Day in the life: The makings of a stand-up

Stand-ups. They can be a reporter’s best friend or worst enemy, especially when you're a one-man band. It just reminds me of the fact that people really don't realize how much work goes into a minute and a half story. This picture is a still from a recent story I did on the soaring prices of propane. Due to this unusually blistery winter, the demand for propane has significantly increased, causing shortages in some parts of the nation and a rapid increase in it's cost. I had the pleasure of speaking with a local distributor about how he was holding up. Getting through the interviews and shooting footage was the easy part of the day for me, it was my stand-up that really took the most effort. It took me forever to think where to stand, what to say, make sure my mic was working, make sure my camera was focused/well lit and make sure I was also creative. The fact that it was freezing outside did not help. When the manager, who had gone inside at that point, came back out and saw me shooting the stand-up, he thought I had been talking to myself (#reporterprobs!). I just laughed and explained what I was really doing. I saw all of this to say that stand-ups are an area which I am actively working to improve as a reporter and I can't wait to see what they'll look like a year from now. As I just said I am definitely still learning, but I have a few tips that I use to help my stand-ups turn out decently.

 1) Think of what you're going to say ahead of time! There's nothing worse than having the camera rolling and you're just standing in front of it dazed and confused trying desperately to figure out what you're going to say. Trust me, I’ve done it so many times before (including for this stand-up) and it just wastes time, tape and battery life. Turn off the camera and take a minute to plan out (if you can) what you're going to do and say.

 2) Make sure the camera is in a secure place Not following this rule could land you in big trouble. A much as we want to get that perfect action shot/stand-up, you've got to treat your camera like your baby. That means you have to make sure that whatever you're doing, the camera is on a steady base (preferably the tripod) and it's not near something that could knock it over/break it.

 3) Make sure your shot is focused/ well-lit and your sound is good This comes out of a lot of trial and error (at least for me). But be sure to focus your camera on the spot you'll be standing (if you're a one man band) and adjust your lighting accordingly. I know that in this business time is of the essence, but it might not hurt to do a couple of takes. That way you can play them back to check audio and visual quality before moving on. There's few worse feelings than playing back a "rock star" stand-up, only to find your audio is bad, camera is unfocused, or you're shot is dark/overexposed.

 4) Shoot multiple versions! Unless you're shooting your stand-up at the end of ALL interviews, it wouldn't hurt to shoot multiple versions of your stand-up. Usually at this point you're not entirely sure what your story will include (from start to finish) and you want to make sure your stand-up will make sense with whatever angle your story takes. So, don't say the same thing every time. Also, don't always assume you won't end your story on your stand-up, so make sure you shoot some with a tag. You can always cut it off if you don't need it, but it be there if you do need it and don't shoot it.

 5) Get Creative! Once you get the basics down, it'll be time to get creative with your stand-ups. The easiest way to have an "active stand-up" is to walk a little, from one point to another. More advanced stand-ups may include driving, multiple shots/angles, nat pops, matched action sequences and so on. While every stand-up doesn't HAVE to be active you should ALWAYS strive to make it active, especially if your story lends itself to that. One of my favorite reporters to watch is Jennifer French of WSYX/WTTE, Columbus, OH. Check her out!

Day in the life: Puppy Mill raided

Here's to another update on what I’ve been doing this week as a reporter. I said in an earlier post that I really enjoy reporting and sharing information with people, but there are some stories that really make me sad. This story happened to be one of them. We got a tip about a puppy mill that was being run in a Levy County home. Over 60 dogs were taken from this home in bad condition. The owners were breeding these dogs and selling them on Craigslist. I was so horrified to think about all of those poor dogs living in those conditions. I really don't like having to report about stories whether there's mistreatment, crime, pain and suffering (among other horrible things), but I also realize that doing so is a part of keeping the public informed. For example, wouldn't you be upset if there was a killer on the loose in your city and no news stations warned you about it? Stories like these aren't pleasant, but it's my job to inform the public about ALL things news, the good and the bad. So how does the story end? The puppies turned out to be okay and are being placed into loving, secure homes. The owners? Well, they're not doing okay. They're being charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.

Day in the life: Meeting the First Lady of Florida

I have literally ALWAYS wanted to a journalist. Since about the age of eight or nine, I really couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do. I love to share information with people, to tell them something they didn't know before. Growing up, it got to the point where my mother would say, "you're going to work for BBC one day, you watch." The rest has really been history. While I'm not quite at the BBC just yet, I have had the chance to work at CNN as a Summer 2013 intern and I currently intern at the Gainesville Television Network (GTN News) and report/anchor for WUFT News on the UF campus. Having all of these experiences has really solidified my decision to pursue a career in the journalism industry. Which brings me to the picture above. While out reporting for WUFT News last week, I had the amazing opportunity to meet the First Lady of Florida, Ann Scott. Mrs. Scott was wrapping up her tour of state, where she was promoting lifelong reading habits among Florida's students. This is one of the many reasons why I love reporting. I have the chance to meet and speak with so many people who are at the heart of big/important issues. It's truly an honor for me to be the one who gets to provide the public with such important information.

T.J. Holmes touches on a "touchy subject"

The much-anticipated UF MLK event hosted by the Black Graduate Student Organization and various other campus organizations was truly a night of food, fun, and remembrance. I think it's easy for us to forget about the way things were during the time in which Dr. Martin Luther King lived. It's not good enough for us to simply remember the things he (and many others) fought for, but to advance the cause. The night's Keynote speaker, former CNN and BET anchor, T.J. Holmes really drove this point home. He opened the night with a few jokes, but then he got down to the heart of the matter, which is that as African Americans we are held to a certain standard. There are people all across the world that may never come into much contact with someone of our race on a personal/individual level. So what little they know about us is what they learn through media. While there are some positive portrayals of African Americans in media, there are far more negative ones which people use to form opinions of all of us. He told each and every African American student in the room that they only way to change this is to a) have more positive African American portrayals on television and b) as individuals we need to carry ourselves in a way that defies those negative stereotypes on daily basis. While both are reasonable goals, it's clear that accomplishing the latter is far easier. But I think the even bigger picture here, is that this task can be set for any group who is negatively portrayed in the media. The bottom line is we should all hold ourselves to the highest standards.