CNN Election Night Hologram

Did you guys see this? CNN "beamed" a reporter into the studio via a hologram... like the ones they had at Disney's Epcot Center back in the day. I thought it was interesting. But I wish they would have had some video of the setup as she was explaining how it works. It might have even been worth a quick piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_aDBiPREUE&feature=related

Who's Who

Sometimes you get sent on stuff and have no idea what the main players look like. I find this happens a lot with elections. Stations will all but ignore political coverage during the campaign but then expect you to score big on election night. I find google image searches handy for this. Go to:

http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Type in the name in quotes to search.

For elections, the candidates' websites are also a place to find pics. If you've got a few minutes, make some flashcards for yourself. Print out images of all the candidates and spokespeople you'll need to know and then put a brief summary of info on each one, including the name and cell phone of that candidate's handler. That will help you familiarize yourself with them and be able to recognize them quickly on election night.

Special Event Coverage

With elections upon us, here's a tip to make your life much easier. Include the people who will actually be doing the coverage in on your planning sessions. For example, doing something big out live election night? Include a good photographer, live or sat truck guy, and a reporter who's done it before. Maybe director or font operator. The tech people, especially the photogs, I guarantee you will come up with issues that you've never dreamed up. They'll alert you to possible problems that you can manage on the front end instead of the night of. The reporter can also give you perspective on what to expect.

Time and again when I've worked special events coverage, whether it's been a New Year's Eve show or breaking news special, it seems no one who plans the events checks with the foot soldiers. That's a shame. They can make your coverage one hundred percent better.

Tips for Successful Election Night

Plenty of pizzas and caffeine are key to knocking it out of the park. And don't forget your field crews when you are doling out the free food.

If you have a ton of results that you need to show but are not major races, trying scrolling through graphic panels going in or out of a break. People can read- and it's a lot more jazzy than hearing your anchor read every single stat. For some key races where you do want your anchor to read the results, how about having moving video in the graphic somewhere? It could be video of the candidates or the issue or just people voting.