Resume Tape Question

[cochy]

What do NDs want to see when they pop in a weather tape. I keep hearing conflicting info, so I want to see if I can clarify things on here.

I've talked to a few that HATE it when people string together ten 15-30 second clips... the person I discussed this with said that it gives him no idea how this person would do in a full 3-minute segment.

That said, sending a full 3 minute segment seems a bit boring and more than a ND might want to see. Mixing a full segment with a bunch of other (short) segments seems long to me. "NDs only look at the tapes for 20-30 seconds."

I am also curious as to what content you should ideally have on a tape you send. I am thinking severe weather coverage (if available), teases/desk interaction (maybe one or two) and a main segment clip (1-2 minutes?). So max length 3 mins including everything? I assume you want to start with the meat too so they get a true sense of you in that first 30 seconds they're watching...

[SureFireWeather]

I've always been a fan of a 1 minute to 1:30 montage, then at least one complete weathercast.

If they really like you, and if they show the tape to the chief, hypothetically, I bet the chief would like to be able to see one complete weathercast.

[WXDUDE]

Most NDs will give you 10-20 seconds to grab their attention, make an impression (hopefully favorable), and make a decision to keep watching or pop it out of the machine. I once sat in with a ND who sometimes only gave someone 5-10 seconds! When you have 100 tapes to go through, they can't mess around: Either they see what they're looking for or move on and don't waste any more time
With that in mind, you need to put your best stuff right off the top. In my opinion a montage should last no more than :45-1:00. Make sure we see YOU! If you have them watching beyond :30, then you've done better than most and they'll want to see how you perform in a "regular" weathercast. No sense in having them keep watching more clips when they already like what they have seen so far. Follow a montage with a normal weathercast. If you are applying to an area big on severe weather coverage, add a segment doign some cut-ins. If you have any reporting, slap a pkg on that bad boy.

[cochy]

Thanks for the information everyone. I like the idea of a :45 to 1:00 montage with quick clips & desk teases then having a full weather cast at the end and severe weather coverage if the ND/chief met chooses to watch more...

[Bob Sakamano]

I am a fan of a short montage (not more than 30-35 seconds) at the beginning. Put a little of everything in it...from severe weather coverage, to normal stuff, to live shots, to funny moments. It should be outstanding. Next, I'd go to a normal weathercast, then some severe weather (or winter weather weather if you are applying to a place that gets a lot of snow), and then some live short stuff, if you have any. Or, if you can report, throw some of that on there. Anything to put you ahead of the other 100 people applying.

[TAFKA wacowx]

15-30 second clips are WAY too long for a montage. 4 to 8 seconds MAX for these clips with a total time of :45 to 1:00 minute.

Think about it: an ND gives your tape 15 seconds and he or she already sees 3 to possibly 4 clips from you.

Think 4 seconds is too short? You'd be surprised at what you can find within your work to feature that would be that length. AND the swift flipping from one clip to another really keeps the energy pumped.