News Camera Work?

A

aFox

Active member
Hi, i might be able to get a job as a newscamera man, for a local TV station. I would shoot interviews, and short newsreports together with a reporter (i think). I have shot several short films on DV and i think the TV station also mostly uses DV cameras.

I thought i would ask around here regarding tips for the beginning newscamera man! Anybody working in this profession? Are there common failures evreybody does in the beginning? What things should you consider when doing an interview, like placing the camera, etc...

thanks
 
Not one? I think the world will miss the shots i didn´t get because i went home without any tips...

Well maybe some have a few stories to share, of something that went wrong? That would help too.
 
It's different than narrative.

In a way, you will have to re-learn how to shoot. Your best source of shooting tips will be other photogs. Be nice, and be humble. Find someone who will take you under their wing.

Be prepared, 3-4 batteries, 3-4 tapes, 3/4 tank of gas. extra 9volts.

Here is the shooting procedure:
Before you leave, check the mics and lay down 30 seconds of bars.
Set your wireless to channel 1, and camera mic to channel 2 (or whatever standard the station uses)

Get to the location and first thing, set your white balance. Either daylight or tungsten preset, or white balance off the news truck. You will be surprised at how often you will forget this in the heat of the battle.

Use a Tripod! Use a Tripod! Use a Tripod! Even though it may be a pain to set up and drag around, you will have more useable shots in the end. You won't miss that breaking news shot if you take 5 seconds to set up a tripod.

Get your wide shot first if it is breaking news. 10 seconds of stable footage at least. Again, in the heat of the battle, 3 seconds will seem like 10. Count to 10 while filming.
Let your talent find out what's going on. Grab your interview. Take 3 seconds to choose good lighting and background if you can, then go get the interview.

You be recording VOs or VOSOTs - Voice Overs are 30 second stories with just footage and nat sounds. Voice Over Sound On Tape are stories that are about 1:30 and have an interview or two including a "stand up" on camera transition and tag by the reporter.

If you have to do it alone and get interviews, start off simply by asking "Tell me what's going on here" That works every time. Always preface each question with "tell me..." For some reason it causes the interviewee to rephrase the question into a usable sound bite. The tend to preface the response with a little bit more context that way. In addition to focus, framing, lighting, levels, etc, don't forget to listen to what they are saying. You are responsible for bringing back a usable sound bite, so make sure you get at least one, hopefully two or three.

After you get those items, be sure you get every shot you need to tell the story. Close ups on bullet marks, flashing lights of cop cars, traffic backed up, the exterior of the building, shocked onlookers... Try to get one or two creative shots, but NEVER at the expense of the shots needed to tell the story.

And, you have to be fast. Expect to spend 20 minutes at each location.

Shooting news is an interesting job. 95% of the time it's great, and 5% you don't want to think about. Just remember to be nice and be sensitive. Respect the police and the people you are doing stories on and you will walk away knowing you helped people.
 
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Thanks that was very helpful. One question regarding background: what is better to have a neutral backgound or a background where there is somthing going on, like "car wreck" etc...
 
in the modern world most news has become very close to entertainment television. the more flashing lights, crying people, collapsed buildings, etc. you get into the background, the better. But don't forget that the interviewee is your main focus. Frame the shot for the person, not the background. If you can work some of the 'cool' stuff into the background, its all that much better. But don't go so over the top that the viewer won't be able to focus on the person speaking.
 
I only did 21 years of news.... Everything has gone wrong at one point in time to me no matter how well I prepared. DUH....LOL
Local TV news has changed since I was in it, as it used to be a "Visual" medium and not so much today as its all about the "Standup" .... I think thats SAD that visual TV news has turned in Reporter Radio.... IMO

B Roll ...B Roll... There is never too much B Roll
 
Great advice from J there - hard to add anything else other than a word on lighting.

You will want to use a reflector a as a fill light a lot of the time - get a multi-color setup - silver/gold/white/black.

A lot of the time you're going to be shooting outside in fairly harsh lighting - look for shade to lower the contrast and carry a couple of contrast filters - very handy. Carry an umbrella or use a large reflector for shade - your reporter will love you for it - you can always get someone to hold it out of shot for you.

For more info on low contrast filters see http://www.tiffen.com/userimages/Contrast_FactSheet_Lo.pdf


Phil Brown
 
I used to be a "news shooter". Now I think they are called "videojournalist" or "photojournalist".

It's fun, but not financially rewarding. Pay rates are pretty pathetic. It's been a decade of so since I did the work. I was working in Honolulu and didn't make more than $12.00 an hour.

Here locally, I heard they pay their shooters about $10.00 an hour.
 
From the technical side, I can't add anything more to j's contribution.

As a former TV reporter, here's a few cent's worth:
- the tripod can be a pain, but the reporter can carry it for you (especially handy if you're set up in front of a court or similar then have to run down the street in the camera scrum)
- sometimes you will be walking backwards, filming the talent walking towards you. The reporter may grab you by the belt or by the waist of your jeans to guide you as you walk backwards, make sure you don't fall off the kerb or walk backwards into a post
- try to make the reporter look good for the stand-up -- put them in shade on sunny days, or the sun behind them, even if it means overexposing the background. Many reporters -- men and women -- may have some light foundation make-up to put on to take shine off.
- the reporter should be pretty adept with the microphones, but you'll still have to be watching the levels. A good reporter will lift a mike closer to the talent when a background noise erupts.
- hopefully the station will set you up with all the gear necessary. Don't forget a camera raincover. You will be getting wet.
- if getting a soundgrab from someone without a reporter with you, get them to give their name (and spell it out, both first and last, no matter how simple it sounds), and their preferred title. Also grab a business card if they have one, and take the opportunity to ask for the cellphone number on it (can be very handy later on or for other stories). If you're speaking to military personnel, a CU of their name and rank is handy, both as a cutaway and as quick confirmation of their, well, name and rank.
- things can go wrong technically, don't be afraid to ask even competing crews for a spare battery or to hold a microphone or to lend some gaffertape... there is a lot more cooperation on the road than the bosses might be aware of (in some markets you can also organise with competitors to cover different entrances to a building if you're not sure which one the talent will be running into or out of, with the proviso that the footage be shared)
- make sure the record light is switched off the camera.... quite often you can get good footage when people think you've just parked the camera on the tripod in their general direction but aren't looking at the viewfinder... have a chat with the reporter as you film a street scene that might otherwise draw unwanted attention (but don't ever leave the camera unattended on the tripod!)
- reporters are pretty well trained to walk up on the podium or wherever and give you a white balance off their notebook, if you ask
- carry extra long XLR cables, for the press conferences where you can plug into the audio set-up (or sometimes better is to have the radio mike plugged into the set up, leaving you free to walk around while still getting the speech)
- if you walk into a 'happening' scene, or are walking quickly (running) with someone going from dark indoors to bright outside, just go over to auto, even full auto if you have to.... just get the shot, even if it ain't pretty (and the audio, too, of course)
- for some scrums, it can be a good idea to put your camera on a monopod and hold it high, if you've arrived late... don't be afraid to push a little. It may seem heated at the time but it's all professional understanding and cameraderie afterwards. If you have radio or print journalists in your way, an insistent pressure with your hand can get them to move a couple of inches for your shot (and some might even hold your mike with theirs, if you're nice about it)
- if you're able, on top of all the technical stuff, try to listen in on the interview you're recording; it'll give you ideas for what cutaways or shots to get after it's finished
- as a reporter, I found keeping an emergency stash of clothes in the car pretty handy (for the times you get caught in a downpour filming that 15-car pile-up, or get covered in ash and dirt from the fires, or simply get called out in the middle of the night for an emergency shoot and don't get home for a day or two)
- last thing: you'll find a lot of people asking for copies of the news story they're in -- find a nice way to respond to that (I used to direct them to our archives service, or, if they were nice or important, would tell them when the story was running so they could record it), but actually making copies and mailing them out is a real pain in the A.

Cheers
 
vegasdigitalfilms said:
I used to be a "news shooter". Now I think they are called "videojournalist" or "photojournalist".

It's fun, but not financially rewarding. Pay rates are pretty pathetic. It's been a decade of so since I did the work. I was working in Honolulu and didn't make more than $12.00 an hour.

Here locally, I heard they pay their shooters about $10.00 an hour.
Click to expand...

No joke. When/which station did you work? I was at KHNL from 2000-2003.
 
Shooting news is a different beast than narrative work. In small markets as long as you have exposure they will probably except it but in big markets you have to be quick, good and efficient to make any kind of liveable wage in the industry. But if you can do those things, you can move up fast if you know the right people. Also the most important thing is that news is still Visual Storytelling. Beg, middle and end always make up your story, so shoot for it. Communicate with your reporter so you guys can tell the story together! You are just as important as the reporter on some stories you are more important, you guys should be a team!

A lot of stations do not put much emphasis on video(I know sounds stupid right since it is a visual medium but sadly its true), but when people remember the average story it is usually because of the photography not the writing. So your job is very very important. A good way to tell if you told the story visually is to mute the sound and watch. If your shots tell the story u did your job! For example if the reporter's track says "homeowners had to evacuate the small town of Jones" You should be showing cars going in and out of frame or a car driving away from you. Its the same visual language as in any visual medium.

Just because you are shooting news does not mean production values do not matter. Use good lighting, composition, powerful shots and crisp sounds. Obviously you can not put ND gel on windows of someones home you are at but you also do not have to put the windows in your shot. Learn to use that light for your purposes, like as a backlight or turn around and make it your key. But remember to white balance accordingly, balance your lights and know your Kelvin temperatures well.

Most importantly it can be one of the most fun jobs in the world one day then the next you could be wishing you woked at McDonalds. So try to have as much fun as possible and work hard.
 
Someone said that using a tripod can save your day - it can, but mostly in the news business it's better if you're able to shoot steady without a tripod. You can set up your tripod in advance at the best possible spot and as soon as the action starts a bunch of photogs and other teams will walk right in front of your lens... if you're handheld/shoulder mount then you just step aside and you can still use the whole shot if needed. With the fixed tripod you have lost...

You need to know exactly how good you are in shooting shoulder mount/handheld, how long your focal length can be, how fast you can walk. A lot of beginners overestimate themselves in that respect and return with 90% super-shaky pictures.
So, better use a tripod if you're unsure, but learn to shoot steady handheld/shoulder mount - because when you get the reputation of being able to shoot a whole piece without a tripod if necessary, then reporters will like you even more!
 
j said:
Here is the shooting procedure:
Before you leave, check the mics and lay down 30 seconds of bars.
Set your wireless to channel 1, and camera mic to channel 2 (or whatever standard the station uses)
Click to expand...

I was told by an engineer to always record your main audio on channel two and nat sounds on channel one, especially if you are shooting to tape. He said that if something is going to go wrong with the tape, channel one would be the first one to go, because it the one closest to the edge.

I'm not sure how true this is, but since it was an engineer that advice me on it, I took it pretty seriously and have never had any problems with audio. Has anyone heard anything about this?

Kak Lee
www.myspace.com/kaklee
 
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