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The Show

The North American International Auto Show is a welcome relief for most television news videographers, The assignment of an Auto Show feature means you are going to be inside where it’s warm and comfortable when it‘s cold and snowing outside. On the other hand, it also means you will put in a "real" day’s work and will be tired when you walk out the door.

Veteran videographers from Detroit television stations know the ropes of the Auto Show. They’ve learned the hard way, from practical experience. But, first timers have a lot to learn. And since I have worked auto shows for more than 35 years I can offer some useful suggestions gained from my experiences to make your assignments easier to shoot.

Two Auto Shows

There are two auto shows at Cobo Center. The first one is Press Week when virtually every automaker has a news conference and hundreds of media members from around the world gather to see new car introductions. The second auto show is open to the public. And the crowds will be there. Oh, yes! The crowds…especially on the weekends.

During Press Week, some of the presentations will be spectacular stage productions while others will offer nothing more than an opportunity to ask questions of someone other than a public relations flak. If the presentation is a new car or truck introduction, look for a company PR representative and find out what to expect so you’re not caught unaware. You don’t want to be shooting cutaways when a car falls out of the ceiling.

You will not be able to shoot all the presentations. Your assignment editor should have researched the show to know what presentations are the most important. Have your reporter keep a timetable of events you want to cover. If the presentation is a major announcement every videographer and still photographer in Cobo will be there so you will want to get to the site as early as possible to set a tripod and reserve a good spot on the shooting platform. I prefer a spot at one end of the platform so I can climb down to shoot cutaways or one-on-one interviews and reactions or get away to go somewhere else before the presentation is done.

Incidentally, one or two of the auto companies will provide lunch for the media each day. Take advantage of it! You will need the break to refuel your mind and your body.

The Hall

The setup of the hall will be different every day of Press week as staging is changed for the different presentations. One day you will find an easy way to get from one location to another and the next day that way will be blocked by a shooting platform and a floor-to-ceiling tarp covering the stage. That’s the auto show…dynamic by the minute.

The second auto show will look entirely different from the Press Week show. The stages will be gone and so will the major company representatives and the free lunches. Because of the crowds, you’ll find it difficult to move around and impossible to set a tripod.

Your Equipment

Before leaving the station, get your equipment ready. If your vehicle is kept in a warm garage you can do your prep inside and out of the weather. As important as your camera are your credentials. Be sure to take them. You won’t get in without them. For Press Week I used a luggage cart to haul around my equipment. The last thing I wanted to do was to make a mad dash for my truck to get something I needed. I packed a plastic container with all the things I thought I would need including the items necessary for a live shot. For the second week I would suggest taking nothing more than the bare necessities for a story like freshly charged batteries, plenty of tape, wireless microphone with fresh batteries. Toss them into a carry bag. That same luggage cart will come in handy.

The Story

Before leaving for Cobo find out what the producers expect of you and your reporter. Spending all day at the auto show and coming back with the wrong story is unforgivable. If the producers tell you to find a story, you’re home free. In the truck, on the way to Cobo Center, talk to your reporter. Find out his or her ideas for the story, In turn, offer your suggestions. Chances are, by the time you get there, the two of you will have come up with, at least, a starting point.

At Cobo Center, during the second auto show, go to the press room and get rid of your coats and leave your carry bag. Stick a spare tape or two in your pocket and have a cup of coffee. Grab a map of the show and sit down with your reporter and plot your path. There is nothing worse than being on two different pages.

One of the biggest challenge for producers, reporters and videographers is to come up with an original thought. I think every imaginable story has been done a hundred different ways. I’ve done them all a dozen times. But an old news director of mine said "there are no dull stories, just dull approaches to interesting stories." To me the most interesting subjects are the people and their reactions as they look over a car or truck. To someone else it will be the changes made in those expensive, shiny new vehicles. If you’re still in search of a story idea when you check in at the press room, talk with PR chief John Love. He knows the show and what’s new and he can offer you enough story ideas to last a week.

The Microphone

Your choice of microphone will be of utmost importance. For most situations, the old standby, the hand mike, should be used as the noise level is usually very high. However, I always carried a lavaliere mike in my pocket to use for stand-ups if the background noise permits. A lav will free the reporter’s hands to open doors, trunks and hoods and will look much more natural than waving around a hand mike with an ugly logo on it. Wild sound will be captured by the camera-mounted mike but don’t depend on it for usable sound up. Unless you are very close to a person, the sound can be used for nothing more than background. If you’re looking for usable sound up reactions have your reporter work a hand mike without a logo or a shotgun mike in close to the person but out of the picture. Always use your headset so you can monitor the audio. There’s nothing more frustrating, as you well know, than to have the best reactions cut off in mid sentence or be lost in the background noise. And first reactions are always the most natural and can never be repeated. Give your reporter hand signals to let him or her know if the mike position is OK or if the mike needs to be dropped down or moved in.

Reporter Involvement

The auto show is a great place to showcase a reporter by utilizing reporter involvement. A reporter with his or her head under the hood with a spectator makes good video. It is also a chance for the reporter to get some decent sound reaction. Reporter involvement does not mean that the reporter is creating the news but rather is a witness to it. The audience will feel as if the reporter really knows what is going on and can be relied on for truthful accounts of the Auto Show.

Lighting

Lighting will not be a major problem. There should be enough light to shoot just about anything. However, keep your light mounted on the camera for use when needed. I always tried to shoot everything but the interviews with available light. It required some work but was worth it. Turning on the light usually grabs the attention of the subject and ruins good and natural reactions.

Be careful to observe the color temperature of the light on your subject. Remember, it is stage lighting and it could be daylight or tungsten or some funny color that brings out the best of the vehicle. And the next exhibit could be entirely different. White balance as often as you can to keep your color consistent. There’s nothing worse than blue or pink video.

There may come the time when someone doesn’t want their picture on television. It could be that they called in sick to go to the show, they could be wanted by the cops, they might be with someone other than their significant other, or they are just camera-shy. Respect their wishes and you’ll avoid a hassle. Simply excuse yourself and walk away.

Now for some suggestions for Assignment Editors, producers, and…oh, yes…reporters.

Don’t send your crew into the auto show and expect them to turn a story in a half hour so they can chase off to something else or page them to run off to some murder scene across town. Cobo is a big place and it takes time to park and get inside the hall. Then it takes more time to chase down the people needed to do the sound and even more time to shoot the supporting video.

If at all possible use the same crews, at least the same videographers, for all the stories you plan on doing. The reason is simple. Each videographer knows what he or she has shot and can go back to a tape from another day to retrieve a needed piece of video. Your shooter can also come up with possible picture stories from video shot during the run of the show. The reporter may already have some of the sound on tape and can also go back to get responses that may work in the day’s stories. In fact, parts of a story can be shot over several days. For example, you can get shots of people standing on their heads looking at the innermost parts of a car to make a good video-put-to-music story or little kids sleeping in a stroller or on dad’s shoulder while mom’s looking over a vehicle.

And as a reporter you can lend the cameraman a hand by carrying the battery and tape bag so he or she can be free to shoot whenever something comes up. It’s not that heavy. However, carrying a bag can keep your shooter from moving around to get the best angle on a shot. As a shooter I am rather impulsive and will see something that will get away from me if I don’t act fast. And it could be the one shot that makes the story come to life. If the carry bag does get in the way, you can always find an exhibit information booth and stash the bag until you need it.

These ideas should help both reporter and videographer. Enjoy working the show. Chances are, you won’t win an Emmy but you will have some fun. And remember, it’s warm inside Cobo.

--John Fuller (c) NewCarNews.TV