Grape,
I'm struggling with what to put on the opening montage of my resume tape. Can't I just start off with my packages?
-R.J.
Dear R.J.,
Well, you could, but montages are a time honored tradition. The other obvious reason? A ND wants to know what you look like right off the top. Superficial, yes, but alas, this is a superficial business.
Think of a montage as a box of chocolates, a Whitman's Sampler if you will. (And, no, there's no Forrest Gump metaphor coming.) In every box of assorted chocolates you get caramels, chocolate covered nuts, those things that taste like Butterfingers and the dreaded creams that you give to your grandmother. By the time you've eaten the whole box you know what you can expect from the candy company in the way of quality.
A montage is the same. It needs to show you in a variety of settings and situations. Let's say we've decided to put six clips in your montage. We might end up with two live shots, two standups and two keywall intros. Or maybe some anchoring if you have it. And at least one of these (preferably the last one) should show your smile. Mix them up. Your order might look like this:
-Nighttime live shot
-Keywall intro
-Daytime standup
-Anchoring clip
-Breaking news live shot
-Feature standup
There's only one rule when putting together the montage. The first thing on the list had better be your absolute best work, or the ND won't watch much more. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the standup from the most important story needs to be first. First impressions count a lot in resume tapes.
"It" is what keeps an ND watching. Show that you're clever, write well, have a personality and can think on your feet in the field and the ND will probably start watching your packages. And "it" means different things to different NDs. But when your version of "it" matches the ND's, you'll get a call.
Oh, one more thing. Please, everyone, ditch the exotic pre-produced slates. Give me your name and contact info for ten seconds and then roll the montage.
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