Journal of Mass Communication
at Francis Marion University
Spring 2008, Volume 2, Number 1
Preparing for a Video Shoot
by Maria Morris Lundberg
Every television reporter has his or her own way of approaching a story. When you work in television, it’s necessary to think about the visual aspect, as well as content. I find it helpful to have a checklist for the major elements. But before you get to that list, you have to start with content.
When the topic of my story has been determined, I research it to decide how I want to approach the story. That also includes deciding on the best interview subjects. The number of people you interview is definitely related to the time length of the story. If you are doing a one-minute piece, you need to limit the interviews to three or less. When I produce news reports for public television however, they usually run five to six minutes long. So for those pieces, there is time to include perspectives from more people.
One other thing to keep in mind about interviews is that each one should take a different perspective. Don’t ask the exact same questions of each interviewee. If you do, you risk getting very similar answers from each of them. If you were doing a story about a proposed tuition hike, you would get a different perspective from a legislator who proposed the hike than you would from a student who faces paying more for an education. So ask questions that are appropriate for the perspective of each interview subject. Be creative and thoughtful with your questions. I always prepare at least five questions for each interviewee before shooting an interview. But it is essential to remember that you’re not married to those questions. If the subject tells you about something interesting, don’t be afraid to deviate from your prepared list and ask a follow-up question that would be appropriate. In an interview, listening is just as important as asking questions.
Once I have determined who my interview subjects will be, I think about the b-roll shots I need to videotape. This is the footage that is shot to go along with the reporter’s narration. I also decide if I need to have any special graphics created. Then I write up a checklist. Here’s a sample of an actual checklist that I used for a story about hurricane preparations that I did a few years ago.
INTERVIEWS:
____ Barry Porter, Director of American Red Cross in Central North Carolina
____ Doug Hoell, Emergency Management Director
____ Bryan Beatty, NC Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety
____ Dr. Marty Zaluski, NC Dept. of Agriculture Emergency Programs
B-ROLL FOOTAGE TO SHOOT OR FIND IN ARCHIVES:
____ Hurricane footage
____ Aftermath – trees and power lines down
____ Flooded streets
____ People staying in an emergency shelter
____ Red Cross emergency kit
____ Pets
____ Houses with boarded windows
____ Beach erosion and flooded beach roads
ON-CAMERA DEMONSTRATION:
____ Bring in light patio furniture
____ Fill tub with water
____ Put refrigerator settings on coldest levels
____ Have batteries for portable radio or TV
____ Get non-electric can opener and canned foods
____ Put pillows and blankets in interior hallway away from windows
FULL SCREEN GRAPHIC TO CREATE:
____ list all essentials to take to an emergency shelter if you have to evacuate your home
In this particular example, I couldn’t go out and shoot hurricane footage, because there was no hurricane in the area at the time. So I relied on file or archival footage for those types of shots. I also decided to include a narration section that told people what to take if they evacuate to a shelter. To reinforce the points, we created a full screen graphic that revealed the words on screen as the viewer heard my voice speaking them.
You may have noticed that there’s a line directly to the left of each item in the checklist. Once each item is shot, I place a check mark next to it. That way I can keep track of what footage I still need to get. This is really important if you’re shooting a story 2-3 hours away from your station. You don’t want to forget to shoot some crucial video and realize it after you’ve driven back to the station. I write my checklist in the reporter’s notebook that I take with me on each shoot. It’s a great way to make sure you get all the elements you need to tell a strong, compelling story.
One more thing that you need to do before going on a video shoot is to think about the technical side of it. How many crew people will be involved? How many cameras, microphones, lights, etc., do you need? How much time to you have to allow for travel? Will you be shooting inside or outside? Will you have access to an AC outlet? If not, do you have enough batteries and a battery charger? If you plan for all of these before you leave on a shoot, chances are it will go smoothly.
Lastly, if you’re the producer-reporter for a story, remember that you have a videographer who is an equal partner in your team. I usually talk to my videographer before a shoot so that he/she knows what we’ll be doing and can start thinking in terms of the video. Videographers are visual people and they see a story in terms of the “pictures”, or video. Reporters tend to think of a story in terms of the words. Good reporters think about both and work closely with the videographer to make sure that there is a shared vision for how the story will be told.
Each individual will develop a system that works best for him or her. The checklist is one I learned from Emmy-award winning NBC Correspondent Bob Dotson. He told me that he uses it as a tool in every story he covers. I figure if it’s good enough for an Emmy winner, it’s good enough for me!
Maria Morris Lundberg is an assistant professor of mass communication at Francis Marion University, where she teaches broadcast journalism courses. She has more than 20 years of professional broadcasting experience and has worked as a college educator for six years. She continues to produce occasional freelance reports for UNC-TV, North Carolina’s statewide PBS network.
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