Random thoughts

I've got too many little things kicking around in my head, so here goes:

-I wasn't aware that tripods were not issued to one man bands. I'm seeing a lot of work from "backpack journalists" with some pretty shaky video. I used to have a News Director, who, upon seeing video not shot from a tripod, would say, "Earthquake at the City Council," or "Earthquake at the courthouse" depending on where the video was shot. Sometimes tripods aren't practical, but most times you need them. They don't do you any good sitting in the news car.

-Sometimes it takes young reporters a while to "get" it. By that I mean you grow in steps. You hit one plateau, then stay there awhile, then move up to another. Sometimes it takes awhile for the light bulb to go on. Be patient.

-If you want to get "better faster" you need to spend all your free time watching people in bigger markets and on networks. By watching a variety of people you'll subconsciously pick up little things here and there that you can incorporate into your own style.

-Too many packages end on a sound bite. In other words, we go directly from a sound bite to the reporter sigout. You need at least one sentence to wrap things up before you sign off. It's jarring to end a package on a sound bite.

-Too many packages start with a sound bite. Nat sound is always the preferred way to start a package, as it also gives the director a little wiggle room in case he punches up your package a second or two late.

-Many of your live shot intros are too long, so you end up trying to memorize them and you end up looking like you're reciting something instead of talking to the camera. Two sentences, max. Get into your story as quickly as possible. With less to memorize you'll be more natural.