Going Live in 3..2..1

We started doing live shots last week during the 6 p.m. newscast, and I think they add a lot to the show and make it even more similar to a major network newscast. Last week, we had Maddy Mills report from the United University Church on campus. 

When choosing a live shot, you have to make sure that it will go well with your newscast and that there isn't the possibility of any extreme problems going wrong. Anything on campus is definitely do-able. For example, we toyed with the idea of having a reporter report live from the Jefferson and McClintock crosswalk for the traffic package we were showing on air yesterday. I would even be comfortable with doing a live shot downtown, such as in LA Live. However, once it gets further, I am not as comfortable for a number of factors. First of all, the signal is a big issue and we want to make sure that we have a clear image and good audio. It is also imperative that we are able to effectively communicate with our live shot operator and reporter in the field. The further away they go, the more the communication gap widens. Once our team is more experienced and comfortable with live shots, I am more than willing to experiment. 

As I mentioned above, it is extremely important that there be good communication between the control room and the reporter and camera operator in the field. The lead producer must be in constant communication with the camera operator, who then must relay information to our reporter. I look forward to gaining more experience with live shots as the semester progesses. I have not been Lead Producer or 1 p.m. producer while we have had them as an option and I can't wait to incorporate them into my shows. 

Team Monday has done a great job producing so far, and I am excited to see what we come up with creatively, regarding live shots.