Skip navigation
Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
Producers

Are We Live?

TAGS:

I know as producer you're "supposed" to know how to do just about everything in the Media Center. For me, this is a constant work in progress. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, when we did a class exercise that I really learned how difficult it can be to successfully pull off a live shot. It took me three times to finally get it right! It was actually just like playing a game of telephone- except for the small detail that everyone watching your show will know if you mess up. 

So far, team Thursday has had two live shots and I feel like we have handled them fairly well. The first one was with reporter, Alex Janin, at an art gallery and the other was our weather anchor, Natalie Kalibat, on the rooftop of Wallis Annenberg Hall. Both reporters did an incredible job and helped to make the show so much more enjoyable to watch from the studio. It is necessary to have time to run through the live shot and communicate with everyone involved before hand. In true "breaking news fashion" the fire next to the Coliseum happened to take place about fifteen minutes (which felt more like five at the time) before air time.  

Luckily our amazing team acted quickly, communicated well, and had already planned to do a live shot from the rooftop, since the Santa Ana winds had hit the Southland that day. The timing worked out well and the location was great for covering the fire, as well as for emphasizing the wind factor. 

Without a doubt, live shots are one of the best ways to make a broadcast more exciting and interactive. This being said, it is also very stressful because you can't always control what happens once you "go live." However, when you can plan ahead of time, you should pick a live shot that will enhance the story and provide an opportunity for your reporter to interact with his/her environment.

Moving forward, I think in time and with more practice the process of producing a successful live shot will only become easier. I hope we are able to make live shots a more regular occurrence on our broadcasts. To help make this a reality, I will definitely keep the idea of a live shot in mind when finding stories to pitch in the morning meetings. 

COMMENTS
Leave a comment
Name:
E-mail:*
URL:
Comments:*

We've Moved!


By Sam Bergum
01/21/16 | 11:09 a.m. PST

Visit us at uscannenbergmedia.com!

USC Basketball Knocks Off Rival UCLA 89- 75


By Scott Cook
01/14/16 | 12:05 a.m. PST

USC defeats UCLA with stellar play from their Freshmen. 

Holiday Bowl - USC vs Wisconsin Post-Game Press Conference

Su'a Cravens: "It's the players that need to step up"

Darreus Rogers: "It comes down to the players"

Trojans Fall to Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl 23-21

We detected that you might be on a mobile device such as an iPad or iPhone. Sorry, at this time the video box is only visible on desktop computers.