Broadcast News

Yesterday I participated in WKRN’s community outreach video training session, Video 101.

Along with WKRN’s other new media efforts, next month they’re going to be moving to the “Vee Jay” concept. No, they’re not going to only show music videos, nor is the sports department only going to highlight golfers from Fiji. The news department will have twice as many folks out doing stories with half the staff. (My math may be incorrect but the idea is right.) They’ll arm their news staff individually with DV camcorders, tripods, and laptops (a map showing unsecured wi-fi locations comes next), rather than use the traditional methods of news gathering. (With a camerman, a reporter,a sound guy, a guy that drives the truck and a guy who gets the donuts.) It’ll certainly be interesting to watch.

The seminar wasn’t directly about that transition, but I’m sure the same techniques we covered were the same given to WKRN’s new VJs. Billed as video training for bloggers, it was more specifically how to take footage that has enough quality and editable aspects for broadcast.

We were encourged to bring video cameras, so I borrowed a friend’s DV camcorder hoping to get some good footage of the seminar. I was hoping to use my newly honed videographer skills to edit together the highlights of the event (complete with snarky commentary) for posting here, but alas, I’ve lost my touch. I’ve done video editing before (warning-quicktime link), but tonight I can’t seem to get the video out of the camera and on to the computer. So I apologize to you, my public. (Firewire? More like Firedwire.)

Rex, Paul, and the as incredible-in-real-life-as-she-is-on-her-blog-Aunt B. have rundowns of what they learned; here are my revelations:

• The MIA Jacob’s Posse boys have officially taken a hiatus from blogging for the summer. As Blogger #1 (or #2, I can’t keep up which is which) told me, “We’re kids and it’s summer.” They’ve learned at 14 the true secret to blogging: Only blog when you’re avoiding legitimate work. It’s summer: no work, no blog. Brilliant, really. (This is evidently the reason that you never hear from Captain T anymore at Thursday Night Fever.)
• News organizations will pay for airable (and sometimes not airable) footage if they need the story. Sometimes they even get into bidding wars. (Just ask Abraham Zapruder.)
• Like me, Aunt B. is left handed.
• The Atlanta Bread Company organizes their sandwiches by internal content and bread type. Once you’ve discovered this you can safely choose your lunch.
• Terry Heaton is a great kisser.
• You can get street legal flashy lights for your SUV. I don’t think you can get a legal siren, but you can always make that “Whooooooo” noise yourself.
• Blake saw that the complementary commemorative T-Shirt read “See Blog Shoot” and immediately brandished his heretofore concealed weapon.
• I was able to pull off an “Uma… Oprah…” moment when I introduced Johnny of “Mr. Johnnypantz” to Aunt B. of TinyCatPants.”
• When trying to get into a house trailer that’s been flipped on its side by a tornado, put your pocketknife away and just grab an axe.

After the seminar those who stuck around were coaxed into a little on camera performance of our own, so expect to see me fumble lines in a Nashville is Talking spot to air soon. You just can’t imagine how your mind goes blank when you’re on TV.

(Thanks to Blake for the picture…)