Believe it or not, Charlie Sheen gave me the idea for this post. Since he seems to have an affinity for the term "Duh!" it reminded me how often I actually say it out loud while watching a newscast.
And if your story or newscast makes me say, "Duh!" then you need to take a step back and look at your writing.
I'll give you a few examples that I've seen in the past.
In a package about a home invasion: "Police say the couple was watching television when burglars kicked in the front door. They were taken completely by surprise."
Ya think?
Wait for it..... DUH!
In numerous packages about gas prices: "Higher prices at the pump mean your daily commute will cost more."
DUH!
In a piece on the day after an ice storm: "Roads are still covered with about one-to-two inches of ice. Police say that today you drive at your own risk."
Any other times, you may drive like a bat out of hell and if you hit anything it won't be your fault.
DUH!
And one from the "DUH!" hall of fame: "The man was shot three times in the head. Police have ruled out suicide."
Drumroll, please....... DUH!
No doubt we've all seen plenty of examples like this. It goes beyond stating the obvious... it just makes the viewer laugh at serious stories.
Take the time to really read your copy before it hits the air. If there's anything in there that is so obvious that it becomes funny, take it out.
You don't want Charlie Sheen reading your copy on one of his webcasts, do you?
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Filler
When I was in college my dad had a crazy idea to rent a beach concession for the summer, and wanted me to run it. I figured hot dogs and the shore would be a nice break from being cooped up in the deli all day, so I was happy with the deal.
Before we opened on Memorial Day the soda man came in to set up the dispenser. He showed me how to connect the CO2 and the syrup, etc. Then he looks me in the eye and says, (picture this with a wicked New York accent) "Kid. C'mere. I wanna show you sumptin'."
He leads me to the ice machine and points at it. "The ice machine is your best friend."
"Okay...." I said.
He takes an empty cup, dips it into the ice machine until it's full, then walks to the soda dispenser. He fills it with Dr. Pepper and shows it to me. "Watch and learn," he says. He takes another cup, filters the soda through his fingers so the ice doesn't escape the first cup, and shows me how much soda is in the second cup. It isn't much. "Da more ice you put inna cup, the less soda you use." He pats my cheek gently with a hand the size of an oven mitt. "Capiche?"
And that day I learned the concept of "filler."
While that old soda trick is still used by restaurants everywhere, the concept of filler has sadly become a staple of the local newscast.
The problem, in a nutshell, is how reporters and producers look at a newscast. I've heard producers say, "I've got a newscast to fill" many times. I've heard reporters complain that they don't have enough information to fill a minute-thirty package.
And if you're giving the viewers filler, you're doing the same thing the soda man did with Dr. Pepper. Not giving the customer, or the viewer, his money's worth.
If you're a producer and you're simply choosing stories based on their length, you're wasting the viewer's time. If you've got a twenty second hole and there's a thirty second story that's the most interesting thing you've got, either edit it or cut something else to make it fit. But don't grab the boring twenty second story because it's the square peg that fits in the square hole.
If you're a reporter and you've got a video poor story, don't just fill your story with meaningless b-roll. Every shot should count. If you only have 75 or 90 seconds to fill, every one of those seconds should mean something. If you don't have video, use your imagination. Have a graphic made, make those good nat breaks a little longer or add more of them. But don't just throw in some boring static shots because you have a black hole to cover and can't think of anything to cover it with.
Viewers get bored quickly, and there are 200 other channels they can watch. They don't need stories that are simply time killers. Make sure every second and every shot is meaningful.
-
Before we opened on Memorial Day the soda man came in to set up the dispenser. He showed me how to connect the CO2 and the syrup, etc. Then he looks me in the eye and says, (picture this with a wicked New York accent) "Kid. C'mere. I wanna show you sumptin'."
He leads me to the ice machine and points at it. "The ice machine is your best friend."
"Okay...." I said.
He takes an empty cup, dips it into the ice machine until it's full, then walks to the soda dispenser. He fills it with Dr. Pepper and shows it to me. "Watch and learn," he says. He takes another cup, filters the soda through his fingers so the ice doesn't escape the first cup, and shows me how much soda is in the second cup. It isn't much. "Da more ice you put inna cup, the less soda you use." He pats my cheek gently with a hand the size of an oven mitt. "Capiche?"
And that day I learned the concept of "filler."
While that old soda trick is still used by restaurants everywhere, the concept of filler has sadly become a staple of the local newscast.
The problem, in a nutshell, is how reporters and producers look at a newscast. I've heard producers say, "I've got a newscast to fill" many times. I've heard reporters complain that they don't have enough information to fill a minute-thirty package.
And if you're giving the viewers filler, you're doing the same thing the soda man did with Dr. Pepper. Not giving the customer, or the viewer, his money's worth.
If you're a producer and you're simply choosing stories based on their length, you're wasting the viewer's time. If you've got a twenty second hole and there's a thirty second story that's the most interesting thing you've got, either edit it or cut something else to make it fit. But don't grab the boring twenty second story because it's the square peg that fits in the square hole.
If you're a reporter and you've got a video poor story, don't just fill your story with meaningless b-roll. Every shot should count. If you only have 75 or 90 seconds to fill, every one of those seconds should mean something. If you don't have video, use your imagination. Have a graphic made, make those good nat breaks a little longer or add more of them. But don't just throw in some boring static shots because you have a black hole to cover and can't think of anything to cover it with.
Viewers get bored quickly, and there are 200 other channels they can watch. They don't need stories that are simply time killers. Make sure every second and every shot is meaningful.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Weekend reading
Here's an excerpt from Bill Carter's new book, "The War for Late Night", which offers a great look at the entertainment side of our industry. Carter also wrote "The Late Shift", about the battle for the Tonight Show when Johnny Carson retired.
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/12/late-night-wars-excerpt-201012
Meanwhile, this is the best non-fiction book I've read in awhile. It's Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" which is the story of a World War Two prisoner of war. She also wrote "Seabiscuit", another terrific book. After you read this, trust me, you'll never complain about anything again.
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http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/12/late-night-wars-excerpt-201012
Meanwhile, this is the best non-fiction book I've read in awhile. It's Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" which is the story of a World War Two prisoner of war. She also wrote "Seabiscuit", another terrific book. After you read this, trust me, you'll never complain about anything again.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Passion: the one intangible you need
Most people in this world have jobs.
We don't. We have careers. There's a big difference.
If you have a job you can phone it in from time to time. If you have a career you have too much pride to do so.
Several years ago I had the privilege of working with a photog on his last day before he got out of the business. We were doing a story in one location; it was obvious he wouldn't have to move much for this piece. Kiddingly, I said, "Since it's your last day, you ought to shoot the entire package without moving the camera. I'll bring people to you for sound bites, and you can just swing around and get different angles for b-roll."
We thought it was a fun idea. He locked his camera onto the tripod and started swinging it around, getting different shots. Finally, he shrugged and shouldered his camera. "Can't do it," he said.
He didn't mean it was impossible. He meant his passion for the business wouldn't allow him to phone it in, even on his last day.
Call it passion, or pride in your work, or whatever. It's what runs through the veins of the most successful people in this business.
And if you don't ever feel it, get out. Now. Because you're born with it. You either have it or you don't. You don't develop it over time. It's in your blood, down to your DNA.
Many people think they get it out of their system and leave the business, only to come back.
Passion is like marriage; it's not about finding someone you can live with, it's about finding someone you can't live without.
Same goes for this career.
Many young people contact me, telling me they're confused after a few years in the business. They don't know whether to stick or bail out.
So here's the answer. If you can't live without it, that should tell you you're meant to do this.
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We don't. We have careers. There's a big difference.
If you have a job you can phone it in from time to time. If you have a career you have too much pride to do so.
Several years ago I had the privilege of working with a photog on his last day before he got out of the business. We were doing a story in one location; it was obvious he wouldn't have to move much for this piece. Kiddingly, I said, "Since it's your last day, you ought to shoot the entire package without moving the camera. I'll bring people to you for sound bites, and you can just swing around and get different angles for b-roll."
We thought it was a fun idea. He locked his camera onto the tripod and started swinging it around, getting different shots. Finally, he shrugged and shouldered his camera. "Can't do it," he said.
He didn't mean it was impossible. He meant his passion for the business wouldn't allow him to phone it in, even on his last day.
Call it passion, or pride in your work, or whatever. It's what runs through the veins of the most successful people in this business.
And if you don't ever feel it, get out. Now. Because you're born with it. You either have it or you don't. You don't develop it over time. It's in your blood, down to your DNA.
Many people think they get it out of their system and leave the business, only to come back.
Passion is like marriage; it's not about finding someone you can live with, it's about finding someone you can't live without.
Same goes for this career.
Many young people contact me, telling me they're confused after a few years in the business. They don't know whether to stick or bail out.
So here's the answer. If you can't live without it, that should tell you you're meant to do this.
-
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
What you can learn from the Academy Awards
In this business, you often have to crash and burn before you can learn a lesson.
Since Sunday's Academy Awards show was a full-blown Hindenburg disaster, we can certainly take a few lessons away from it that we can apply to the news business:
-It pays to read your script before going live, so that it doesn't appear you're reading a script....or cue cards. (James Franco)
-Shouting "Woooooo!" every time you mention a famous name can get old real quick. (Anne Hathaway)
-If you're not funny, don't try to be funny. (About half the presenters)
-If you ever win an award, have the class not to drop an F-bomb in your acceptance speech. (Melissa Leo)
-If you ever win an award, remembering your wife's name is a good idea. (Christian Bale)
-Even talented people can look ridiculous if given strange copy. (Robert Downey & Jude Law)
-Using Celine Dion music in any package can make viewers dive for the remote.
-When doing a package on someone who has passed away, do not use the song "Smile." (Apparently, the rights to "Walking on Sunshine" were unavailable.)
-Cutting the shoulders out of a Snuggie does not make for a good dress. (Kathryn Bigelow)
-Try to avoid any outfit that makes you look like an extra from Tron. (Annette Bening)
-If the script doesn't make sense, re-write it. (The whole "Gone With The Wind" thing)
-Supers are a nice touch when showing people we don't recognize.
-Chemistry between anchors or lack thereof (Anne Hathaway and James Franco) can make or break a newscast.
-
Since Sunday's Academy Awards show was a full-blown Hindenburg disaster, we can certainly take a few lessons away from it that we can apply to the news business:
-It pays to read your script before going live, so that it doesn't appear you're reading a script....or cue cards. (James Franco)
-Shouting "Woooooo!" every time you mention a famous name can get old real quick. (Anne Hathaway)
-If you're not funny, don't try to be funny. (About half the presenters)
-If you ever win an award, have the class not to drop an F-bomb in your acceptance speech. (Melissa Leo)
-If you ever win an award, remembering your wife's name is a good idea. (Christian Bale)
-Even talented people can look ridiculous if given strange copy. (Robert Downey & Jude Law)
-Using Celine Dion music in any package can make viewers dive for the remote.
-When doing a package on someone who has passed away, do not use the song "Smile." (Apparently, the rights to "Walking on Sunshine" were unavailable.)
-Cutting the shoulders out of a Snuggie does not make for a good dress. (Kathryn Bigelow)
-Try to avoid any outfit that makes you look like an extra from Tron. (Annette Bening)
-If the script doesn't make sense, re-write it. (The whole "Gone With The Wind" thing)
-Supers are a nice touch when showing people we don't recognize.
-Chemistry between anchors or lack thereof (Anne Hathaway and James Franco) can make or break a newscast.
-
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