really isn’t as hard as it sounds. You’re like the guys spinning plates on The Ed Sullivan show. The plates are what everyone is looking at; it’s your job to keep them spinning. Making TV is the same thing. You have a lot of things going on at the same time; you need to make sure they all happen when they’re meant to.
I was taught there are two rules to producing. One: start and end on time. Two: everything is the producer’s fault. The last one is a non-debatable issue. If you rely on someone else to make something happen, then you really can’t call yourself the producer.
Different newsrooms use different programs to organize and time out a show, but the basics are the same. Lead the show with your best story, and don’t loose them in the commercial break. Organizing which story goes where is called “stacking the show.” Some newsrooms might tell you “if it bleeds it leads.” That is not always the case. The top story is the biggest story; it’s up to you, and your newsroom, to decide which one gets the priority. It’s your show, so be prepared to fight for what you believe in.
Once the lead has been decided, it’s time to move on to the rest of the show. When you take out the commercial breaks, you have about 20 minutes of content to fill. How will you do that? If it’s a standard newscast, you have an assignment desk to help you figure it out. Decide what the second most important story is, and then the third, and so on. Commercials break up the segments of your show. Usually the first segment is called your “A” block. After the first break, the second segment is your “B” block and so on. The number of commercial breaks you have in a show will dictate how many “blocks” you will produce.
Weather is a reliable staple in any newscast. Depending on your show, you may have a quick weather hit towards the end of the “A” block; a full weather segment in either the “C” or “D” block would follow this. The amount of time you give to weather changes every day. If it’s a slow weather day then maybe no more than 3 minutes, be sure to check in with your meteorologist. If you have a “light” newscast you may need to fill time by using more weather. If it’s a “heavy” weather day, then more time will be needed during the show for weather, which means less time for other stories.
It’s all about timing and talking with people. You need to know what everyone else knows. They need to know what you require of them. Talk with the people involved in your show. Make sure you are clear with them and leave nothing to chance. If you’re unsure, get clarity. Always have a backup plan. If a live-shot goes down in the middle of a report, where will you go next?
As you get closer to show time (and even during a show) you will either be heavy or light. Being heavy means you have too much content and something has to go. If a show is light, then you need to fill time. Each story has a run time.
In every newscast you will hear an anchor set up a reporter’s story. It might sound something like: “Joe Motion has the details.” The details, or the story, is we what call a news package. A pre-produced story that an anchor will set up, or “toss,” to from the set. You will need to account for how much time is needed to setup the package, the package length time, and the tag, or wrapping up, the package. In a “tag” the viewer would see the anchors back on the news set, saying something like: “That was Joe Motion reporting.”This time needs to be accounted for. All that time will start to add up as more content is put in your show. The closer to air, the more decisions you will need to make. What if a story comes up short, what if it’s longer than you expected? Sometimes it’s best to have stories in the show you know you can drop. It’s also a good idea to have backup stories you can add in, should something fall through or a story comes up short.
You will need to include time for sports. In most newsrooms, the sports anchor will prepare his, or her, own sportscast. Just like weather, let them know how much time you can give them. If the local sports team has a lot going on, you may need to plan for that.
You should also be thinking about how to end the newscast. After reporting doom and gloom, most shows end with what’s called a kicker. The kicker is something good to end the show on. It can range from a package on free comic book day, to a story about fainting goats.
As the clock ticks closer to your broadcast, talk to your director. The director needs to know what you want to do with the show. He, or she, will tell you if it is possible or not. Always give the director enough time to plan for things like a live-shot, a live phone interview, on set guest, anything that might come up. Once again, have a backup plan if something should fail due to a technical problem.
The viewer relies on video; the anchors and crew need scripts and rundowns. The rundown is a lineup of what is in the show, where and at what time. This is the big picture. In one page you can see the story names, times, and when the commercial breaks will hit and for how long. You can see how much time weather and sports get. Everyone on the crew gets a rundown. Everyone looks for something different on it. The director will have assigned cameras positions and where each piece of video is coming from.
The anchors read off of teleprompters, but should the prompter fail or the anchor loose their place, a hard copy of the script is required. The director will have also marked the script with what he, or she, is doing. The scripts hold information, more than just the words to the story. Each script has the name of the anchor that is reading and to which camera. The script also calls for graphics and where they come in. The anchor needs to know as much as you know. Scripts go to the person running audio, the director, and the anchors.
You should have a copy of the scripts too. When you are in the control room, you will be timing out the show, usually with the same computer program you built the show with. As each story passes, you will see how much time is left in the show, how long you are spending on each story, and whether you are heavy or light.
The goal is to get out on time. The show needs to end at 6:28pm every night. Your worst-case scenario is to have the director fade out on time. Normally this is not the case. Once the show starts, the flow will feel natural. You will know what parts of the show work and don’t. The show takes on a life of it’s own. You just need to manage it.
Jun 10
27
“On Writing Well”
"On Writing Well" by William Zinsser
My mind just couldn’t hone in on something to write about. I sat down to read William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well.” I usually love reading Zinsser, but my eyes were feeling heavy. Just before I put the book down, I read his words “Get their voice and their taste in your ear.” He was referring to finding your voice. It made me think about the writers I love. Garrison Keillor is probably my favorite author, but his work is fiction. Does that count? Then I thought about author Eric Poole. His first book is called “Where’s my wand?” It’s about growing up believing the show “Bewitched” was real, that might do. Something was missing though, and my body was getting weaker. So I let the nap take over and I drifted away.
Outside I heard tires grab at the loose gravel in the unpaved driveway. The neighbor’s dog started shouting out the window at whoever was here. I was awake. I have been out for two hours. I sat up from the couch and took stock of the living room, I saw Zinssers book still sitting on my coffee table. I grabbed it and dove in where I left off.
My mind was blank, when these words were processed:
“This was a generation reared on television, where the picture is valued more than the words, in fact, is devalued, used as mere chatter and often misused and mispronounced. It was also a generation reared on music-songs and rhythms meant primarily to be heard and felt. With so much noise in the air, was any American child being trained to listen? Was anyone calling attention to the majesty of a well-constructed sentence?”
A feeling of guilt washed over me as I realized just how right he was. I grew up in the world Zinsser describes. Pictures always meant more than words. At college I developed as a news photographer, I focused on how to frame a picture. I worked hard to perfect the “natural sound piece.” A story told through the lens of the camera without the voice of a reporter. One of the tricks to good reporting was writing to the picture. In TV news you can’t write to something you can’t show.
Then I thought about my distain for Lady Gaga. I don’t think she has any talent. She may have a nice voice, and I admit a great flair for showmanship, but she can’t write. Her lyrics are so heavily dampened by modern music no one hears the words. A few weeks ago I couldn’t avoid her. My favorite new show “Glee” was having a special Lady Gaga episode. While the performer herself was not featured, her music was. The show cemented my feelings. I saw a mother and daughter sing “Poker Face” as a duet. The song grew further lost on me. While I admit liking the songs more as performed by stronger singers, the words made less sense hearing them more clearly without the noise. Here is a sample from the song “Poker Face”
“I won’t tell you that I love you.
Kiss or hug you.
Cause I’m bluffin’ with my muffin.
I’m not lying I’m just stunnin’ with my love-glue-gunning.
Just like a chick in the casino.
Take your bank before I pay you out.
I promise this, promise this.
Check this hand cause I’m marvelous.”
I can’t see what inspired the makers of “Glee” to use this as a mother-daughter duet. Hearing it sung with just a piano, and no other musical accompaniment, I found it to be funny. Something I would hear on “Saturday Night Live.”
You can’t blame Lady Gaga though. She was raised on the same pop culture I was. She was smart enough to understand it. We’re both guilty of the same thing though, not writing well. I can’t vouch for her, but William Zinsser is helping me.
I have been told for years that, writing for TV is very different then writing for other mediums. I don’t think so anymore. When I tried to write my very first news story a few months ago, I was terrified. One boss taught me to write in the folksy, breezy style, Zinsser warns against. Another boss just showed me how to strip it all away and keep it simple. I walked away thinking my script was too simple. I have been so intimidated by writing for news; I have avoided it for so long. I’m still apprehensive, but the picture is getting clearer. I still have clutter, but not as much as before. I can recognize where certain words aren’t needed. I am not where I need to be, but I’m more tuned in than I was.
Last weekend, my stepbrother got married. The bride’s aunt wanted to stand up and say a few words. She pulled out a speech she had crafted. Once she started to read, I thought; this must be the first time she is reading this out loud. It did not flow and there was too much clutter. It may have sounded loving in her mind, but it was coming through as insulting and rude. She read it in a sweet voice, but clearly this was the first time out loud. The wrong words left me distracted from the message she intended.
My writing isn’t where it should be yet, but Mr. Zinsser, I am listening. Tuned in to what I was missing before.