A lot of bad tapes out there

[amp]

During the last 2 job openings we had, there have been a ton of really, really bad reels sent to me. I had one guy send a tape of video he shot at ModelWeek (something big in Hollywood apparently) All it was was 15 minutes of him following one model up and down the catwalk and going to the next one. I emailed him back asking if he had some news or at least some documentary video he shot. He was mad that I wasn't impressed that he shot all these famous models. I mean really mad.

I wish that was one of the only tapes I got like that. I've gotten many (and not just from college kids) that have 15 minutes of just interviews, as in raw sots. That's it.

Luckily, I've gotten some great tapes as well. I always hold onto the good ones for the next opening. Unfortunately, this time around, all the people with the good tapes already found jobs elsewhere.

 

[DanHostler1985]

The thing that most kids seem to forget when putting stuff together for a reel is that it has to convey a story, theme or concept. Pretty pictures aren't enough, they are required but not enough. You need a story to make those pretty pictures make sense

 

[Charleston Chief]

On the flip side, here in Charleston, SC I get a lot of really really good tapes from people who have been in the business for many years in much bigger markets (it is a great place to live). I used to get really excited when I got these, but now I realize it's just a waste of time since I can never come close to the money they want. So many times I've gone to HR to find out what the maximum amount of money I can offer someone is, make an offer, and find out they're making $15K more already, and have to start over. Now I just go ahead and tell them a ballpark figure at the beginning of our first phone conversation so I don't waste time talking back and forth. It's too bad we're a 100 market, because I've had some amazing applicants.

 

[shade]

some of us (rarity but we do exist) have enough equity in homes that we can afford the higher end of low salaries and can be convinced to make the move with insentives ( like shifts/take home car etc etc). I would love to consider virginia or charleston but will not go straight into a nights/weekend situation (wasted talent). don't mean to sound arrogant but its a reality.

 

[NEWSSHOOTER3]

Not a Chief

Not a chief, but I sit in on most the tapes. I gotta say, its pretty bad out there! I'd say that probably 2% are even in the ballpark these days. But, its not all bad. There are a few good stories on a few tapes, but no one is selling the whole package very well lately.

 

[Cambot Mk. II]

Anyone get an ok tape and bring in the applicant, only to find out (through a shooting test) they have no concept of how to shoot without having everything on auto???

 

[amp]

That's not being arrogant

some of us (rarity but we do exist) have enough equity in homes that we can afford the higher end of low salaries and can be convinced to make the move with insentives ( like shifts/take home car etc etc). I would love to consider virginia or charleston but will not go straight into a nights/weekend situation (wasted talent). don't mean to sound arrogant but its a reality.

If I have a guy come in and has more experience than some of my other photogs, I will put him on a better shift. Years ago, I was on the bad end of that being the guy stuck on a bad shift for a new guy who had been shooting for years. But, you put your best shooters on the dayside where there is the most news.

 

[f11vid]

Deja Vu

I mentioned this story once before on here,but I still love to tell it.When I was chief down in Dallas, I got a tape from my old station.The applicant had gone through the archives and put two stories that I had shot on his resume tape.

 

[Goon]

Solid tape

Where in the Commonwealth are you? I'm not looking right now but I could send u a pretty solid tape.

I couldn't agree more about Charleston. I grew up there and loved it. But according to a coworker who worked there the pay just wasn't there.

 

[Spot remover]

I've seen the models, too

I believe i got the exact same tape. 15 minutes of ultra-thin models going back and forth. That's it.

Working in SW Florida, I often get tapes from photogs who are retiring after 30 years somewhere else- usually DC (?). I actually had one guy tell me "I decided to retire and take it easy working for you" . When I told him he would work 10 hours a day, few holidays off, no meal penalties, no take home car and he'd operate his own live truck, the next thing I heard was a dial tone.

I actually had one 30 year guy in for an interview and after he learned what we paid, he excused himself to go to the men's room...and I never saw him again.

As far as tapes go, how hard can it be to keep it simple and clean? Name/address slate, 4-7 good packs, Name/address slate. Print your name ad phone number on a tape label, put it on the tape (or DVD) and that's it.

It's really tough to find good photogs out there- the main cause, I feel, is the fact that far fewer small markets have photogs, instead going the VJ route and 95% of these folks want to be reporters.

Aaaaaugh!

 

[TexasDave]

I had a tape that looked okay, so I brought him in to talk to him and give him something to shoot. Well, lucky for me, it turned out to be a slow news day. I had him shoot a mock shooting in the parking lot. Pretty easy right? I pointed to a tree and said "pretend there's a crime scene there" and let him shoot a VO. All I got back were 4 wide shots of the exact same angle. AArrgh! Needless to say, I didn't hire him.

 

[DanHostler1985]

I would just to like to apologize to all the veterans here for the peers of my generation who don't what the hell they are doing and think just because they know how to operate the "video camera" function on thier cell phone that it automatically makes them a qualified professional shooter. Or just because they are running a bootlegged copy of Adobe Premiere and they edit a video thats be heavily SFXed to high holy hell that it makes them a post-pro. Or just because they just graduated with a degree that suddenly they deserve a senior editing position. Or etc,etc,...

I'd like to think Im better than most peers in my demographic, I mean hell at least I can correctly focus, white balance, light, get good audio, and not to mention design a stable workflow in the post production environment. Sighhh, we're a dying breed arent we?

 

[Canonman]

I had a tape that looked okay, so I brought him in to talk to him and give him something to shoot. Well, lucky for me, it turned out to be a slow news day. I had him shoot a mock shooting in the parking lot. Pretty easy right? I pointed to a tree and said "pretend there's a crime scene there" and let him shoot a VO. All I got back were 4 wide shots of the exact same angle. AArrgh! Needless to say, I didn't hire him.

Gee, I think I could have done better than that, even without a formal education in shooting news.

cm

 

[bluffton]

I got a tape from my old station.The applicant had gone through the archives and put two stories that I had shot on his resume tape.

Okay I'll ask, were they any good and did he get the job?

That's funny strange... not quite laughable. I almost think I would have to call the jerk out.

 

[Wutangmaster]

Looking For Photogs

I know its hard but that is the hand that every station is dealt right now. At my station in the last six years we have had a lot of turn over. Left and right photojournalist leave our market for greener pastures it happens.

What my former chief did was start hiring kids will little or no experience right out of school and giving them a chance. Matter of fact out of the 18 that have been hired in the last six years ( including me) only about 3 have had more than 2 years experience. Out of the 15 left 9 have had some( I mean less than a year) shooting experience on the professional levels in news ( which means our bureaus) or in production ( which was also in our bureaus). The rest well we picked them straight form college.

In order to do this you must have a staff that can help train people. The majority of their skills were acquired by photojournalist on our staff ( not our chief) who took the time to help give these individuals the skills they need to preform daily duties as a photog. It is rough at first but if done right you get one hell of a shooter and just maybe one or two of them will stick around for longer than a year or so.

I am a former wanna be with no experience and after 6 years I have done just fine and have given my station more than enough to justify this philosophy. I know the situation sucks and 10 years ago you did not have this problem but until the pay gets better along with working conditions chief photographers will have to have a great poker face to at least play the hands that they are dealt.

 

[amp]

I have no problem hiring someone with little to no experience to try them out, but I just lost 2 of my best guys, and I'd like at least one of the new guys to be able to head out the door with no hand holding. One of my guys left to do sports full time in DC/Baltimore and the other is heading to NPPA heaven in Minnesota. Good guys leave often. I'd love to find a good tape. I have gotten a few. The thing that really sucks is that the good tapes come many weeks after we first post the opening. It seems the sucky photogs are the first to reply.

 

[rocky1138]

In order to do this you must have a staff that can help train people. The majority of their skills were acquired by photojournalist on our staff ( not our chief) who took the time to help give these individuals the skills they need to preform daily duties as a photog....

so I've worked at two places like this, one that worked one that didn't. the one that worked was a 150+ market where almost everyone who started there was new, so everyone helped everyone get better (chief, photogs, reporters, ND, even the production crew)

the place where it didn't work was a top 50 market. the brand new photogs got about 1 days worth of training from the cheif & then let go on their own, the station was understaffed for the market size so the few vets that worked there only had maybe 5-10min at a time to give the newbies a tip or two at a time. I think it is nearly impossible to train someone to be a good shooter out in the field in under 5min while standing inside the studio.

so if you hire a fresh person cheif, please fully train them.

----

now a few quick questions... I'm hearing a lot about the tapes here, what I usually have the most trouble w/ is putting together my paper resume & cover letter.

how important are those when looking through the stack of applicants? how closely do you look at those? and is there anything that you'd like / wouldn't like to see more of?

 

[Wutangmaster]

Rocky,

You are right it can be a hindrance when it is not done right because it always takes a village to raise a youngster. The only reason I succeed was because of veteran photographers who had about 100 years of experience combined and reporters who new how to shoot and edit. I learned just as much from my reporters as I did from my fellow photogs. I made a lot of mistakes and should not have started in the market I did but because of the lack of interest I gave it a shot and made the most of my situation. Can this work for everyone no but if you do it right it could be a sweet payoff for you and your station.

If I was a chief I would start at the local college and start being a influence in future photographers lives. Help teach a class, be a mentor, and keep an eye out for the diamonds in rough..

 

[The Next Generation...]

I'm with DanHostler1985 on this. There are a few of us who are younger but can certainly hold our own. I'm 2 years into my first "news" gig at a top 30 station but my background is in entertainment production so I just adapted those skills towards news. But it AMAZES me to see some of the stuff that comes from older photogs in the same market, a lot of it is really not that great.

As far as reels, I only put 5 news packages on there for my News reel and they're a mix of breaking spot news, TSRs, fluffier fun stories and hard news. My Entertainment consists of clips from my freelance work along with a montage of my experience in general, since it covers everything from football and motocross racing to concerts and documentaries. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[f11vid]

Okay I'll ask, were they any good and did he get the job?

That's funny strange... not quite laughable. I almost think I would have to call the jerk out.

They were OK My old station was between chiefs and had a new ND.There was an outside chance it was an honest mistake (TWO stories?Unlikely.) But I didn't want to ruin some kid's career without knowing.So I let it go.