breaking in

[Mark Drepper]

Can anyone give some could information and advice on breaking in to spot news as a freelancer? I'm in Houston, TX, and anyone with some info on the market here and how to go about that would be great. Might help other new people coming here. Who do we contact at a station? How do we approach them? Thank you for any info anyone can provide. I don't have a college degree and not a whole lot of experience, but I do have some. I'm just looking to get experience and my foot in the door.

 

[Natural Born Stringer]

Depends on your definition of "freelancer".

Do you intend to be a stand-in photog who goes out for a day or a week using their gear and vehicle? Or do you want to do what guys like I do: run on spot news and sell the video to stations on a per story basis?

If you want to try your hand at the latter, it's relatively easy to break in. All you really need is a scanner (or several ), decent camera (prosumer is better than consumer, but not necessary) and the ability to compose good, steady, relevant shots. Listen up for a good breaking news story and get there first. Get the basics on tape; who, what, when, where, how. Then start calling up assignment desks and let them know what you've got. Offer up a few freebies until you get good and the stations know they can count on you to be good 100% of the time. Find out what the locals charge per sale and then you'll know what you should charge to be competitive. It's slow going at first, but you can actually make a living this way if you keep at it.

Doing this will also open you up for an opportunity to do the former. If you've got the skills, just mention to the deskies that if needed, you can fill in when they are short handed.

See if you can mentor with a good staffer, strike up a friendship and learn all you can. Learn how to set up a live shot, see if you can help with it even. Learn how to edit on an NLE and tape to tape - this is huge. If you know how to do those 2 things plus shoot good video on pro gear then you don't need no stinkin' degree. College degrees are just pieces of paper; a paying of dues. Those dues can be paid in other ways. Yes a degree can help, but ask any chief and he'll tell you the degree isn't the deciding factor in who he or she hires - the resume tape is.

Good luck, hope that provided some insight.

 

[Mark Drepper]

Thanks so much NBS!!!! Definitely good advice there, as well as a couple of comments on the general discussion forum.

I intend to live by the scanner pretty much and run on spot news. I don't think I would be able to get into the other until I've got some experience under my belt and slowly work into that by making a friend or two at a station and working with a mentor like you said above.

I plan on doing most of my work at night as I'm a night person anyway, so I hope that is the right choice and works out. I can always change schedules to match what's best.

 

[Natural Born Stringer]

Mark,

Yes I recommend you start out on overnights. You'll have much better luck getting the stations to bite plus you don't have too much traffic to fight as you make your way to the incidents.

It's a hell of a lot of fun. You'll love it, most of the time anyway. There's always that one stupid deskie who will have you cursing in languages you never knew you knew, but for the most part, it's a fun ride.

Good luck, let us know how things turn out for you.

 

[Mark Drepper]

Thanks NBS. I will definitely post here as I go along.

A few more questions if you don't mind, you're a great help.

I assume of course for now I'll have to drop the stuff off at the station assignment desks. What format should I use? Just drop it off on CD/DVD? Or drop off the actual DV tape? How much editing do you do to your stuff after you shoot it? What software do you use? I'm used to Premiere Pro, but I'm checking out Avid right now too.

Is it unheard of to send stations stuff via the net? What types of headaches do you get at the desks?

Also, I have gone out on a few things just to get my feet warm. I'm new to everything and I get some stares and the cops a couple of times said if I wasn't with a news agency then I needed to leave. I've talked to other freelancers here and they access scenes just like staffers do. I don't have a press card or identifying clothing or anything like that, but I think I have just as much of a right as anyone else if I'm doing it for legitimate purposes to submit to stations as well.

I understand not being taken seriously by people who are there shooting and have a reputation, I probably wouldn't take me seriously either. But I have just as much right as they do. How do you handle getting to a scene and identifying yourself? Do you have that problem? Is it just a matter of telling the cops you're a freelancer and going about your business? Of course I know don't get in the way, don't cross tape, the obvious stuff. But a couple of things I was the only one there (media - not something to submit, like I said just testing things out that on stuff that wouldn't interest anyone) and definitely got some looks and like I said some scrams from the cops.

 

[Natural Born Stringer]

Hey no prob, glad to help out a fellow stringer... as long as he's too far from me to compete, that is...

Seriously, part of the reason you got scrammed from some scenes is because you showed up on stuff the news wouldn't care about. I know you're just testing the waters, but that's a dead giveaway that you're just a camera carrying looky-loo to them. So stick with the big stuff.

Another reason may be the way you present yourself to them. As for press ID, make up your own little company and then make up a photo ID for yourself. You work for "Houston News Video Services Inc." and you are onscene to get video for the news stations - that's all John Law needs to know. Also, don't go up and be all timid and going "hey....umm... I .. uhh... was wondering if.... y'know... I could.....shoot... some...uhhh video?" I made that mistake early on and the cops knew I was a total noob. These days (even if I just have a consumer handycam in my mitts) I stroll up and say "Media - where do you want me?". Sometimes they look at the camera and go "Media? With that thing?" I just say "Yeah I know. It's my day off, they told me to just get here quick and shoot what I can on this thing." Works like butter on biscuits...

As for formats, that's up to the stations. As soon as I get a better cam, I intend to get some webspace and host my stuff on a webserver for the stations to download. It may work, it may not, it depends on how technically savvy they are and how easy I make it for them. Still in the planning stages there - until then I come in to each station and dub the damn tapes, get a signature on my invoice, make a copy for me and submit the original....yawn. It's a pain, but for you this would be good because you can get to know the staffers and get some pointers for "the next one".

What headaches do you get from the desks.... ohhhh boy, you are new aren't you?

Mainly the one I get alot is "Oh so and so called us just before you did and he's already there." Total BS, so and so just charges less than me. He shoots like crap, he lies about where he is and what he has. It's a real pain. The deskies know that, they know he lies, they know he sucks, they know he's scum and THEY STILL BUY HIS VIDS!!!! ARRRRGH!!!

Another one you'll get alot of when you're new is "hey, go check out such and such." Most of the time, such and such is over an hour away and either: A. Over when you get there or B. Never existed in the first place.

There's more but that will give you some thoughts to ponder. As I said, this is a fun business, but there are times when it can downright SUCK to be a stringer. Overall though, I love it.

 

[Mark Drepper]

You invoice every time? I suppose that would make it convenient. If they use the tape, they already have your invoice to pay. If not, they can deep six it. What are your standard rates? Like you said, I won't be competing with you and I really don't know what rates to look at. Well at first nothing, need to do some free stuff. Just curious.

Is it legal to do that in terms of the photo/press ID? It seems like anyone could just print up a photo ID with Press on it and all of a sudden there you go legitimate media.

When I do finally get to a point that I have tape I want to submit to a station, please forgive me I know I sound like a complete idiot, what do I do? Say it's 3:00 in the morning. Just drive to the station, walk in and say where do I go? I can just see them looking at me like I'm a fool.

I know these are really basic questions and most people here would probably say go do something else, but I don't care.

 

[Natural Born Stringer]

OK, to clarify:

The first thing you do when you have something is CALL the desks. Tell them what you have and see if they want it. IF they want it, you can then ask them "how do I get there and who do I ask for at the gate?"

As for legal press ID, this depends on your particular city or state - they may have laws regarding this. AZ has no such laws, so I can go to the corporation commission and file the $12 worth of paperwork to start a small business, then as a legal representative of said company, of course I can make up ID cards that state I am a videographer or a field reporter or the King of Siam if I want (although that doesn't necessarily make it so, and the cops know this fact well). I found I didn't need to make up anything, showing up with a betacam in hand was usually ID enough.

As for rates, you're not ready for that yet. You wanted to know how to break in to the biz, well consider your first steps as a sort of internship - you work for free for a time in exchange for learning the ropes. As time goes on and you talk with the staffers and other stringers you will learn how much to charge for your work, and when you're good enough to do so.

When you are ready to start charging, know this: I invoice everything I deliver, and if I deliver, the station owes. Period. I don't care if it ever makes air, they still pay for my tape. No exceptions.

But as I said, I'm betting you're not ready for that yet. Start out doing freebies for fun in exchange for pointers and advice. If you want/can, put your video online and post a link here - there are plenty of us that will give you a critique and help you avoid some common beginner mistakes. Don't be shy - we were all newbies once.

Good luck,

 

[BarkieDawg]

Go to the ShopNBC website and buy some clothes with the NBC logo on it.. and not the normal NBC logo, but the obscure ones, like "MSNBC" and "NBCSPORTS." If you look like you belong, you belong. Go to the next NAB, and pick up all the logo merch you can find.

I've got logo clothes from dang near every operation, heck, even Home Shopping Network. That relly tickles the little old ladies here in Florida.