Whistle While You Work/Write While You Log

This is a tip I wish I would have come to much earlier in my career. While you are logging, let the video you are watching inspire lines. You don't have to ever use them. You don't have to force to work them in. Just try to jot down whatever comes to you while you are logging video and sound. You'd be amazed after doing this for a while how more fluid your writing becomes. And by this I mean, instead of doing a script where this come here and that comes next, it sort of organically flows from one thing to the next.

You probably have some really talented and created photographers in your shop. Look for the shot that inspired them and let it inspire you, even if you don't use the line you come up with in the final version of your script. After all, without the pictures, we're just print or radio, so the writing process shouldn't be divorced from what should be driving your script- the video.

Some examples while I was logging tonight:

0030nk Nats from welder
“Believe or not… that’s the sound of money…”

00711q 1:41:26 Decent nats of construx. Pan up of bldg to crane
“Look around New Orleans and you’ll see a skyline punctuated by cranes…”

Not Emmy material but hopefully better than I would have come up with had I just saw down with my laptop.

GRANTED your average car crash might not merit this kind of attention, but give all the stories you are writing a quick look (at the video) to see what comes to mind. There might be something small that can distinguish your writing/story/show. Put a lot of these little things together and your overall package becomes better.