How to Do a Two Part Stand Up for a TV News Story

TV news reporters care a lot about the "stand up" in their stories. It is their opportunity to be seen and recognized by viewers. As a result, reporters put a lot of thought and effort into their stand ups. A creative option is the two-part stand up. It involves shooting two separate stand ups and editing them together for effect. Two-part stand ups are effective ways to demonstrate a change of location, a transition of one idea to another, or the passage of time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Conceive an idea for a two-part stand up. Try to come up with the idea before starting to shoot a TV news story. The rest of the story will be built around it.

2. Start with simple two-part stand ups. The easiest ones involve "cut aways." The main part of the stand up is the reporter talking on a typically framed shot. Cut to a close up of something, a wide shot or a different angle. This type of a two-part stand up shows perspective.

3. Do a camera turn. This gives the illusion that the reporter has two cameras with her. Start by talking to one camera. Most reporters are moving in some way while they do this. At some point change directions and switch your gaze to what appears to be a second camera. Since reporters usually don't have two cameras with them, they need to shoot the stand ups twice, then edit them together. Pay attention to body positioning and be sure to turn at the exact same moment in the script or the edits won't line up. Try to do it during a natural pause in the reportage.

4. Change locations. The reporter begins in one location, then magically appears in another. The transition should not be jarring. The reporter should leave the frame by either walking out or being panned or pushed out by the camera. The location should then be changed with a dissolve or white flash. Once the location has changed, the reporter can reappear. If the reporter walks out of the frame, it is very important that they walk back on the same side. If they walk out left and return right, viewers will think about that instead of the location change.

5. Use the same technique for changing the reporter's appearance in a two-part stand up. If the reporter wants to alter their clothing, hair or accessories in a dramatic fashion, he should leave the frame in the middle of the stand up and then reappear looking different. It is important to remember to return the same way he left and make the transition smooth.

6. Show the passage of time. This must be done with great care or viewers may not understand what the reporter is trying to do. The gold standard of the two-part stand up involves the reporter and the actual passage of time. This involves a great deal of foresight and planning. Shoot a stand up at a location and leave the frame as if you are doing a location change two-part stand up. Then, at some point in the future, return to the same location and return to the frame. This is like a change of location except the location remains the same. It is the reporter or the way the location looks that has noticeably changed. It is important that the shot be framed identically for greatest impact.