Reporter DemoTips

Tips on Making Your First Reporter Demo

Sharing Knowledge with the New Journalist Seeking to be a Television Reporter

Darlene Deacon

Introduction

When I was first looking into making my demo, I didn't want to bombard the reporters and anchors with questions.. and I had plenty. I wasn't sure of anything. So I looked to the old reliable internet and, much to my surprise, I found very little information. That's why I put this together.

I hope it helps answer some of those questions that I had and give you some added confidence that the work you're putting into your tape isn't going to be anything less than professional. If you have any other questions, go to the new Discussion Forum I've just created. It's FREE and you don't have to sign up or give your name. You can post your questions there. This is a new part of my site, so please use it and I'll be notified of any entries and respond to your postings. Have fun and tell your friends to join the Forum. This is a giving site and it's for EVERYONE!

Best regards,

Darlene Deacon

Starter Tips for New(s)bies

Broadcast Journalist Advice

The first and most important thing I can tell you is to do all the work yourself. No matter what it takes. The worst thing you can do is have someone else do any of your work; it's wrong and it's lying. If you can't do it on your own for a demo, you'll never do it in the real world. You'll only disappoint an employer you deceived and find yourself without a job and with a bad reputation.

Get a job as a news writer. Listen, take criticism and keep a copy of all your work until it's been reworked and approved by the producer so that you can compare your version with the final.

Ask questions from the pros. They've been where you are and are usually willing to help as long you aren't annoying and choose "their" time wisely.

Go out with reporters if your station allows. You can watch them work, learn and maybe get a chance to get some shots for you demo. You've got to get the demo tape from somewhere and without the job, you don't get the air check tape to use, but without the tape, you don't get the job. This is how you can accomplish that task.

Your tape will have a "Montage" at the beginning. That's no more than thirty seconds long and consists of several clips of stand-ups that you feel are your best work. It's quick clips, not long, full-length stand-ups butted together.

	Next, use two or three (at the most) of your best packages. Use a hard story and try to use a human relations or light hearted piece.
	Use a slate at the beginning (your name and contact information), but only about ten seconds at the most. They want to see you. It's mostly for them to know the tape has begun and to see who you are.
	Put another slate at the end and let it run for thirty seconds or so.
	Your entire tape should not be longer than five minutes, especially for your first.
	Always check and cue your tapes before sending them out. News Directors don't have time to be watching "black" and they'll wonder if the tape is blank.

If you do get your stand-ups and chose to do a package. Get as much raw footage as you can from that day and any previous days the story was covered. Start from scratch and chose the shots you want to use and write to them. Don't have someone else do this because you need to know how this is done to be a reporter.

It's wise to learn how to edit yourself. The whole process will teach you how the masterpiece comes together and it's a lot of fun creating it, too. It's more than just a story, its a fantastic visual communication. Your skills in this basic area will always make you a better reporter.

Keep your pride at home, locked in a closet. There's no place for it here. Criticism is invaluable in this field and you'll get plenty of it from the writing to the on-camera work. Use it to your advantage and say, "thank you."

Good luck and I wish you many years of hard work,

Darlene Deacon