Interesting Story Structure

I was listening to a radio story on the oil spill a while ago. It had an interesting story structure that you could steal. The reporter in the piece basically structured the story to follow a Presidential visit. So President stops here first, we go back and talk with someone there and then present that part in the story first. It was an unusual way to tell a story and I think really effective in this case.

Here's a transcript if you want to check it out yourself:

http://m.npr.org/news/front/127910091?singlePage=true

The Story's Not at the Press Conference

We all cover press conferences. But the story is generally not at the press conference. Go to them. Shoot them. But then figure out a way to get out of there. Get someone who's actually impacted by what's being said at the press conference. Find a real person who is not a politician.

Easy example-- a city announces budget cuts. Find someone impacted by budget cuts. The fire station that will lose overtime. The old lady who won't get her garbage collected. Lots of times the real people might actually be there at the press conference, listening, or they may even speak at it-- but definitely reinterview them in their own environment, at their home or work. Or ask the parties giving the press conference to direct you to someone impacted.

Press conferences are deadly boring video. Make the extra effort to find someone personally impacted and peg your story on that person or persons. You end product will be much better.

Reporter Standups

I just saw a taped reporter standup that was a real missed opportunity. She was walking and talking but not really saying a whole lot. I can guess why this ended up in her pkg. She shot one standup and then when she got to writing, she was stuck with it. She did something bland so she could put it anywhere.

Ideally, a standup could be interchangable with a paragraph in the story. It should be that integrated. Obviously you can't write your story till you actually cover the story, but some are better than others in being able to sketch it out in their head. If you have a reporter who has standups that seem sort of extraneous and tacked on, encourage them to shoot several-- saying several different things. Enourage them to work with their photographer to brainstorm creative standups. Encourage them to call you from the field if they need help (sometimes it's a lot easier for someone not directly involved with the story to come up with something). No shame in asking for help. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and maybe in this case, the reporter just needs a little assistance getting up to speed in standups.

Think Outside the Meeting

I just saw a story about a community trying to clean up their neighborhood. The neighborhood was "transitional" and had been plagued with trash, graffiti and vagrants. The pkg started with meeting video. Never have a pkg start with meeting video. Unless the parties involved are screaming at each other. Meeting video is death. And why, why, would the reporter start this way when the story is about cleaning up a neighborhood? You could start with shots of trash, spray-painted buildings and then pan up to a woman walking... "This is what Suzie Q sees every morning when she walks to her office on X St." Sot- I Hate it/It's digusting/I've had enough... "That why Suzie and her neighbors are getting together to fight back." Now go to meeting video. Briefly. But get back to the trashy neighborghood as soon as you can. That's where your better story is.

Point is-- every meeting is talking about or debating something. What is that something? Go where the something is and shoot your story. As a producer, have early conversations with your reporter about where they intend to take the story. If aren't planning to shoot anything but the meeting, brainstorm ideas of where else they can go.

What's in a name? Pkg, mini-pkg or tracked vosot?

Terminology can be confusing. What one station calls one thing can be totally different when you get your next job in a new market.

In general, I consider a mini-pkg the same as a regular pkg except shorter. So in terms of writing of a mini-pkg, there might be nats off the top, quick sots and track... but it's generally not gonna run more than 1:00 or 1:05... whereas I think most station pkg lengths are 1:20 or 1:30 unless it's a special or promoted piece.

When I say voice a vosot... I'm thinking of a reporter who's just tracking a vosot script they may have just used for an earlier hit. They shoot a standup in the field and cover the middle part with video and insert a bite. Clearly a lot less work than sitting down and writing a whole new pkg. Also, probably easier to edit. I prefer the mini pkg... but maybe you have a reporter who only has time to do a vosot... or... maybe you only have one reporter on staff at night and you're looking to get more faces in the show (a vosot or looklive taped in the field may help you out with that). A funny story- there was once a producer in one of my old newsrooms who barked at a reporter complaining that their story was just a vosot... He said, "Listen, a pkg is just a vosot tracked."

Here's another term we used to use at a newsroom in Phoenix-- "Speedo." I think I've also heard them called "breakers." It was basically a 1:00 mini-pkg, but it had animations off the top and bottom and music under throughout. There was no anchor intro or tag-- it was its own complete unit (and therefore was really easy to float and/or kill). Basically, it was a way to bump in or out of a segment... or even wipe to in the middle of a segment. I liked using them for pacing. I'd pick some interesting story that was in house early and then send it back early for special edit treatment. I've seen some stations do something similar for national or international news "wraps" where they'll wipe between three different stories with music under and animations.

Feel free to experiment. That's the fun of producing! But be careful, because I've also interviewed at stations that thought this concept was an abomination. It depends on your shop/market/community.

Don't Lead with Soundbite

I can't tell you how many packages I see where the first couple seconds are someone's uninspiring soundbite. People do it because it's easy.

In general, it's not a good idea to lead a package with a soundbite. This is because there's generally something better-- say your best nats and video. Soundbites generally come out of nowhere and viewers tend to miss the first couple seconds of them if you use them at the top. Also, if you instead start with a little nats and track, you can set the tone for the piece and the viewer.

Script Approval

I don't know if you've read any of Jill Geisler's columns- but she's brilliant. I met her at an RTNDF Women & Minorities in Management workshop. Here's a good article on working with reporters to revise scripts.

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4577

I'd add that there's nothing like front end work in terms of packages. An hour before newscast the newscast is not the time to find out the story has completely changed. Check in early and often with reporters about how things are going... if the story's remaining what you thought it was... and what types of elements they'll have. That will assist immensely when it comes to looking at the pkg as well as your own tease-writing.

Start with People

I just watched a pkg on new cpr recs- that you should give 100 compressions in a minute and skip the mouth to mouth. We were in least 45 seconds or so when the reporter finally got to the good stuff- an interview with a guy who saved his best friend using the new method. The first part of the pkg had been DULL mos and an expert bite. Boring! Lead with your best material first. Always. Many times that's a human being who can connect your viewer to the story. And in this case, when you have both the person saved AND the man who saved him-- that belongs at the top.

Stop me if you've seen this one before

Some days it's tough to fill a newscast. That is especially true on weekends. This is no reason to essentially rerun your early newscast again at ten. Change up the stories, the format (pkg to vosot or vice-versa) and the bites you're using.

Do not rerun packages. A reporter can rework the pkg they turned at 6p into something new at ten. It's not that hard to write a second version once you've already written the first one.

The point is, if viewers see the exact same stuff within the first five minutes of your newscast, they can rightly assume there is nothing new and just go to bed.

Don't assume your viewer at 6p automatically won't watch at 10p. Give them a reason to watch by changing it up a bit. Resources are slim to be sure- no newsroom has enough reporters, editors, etc., but do what you can and don't be afraid to get creative.

MLK Day

I just saw a decent local MLK day story and I want to share it.

Imagine most of the MLK stories you do each year. NATS of "I have a dream speech" figure in somewhere, yes?

I saw one reporter do a local tie-in. He talked with sanitation workers in town. Martin Luther King had gone to Tennessee to support striking sanitation workers when he was assassinated. Nothing groundbreaking-- but you know? Nice touch. I'm always impressed by people who can find a new way to do the same stories we cover year after year.

Reporters Should Be Seen and Not Just Heard

In a perfect world, I'd have a reporter fronting their package live every time. But sometimes, that can't happen. Even if the reporter can't front their package live, they should have some sort of visual presence in the piece. Obviously, they can do a standup from the field. Have them record a ten second tease while they're at it. But even if they didn't get a standup in the field, have them record an intro and tag-- on set, at the chroma key, or in the newsroom. Find some way to get their face in the piece.

Your reporters are part of your brand. One way viewers can connect to their stories and your newscast is to see reporters night after night. Plus, it makes your newscast look large to have as many faces worked into it as possible. Get creative. Are you writing a VOSOT from a story earlier in the day and the reporter is still hanging around? Have them do a standup and track it. Are you writing a mini-package from a national story? Again, if there's some talent wrapping up their day, grab them and get their face in your show.

What about having a standup in the package when the reporter is fronting it live? This doesn't bug me a bit-- I'm all for it. I want to see talent as much as possible. But there are some stations that frown on it.