Archive for the ‘NewscastTip’ Category

Good night and good luck, NewscastTip

It’s been over two years since NewscastTip launched as a weekly feature in our weekly NewscastInspiration newsletter. Since that time, I’ve authored over 60 columns (there were some periods over holidays or the summer where I took a few weeks off) on everything ranging from standups to Web sites.

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NewscastTip: Shorten URLs with custom domain

New custom URL shorteners are springing up every day and are useful in maintaining a strong Web brand and distributing content — but should your station jump on board and launch one?

URL shorteners are a relatively simply concept: Take a long URLand, using a shorter domain name and directory path, make it shorter. This is helpful for sending links via e-mail or instant messenger since these applicaitons tend to “break” longer URL strings or ones with special characters.

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NewscastTip: Ideas on how to make solo newscasts look their best

Having a newscast with a single anchor can be a bit tricky on most news sets since, more often than not, they are designed for the traditional dual anchor setup, but there are ways to make the most of the situation and still have a good looking setup.

First you should consider where the anchor sits. If your anchor desk allows it, consider having the anchor sit more toward the center rather than the normal position. However, it’s important to consider how the background will appear behind the anchor so they don’t obscure any important branding or imagery. Also check to make sure all camera angles are doable.

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NewscastTip: Earlier morning newscasts have special needs

There’s no doubt there’s a growing trend in moving morning newscasts earlier, and along with that comes special challenges in terms of content.

The idea for earlier morning newscasts is heavily driven by the fact people, especially working professionals, are getting up earlier in order to complete their morning commutes and still be in the office on time. Stations, meanwhile, see early morning news as a way to bring in additional local revenue with little additional overhead.

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Share your ideas for future ‘Tip’ columns

What aspects of producing TV newscasts do you think need improved? Have a neat new way of doing something in the newsroom?

Share them with us and they might be featured in a future NewcastTip column!

Even though the column is taking a bit of a summer vacation, that doesn’t mean we’re not planning ahead — and we want to hear your ideas for future columns. E-mail your thoughts, suggestions and ideas to michael.hill@newscaststudio.com. Any feedback is welcome — whether it’s an idea for a future column, a problem you run in to frequently that you’re not sure how to solve, a specific tip or trick you’d like to share, or a personal pet peeve about TV news that you’d like us to address.

NewscastTip: Animated BGs require careful designing

Creating a computer-generated animated looping background for rear projection screens is a good alternative to using video loops, as discussed in a previous NewscastTip column.

Even if your set isn’t equipped with a rear projection screen, many of these ideas can be modified for use on chroma key wall backgrounds and on-set flat panels.

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NewscastTip: Go off-axis for added interest

The straight-on anchor two-shot is perhaps one of the most recognizable shots in television news — but approaching this shot from a new angle (literally) can add a bit more visual interest to your newscasts.

Off-axis anchor two-shots give directors and producers another way to shoot the set and, if combined with technology or graphics, add additional storytelling tools.

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NewscastTip: Explore options for in-studio interviews

In-studio interviews are a great alternate way to present a story and there are plenty of options on how to present them.

First of all, consider if an interview can be done at the anchor desk using the spot normally reserved for either the sports anchor or weather person.

Be sure to consider, however, what background will appear behind the interviewee when the director takes a one-shot; it most likely doesn’t make sense to have, for example, the weather center in the background (unless, of course, the interview is weather related). The same is true for sports theme-backgrounds.

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NewscastTip: Building a local team

I once saw a promo that touted the station’s news team’s local ties. It was a simple, straightforward message that began with a voiceover saying to the effect of “This is how most reporters arrive here” and then cutting to a shot of an airplane landing. The voice then said “This is how our reporters arrived here” and cut to video of a crying baby.

Whether the promo was effective or not isn’t the issue here; the point is valid. News teams with ties to the community not only tend to score better with viewers but also bring key advantages to covering local news and finding ways to emphasize your team’s local roots wherever possible can be a good strategic move.
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NewscastTip: VOs can often be just as effective as packages

Packages are a popular fixture of any newscast, but they are also time consuming and expensive to produce, especially in under-staffed and under-funded newsrooms, and it’s important to keep in mind that many stories can be told just as effectively with a voiceover.

A well-written and succinct voiceover combined with sound bites is often more than enough to tell most stories.

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NewscastTip: Hyperlocal sites provide great opportunities

Hyperlocal Web sites are becoming a more and more popular way for news outlets to drill-down and provide highly localized information in a way not possible with traditional media.

Most hyperlocal sites are sorted by regions or neighborhoods. This is a great way to break down content into categories your users will readily recognize and help make it easier for them to find relevant news. Be sure to include all relevant local neighborhoods or regions of your viewing area and special attention to using the names locals know them as. Also consider any “turf wars” that might mean you need to break out a certain zone into its own category to avoid offending citizens.

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NewscastTip: Dressing down can look good if done right

Although formal business attire has been a mainstay of television news wardrobes, more casual attire is becoming popular for afternoon, morning and weekend newscasts, as well as for programs and stations who want to portray a more laid back or youthful look.

For men, a more casual wardrobe typically means going without a suit jacket or opting for just a sweater or sweater vest with a tie.

If you go this route, however, talent should be sure they purchase dress shirts that fit well to prevent the fabric from looking rumpled or bunched up, especially around the arms. If your talent presents the news both standing and sitting, this should be taken into consideration when fitting clothing. Sweaters and sweater vests shouldn’t be overly thick or “lumpy.”

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