Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

John Hoffland:   Brevity is the source of wit.

All genius needs is an opening.

To enjoy flowers you have to first plant a garden.

Don’t get angry, get creative.

Four o’clock isn’t the best time to tell stories in the newsroom.

Doug Kent:   If you write it, it must be true.

Judy Clark:  What you see is what you get.

The sound of laughter is more precious than any gemstone.

Amie Winters:   Fun is nine tenths job satisfaction

Brian Belmont:  Is it really work if you’re having fun?

Jodi Weber:    Give one hundred reporters the same story and you will have one hundred stories.

Renee Tessman:    Sweetness covers steel.

John Froyd:    Don’t believe everything you read.

Rod Ketter:  It ain’t worth the heart attack

Jim Riggs:   Live like there’s no tomorrow.

Brenda Haines:  Do your best work until the opportunity arises to do your best work.

Shelly Nazarenus:     Precise pronunciation is of prime importance.

Pat Krietlow:   A videographer is more than a taxi driver.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Everyone you work with has something to teach you, if you’re open to education…

Bill Middeke:   Bend the sound, blend the sound.

There’s always room for improvement.

A videographer is like a thoroughbred; give him his head and enjoy the race.

Do what you love; then cut it into an award-winning story.

Doug Balko:   The tripod is a videographer’s best friend.

Rob King:   Don’t be a slave to the tripod.

Chris Karpinski:   Everything in moderation but excellence.

Kathyn Bissen:  Tilt the shot up AND down. That way you have a choice when it comes time to edit.

John Goff:   If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

David W. Carlson:  What you do well is not necessarily who you are.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Your friends are more than just the people you “hang with” — they are also walking, talking life lessons…

Bill Petersen   A sense of humor is the greatest of all skills.

Life is music to the ears.

Friendships are hard to come by, but easy to lose.

Even funerals can be fun.

Craig Allen: When it comes to consumption, strive for below average; with environmentalism, run screaming from average.

Do better.

You don’t have to be perfect, just “flawed with a never-say-die attitude”

Scott Franke   No Matter how you try to run from the truth, it’s always faster.

The one constant in the universe is change.

The truth is often inconvenient.

What’s worth earning is worth keeping.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Ralph Nader:  Integrity is the purest expression of honesty.

You can’t dig up dirt in a clean kitchen.

In the service of justice, all men come clean.

To change the world you first have to risk change.

A man is trapped atop his house when a raging flood sweeps it into the swollen river, so he prays for God to save him. Soon thereafter a man in a canoe comes by and offers to give him a lift.

“No thanks,” says the man on the rooftop.

A bit later a houseboat pulls up. “Quick! Jump on,” says the houseboat captain.

“No thank you,” answers the man atop the floating house.

It’s not long before a motorboat rumbles up beside the house. “Climb down from there!” the motorboat driver shouts.

“Thanks, but no,”says the man on the roof, “I prayed to God for Him to save me!”

Within an hour the house sinks and the man drowns. When he arrives at Heaven’s gate he personally confronts God.

“Hey! What gives? I prayed for you to come save me, but you never came!”

“Whaddya mean?” God says. “I sent three boats!”

Just because you are a herd animal doesn’t mean you have to vote like one.

Make the world a better place to live in or live with the result.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Lesson #3:

Robert & Charmaine Betchkal: Love means never having to say “I quit.”

Blue collar is top dollar.

Friday is movie night, but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday are also open!

Charmaine Betchkal:  Stick to your guns, but empty them of bullets.

Robert Betchkal:  A garden is worth a hundred psychiatrists.

Despair can’t find you when you’re hiding in a strawberry patch.

Herbert Betchkal; Oh those onions are as sweet as honey.

Frances Betchkal: Save for later, but live for now.

Tracy Zagar: Life is too much fun to quit.

Tony Zagar: Never mind about the Polish Trailer.

Otto Blum: Everyone you meet is a riddle, and everyone you have never met is the answer to a riddle.

Patricia Clark: Engagement is the ambassador of involvement.

If the party’s boring, it’s your own fault.

Gary Clark: If the $50,000 convertible sports car makes you happy, buy a set of driving gloves and a road map too.

Julie Clark: Your history is your people.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Emerson & Davyd Betchkal   “When no other source is available, ask the kids to help.” (My two sons have been involved in the production of dozens of TV stories –- from the time Davyd “caught Santa stopping by for Christmas,” to Emerson horseback-riding in the Dakotas or voicing a “scary clown” for Halloween.)

“If my own kids won’t help out, surely the neighbor kids will…” (Many thanks to the Lauers, the Carlsons, and the Hables for the ruthless exploitation of their children as subjects for diverse TV stories ranging from bug-collecting and what to do with leftover Xmas cookies, to birdwatching, dog-walking, and “Tree Elves”!)

“A professional grade camera takes the best home videos.” (Maybe that’s why I don’t actually own my own home video camera?…How could anything compete???)

“No one wants to sit through someone-else’s two-hour long home videos.” (That’s why I keep all of mine to tidy two minute TV “packages.” Anyone can handle “The Adventures of Super Chili!” — short in length, cute kids in costumes, patently bad acting, about a flying super hero dog with buck teeth, professional editing equipment, and a happy ending too! Two thumbs up!)

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

   As of November 4^th, 2012, I will be celebrating twenty-five years working as a TV journalist.  In all that time I’ve learned soooo many things from family, friends, and workmates. Some of those things apply to the art of journalism, and all of them apply directly to life. How can one survive and grow if one doesn’t learn every single day?

   Here are some of the things that “you’ve taught me.”

Julie Betchkal   “My wife is my first best fan…and critic.” (She can spot a jump cut from a mile away –- and she expects quality…To impress her these days I’ve got to bring my A Game…If I can make her laugh, or gasp, or sit up and take notice, then I know I’m on target…)

“Every hour of every day, walk around yourself and make certain that your image is a seemly one. ” (The biggest mistake anyone in this business can make is believe that they’ve got it all figured out…)

“Ignore the critics at your own risk.” (Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct. Sometimes you work with what you’ve got. Sometimes you have to take risks. Sometimes you guess wrong…Every ounce of feedback I get is useful. How I perceive a story may differ starkly from how others see it. Journalism is an ongoing study in telling a story that centers on truth, while making sense to both reporter and viewer.)

 ”To get better at what you do you first have to get better at what you’re not doing.” (We tell a classic story here about former reporter Bill Osmulski. Julie was telling him about how her fellow teachers rarely break protocol by sticking their “nose” into another teacher’s classroom. Bill’s response; “How do they get better then?”)

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

  Full Body Tan

    In the summer of 2004 I was invited to tape a story at Aurora Gardens in nearbyJacksonCounty. AuroraGardens is an beautiful, sprawling, and isolated campground that caters to “naturalists” –- people who enjoy outdoor nudity. If what you like is a “full body tan,”Aurora Gardens is the place for you.

    You may find nude camping a startling concept. However, inviting a TV videographer to a nude campground is positively . That’s like inviting Daily Show reporters to the Republican National Convention.

   After a preliminary “meet and greet” visit with the campground owners to go over the ground rules for taping, I returned at a later date to actually tape the story. I was greeted upon arrival by said owner sans pants (and shirt and tie). I was then introduced to all the rest of the campers, camera in tow.

   In the course of the next hour I was free to tape whatever I liked with the agreement that whatever I used would be collected at the discretion of all involved and still appropriate for general TV viewing.

   On that day I negotiated what may well be my crowning achievement as a professional videographer; taping twelve naked people playing a volleyball game and editing it together for air without showing any naughty bits. We’re not talking trap shooting here –- back to the camera and all the action high and away.  There’s all that jumping, lunging, and bouncing. The action is coming at you from every angle.

   I also taped a leisurely game of horseshoes, a fellow diligently weaving a basket, and an entire family of campers at their wooded site, including sit-down interview.

   The people were welcoming, warm, stunningly relaxed about the professional grade video camera in their midst, and absolutely devoid of “farmer’s tans.”

   On this assignment I was also presented with one of the thorniest ethical dilemmas of my professional career; to remain fully-clothed during the shoot, or to “blend in?” Of course, the truth is always laid bare to the camera. That’s the nature of good journalism.

   When I returned to the station and edited it all together into a fascinating TV story, I was originally told that “the content was not appropriate for our viewing audience” and that it would not be used.  However, Jerry Gallagher came to the rescue; he jumped at the opportunity to air the story on the nightly news, volleyball game and all. Point, Game, Match.

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?

Fiberglass Menagerie

   In 2009 I partnered with Volume One’s Eric Rasmussen for an episode of “Weekend Getaway”. Our objective? To tour western Wisconsin’s vast collection of fiberglass animals.

   You know exactly what I’m talking about…

   There’s the Orange Moose at Black River Falls, the (former) Heckel’s Steer, the Northside Eau Claire DQ Mouse, Chatty the Talking Cow in Neillsville.

  Most of them hail from Sparta’s Fastkorp. Fastkorp is a fiberglass zoo; the grounds are littered with the carcasses of molded beasties — whales, bears, even more moose.  While we were there, a dinosaur was enjoying a final coat of paint.

   The story was one of those “Judd Apatow Classics” –- get along as you go along. No problem for Eric, and I’ve learned long ago that if you just keep the camera rolling, good things happen.

   Eric and I teamed up three more times for stories since then; shopping for the Perfect Xmas Gift that winter, another Weekend Getway on western Wisconsin “Highpoints”, and a campout together for the first run of my series “Campendium.” All of them were tremendously enjoyable ventures which I hope managed to entertain viewers and still inform.

   Speaking of  camping, stay tuned for part 25, “Full Body Tan.”

   Here’s a clip of Eric and my efforts – technology willing…

Posted under Artist? Scientist? Philosopher? Camera Guy?