Читать книгу That Wasn’t the Plan - Reg Sherren - Страница 12

I have frequently said that Reg Sherren the journalist was much braver than Reg Sherren the human being. The journalist would put on his cape and attempt feats never imagined by the mere mortal. I like to think it was just part of my personal evolution, but in truth it was probably a combination of circumstance, naïveté and stupid, blind luck. Thats how I wound up with that job even farther west. I’d somehow managed to persuade the decision makers at CBC-TV’s Calgary Newshour to give me a chance. It was 1984, and I would go from relatively small Thunder Bay to the fourth-largest city and market in the country. This was the big leagues, and I would have many opportunities to put on my journalistic cape over the next few years.

I had been hired on a one-year contract to create feature stories for the six o’clock show. Admittedly, I had limited experience in doing this kind of TV, but I was perfectly prepared to bluff my way through. In Thunder Bay I was predominantly a television news anchor. As luck would have it (it certainly wasn’t the plan), I was also involved in the half-hour municipal affairs program with characters like Walter Assef. It made for an entertaining resumé reel, and the folks running CBC Calgary must have seen something they liked.

Calgary was a big city with big-city problems. It was also booming. The newsroom was full of talented people determined to make the show a success, so there was lots of competition but also lots of opportunity. I was now part of the CBC network, with a chance to get national exposure. Daily news assignments were thrown at me—city hall, traffic accidents, crimes and school board meetings—but the short features are what really gave me a chance to explore the craft and learn.

News items ran like a commuter train. B-roll (footage over which the reporter speaks), clip, B-roll, clip, stand-up closer. Most news items were around a minute and a half long—we called those “buck and a halfs.” But features could be up to five minutes long. Features gave you a chance to set the scene using beautiful shots, music and pacing, and great camera people and editors helped you turn the scripts into appealing television.

I now had more time and support to develop a story than ever before, and this had a power all its own. Especially with the right characters.