Staging, framing and unreal events

It seems to me that there is a time and a place for everything. Staged photographs and videos do have their place; that place is not in news. I agree with the author of stage, staged, staged. Manufacturing an event in order to catch it is not valid. If you miss the event, you miss the event.

In my own reporting for this course, I have had issues with the weather. If it is cold enough to shoot, I have a class. If it’s too warm to shoot, everyone has the time and the ability to get to the work site. To accommodate the weather, I’ve come up with different ideas for my story. As opposed to focusing on construction in the winter, why not talk about how happy the bricklayers are that it’s warming up? Or, now that it’s warmer, it takes less time to prep the site?

It seems that professional photographers and videographer should follow the same tenets. If they miss the story, find a way to rework it. Frame it differently. Talk about the families suffering in the aftermath of the fire, and have them talk about their experience. See if there is b-roll you can use of the building before and after the fire as a comparison. Good news people shouldn’t have to fabricate an event. They should, however maximize the situation. If it is a scheduled interview, in a chair, light the person so that they don’t look sallow. The anchors have good lighting; why not the subjects?

As I said, there’s a time and a place for everything. Commercials, interviews, there is some leeway. Reporting of events “live from the scene.” There is none. Do not stage those.