Video for broadcast

[steelyeye 0]

If this topic has already been addressed, please forgive me, but I could not find what I was looking for.

Our DZ is considering inviting some of the local news shows out to cover a charity event. Does anyone have any experience in providing skydiving footage for broadcast? All our camera jumpers have plain old non-HD video cameras. I assume this would work, just providing the tape to the reporter/cameraman.

Any advice?

"Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

[mccordia 73]

TV crews generaly dont like hanging around any longer then needed.
So usually they go with the footage their own crew shoots.

Get one person to have a computer or camera nearby who immidiately captures/copies tapes of your cameraflyers, and already make a rough selection of footage, so you only provide them 1 to 5 minutes of material.

Set a time at which the capture stops (say 12 o clock) and let the tv crew knew a 'media tape' with air to air footage will be available around 1 o clock. So they can have somone hang around to take the tape with them. If possible ask beforehand if they want footage in 4x3 or 16x9 format..

Having certain people with good talking skills and a pretty face pointed out as spokes persons for interviews helps in making sure you dont get wrong info on tv, or people looking to plug themselves instead of your event.

And try and have one person in the center of all this coordinating things...

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[Laszloimage 0]

...yeh, pretty much how it works.
I would still ask the TV station what kind of format do they prefer. If its only a minute or two long segment in the 6pm local news I wouldn't worrie too much. It will be aired maybe three times that night and that's it. So any mini DV will work, but they want to have it on tape since most likely you won't be able to firewire the footage.
If the charity event going to be a part of some kind of documentary and showed later on Discovery, History, or one of those channels maybe the HDV is a good idea. From here your buget sets the limit of the "what kind of camera?" I assumme there's not a whole lot of money involved in this project, so even if you want to provide HD video you should be OK to use Sony HC1, HC3, HC5, or HC7.
-Laszlo-

[PharmerPhil 0]

I've found that the stations can usually deal with whatever media you give them. I've been able to firewire to their camera a few times. Other times I just dub them a MiniDV tape (only good stuff), and they can use that in thew studio (I never give away my original footage).

Timing is key though. If you think you'll just do another tandem and them give them the footage after, you may find that they have already left to make their deadline. Talk to the producer/reporter early on (they are often one and the same person for local news stations). They will usually appreciate any help/material you can give them. They have a job to do, and a product to deliver too. Make it easy for them. They will usually introduce you to the cameraman who knows what will and what won't work technically. I find that a lot of the talking heads don't really know the tech side, or how they will deal with the footage.

Keep the braggarts and horror story tellers away, and make sure if you line up interviews that they are with people who know what the end game is. Positive promotion of the DZ and the sport. They may prod you for info on the dangers and accidents. Keep it in perspective, and keep it positive. Someone with a marketing or customer relations background can usually speak "in headlines" and give sound bites that work for the media, and help promote the sport and the DZ. And find a customer who just had an orgasm from their first skydiving experience. That usually makes for a good interview.