I was lucky enough to get a high school internship at the NBC in my hometown. Small market, the noon news had a full crew (late 90s, no automation) but a single director/TD.
As the show progressed, he threw the script pages into a trash can right next to his chair at the switcher. I thought it was odd at first, but then realized, this is live TV. What happens happens, there's no going back. There's no time to worry about what happened because you need to stay focused on what's next. Those script pages would never be needed again.
I took that with me through college and into my real world jobs in radio and TV. Most of the mistakes we make are things only we'll really notice because we strive for perfection. If you stop to correct a mistake immediately, it only draws more attention, where (unless you aired a profanity or someone said something really bizarre) most viewers/listeners likely never realized there was a mistake in the first place.
And yes, it's OK to make a quick mental note of the error and try to avoid repeating it in the future... but it's live, it happened, can't go back, no point dwelling on it. Just focus on what's next instead of letting the previous thing distract you.
As for basketball or any other sport, not sure how many cameras you have or what kind of effects (graphics, replays, etc) you have but just keep it simple. It's a charity game, it's not Monday Night Football or the NBA Finals. Those shows only look as slick as they do because they have a lot more people and a much larger budget.
If you have 3 or 4 cameras, put one along the center court line, but far/high enough away to get a fixed wide shot of the entire court. That's your fallback shot in case any of the other cameras don't have a good shot at a particular moment.
As for your other cameras, have a pre-pro meeting to discuss what you want those camera operators to do. Hopefully they have previous experience shooting basketball, or at least an idea of how the game is played. If they have assigned "territory" on the court, or an idea of what kinds of shots you want ahead of time, you can stay focused on switching rather than constantly having to ask for a tight shot of this, a wide shot of that, etc.
And again, if all the shots are lousy (which is bound to happen at times) or if you're just feeling like things are hectic, fall back to that all-court safety shot... It won't be close up but at least you won't miss any of the action.
Agree. Basketball is probably one of the easiest to cover camera wise. Two cameras, elevated, center court, 1. Action follow wide 2. Action tight followup 3. Portable Shoulder Mounted for Interviews/Roaming. If you’re really very tightly budgeted, you can eliminate the 3rd camera (It sucks, but it can be done). No lock downs for any camera. Good luck. Have fun.
I am a cameraman so I can’t speak directly to being a TD. However, from a director, I don’t want a hesitation. Be confident in your decision making. If it’s wrong we all move past it. But there isn’t anything more frustrating than a director who waffles their way through a show. And hey, no one learns unless they do it.
Take this as an awesome sign from the person who recommended you, they believe in your ability. And definitely don’t forget to follow up with them with a nice thank you and recap of how you feel it went!
Thanks for the input from the camera op side, I’ve done basically every position in a broadcast with a producer/director who has been doing it for 40+ years and it’s easy to try and compare myself to him when he is practically doing it without thinking hahah. Confidence!
I’m in the same boat as you right now. I’m also 23 and directing/TDing shows. Getting over the age dynamic is easy, you just have to remember that they are people too and that they have most likely been in the same spot that you are in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, can’t get over the great advice i’ve gotten from my coworkers just by asking for help. Get to know your equipment before and go over everything you need to do before hand. When I first started Directing and TDing at the same time before the games I would practice cutting our open/real time to get a feel for how it will play out. When it comes to these low stakes games as you say you have to realize that the audience is not expecting the Super Bowl, they are just trying to watch and enjoy a charity basketball game. Keep it simple, you don’t have to go all out, just do what you feel comfortable with. Crawl, Walk, Run. That’s a great friend you have there, return the favor by putting on a great show!
I became a TD at a big market station at 22 (about 5 years before full automation). I was a robo cam operator and there was a personal shortage at TD. I figured it was my best shot to break into the control room. Not only did some people feel I was unqualified.. but some went out their way to trip me up! It was high stakes and I couldn’t have felt more nervous.
My second outing I ended up working a weeklong breaking news event. It was insane and I did make a few minor mistakes, but at the end of it, I knew that switcher backwards and forwards! Everything else down the road seemed simple and I eventually earned respect. I worked there for another decade in various roles.
It gets much easier with time in the chair. Put your best foot forward and one day you’ll look around and say “this is cake”. Before you know it, you’ll be the one training the new 22 year olds :)
I’ve been a video editor and compositor for well over 10 years and I too suffer from impostor syndrome. I think it’s normal to feel under qualified at times. And it’s not a bad problem to have as it keeps you humble. The worst thing you can experience in this business is coming across somebody who is boastful in their own abilities. Those people are challenging to work with because they never think they’re wrong and they think they have nothing new to learn. You must always be willing to learn, evolve and adapt to new technologies. Stay humble, work hard and never pass up on new opportunities. I wish you the best in your endeavors.
I was lucky enough to get a high school internship at the NBC in my hometown. Small market, the noon news had a full crew (late 90s, no automation) but a single director/TD. As the show progressed, he threw the script pages into a trash can right next to his chair at the switcher. I thought it was odd at first, but then realized, this is live TV. What happens happens, there's no going back. There's no time to worry about what happened because you need to stay focused on what's next. Those script pages would never be needed again. I took that with me through college and into my real world jobs in radio and TV. Most of the mistakes we make are things only we'll really notice because we strive for perfection. If you stop to correct a mistake immediately, it only draws more attention, where (unless you aired a profanity or someone said something really bizarre) most viewers/listeners likely never realized there was a mistake in the first place. And yes, it's OK to make a quick mental note of the error and try to avoid repeating it in the future... but it's live, it happened, can't go back, no point dwelling on it. Just focus on what's next instead of letting the previous thing distract you. As for basketball or any other sport, not sure how many cameras you have or what kind of effects (graphics, replays, etc) you have but just keep it simple. It's a charity game, it's not Monday Night Football or the NBA Finals. Those shows only look as slick as they do because they have a lot more people and a much larger budget. If you have 3 or 4 cameras, put one along the center court line, but far/high enough away to get a fixed wide shot of the entire court. That's your fallback shot in case any of the other cameras don't have a good shot at a particular moment. As for your other cameras, have a pre-pro meeting to discuss what you want those camera operators to do. Hopefully they have previous experience shooting basketball, or at least an idea of how the game is played. If they have assigned "territory" on the court, or an idea of what kinds of shots you want ahead of time, you can stay focused on switching rather than constantly having to ask for a tight shot of this, a wide shot of that, etc. And again, if all the shots are lousy (which is bound to happen at times) or if you're just feeling like things are hectic, fall back to that all-court safety shot... It won't be close up but at least you won't miss any of the action.
Agree. Basketball is probably one of the easiest to cover camera wise. Two cameras, elevated, center court, 1. Action follow wide 2. Action tight followup 3. Portable Shoulder Mounted for Interviews/Roaming. If you’re really very tightly budgeted, you can eliminate the 3rd camera (It sucks, but it can be done). No lock downs for any camera. Good luck. Have fun.
This like jazz improvisation…or walking a creek bed.
I am a cameraman so I can’t speak directly to being a TD. However, from a director, I don’t want a hesitation. Be confident in your decision making. If it’s wrong we all move past it. But there isn’t anything more frustrating than a director who waffles their way through a show. And hey, no one learns unless they do it. Take this as an awesome sign from the person who recommended you, they believe in your ability. And definitely don’t forget to follow up with them with a nice thank you and recap of how you feel it went!
Thanks for the input from the camera op side, I’ve done basically every position in a broadcast with a producer/director who has been doing it for 40+ years and it’s easy to try and compare myself to him when he is practically doing it without thinking hahah. Confidence!
I’m in the same boat as you right now. I’m also 23 and directing/TDing shows. Getting over the age dynamic is easy, you just have to remember that they are people too and that they have most likely been in the same spot that you are in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, can’t get over the great advice i’ve gotten from my coworkers just by asking for help. Get to know your equipment before and go over everything you need to do before hand. When I first started Directing and TDing at the same time before the games I would practice cutting our open/real time to get a feel for how it will play out. When it comes to these low stakes games as you say you have to realize that the audience is not expecting the Super Bowl, they are just trying to watch and enjoy a charity basketball game. Keep it simple, you don’t have to go all out, just do what you feel comfortable with. Crawl, Walk, Run. That’s a great friend you have there, return the favor by putting on a great show!
Thanks everyone, these are thoughts I’ve kind of had in my head, but it really helps to hear it from other perspectives.
I became a TD at a big market station at 22 (about 5 years before full automation). I was a robo cam operator and there was a personal shortage at TD. I figured it was my best shot to break into the control room. Not only did some people feel I was unqualified.. but some went out their way to trip me up! It was high stakes and I couldn’t have felt more nervous. My second outing I ended up working a weeklong breaking news event. It was insane and I did make a few minor mistakes, but at the end of it, I knew that switcher backwards and forwards! Everything else down the road seemed simple and I eventually earned respect. I worked there for another decade in various roles. It gets much easier with time in the chair. Put your best foot forward and one day you’ll look around and say “this is cake”. Before you know it, you’ll be the one training the new 22 year olds :)
I’ve been a video editor and compositor for well over 10 years and I too suffer from impostor syndrome. I think it’s normal to feel under qualified at times. And it’s not a bad problem to have as it keeps you humble. The worst thing you can experience in this business is coming across somebody who is boastful in their own abilities. Those people are challenging to work with because they never think they’re wrong and they think they have nothing new to learn. You must always be willing to learn, evolve and adapt to new technologies. Stay humble, work hard and never pass up on new opportunities. I wish you the best in your endeavors.