3 Keys to Producing
Producing is a great class for anyone interested in working in news, whether or not you want to become a producer. It's a grueling class, but it's absolutely worth it at the end of the day. I want to work as a local television news producer after graduation, and I couldn't imagine a better way to be prepared for that job.
As a producer, you utilize and improve upon so many journalistic skills. You write, edit, and use your news judgment. Writing comes in many forms, from teases and VOs, to tags. You edit videos and copy edit scripts. And, most importantly you strengthen your news judgment by ordering a show, writing stories, and editing both video and scripts. Producing allows you to develop and enhance personal skills that are useful in any career, such as time management, organization and communication.
The producing class is especially demanding because you are thrown into a leadership role, while you are still learning on the job. You have to learn formatting and how to work with others on a combined vision, while trusting people you don't know to go report stories and come back with what you hope for. Especially in the beginning, have patience because everyone is learning on the job (as you are), and things inevitably will go wrong (like power outages and losing iNews for a couple of hours).
For time management, it's best to have a general timeline for when you want things accomplished, but also be flexible for any curve balls that may be thrown your way. News, itself, is always evolving, so it can change at almost any minute as updates are being published. Be adaptable too as you learn everyone's style of working.
For organization, come in as prepared as possible. That means watching the local news the night before and in the morning before you come in for your shift; you need to be aware of what's happening in Los Angeles, the nation and the world. In your package and story ideas packet, try to conceptualize what's the best way to tell a story. What would the viewer like to see or know/learn about? Also, keep a running list of what stories MJs and reporters are working on and their progress throughout the day.
But the secret to producing, as Stacy will constantly remind you, is communication. You are working on a team, and to have an effective team, everyone needs to know what is going on. Every producer must be aware of what video is in, who was interviewed and what they said, what's the lead/angle of a story, who is working on a story, and the story's progress (is it online?). The Video Teammate and CNN/Graphics Teammate must especially communicate to figure out who's working with certain MJs on editing. Communicating also extends to your MJs and reporters, in being clear about what video to shoot and what questions to ask.
