"So what's your live shot?"

"So what's your live shot?" 

For me, these are the dreaded words I absolutely hate hearing. Live shots really stress me out and I am always scared that something is going to go wrong and I will look like the idiot. In thinking about live shots, there are three major things I, as a producer, can do to make things go successfully. 

1. Communication. While this step may seem simple, it can easily be forgotten when things get a little crazy around the newsroom and out in the field. Things can be changed last minute. Because of this, everyone always needs to be updated on the latest information, what the live reporter should be saying, and what the newsroom should be putting together, (package, video, sound, etc). A couple of weeks ago, one of our reporters did a live shot and was told there was video after her report, when there wasn't. Therefore, she stood there awkwardly for a couple of seconds until she finally realized it was not happening. If we had just communicated more with her, this could have been prevented.  

2. Practice. Every time we have a live shot in the newscast, we must practice. Even if it's only just once, it helps the reporter become more familiar with the material and what she wants to say. There can be many technical difficulties and practicing this can help get some of the kinks out. Furthermore, we have to give the streambox operator a chance to get used to how long the reporting will be and how the process works in general. This could be their first time doing this, so they could be nervous and may need once or twice to figure out how everything comes together. Lastly, a little bit of practice can help the reporter to see if something sounds weird and needs to be changed or if something is too long and needs to be shortened. 

3. Have a backup plan. It may sound like this isn't necessary, but I have heard of this happening: the live shot falls through and the anchor needs to read the information instead. While technology is awesome in many ways, it can also be unpredictable. Things can stop working, we can lose the connection or the reporter and streambox operator can be kicked out of their location. The one time you do not have a backup planned is the one time that something bad will happen. For this reason, take the extra ten minutes to format a backup script that the anchor can read. You will be glad that you did. 

While live shots do not always pan out the way you expect them to, if you follow these steps, you can guarantee you did everything you could to ensure success and produce a great live experience for the audience!