Let me know what you think!

[N.Klaeser]

My name is Neal Klaeser and I have uploaded my sample reel to b.roll. I am looking for a position as a photojounalist/editor. I have limited previous experience at a station but I have over 20 years experience in post-production. Even though I do not have "news stories" on my reel, I believe that the footage on the reel exemplifies what type of work I am capable of. Here is the link:

http://www.b-roll.net/tv/view_video.php?viewkey=4fdd9ee93bdf998c6ca0

Please be kind!

[leftcoastphotog]

I know you said please be kind, But you must lose the montages. There have been several posts in the past on how montages tell the chief or ND nothing about your story telling skills or even if you know how to put together a story with sequences etc. I would personally (if you dont have news stories) only have tracked pieces on my tape (except of course Nat pkgs). If you are still in your shop and have access to gear go out and put together some nat packs (at least two) and you could put those on your tape. If you need to get some news pieces check out if the city you live in has a "city channel" and offer to shoot some stories for them that way you could get some pkgs for your tape too.
If you aren't sure what goes into doing a nat pkg maybe some of the other b-rollers who have posted them on b-roll tv could send you a link to thiers and that will give you an idea.
Generally the composition and variety of shots looks fine (a few too many swish pans for me but I know you were doing it for the clients.).
Good luck I don't see why you won't be able to get a job but you have to get the chief to watch the tape first.
Lcp

[Freddie Mercury]

If I were looking at you to fill my photog position, I would like that you have some relevant experience and that you have a good sense of composition and many other technical aspects of video.

Based on your reel, I would have a number of concerns as well. The main one is that nothing on your reel could really be considered journalism. I would wonder if you are so used to setting up your shots to look the way you want them that the truth would be lost or stretched in the process. With the possible exception of the bounty hunter stuff (we only got a snippet), I saw no stories. I saw collections of shots set to music. That is far removed from tv news. I would need to see that you can sequence video, gather meaningful nat-sound and put it together in a way that supports the point of the story. Nothing here shows that.

This is from the perspective of a large market. If I were in a small market, I would likely bring you in and give you a field tryout. I would still be concerned about content and staging, but some training could take care of that. Medium to large markets wont' be likely to train you.

The pace was slow, there was a lot of unnecessary movement and the lack of natural sound made it all seem very sterile and cold.

My recommendation would be to start small. I think you could get acclimated to the news way of doing things fairly quickly, maybe less than a year. Then you could move up.

[LuccaBrazzi]

We need to see more "packages." I'm not a CP, but I'm willing to bet that none of the shooting was done in a run-and-gun situation. And you didn't show any "sequences" (wide/med/tight).

I would've also like to see more variety: Ground-level shots, angled-shots, "postcard" shots (well-framed shots)...NATSOUND pops, etc.

I agree w/the above posters: Lose the montage(s). We don't do these in local TV news.

But at least everything was focused and white-balanced! It's obvious you have the basics down.

The question is, can you apply these under deadline situations?

[N.Klaeser]

Thank you for the reviews. I guess the "packages" will come once I am given an opportunity at a station. I do understand the importance of seqencing shots together, varying angles and NAT sound. These examples are not what you would call "news stoiries". But, this is all I have to show for now and I will continue to refine my reel until I find a station willing to give me a chance to prove myself.

[F4 Fan]

Neal,

You will find a lot of information regarding resume tapes in the b-roll archives. Check those threads for ideas that you can use to improve your reel. I'd also read anything about working with reporters.

As has been stated, loose the montage. I’d also loose the Smirnoff piece – it is way too MTV for news and I wanted to stop viewing right then and there. Not what you want a news director or chief photographer to do. The piece at the very end should also go – it adds nothing. So you are left with three or four fairly solid pieces that showcase your shooting and editing style. Remember to always have your best piece first. Do you have anything with well lit interviews? You must have some pieces that are more than reality TV episodes or event style projects.

In re-reading your other post; many small stations will take you on even if you don’t have any live-truck experience. They are use to hiring and training grads right out of college. A good chief will teach you what you need to know. Figuring out the difference between the PL and the IFB is half the battle. If I were in your shoes I might try getting on the freelance list at some of your local stations. This is a good time of year to fill in for people taking time off during the holidays. Since you’ve been applying in Indiana and Illinois you might want to check out the Fort Wayne market. Solid newscasts there at all affiliate stations, but they will require a lot of you for very modest pay.

I’d really study network newscasts to get at the basics of news shooting, editing and lighting. Locals sometimes do a much better job of story-telling but the nets speak the common language (so to speak) of television news; simple, straight forward, factual news with few bells and whistles.

In all honesty I’d say you have a ways to go. Best of luck and use that tripod.

Mark Neuling
CNBC

[cameradog]

I guess the "packages" will come once I am given an opportunity at a station.

There is your catch-22.

It's hard for a chief to give you a chance based on a reel that doesn't show what you can do in a news environment. There are lots and lots of people out there who can shoot video, and even some who can do it well. To be totally honest, though, only basic video skills are really required to shoot news. The rest of the qualification set is largely intangible and has to do with dealing with people and dealing with deadlines. Those are things you can't really show on a tape without a literal demonstration of those skills applied to news material. There is a tacit assumption that someone who hasn't shot news doesn't know how and won't know how until he actually learns how to do it on the job. You are essentially an entry-level candidate, even with your extensive experience in video.

Which leads to the problem of getting your chance. A kid fresh out of college with a lot less video experience may have an easier time getting a job shooting news than you will. Why? The entry-level shooting jobs are in small markets, where the pay is low. The assumption is that a kid fresh out of college will be willing to work for very little money in exchange for the chance to learn the craft. However, when a chief looks at your resume and sees twenty years of experience, the assumption will be that you will not be interested in such low pay; or if you are, that there's something off about you, or that you're exaggerating your experience.

After all, if you were really so successful, the thinking goes, you wouldn't be looking to take a pay cut just to get into news. News shooters generally are trying to move the other direction, trying to get out of news and into production and documentary work. Someone trying to go the other direction is a little suspect. It may say that you don't know what goes on in a news environment, which is yet another reason not to hire you.

Personally, I don't understand why you would want to move that direction myself. I suspect you'll enjoy the adrenaline at first, but that you'll quickly tire of the lack of quality and the cutting of corners. A chief is also likely to consider that. Why would he want to hire someone who will likely be critical of the "wrong" way things are done in news, then flee back to production and documentary work in a year anyway?

That doesn't mean what you want is impossible. It just means it's weird, and likely to be considered weird by the people who are in a position to hire you. You may end up having to accept a lot of sacrifices to make this work.

[Shootblue]

The thing about your stuff that I see is that a lot of it does have the basic stuff, wide, medium, tight...its just that you wont be able to do pan/zooms with those same shots...but the ingredients are there. Production does recognize those moments that make for good video, even if sometimes they are made up...you won't be allowed to set those kind of moments up, but if you recognize them, you are on your way. Compositionally, its good. I have no idea how much time you have to set up stuff...it didn't look like a whole lot compared to some productions. That would be a good thing. Frequently you have to hurry AND make something out of nothing. I've done production and news...and production that was shot at the speed of news but all the while being told "this isn't news anymore". I can very well see someone being frustrated by the speed and lack of quality. I can also see a news shooter bored to death in production.

[eb]

Neal,

Earlier, there was some advice for you to attend the NPPA Norman Video Workshop.
That might probably be your best bet. It will teach you more than you can imagine... I imagine... about TV news. You already know how to pick up a camera, shoot and edit. Now you just need some news training - storytelling tips - hands on - and contacts. If you haven't already, check it out. The sooner the better. They are signing up people now for the spring. www.nppa.org

[N.Klaeser]

I guess some people think that I am crazy for leaving the post-production field and into news. I have worked so many years in an enclosed room with no windows, pondering over cuts and dissolves.
Whether to trim an edit by 1 or 2 frames or better yet making a dissolve a 15 frame as opposed to a 16 frame dissolve. Over time this can drive you crazy! I suppose sitting ina room making these types of decisions is comforting, but I like to be moving and finishing a project ina few hours as opposed to weeks. I understand the "catch 22" theory and believe me I have taken this into consideration, but I know in order to "prove myself" I am going to have to make sacrifices. I will keep pursuing my goal until someone takes a chance and hires me on my experience and what little news stories I have to show them on my sample reel. I know that I am a hard worker and have the ability to shoot good footage and edit quickly.

[cameradog]

I know that I am a hard worker and have the ability to shoot good footage and edit quickly.

Forgive me for questioning, but do you really understand what kind of speed we're talking about here? A typical day in many shops starts with you loading your gear into a live truck, shooting two separate stories (usually in different locations), cutting a minimum of two 1:15 packages and two VOSOTs out of those two stories, then setting up and shooting a live shot. You may have to pick up an extra VOSOT or two on your own while your reporter is writing the story.

In a smaller market, you should be able to leave the station at 2:30pm to cover a story and have a package shot, edited and on the air, live, in the 5pm newscast. In a larger market you should be able to do it 90 minutes max, and you often don't even get that much. You will be expected to be able to edit a 1:15 package within in 30 minutes when necessary in the smaller markets, 15 minutes at a larger station. Missing slot can be a terminal offense in many stations.

Certainly in your first entry-level job you won't be expected to work at this pace on your first day. And not all stations work at that pace. A few still only do a package and a few VOSOTs per day. But depending on the shop, they may expect you to get to that pace pretty quickly.

So, understand that when you say "I know that I am a hard worker and have the ability to shoot good footage and edit quickly," this is what we consider shooting and editing quickly. You have to be careful throwing around that kind of statement unless you're sure you can back it up. Perhaps you can. But when you also say something like "I have worked so many years in an enclosed room with no windows, pondering over cuts and dissolves," it doesn't conjure up an image of speed. You have to forgive us for being skeptical.

[N.Klaeser]

I totally understand what you are saying. I did work for a short period of time at a local cable station that aired a daily news program. The reason I left wwas because at the time they where paying below minimum wage. I was reluctant to say too much about it because the footage that we shot would be considered very dated to include on a sample reel these days. But, we had deadlines to meet everyday. And, what I said about "pondering over cuts and dissolves". That was not me, but having a producer sitting with you the entire time deciding wheather to make it a 15 or 16 frame dissolve. Hell! I say make it a cut. I appreciate your honesty but I think that this not an unubtainable goal for me.