On Camera, 2nd Edition

On Camera, 2nd Edition

by Nancy Reardon, Tom Flynn
Released June 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781134624478

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

From the Foreword by Bob Schieffer:
"This is a real 'how to' book by two people who really know how. But it is more than just a fine manual on broadcast journalism, journalists and non-journalists alike will find it good read, a treasure chest of anecdotes, stories and a tall tale or two from the most exciting profession of all—reporting the news."

Reardon’s On Camera: How to Report, Anchor & Interview teaches you how to become professional and effective on camera. You’ll learn how to appear and feel at ease whether doing an interview, reporting in the field, reading from a prompter, or giving a video presentation. It’ll give you the nuts and bolts of how to do the job at the network level or as a backpack journalist, so you feel confident that when you’re standing in front of the camera you will know what you’re doing. Whether new to television or experienced in front of a camera, you will improve on your current skills through career-focused tips and tried-and-true principles—all oriented to skills development—in this book.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Writers' Biographies
  7. Foreword
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Introduction
  10. Interviewing
    1. 1 Interviewing
      1. Prepare
      2. Communicate
      3. Listen
      4. To Pre-interview or Not to Pre-interview?
      5. Be Polite
      6. Hard News Interviews
      7. Soft News Interviews
      8. Hard News Interview Techniques
      9. Soft News Interview Techniques
      10. The All-Important First Question
      11. The Shape of an Interview
      12. Time Is of the Essence
      13. Answers That are Toooo Long
      14. Questions That Are Toooo Long
      15. Yes or No Questions
      16. Anecdotes and Stories
      17. Have More Questions Than You Think You Will Need
      18. Where Do You Look When You Are Interviewing?
      19. Your Voice
      20. Whose Interview Is It Anyway?
      21. The End of the Interview
      22. The Difference Maker
      23. Are There Any Exercises I Can Use?
      24. Exercise for Interview Variety
      25. Exercise for Questions
      26. Exercise for Asking the Challenging Question
      27. Exercise for Listening
      28. Exercise for Flexibility
      29. One Last Exercise
      30. Practice, Practice, Practice
    2. 2 The Interviewee
      1. Monotone = Boring
      2. Know Your Audience
  11. On-Camera Reporting
    1. 3 Gathering the Facts
      1. Nancy's Accident Story
      2. It's Television, Get Video
      3. One Man Band
      4. See It, Shoot It
      5. Cut-aways, Reverses, and Jump Cuts
      6. More Tricks of the Trade
      7. How to Start Your On-Scene Interviews
      8. Live Interviews for On-Camera Reporters
    2. 4 Writing the Story
      1. Nancy's Class Fire Story
      2. On-Camera Field Interviews
      3. Let's Write the Script and Make a Package
      4. This Is a Visual Medium
      5. Pace
      6. Language Is a Tool
      7. Hard News/Light News
      8. A Few Other Points
      9. Reporting from the War Front
      10. Fat Head Advice
      11. Finding Your Stories and Developing Your Sources
      12. Conclusion to Writing the Script
    3. 5 Presenting the Report on Camera
      1. Studio Lead or Studio Throw
      2. Beware of the Same Copy
      3. The Package
      4. Stand-Ups
      5. Be Creative But...
      6. Wallpaper
      7. Bridges
      8. Graphics
      9. File Tape
      10. The Close
      11. The Tag
      12. Q and A
      13. Reporters' Notes and Note Books
      14. Microphone Position
      15. Where Do I Look?
      16. It's All in How You Ask the Question
      17. Intention
      18. Some Final Notes for On-Camera Reporter Interviews
      19. The 5 Ws and the Dreaded H
      20. You Teach the Guest
      21. One Question at a Time
      22. Think of Your Priorities
      23. You Are Going Live
      24. Stay Calm in a Crisis
      25. Don't Give Up
      26. Substitutions
      27. Crowds
      28. How Do You Handle Disagreements with Your Boss?
      29. Conclusion
      30. Reporting Exercises
  12. Beat Reporting
    1. 6 Sports Reporting
      1. You're Still a Reporter
      2. How to Practice
      3. What's a Sports Story?
      4. Breaking In
    2. 7 Weather Reporting
      1. Watch the Over-Hype
      2. Trust Yourself
      3. Be Fast on Your Feet
      4. Details
      5. Airtime
      6. Styling
      7. Mistakes to Avoid
      8. Don't Hide Your Inner Ethic
    3. 8 Medical Reporting
      1. Do I Need To Be a Doctor?
      2. You Need to Know Both TV and Science
      3. Don't Worry
      4. Legalities and Permissions
      5. Getting Started
      6. Where the Stories Are
      7. Sum Up
    4. 9 Legal Reporting
      1. Skills for a Legal Reporter
      2. Where To Find Stories
      3. Advice for Students
      4. Listen Up, You Idiot!
    5. 10 Entertainment Reporting
      1. Are You the One for MTV?
      2. Hunting for Stories on the Entertainment Beat
      3. Making a Video for MTV
      4. The Question Everyone Asks
    6. 11 Business Reporting
      1. Skills
      2. Voice
      3. Looks
      4. Airtime
      5. It's a World Economy Now
      6. Light News Stories in Business
      7. Traps
      8. Getting Started
  13. Anchoring and Hosting
    1. 12 Anchoring I
      1. Anchoring Is a Craft
      2. In Television News You Must Be Credible, Real, and Truthful
      3. Who Are You?
      4. Anchor Qualities and Skills
      5. Pace
      6. Other Things to Know About an Anchor's Read
      7. How Much Can I Move?
      8. Connections
      9. Or Try Substitution
      10. Voice and Read
      11. Subtext and Intentions
      12. Segue
      13. Hey! Relax!
      14. Focus
      15. Anchor Jack (and Jill for That Matter) Are Dull
      16. Don't Forget Reporting and Interviewing Skills
      17. Be Honest ... But Not Hard on Yourself
      18. It's Not Peru Indiana, It's Pronounced: Pee-Ru
      19. Trust Me, They Love You
      20. To Review
      21. Ad-Libbing Exercises
    2. 13 Anchoring II
      1. The Teleprompter
      2. The Hard Copy
      3. Headlines and Opens
      4. Teases and Bumpers
      5. What Is a Bumper?
      6. The Update
      7. The Close
      8. Double Anchoring
      9. Contrast Is the Name of the Game
      10. Light News
      11. Smile If the Story Is Light News
      12. Smile When You Can
      13. The Morning Shows
      14. Point of View or Proper Attitude?
      15. Nancy's Bedtime Story
      16. Exercise for Subtext and Intentions
    3. 14 Hosting
      1. Age Range
      2. What About Smart and Funny?
      3. Should I Get an Agent?
      4. How To Get There
      5. How Should I Handle a Curve Ball?
      6. Hosting Opens and Closes
      7. Exercises for Opens and Closes for Hosting
  14. Vocal and Physical Technique
    1. 15 The Voice Itself
      1. Is This You?
      2. Breathing
      3. Tension
      4. Exercises
      5. A Closing Thought
    2. 16 Techniques for a Good Reading
      1. Punctuation for TV Scripts
      2. Tape and Ape
      3. Reading But Not Sounding That Way
      4. Mark Your Script
      5. How to Sound Great and Natural
      6. Exercise for Reads
      7. Loosen Up
      8. Try Paraphrasing
      9. Monotone Millie
      10. You Are Not an Announcer
      11. Talk to One Person
      12. Five Keys to a Great Reading
      13. Now Let's Go to the Specifics
      14. Giving a Level
      15. Time and Timing Are Important
      16. Don't Make Paper Noises
      17. Exercises for a Great Read
    3. 17 Physical Techniques
      1. Smiling with Teeth and Eyes
      2. Frolicking Eyebrows and Frowning
      3. Spreading Your Mouth Too Wide When Reading
      4. Summing Up
    4. 18 Looking Good
      1. Make Up!
      2. For Women
      3. Oops! What to Watch Out For
      4. What About Make-Up for Men?
      5. Some Tricks
      6. Lipstick
      7. Make-up for Young and Old
      8. High Definition
      9. Make-Up and Hair for Ethnic Skin Tones
      10. Do Black Women Have to Straighten Their Hair?
      11. What About Make-Up for Asian Women?
      12. Make-Up for Entertainment Reporters
      13. Tips for Men
      14. Tips for Women
      15. So Where Do You Get Your Make-Up?
      16. Are There Any Products Just for TV?
      17. It's Your Face, Your Responsibility
      18. Hair Counts
      19. Hairspray
      20. Perfume
      21. Eyes
      22. Teeth
      23. Clothes Make the Anchor
      24. Bejweled? Be Careful
      25. To Sum Up
      26. Where To Go
  15. Getting the Job
    1. 19 Preparing Your Presentation Reel
      1. So How Do I Make a Good Reel?
      2. What Goes on Your Reel?
      3. What Does Not Go on Your Reel?
      4. Story Lines for the Reel
      5. What if My Story Isn't Mine But I Have To Have Something on a Reel?
      6. What About Production Houses That Provide Package Help?
      7. What Makes a Reel Jump Out?
      8. How Important Is an Agent?
      9. What About Looks?
      10. To School or Not to School? What About Education?
      11. Does It Matter Which School?
      12. What about Writing Skills?
      13. What Experience Does Joe Look For?
      14. What's the Key Thing I Should Worry about on My Reel?
      15. How Do I Send My Resume Video to a News Director?
      16. Some Final Notes from Joe
    2. 20 How to Land a Job in Television
      1. Your First Tape
      2. What To Include
      3. Format
      4. Other Considerations
      5. Table of Contents
      6. What Do Others Think?
      7. Okay, The Tape is Done, But Now What?
      8. Once You Get a Job
    3. 21 Final Thoughts
      1. A Few Words to Grow By...
      2. It's a Journey
  16. Index

Product information

  • Title: On Camera, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Nancy Reardon, Tom Flynn
  • Release date: June 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781134624478