Detail Oriented

As producers we have to keep track of what everyone in the newsroom is doing. We take on many roles throughout the day, and as we get closer to show time it's important to make sure nothing has fallen through the cracks. With so much going on in the newsroom it's easy to lose track of what small things need to be done. Today I was video producer. As video producer I had to make sure stories were getting done properly and edited in the correct bin. I also had to make sure CGs were appropriate, out cues where in place and total running times were added to the story.

When editing video, out cues, CGs, run times and total running times are extremely important. By not adding the needed information to your story it can drastically throw off the timing of the show. Also it's important that you make sure you write down the correct run time of the sound bite, and not the number of frames. CGs are important, because it's the way we let our viewers know who we talked to for the story.

As my MJs edited and wrote their stories I kept reminding them to get their run times, and out cues in. I also kept reminding them to get the names of the people they interviewed and CG them properly. One thing I noticed we had a problem with, was what template to use when we CG someone. We had a few CGs that read, "on the phone" when the person we interviewed wasn't on the phone. I realized as a producer just because I know what the proper template to use for CGs is, doesn't automatically mean my MJs do. Small mistakes like this can lead to big mistakes once we get on air, and that's why it's important to do a run-through at the studio. When we do a run-through at the studio we are able to catch mistakes and quickly fix them.

As producers it is important to be detail oriented, and make sure that before you write that a story is done all of its proper elements are in place.