19/100 - Producer File: Breaking News Friday
Any news that can break, will break.
Breaking News Friday. It's real and it can get crazy. Above is the first thing you see when you walk into the newsroom where I currently work.
There's a concept understood by anyone who works or has worked in a newsroom... it's known as Breaking News Friday. It is basically a kind-of Murphy's Law... but for breaking news (Any news that can break, will break). If you search #BreakingNewsFriday on twitter, you'll find journalists talking about it. Breaking News Friday is what happens when every story "breaks" at once, or at least in rapid succession. Breaking News Friday doesn't happen every Friday, but when crazy stories break, they usually do so on a Friday.
Today was one of those days: a seven-hour standoff with a man in a blue bus, a heavily-followed trial verdict and a missing plane found.
Three things are true about huge breaking news situations in a good newsroom:
1. There are a lot of decisions being made that you never see
Should we fly the helicopter? Can we fly the helicopter? How many reporters do we have? Where is every reporter? Who is closest? Is it confirmed? Can we report that? Who will talk? Where is the media staging? The list goes on. We're asking and answering a lot of questions behind the scenes, so that what you see on air is a seamless product. One of the best ways to deal with everything, that I've seen, is gathering everyone who is in-house for a quick meeting. We all get on the same page and then tackle a breaking story. It doesn't take much, we all know what needs to be done. We need to tell the story.
2. All hands on deck
You will never see a busier newsroom, than when every story is breaking. You'll hear a lot of people saying "what can I do" and "how can I help" and "what do you need." There will be a lot of shouting because we are doing our very best to get all of the information.
3. Something will go wrong, but more things will go right.
A good newsroom's top priority is to "get it right." It doesn't always happen that way. We're working quickly, computers usually want to slow down at that point in time. Typos happen, batteries die and sometimes the system just won't play audio. Glitches happen. You learn from them, create workarounds for next time, and then next time is even better. When you have a good newsroom team, the story you told better than anyone else, far outweighs the things you couldn't control on Breaking News Friday.
Sunset at the tv station earlier in the week... before Breaking News Friday,
18/100 - Watch/Review - Ex Machina (new trailer)
“When someone would ask me, ‘When is this taking place,’ I’d say it’s 10 minutes in the future.”
What will happen if I fail your test? EX MACHINA starring Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson. - Now Playing Select Theaters
Interview: Alex Garland Talks Lo-Fi Approach To 'Ex Machina'
Ex Machina is finally playing in Portland. I went to see it last Friday. There was hardly a seat free in the theater. Someone was there passing out surveys to get our thoughts after the movie. A new trailer for the film was posted online yesterday by A24 Films. I would describe Ex Machina as a sort-of Twilight Zone story... and I love the Twilight Zone. If you love science fiction, I recommend the movie. If you just a love a good story, I recommend this movie. It's disturbing and beautiful and the special effects are lovely.
“The thing about particularly low budget filmmaking is to be told the practical parameters and then to be as inventive as you can within them, and to try to find ways of making them into a virtue where possible.”
“AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last.”
17/100 - Filmmaker quotes from my weekly reading
“ In my documentaries I try to give so much importance to the people I film. I make them look so good, because I take the time to listen to them.”
“The one thing I regretted about Star Wars was that I never got to see it.”
“It’s the classic example of something interesting that can come about when you don’t know what you’re doing.”
16/100 - Currently listening to... Lianne La Havas (new song!)
New single 'Unstoppable' from the forthcoming album 'Blood'. 'Blood' is out 31 July.
Currently listening to a new song from Lianne La Havas. 'Unstoppable" was posted on youtube today. I'm looking forward to her new album this summer. I saw La Havas at the Doug Fir Lounge a couple of years ago. It was a great concert. I still have the poster from the show.
15/100 - Five movies I'm looking forward to
Dope
In theaters June 19! A critical hit and audience favorite out of the Sundance Film Festival, in DOPE, Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT.
Selfless
I Am Big Bird: The Carrol Spinney Story
Dior and I
The Avengers: Age of Ultron
14/100 - Favorite Links #2
A few highlights of what I watched and read this week. Enjoy.
Mad Men creator on the artist's struggle:
"I lived every day with that script as if it were going to happen tomorrow. That's the faith you have to have." - Matthew Weiner
The Hillary Clinton typeface
"Lucy, I'm home." CBS is bringing back I Love Lucy episodes for a special
Added a new web series to the growing list that I watch: Clench & Release by Charla Lauriston
The May issue of Essence... all about some of my favorite black female storytellers who are leading the way
"Freedom is being guided by a mood, not a map."
500 feminist films
Matthew McConaughey "reacting" to the Star Wars trailer