Outdoors Unlimited® Online | The award-winning publication of the Outdoor Writers Association of America

By Dave Carlson

Houses start in the forest. Steel, ore. Plastics, oil. Glass, sand. Boots, a cow.

On and on.

In the cosmic high-definition world of TV, images in and of themselves are meaningless if not linked.

Linkage is editing. And editing begins in the field.

Plans and themes guide the gathering of images, whether photography or videography. A basic videography principle: you can’t use it if you don’t have it!

Shoot spontaneously! Shoot prolifically. Get a feel for what your producer and host wants. And how they begin to use your stuff. You’ll learn what to shoot by process of elimination and inventiveness. In the end, shooting plenty of the good stuff makes everybody’s job easier, especially the job of the editor.

Look for the pearls. Those are the pretty treasures – sound or video, or both – that become pegs for good storytelling. Shake them out the way a creek miner pans gold.

As you photograph for the editing bay, think wide, tight and tighter. Think cutaways: faces, objects, signs, passersby – those “thank God I got that” extra shots bridging your unedited chains of video. Try to keep the scenes that attract a viewer, who then gets the full story with details in the narrator’s or the subject’s words.

Other suggestions:

• Don’t break the 180-degree rule. Stay within that plane with people, objects and landscapes. Breaking time is a no-no, too!
• Sparingly replace natural sounds with music of any persuasion.
• Experiment with varying speeds when panning, zooming and slowing motion.
• Don’t interrupt a series of dissolves with a clean cut.
• Glitzy edits can substitute for solid journalistic storytelling for only so long.
• Eliminate camera jarring often found at the end of a scene because the videographer has moved before shutting down the equipment.
• Use longer (several seconds) sound pauses more often than not. This gives viewers a chance to absorb what’s said and anticipate what’s spoken next. Clip those disturbing ticks and other audio glitches. Trash the cliches!
• Maintain extensive B-roll files. Search out alternative video sources, usually governmental. Usually free.
• Make sure to credit sources and people used or appearing in the product.
• Ask subjects on field tape to spell and pronounce their names and titles.

Lastly, develop a style. The most successful shows are those that look different and sound different.

That’s usually because they are. ◊

Dave Carlson is a writer, producer and host for “Northland Adventures” and a field editor for Wisconsin Outdoor Journal. A member since 1988, Carlson resides in Eau Claire, Wis. Contact him at dcarlson@wqow.com.

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By Mark Sosin

Editor’s note: Sosin’s article is the second of a two-part series. The first part focused on developing a game plan, making your show professional and contract options. More advice on setting income goals, how to get paid, legalities and rights purchased is found in the Freelancers Guide to Business Practices. Compiled by more than 50 OWAA members, this must-have book is available through OWAA’s store: http://shop.owaa.org/main.sc.

Pre-production

A finished show involves three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Each step becomes a critical part of the finished product. It all starts with the planning stage (pre-production). Pick a location and the species you intend to catch or shoot or what you want to show the viewer if you are not fishing or hunting. Develop a detailed written treatment, including key shots, to share with everyone on the shoot. This structure puts everyone on the same page and leaves little doubt as to what has to be accomplished. Then, work out Plan B, just in case your initial goal cannot be reached. And, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for Plan C. Barring a crisis, you want to come away with something useable.

During pre-production, you handle all of the logistics involved in travel to the destination, where to stay when you are there (if that is necessary), permitting (if required), transportation on sight, and the list goes on. You then have to schedule the crew and anyone else you intend to take with you. Remember that the more people you have in the field, the more problems you will encounter when you try to shoot. Unnecessary bodies get in the way. Also, you may have to extend a shoot because of weather or other factors. Make sure everyone with you has a flexible schedule and can give you the extra time if needed.

Remote areas create additional problems. Because you may not get backup gear by simply making a phone call, you have to anticipate what might break down while you are in the field and take spares with you or figure out in advance how to get it if needed. If electrical power isn’t available around the clock, take more batteries and don’t forget more tape than you think you will need. If you run out of tape or batteries on a shoot or even during the day, that’s your fault and it can be a costly mistake, even if you have more back in the motel room.

Production

Production takes place in the field and it holds the key to the quality of the finished product. Tape is the cheapest commodity you have. Shoot all you think you need and then shoot more. Taping should start as soon as there is available light and it should continue throughout the day. Shoot cutaways in the same light as the action so they match and can be edited together. The prime mission, however, centers on capturing the action. While you are waiting for something to happen, the cameras can be shooting footage of the area and other scenes that could be used in the finished product. Make sure everyone refers to the treatment and shot list you prepared before leaving for the shoot.

Your job in the field goes beyond simply hunting or catching something. As you gain skill, you begin to work with the cameramen to make certain they can get the necessary shots. Look at it as a team effort. You’re part of that production team. Making it easier for the cameramen means they won’t have to grab what they can in a typical TV news scenario.

Each finished tape should be numbered sequentially along with the camera designator. If you have one camera, it is the A Camera. The second one becomes the B Camera. Tapes would be labeled 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Be sure to label the tape itself and the case that protects the tape. Finished tapes must be cared for in the field and accounted for continuously. Before you go home at the end of the shoot, put all the shot tapes in a bag or backpack and keep them with you. If you have to board an airplane, carry them aboard with you. Never put finished tapes in checked baggage or let them get out of your sight for any reason.

Post-production

Unless you have your own editing equipment, post production usually will be billed on an hourly basis depending on the time of day you edit, the equipment you need, and so forth. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of time keeps money in your pocket. It may make sense to purchase the bare essentials that allow you to edit offline. Then, when you enter the production facility, you already have a rough cut and the time needed for the online edit has been reduced dramatically.

If you’re going to require voiceovers, they need to be written in advance and arrangements made for the voiceover talent unless you plan to do it yourself. Production houses often have music libraries available which they can use in your show, but they will charge you for each needle drop. If you do use the facility’s library, be sure to find out what rights they are offering and if those rights cover your needs.

It makes sense to cut your standard open and close before you edit your first show. Schedule post-production time for these cuts and be sure to have the necessary logos for billboards along with whatever shots or artwork you plan to use. Some stations and networks simply have you insert two minutes of black where commercials go and they place the commercials. You send your commercials to the station separately and then each week you send them an insert order designating which commercials go where. If you have to insert the commercials in your show, be sure to take them with you to the production facility.

Networks have their own set of post-production guidelines that you are required to follow. Most insist on specific graphics and even give you a window for the length of each segment. Be sure to study these and make certain the editor complies with these rules. If you don’t follow them, the network or station may reject a show and make you change the parts that don’t match their guidelines.

Finally, pack each show carefully and ship it to the station or network in plenty of time for them to air it. No one likes to receive a show at the last minute, because many stations want to preview anything and everything they put on the air. Whatever you ship should get to its destination within one or two days. You don’t want tapes lying idle in hot warehouses for prolonged periods. Make sure you keep track of the shipment and check it off once you get a confirmation that it was received.

To conclude:  It may look easy to someone peering in from the outside, but producing quality video on a consistent basis ranks as an extremely challenging and demanding job. There are no shortcuts and no one else to blame. It’s your name and your show, and the outcome reflects on you. ◊

Sosin’s article is the second of a two-part series. The first part focused on developing a game plan, making your show professional and contract options.

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By Mark Sosin

Editor’s note: Sosin’s article is the first of a two-part series. Next’s month article will include information on pre-production, production and post-production. More advice on setting income goals, how to get paid, legalities and rights purchased is found in the Freelancers Guide to Business Practices. Compiled by more than 50 OWAA members, this must-have book is available through OWAA’s store: http://shop.owaa.org/main.sc.

Television sings a siren’s song. Hunters, fishermen, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts envision themselves in front of cameras producing footage to regale viewers every week locally, regionally or nationally. Someone once opined that anyone who came in second in a bass tournament and had access to a camera would probably try to produce a television show. And, somewhere buried in that desire to have one’s own show lies the mistaken notion that those who have television shows reap millions of dollars in profits. All they have to do for that king’s ransom is hunt, fish or enjoy the outdoors in some other way with very little work, a lot of fun and a modicum of responsibility.

The word on the street is that if you want to make a million dollars in television, start with $2 million.

Having your own show requires only two things: You have to find a channel or network to air your production and then get somebody to pick up the tab. It may sound easy, but it can loom as a formidable challenge, particularly since the market is inundated with outdoor television programming. Unless someone hires you to host their show, the challenge is yours and yours alone. In fact, even though you may not shoot or edit the show, the finished product is your signature and it reflects on your name.

A publisher of a major outdoor magazine confided recently that until he looked into television production, he lacked an appreciation for everything that was involved. “In the magazine, newspaper and book businesses, we have tiers of editors who can whip a manuscript into shape even after it has been submitted,” he said. “With television, when the finished tape arrives, there can be no further changes and there are no backup editors.”

Develop a Game Plan

If you intend to produce your own show, think of yourself as an entrepreneur. You are about to run a business and its success or failure is in your hands. The place to start is with a game plan. Your show will have to have a focus, format and a name. In fact, you may have to produce a pilot at your own expense so that you can sell your concept to a television station or a network and then get financial backers. Generally, you have to put most of the puzzle pieces together before you can sell sponsors or investors. They want to know what the show is about, where and when it will air, and other details before putting their money on the table.

Estimating the cost of production and other expenses becomes the most challenging part of the business plan. Most of us tend to underestimate and not prepare for hidden costs that will surely come up at an inopportune time. Start by figuring out how long it will take to shoot a show, assuming that everything goes as planned. Consider, too, that you are shooting outdoors and must endure the vagaries of weather and the abundance (or lack thereof) of fish or game. The fish may not bite and the ducks may not fly. Every shoot may not be successful. For a 13-week series, for example, you may have to go out in the field 15 or 16 times or spend extra, unplanned days on a number of outings. These circumstances cost money, and you still have to operate within a given budget. It is usually easier to cut costs than to raise more money.

You must make several decisions early in the venture. Most outdoor programming airs either 13-week segments or 26-week segments. You need to decide which option makes more sense, at least in the beginning. Then, there is the question of format. High Definition (HD or Hi-Def) certainly appears to be the format of the future. Some outdoor avenues are using HD right now. Other formats  such as Mini DV or Beta SP, which has been the standard for years, are still acceptable. Keep in mind that you can shoot in one format and deliver the show in another. The only exception is HD. You have to shoot in HD if you plan to air in HD.

Make your Show Professional

Regardless of the format, producing a quality show requires skilled and experienced videographers who understand the basics of professional video. Too many efforts today fit in the category of home movies and amateur productions. For awhile, stations and networks were very forgiving of production standards, but the pendulum may be swinging back to quality shows. If you can use the same videographers on every shoot (once you find competent ones), they will become better at delivering the type of coverage you want.

A two-camera shoot makes more sense than simply using one camera, but it also affects costs. Delivering quality with a single camera takes more time. In many instances, producers hire freelance videographers who provide their own equipment and charge a fixed rate for a 10-hour day. Anything beyond 10 hours is billed as a premium. A second choice involves renting the equipment and then hiring cameramen to operate it. Finally, you can form your own production company, buy the equipment, and either put videographers on staff or hire them as needed, using your gear.

Once the field footage has been produced, you will need someone to log the shots and then do the editing. Again, you have to find an edit facility that can work in the format that you used in the field and then deliver in the format that the station or network demands. The on-air facility will tell you the timing of the show, how many commercial breaks, and so forth. You will also have to develop a standard open and close that identifies your show.

Most newcomers fail to recognize that any music used in the show, including the open and close, must come from a licensed music library. There are several from which to choose. You can either pay by the needle drop (play) or license the whole library. Be sure you buy all of the rights you need. On-air rights are different from showing your video to a group in a theater or auditorium. The station or network will insist on a music clearance sheet accompanying every show with the rights spelled out, and you have to have it to get on the air.

Show hosts sometimes fall into a trap. They view their job as catching fish or shooting game, leaving the videography and the editing to others. No one should be more concerned with turning out a quality product than you. You don’t have to know how to shoot a camera or which buttons to push on an edit console, but you do have to know the capabilities of the camera and how to put a show together that avoids the pitfalls of hasty editing. It’s your job to make sure the cameramen capture all the essential material in the field, including more than enough B-roll to give the editor some latitude and to cover all the dialogue. If you don’t have it “in the can,” it isn’t going to be in the show. And, you have to watch every segment of the show to make certain it is exactly what you want. You are the final authority. One way to judge a strong editing effort is by counting the number of cuts (shots) and how long each one remains on the screen. The human mind can grasp what it is seeing in two seconds or less. Shots that linger become boring to the viewer.

Contract Options

Understand from the beginning that “standard” contracts don’t exist.

Depending on how badly someone wants your product, contracts are negotiable. In working with a station or network, four options exist. First, the company can buy or license the program from you, but this tends to be the exception. A second option is bartering for the air time by trading advertising time, and a third option is paying the station or network for the privilege of giving them a show ready for airing. What you are buying from them is commercial inventory. The fourth alternative is a combination of barter and cash.

If you sell the program, you usually have to give up the copyright and the production then becomes a work made for hire. Under a licensing agreement, you own the copyright and license it to the network or station. Be careful of what rights you give away. It pays to have a lawyer skilled in contracts look over the document before signing. This is not the place to gamble on your knowledge of the law. Television programs may have ongoing value well after they aired the first time. ◊

Editor’s note: Check back next month for the second part of Sosin’s article, which will discuss pre-production, production and post-production. Read the complete article and other advice from more than 50 OWAA members in the Freelancers Guide to Business Practices. Shop now: http://shop.owaa.org/main.sc.

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New SLR cameras capture jaw-dropping HD video. Outdoor communicators will never be the same. Just give it time.

By Paul Queneau

A good writer can paint a picture for their readers, and a good photographer can capture the essence of a story. Many outdoor communicators do both.

Telling a story in professional video, though? It’s an art unto itself, and one that has always required a mountain of pricey gear.

Yet in this era of electronic publishing, including video within an online article is as simple as posting a still photo. Yet we still only have two arms and one back to tote our mess of gear around, and it’s been impractical for one person to do it all, much less do it all well.

Enter 2009, the year digital SLR cameras sprouted legs—and immediately signed up for the New York Marathon.

Basically every new camera body released in 2009 can record HD video. But not just high definition—we’re talking gorgeous, shallow depth-of-field video like you’re used to seeing at the movie theater (think pleasant background blur and selective focus).

New cameras finally have the processing power to scale their full-size images down to 1920×1080 or 1280×720 at either 24, 30 or even 60 times per second (I can already see the bighorns butting head in slow motion). These cameras take full advantage of an image sensor many times larger than any camcorder’s, as well as the superiority of all that glass in front of it.

Need proof? Check this out. Or this. Or this. Or this.

(If you computer won’t play these smoothly, that’s because of the heft of the videos).

As far as I’m concerned, it’s a game changer. Before all the video folks jump down my throat, there are trade-offs: The built-in microphones are a far cry from that of anything but the cheapest camcorders (but some have a jack for an external mic). There is often no swiveling screen for holding the camera at interesting angles…the list goes on.

But look at it from my perspective. I’m conservation editor of Bugle magazine at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; I’m regularly hiring writers to cover issues having to do with wildlife and hunting, as well as the many conservation projects we complete every year.

When I hire folks like Jack Ballard, I can rest assured that they will also take stellar photos in addition to writing up a mean story. But the Elk Foundation needs good video of our conservation projects and the people that make them possible.  For our television show. For our Web site. For DVDs. That’s a market for anyone who can pull off writer/photographer/videographer—the new triple threat.

And for those of you whose bread and butter is shooting outdoors-people in the field? Most of the magazines that publish your work also have a TV show. And a Web site. And who knows what else. Take a 15-second video clip of your subject hiking by you or casting that fly-rod. You may well be able to sell it as b-roll. Or if you’re interviewing someone for a profile? How about hooking them up with a lapel mic and taking some video of their responses.

It’s a brave new world—probably the biggest seismic shift since the digital camera. And it’s a growth market. Those of us that can make the leap the fastest will be ahead of the curve and stand to profit. In fact, I shouldn’t even be telling you this. I should be out shooting video.

Think I’m crazy? Comment! ◊

Paul Queneau grew up in Colorado hunting, fishing and backpacking. He started with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Bugle Magazine as an intern and is currently the conservation editor.

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By Dave Carlson

A near decade-old public lands commercial filming and still photography law designed to protect fragile Western natural resources from exploitation by high-end movie-making and advertising production companies is inconsistently interpreted and applied. It stifles enterprise reporting critical to the media’s watchdog role.

That is my assessment based on periodic encounters over the years of producing news documentary reports for the “Northland Adventures” that revolve around federal lands controlled by the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

First, along with other journalists and TV producers I have consulted, I support the concept of the law. Federal lands and rights of the public must be regulated to avoid potentially harmful intrusion and interference by large-scale commercial users. Passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, Public Law 106-206 was enacted May 26, 2000.

Basically, a filming (videotaping and audio taping, too) permit is required if actors, models, props and other equipment is used to advertise a product or service or create a product generating income, “but not including activities associated with news broadcasts,” according to published federal filming permit policy.

Television and other filming permits are denied “if there is likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, there would be unreasonable interruption of public use and enjoyment of the site or the (filming) poses health or safety risk to the public that cannot be mitigated.”

Still photography permits are required if talent, props and sets are involved. No permit will be issued to still photographers using equipment and models not part of a site’s natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. No permit will be issued if the shoots are to “take place where the public is generally not allowed or at a location where administrative costs are likely.”

Permit fees vary with size of the operation and duration. Liability insurance is necessary, too. Some federal agencies authorized to charge for permits issue a “one- to two-person, camera and tripod” permit for free.

But, as the law has evolved West to East, it has been liberally and fairly applied by some land managers and unreasonably and even discriminatively enforced by those with more narrow definitions. In the process, some TV producers are avoiding certain public lands or, as I recently experienced, being denied any access at all.

Earlier this year after obtaining necessary entry permits to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness through an Ely, Minn., outfitter, I contacted the local Superior National Forest Service district ranger, Mark Van Every, for input on a story angle suggested by our guides. Don Beans and Dean Bushey of Jasper Creek Outfitters said that with the Ely region hurting economically, public use of the wilderness in recent seasons had fallen off dramatically during May, when the area had some of its best fishing and camping opportunities.

To my surprise, Van Every said based on regional Forest Service interpretation of Congressional intent of the film/still photography law, no permits are issued for the Boundary Waters. Van Every instead suggested we focus on under-utilized bypassed “wilderness” looking lands adjacent to the official Boundary Waters border.

Van Every said the Forest Service policy also is to not market the canoeing wilderness. Asked about the decline in early season use and lost revenues for his agency and the Ely region, Van Every said, “It’s not our goal to be at 100 percent use.”

Although hundreds of thousands of annual Boundary Waters visitors are controlled by quotas at various entry points, the Forest Service has not considered issuing a limited number of filming/still photography permits, according to a spokesperson at the regional office in Duluth, Minn..

Van Every pointed out that TV cameras and other photographers are allowed to enter the Boundary Waters when there is “breaking news.”

By the filming law’s definition, ”breaking news is an event that arises suddenly, evolves quickly and rapidly ceases to be newsworthy.”

Question is, “Who decides?” Is it only a windstorm leveling forests, wildfires, infestations of invasive species, acts of crime or violence? What about the day-to-day serenity and beauty of official “wilderness,” not the next door “looks-like” wilderness? Doesn’t that call about not marketing wilderness hurt Forest Service revenues in lean budgetary times? What about limiting growth of the public constituency, which is needed by places like this, and others, to survive?

Ironically, a few months earlier an Ottawa National Forest spokesperson at Watersmeet, Mich., said we could obtain a one-day permit to feature walk-in non-motorized ice fishing in the Sylvania Wilderness Area, for a fee of $170. We elected to fish public access waters on the Wisconsin side of the border.

A few years ago, we paid $125 daily to videotape trout fishing and horseback riding segments on National Forest land in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  That was even after I produced a letter from a Midwest region Forest Service spokesperson advising that because of the nature of our show, we were exempt from the permit requirement. That clarification from Paul Strong of the Forest Service Milwaukee office came after a ranger challenged our camera videotaping of a great gray owl research program in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest of northern Wisconsin.

When shown that “exemption” letter, Forest Service officials in Custer, S.D., said they interpreted the filming law differently in their region.

Prior to the law, we’ve videotaped summer and winter in the Boundary Waters, even involving Forest Service officials, and never were accused of hurting resources or interrupting public activities.

Van Every said permit requests for the Boundary Waters, even one recently submitted by Boys Scouts of America, are routinely denied and there is no intention to single out TV productions.

Yet, a private production company produced a Boundary Waters educational video that all visitors are required to view before they enter the wilderness. Another, North American Fisherman television, has an arrangement with the Forest Service granting access to Superior National Forest lakes, he said.

Often federal lands managers defend the law saying, “You are making money off public land, why shouldn’t you pay?” Usually, I respond, “What about newspaper reporters, magazine editors, book authors, radio announcers, even artists?” All of them operate uncontested within wilderness, turning out a product that is generating revenue.

Typically, we have been well received by managers on most federal wildlife refuges and water production areas, BLM tracts, national parks and most national forests after they evaluate our credibility and story plan. Most want the exposure for their facilities and management and some even offer to participate.

In fact, although we are just a two-person and camera team and not a big budget operation, we would be willing to pay for access permits.

However, we cannot accept being denied access without seeking change for our generation of outdoors reporters and beyond. Public resources, wilderness or otherwise, need to be shown and interpreted to all.

“If the law needs to be changed,” Van Every said, “that’s something for you and others in your profession to sort out.”

By the way, we took Van Every’s suggestion and produced a segment on the “wilderness” opportunities outside the Boundary Waters. Van Every said he thought it was a good job. And, he offered to work with us on a report examining all-terrain vehicle use within the forest. ◊
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Editor’s note: This article ran previously in Outdoors Unlimited and will appear in OWAA’s newest publication, “The Freelancer’s Guide to Business Practices.”

By Mark Sosin

Television sings a siren’s song. Hunters, fishermen, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts envision themselves in front of cameras producing footage to regale viewers every week locally, regionally or nationally. Someone once opined that anyone who came in second in a bass tournament and had access to a Betacam would probably try to produce a television show. And, somewhere buried in that desire to have one’s own show lies the mistaken notion that those who have television shows reap millions of dollars in profits. All they have to do for that king’s ransom is hunt, fish or enjoy the outdoors in some other way with very little work, a lot of fun and a modicum of responsibility. The word on the street is that if you want to make a million dollars in television, start with two million dollars.

Having your own show requires only two things. You have to find a channel or network to air your production, and then get somebody to pick up the tab. It may sound easy, but it can loom as a formidable challenge, particularly since the market is inundated with outdoor television programming. Unless someone hires you to host their show, the challenge is yours and yours alone. In fact, even though you may not shoot or edit the show, the finished product is your signature and it reflects on your name.

A publisher of a major outdoor magazine confided that until he looked into television production, he lacked an appreciation for everything that was involved. “In the magazine, newspaper and book businesses, we have tiers of editors who can whip a manuscript into shape even after it has been submitted,” he said. “With television, when the finished tape arrives, there can be no further changes and there are no backup editors.”

If you intend to produce your own show, think of yourself as an entrepreneur. You are about to run a business and its success or failure is in your hands. The place to start is with a game plan. Your show will have to have a focus, format and a name. In fact, you may have to produce a pilot at your own expense so you can sell your concept to a television station or a network and then get financial backers. Generally, you have to put most of the puzzle pieces together before you can sell sponsors or investors. They want to know what the show is about, where and when it will air and so forth before putting their money on the table.

Estimating the cost of production and other expenses becomes the most challenging part of the business plan. Most of us have a tendency to underestimate and not prepare for hidden costs that surely will come up at an inopportune time. Start by figuring out how long it will take to shoot a show assuming everything goes as planned. Consider, too, that you are shooting outdoors and must endure the vagaries of weather and the abundance (or lack thereof) of fish or game. The fish may not bite and the ducks may not fly. Every shoot may not be successful. For a 13-week series, for example, you may have to go out in the field 15 or 16 times or spend extra, unplanned days on a number of outings. All of this costs money, yet you still have to operate within a given budget. It is usually easier to cut costs than to raise more money.

Several decisions have to be made early in the venture. The majority of outdoor programming airs either 13 weeks or 26 weeks. You need to decide which option makes more sense, at least in the beginning. Then, there is the question of format. High definition (HD or Hi-Def) certainly appears to be the format of the future. Some outdoor avenues are using HD right now. Other formats are still acceptable. Keep in mind you can shoot in one format and deliver the show in another. The only exception is HD. You have to shoot in HD if you plan to air in HD.

Regardless of the format, producing a quality show requires skilled and experienced videographers who understand the basics of professional video. Too many efforts today fit in the category of home movies and amateur productions. For awhile, stations and networks were very forgiving on production standards, but the pendulum may be swinging back to quality shows. If you can use the same videographers on every shoot (once you find competent ones), they will become better at delivering the type of coverage you want.

A two-camera shoot makes more sense than simply using one camera, but it also affects costs. Delivering quality with a single camera takes more time. In many instances, producers hire freelance videographers who provide their own equipment and charge a fixed rate for a 10-hour day. Anything beyond 10 hours is billed as a premium. A second choice involves renting the equipment and then hiring cameramen to operate it. Finally, you can form your own production company, buy the equipment and either put videographers on staff or hire them as needed using your gear.

Once the field footage has been produced, you will need someone to log the shots and then do the editing. Again, you have to find an edit facility that can work in the format you used in the field and then deliver in the format the station or network demands. The on-air facility will tell you the timing of the show, how many commercial breaks and so forth. You will also have to develop a standard open and close that identifies your show.

Most newcomers fail to recognize that any music used in the show – and that includes the open and close – must come from a licensed music library. There are several from which to choose. You can either pay by the needle drop (play) or license the whole library. Be sure you buy all of the rights you need. On-air rights are different from showing your video to a group in a theater or auditorium. The station or network will insist on a music clearance sheet accompanying every show with the rights spelled out, and you have to have it to get on the air.

Show hosts sometimes fall into a trap. They view their job as catching fish or shooting game, leaving the videography and the editing to others. No one should be more concerned with turning out a quality product than you. You don’t have to know how to shoot a camera or which buttons to push on an edit console, but you do have to know the capabilities of the camera and how to put a show together avoiding the pitfalls of hasty editing. It’s your job to make sure the cameramen capture all the essential material in the field including more than enough B-roll to give the editor some latitude and to cover all the dialogue. If you don’t have it “in the can,” it isn’t going to be in the show. And, you have to watch every segment of the show to make certain it is exactly what you want. You are the final authority. One way to judge a strong editing effort is by counting the number of cuts (shots) and how long each one remains on the screen. The human mind can grasp what it is seeing in two seconds or less. Shots that linger become boring to the viewer.

Understand from the beginning that “standard” contracts don’t exist. Depending on how badly someone wants your product, contracts are negotiable. In working with a station or network, four options exist. They can buy or license the program from you, but this tends to be the exception. Usually you either barter for the air time by trading advertising time or you pay the station for the privilege of giving them a show ready for airing. What you are buying from them is commercial inventory. The fourth alternative is a combination of barter and cash.

If you sell the program, you usually have to give up the copyright and it becomes a work made for hire. Under a licensing agreement, you own the copyright and license it to the network. Be very careful of what rights you are giving away in any deal. It pays to have a lawyer skilled in contracts look over the document before you sign it. This is not the place to gamble on your knowledge of the law. Television programs may have ongoing value well after they aired the first time.

A finished show involves three phases: pre-production, production and post-production. Each step becomes a critical part of the finished product. It all starts with the planning stage (pre-production). Pick a location and the species you intend to catch or shoot or what you want to show the viewer if you are not fishing or hunting. Develop a detailed written treatment including key shots that can be shared with everyone on the shoot. This puts everyone on the same page and leaves little doubt as to what has to be accomplished. Then, work out Plan B, just in case your initial goal cannot be reached. And, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for Plan C. Barring a crisis, you want to come away with something usable.

During pre-production, you handle all the logistics involved in travel to the destination, where to stay when you are there (if that is necessary), permitting (if required), transportation on site and the list goes on. You then have to schedule the crew and anyone else you intend to take with you. Remember that the more people you have in the field, the more problems you will encounter when you try to shoot. Unnecessary bodies get in the way. Also, you may have to extend a shoot because of weather or other factors. Make sure everyone with you has a flexible schedule and can give you the extra time if needed.

Remote areas create additional problems. You cannot get backup gear by simply making a phone call, so you have to anticipate what might break down while you are in the field and take spares with you or figure out in advance how to get it if needed. If electrical power isn’t available around the clock, take more batteries, and don’t forget more tape than you think you will need. If you run out of tape or batteries on a shoot or even during the day, that’s your fault and it can be a costly mistake, even if you have more back in the hotel room.

Production takes place in the field, and it holds the key to the quality of the finished product. Tape is the cheapest commodity you have. Shoot all you think you need and then shoot more. Taping should start as soon as there is available light, and it should continue throughout the day. Shoot cutaways in the same light as the action so they match and can be edited together. The prime mission, however, centers on capturing the action. While you are waiting for something to happen, the cameras can be shooting footage of the area and other scenes that could be used in the finished product. Make sure everyone refers to the treatment and shot list you prepared before you left for the shoot.

Your job in the field goes beyond simply hunting or catching something. As you gain skill, you will begin to work with the cameramen to make certain they can get the necessary shots. Look at it as a team effort. You’re part of that production team. Learn to make it easier for the cameramen, so the cameras aren’t trying to grab what they can in a typical TV-news type scenario.

Each finished tape should be numbered sequentially along with the camera designator. If you have one camera, it is the A Camera. The second one becomes the B Camera. Tapes would be labeled 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Be sure to label the tape itself plus the case that protects the tape. Finished tapes must be cared for in the field and accounted for continuously. Before you go home at the end of the shoot, put all the shot tapes in a bag or backpack and keep them with you. If you have to board an airplane, carry them aboard with you. Never put finished tapes in checked baggage or let them get out of your sight for any reason.

Unless you have your own editing equipment, post-production usually will be billed on an hourly basis depending on the time of day you edit, the equipment you need and so forth. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of time puts money in your pocket. It may make sense to purchase the bare essentials that will allow you to edit offline. Then, when you enter the production facility, you already have a rough cut, and the time needed for the online edit has been reduced dramatically. If you’re going to require voiceovers, they need to be written in advance and arrangements made for the voiceover talent unless you plan to do it yourself. Production houses often have music libraries available that they can use in your show, but they will charge you for each needle drop. If you do use the facility’s library, be sure to find out what rights are offered and if those rights cover your needs.

It makes sense to cut your standard open and close before you edit your first show. Schedule post-production time for this and be sure to have the necessary logos for billboards along with whatever shots or artwork you plan to use. Some stations and networks simply have you insert two minutes of black where commercials go and they will put the commercials in the correct spot. You send your commercials to the station separately and then each week you send them an insert order designating which commercials go where. If you have to insert the commercials in your show, be sure to take them with you to the production facility.

Networks have their own set of post-production guidelines you are required to follow. Most insist on specific graphics and even give you a window for the length of each segment. Be sure to study these rules and make sure the editor complies with them. If you don’t follow them, the network or station may reject a show and make you change the parts that don’t match their guidelines.
Finally, pack each show carefully and ship it to the station or network in plenty of time for staffers to air it. No one likes to receive a show at the last minute, since many stations want to preview anything and everything they put on the air. Whatever you ship should get to its destination within one or two days. You don’t want tapes lying idle in hot warehouses for prolonged periods. Make sure you keep track of the shipment and check it off once you get a confirmation it was received.

It may look easy to someone peering in from the outside, but producing quality video on a consistent basis ranks as an extremely challenging and demanding job. There are no shortcuts and no one else to blame. It’s your name, your show, and the outcome reflects on you.

Mark Sosin is host of “Mark Sosin’s Saltwater Journal,” a 52-week TV series on the Outdoor Channel and Sunshine Network (Fox). He’s also a book author, producer of videos and TV commercials and a past president of OWAA.

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I sure hope I’m not the only hunter appalled by these productions. To me, they’re embarrassing and self-defeating.

By Bill Schneider

I warn you upfront. This is going to be a bit of rant that I usually try to avoid in columns, but with this subject, I can’t resist.

I don’t know how many readers watch hunting shows on the cable channels. I watch them, but I’ll be doing a lot less of it going forward unless somebody steps up and kills these “Chumming TV” programs that give hunting a bad image, even among hunters.

And anti-hunting groups must love watching these distasteful programs and seeing hunters desecrate their own image. It makes their job easier.

By “Chumming TV” I refer to the outrageous, unethical and often illegal practice of luring game into shooting range with bait, artificial scent or other unnatural means. I’ve seen many incredible hunting shows, true tests between man and beast without technical or artificial advantages, but I’ve also seen too much of the dark side, which I call “chumming,” where producers show images or allow narration about the game being brought into shooting range with bait or other artificial, unethical means.

There are four popular outdoor channels – ESPN Outdoors, The Outdoor Channel, The Sportsman Channel and Versus. Most programming is excellent and broadcasts a positive image of hunting and hunters, but there must be some process to assure all programming furthers the goal of preserving our hunting tradition. I’m not sure I blame the channels for airing the programs as much as I do us for watching them. Without viewers, the programs would quickly disappear.

It was tempting, but I’ve decided not to include links to specific programs in this commentary. I don’t want the comment thread to fill up with criticism and defenses of any specific program. Instead, I want to focus on the general issue of making sure hunting shows depict hunters in a positive light.

The sport of hunting has enough problems – a broken mentorship chain, declining numbers, reduced or unaffordable access, development of prime habitat, and an already-tarnished image, to name a few. Do we need to make it worse ourselves? It’s almost like we’re trying to hand over a victory to the animal rights groups who would like nothing better than the end of all hunting.

You may have seen the shows. The worst of the worst may be black bear hunting programs, which shamefully show “hunters” waiting over garbage cans filled with strong-smelling food attractants or carrion hung from trees below permanent tree stands. I realize prohibiting baiting would greatly reduce success rates, but what’s more important? A higher kill ratio up on the Precambrian Shield or the future of hunting?

As bad – if not worse – are shows with “hunters” sitting in permanent structures with  gravity feeders clearly visible, programmed to release deer food at a certain time of the day so hunters don’t have to waste more than an hour or two getting their monster buck.

This isn’t a new problem; it has been around a long time, tarnishing the sport of hunting. But lately, it seems to me, it’s gotten so transparent. At least the producers could hide the bait instead of showing the bear attacking the garbage can or pulling the carrion out of the tree, or showing deer standing under the chumming machines.

I sure hope I’m not the only hunter appalled by these productions. To me, they’re embarrassing and self-defeating – sort of our attempt to make the end of hunting a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I realize it’s hard to draw the line, but chumming is definitely on the wrong side of it, as is clearly displaying and discussing hunting over manicured food plots or hanging scent leaves below the tree stand. Are “biologically engineered” or “building better wildlife” food plots grown to produce massive racks significantly different than dumping corn or salt blocks in front of the tree stand?

On the technological front, well, it gets dicey deciding how much is too much – better optics and GPS units clearly are on the OK side, but what about “scouting cameras” sending digital images to the owner’s breakfast table and handheld radios used by many big game hunters nowadays? To me, this is over the line, but I acknowledge a large gray area in what technology hunters should use.

Some people think ethics is hard to define, and I suppose it is, yet if you see ethical behavior, you might wonder whether it’s unethical or not. But if you see unethical behavior, there will be no doubt in your mind.

We all know why television producers do it. They’re convinced they must have a kill to make a successful show, but I question that philosophy. Some of the best programs I’ve seen show the quarry winning. That’s certainly the way it works most of the time when I go hunting. As most hunters realize, the experience is what counts, not the kill.

I’m mainly talking about big game hunting programs, but the same should apply to upland game bird and waterfowl hunting programs. We can’t have baiting or too much technology, and fortunately, I haven’t seen too much of this on television, even though producers film many bird hunting programs on commercial game farms.

Ditto for big game hunting programs. Producers film way too many of them on game farms or canned hunt operations, the worst being those featuring “hunts” for nilgai, Barbary sheep, gemsbok, oryx, and many other exotic species that shouldn’t even be allowed in the United States. Does a television program showing somebody killing a zebra on a Texas game farm really help the image of the sport of hunting?

So what to do about it? I had a couple of ideas. How about major conservation organizations and cable channels collaborating to create an oversight board to review programs before they’re aired and decline to air offensive programs – or at least force them to use a statement like this in the opening:

“This program contains scenes that display poor taste, are filmed on canned hunt operations, use questionable practices such as baiting, or otherwise inappropriately depict the sport of hunting as a unethical pursuit of game.”

So, of course, real hunters could quickly switch channels.

Or, perhaps cable channels could skip the thorny process of review and simply require producers to use this statement in the opening of every hunting show:

“This program strictly adheres to the Principles of Fair Chase, which is the ethical, sportsmanlike and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.”

In case you don’t recognize the wording, that’s the Fair Chase mission statement for all hunters written by the Boone and Crockett Club, the oldest and perhaps most prestigious conservation organization in this country. Would the inclusion of this statement on all programs be that much to ask? Would you want to be the producer who refused to use it?

Even though, regrettably, baiting bears and other game chumming is legal in some states and provinces, ethics should trump those statutes. We don’t need a law to fix this problem; we hunters just need to take control of our own future.

P.S. If so inclined, you can write a polite, constructive e-mail to the cable channels at these links: ESPN Outdoors, The Outdoor Channel, The Sportsman’s Channel and Versus.

• http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/index
• www.outdoorchannel.com/ContactUs.aspx
• www.thesportsmanchannel.com/utility/contact/generalinfo/index.php
• www.versus.com/article/view/740/?tf=footerArticles.tpl
  

Bill Schneider is the outdoor editor and columnist for the e-zine NewWest.net, where this article first appeared.





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By Kris Millgate

I’m better with a rod than a rifle. That’s painfully obvious as I walk into a loading room for the first time with two sets of camera gear to shoot a video and print story. The owner of the room built for customizing bullets and guns is a brilliant physicist who talks like a trucker when he’s not rattling off math formulas. My task is to quickly decipher ammunition jargon while filtering out the dirty jokes spewing from the most notorious hunting legend as of late – the man behind the fall of the world’s largest bull elk. This isn’t the time to be a know-it-all, at least not in the traditional sense of the phrase.

Want to know

I’m a know-it-all. I like to know about all things. I’m curious by nature and that’s an asset worth hanging on to when you’re a journalist. I face the unfamiliar every day. That’s what makes my job so fulfilling. If I wanted to skip the adventure of the unknown, I would have stayed in the cubicle job that put me through college.

Fortunately for me and my chosen profession, I’m not a girlie girl. Somewhere along my career path, I ducked behind a tree, shed my dress for waders and never looked back. I’m an outdoor journalist, and the nature of working in nature lends itself to the manly side of life. I fish with men. I interview men. I take pictures of men. I travel with men. I’ve only had one female photographer work with me in 12 years and even she was a little gruff. The point is, I work outside of my comfort zone all of the time and the last thing I want to do is act like I know it all. But genuinely wanting to know it all makes the difference when you need a story to come together in an unfamiliar place like a loading room.

Ask the questions

Beyond the hunter on the hill, there is a lifelong love of the outdoors and an obsessive drive for perfection. I only know this about the man in the loading room because I ask questions. A lot of questions.

I don’t claim to know everything and would never want to. What would be the point in asking questions? I am an expert at asking the right questions, not answering them. Interviews are not about what I know. They are about what the interviewee knows. My hunter knows what he’s talking about. I want to take advantage of all he knows to add to my want to know and turn a story.

As we gather experience under our belts, we tend to know more and more and ask less and less. It’s a dangerous place to be. If you’re truly curious, you provide the questions, not the answers. If you’re creating a story worthy of reading and/or watching, you are not the story, you’re just the messenger.

Hold the smarts

Messengers don’t dump their smarts on the table. It doesn’t build credibility. It just wastes time. Besides, it’s more effective to initiate conversation than intimidate with knowledge. But don’t overdo it. Competence carries, ignorance buries, so no playing dumb here. Have enough smarts to ask the right questions, but not so much that you shy away from admitting you don’t know something.

During my daunting day in the loading room, I wasn’t too proud to ask questions others might consider stupid, but I also had enough smarts to ask the right questions so I could pass the appropriate message along to viewers and readers.

Carry your load

As the messenger, I choose to be the one willing to know all there is to know about the task at hand. Throughout my career, 12 years so far, I’ve picked up any job that needs to be done to make a story fly. I’m as open to grunt work now as I was as an intern. Hauling gear through the mountains tracking wolves for two days – I’ll do it. Editing in the middle of the night to produce a story worthy of art not just air – I’ll do it.

My willingness to know all means I now have access to more media outlets and I want to be even better at my job(s). A better writer is a better shooter. A better shooter is a better editor. There’s a reason for my company’s mission statement: Tight Line Media provides exceptional productions from the first word to the final edit. Packing two sets of camera gear for my loading room experience produced a print and photo story for several newspapers, a TV story for a weekly outdoor segment, a Web video and magazine queries currently under review. I moved one story idea through many mediums and learned how to pack a bullet for high-performance long-range shots at the same time all because of my desire to be a know-it-all. ◊

Kris Millgate is a new OWAA member and freelance journalist based in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She operates www.tightlinemedia.biz.

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By Paul Lepisto

It’s been said the most exercised muscles in an American’s body are in the hand that changes the channels on a TV remote. With the large number of channels most people have to choose from, channel surfing has become a popular pastime. That being said, a phrase that should be placed in every editing suite of all the producers of outdoor television is this: You only get one chance to make a first impression. Today, more than ever before, producers have to be aware of what they are putting in their shows and how the images and sounds could be interpreted by the audience.

Hunters and anglers make up only a small percentage of the U.S. population. The only exposure a lot of the general public has to these activities is what they see on TV while cruising past when an outdoor show is on. That’s why it is so critical that TV producers make sure they put their best foot forward in every scene of every show. It may be only a short sequence, a few seconds of a 30-minute program, but if that is what a non-hunter or non-angler happens to see, it could shape or form their overall impression of hunting or fishing.

This was addressed during a session titled “As Seen on TV: The Hunter’s Image” at last summer’s annual OWAA conference in Bismarck, N.D. TV show hosts Ron Schara and Babe Winkelman discussed this topic. Frankly, I think it’s one of the most pressing issues facing outdoor TV today. I’m a lifelong hunter and angler and I cringe while watching some of the shows today. I don’t have a problem with “impact shots” on big game or birds. I do, however, have a lot of trouble seeing prolonged footage of an animal or bird struggling away after the shot. I know it is part of hunting, but as producers, you don’t have to show it. That’s why it is called “editing.” You have to remember your show may be the first and perhaps only impression of hunting that a viewer will ever get.

Another thing I have noticed on some shows is a lack of respect for the fish and game the host claims to “love.” OK, to demonstrate this point, I want you to start holding your breath – now.

It isn’t just the hunting shows; fishing programs also have to be careful with the way they present themselves. (Are you still holding your breath?)

I have seen “anglers” on some shows practically rip hooks out of a fish’s mouth then toss the fish back into the water with little regard to its health or condition. How long does it take to release the fish the right way?

(Don’t breathe yet.)

Also, I continually see people unhook a bass, then while holding the fish by its lip, turn the bass horizontality to the camera. This can damage or even dislocate the fish’s jaw. Support the fish’s body with your other hand, then release it.

Still holding your breath? Are you wondering why I keep asking? Because I’ve seen many hosts catch a fish, unhook it, then go into a long pitch for one of their sponsor’s products, going on and on about a lure, rod, reel, line, trolling motor, electronics, boat, sunglasses – all the while holding the fish out of the water where it can’t breathe. Depending on your reading speed, you’ve been holding your breath for 30 seconds to about a minute. I’ve timed hosts holding a fish out of water for more than a minute and a half! Why? If you think it’s no big deal for the fish, reverse the situation: Stick your head under water for 90 seconds. Breathing isn’t a luxury.

Bird-hunting programs, particularly those on waterfowl, occasionally show people retrieving shot birds. Often the hunters carelessly toss or throw the birds to the ground, which begs the question: What are you doing out there if you have no more respect for your quarry than that? How much does it take to treat the bird with respect?

A lot of responsibility goes with producing an outdoor TV show. You are representing hunting and fishing and all anglers and hunters. You have the chance to send a message. The message can be a good one, presenting hunting and angling as the wonderful recreational pursuits they are. Or you can send a different message, one that says all hunters and anglers are “slobs” who have little or no respect for the fish or game they are after. Ethical behavior is important for everyone. It is critical for those in the business of producing outdoor television, because you only have one chance to make a good first impression. ◊

Paul Lepisto, of Pierre, S.D., was an award-winning producer of “Tony Dean Outdoors TV” for 18 years and now works for the Izaak Walton League of America. He joined OWAA in 1992.

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Bulging belts. Straining buttons. Moans and groans. Whispered cliches … “Ah till ya wot … no doubt about it … for all ya folks at home …” Hosts dwarfing most NFL players. Expert hunters huffing and puffing up a ladder to an elevated shooting shack yards from a bait pile. Anglers grunting and gasping while fumbling a fish, vowing to “go for a bigger one.” Big-game hunters not wearing a stitch of blaze orange. Where are the life jackets? Does anybody walk to a deer stand? Male hosts and guests chuckling after sexist comments and innuendoes. From a hospital bed, I window-shop TV’s lineup of outdoors shows. Such offerings are welcome distraction from heart-monitoring patches and IV tubes attached everywhere. A scary incident of atrial fibrillation while taping a duck hunting segment landed me in this bed aglow in TV mayhem. Twenty-six hours later my heart converted thanks to drugs and rest. “No restrictions” were the cardiologist’s discharge notations. Those “Why me?” and “How come?” head games are fading. Same cannot be said for the images of rotund, blabbering celebrities professing how good they feel outdoors. Really? Kill-shot lusting and showing little respect for fish and game, these digital woodsmen more than fill poorly edited scenes with not-so-subtle marketing of embroidered clothing, glistening guns, gas-guzzling boats, cutting-edge bows and gurgling ATVs. My bed-bound ratings are not flattering. What do advertisers get for their sizeable investments? Did these show hosts and producers ever take a journalism or writing course? (Ron Schara, you’re absolutely right about sloppy narration and poor storytelling being the norm and not the exception in today’s outdoors programming. See Schara’s article, “The Rest of the Story” in Outdoors Unlimited, October 2008.) After words and stories, the image issue is paramount in any type of TV. Images attract, details inform. From my early TV days I was warned that TV’s illusions add at least 10 pounds to a person’s appearance. Initially, my 6foot, 3-inch frame scaled around 220 pounds. But I was crushed by the first person who greeted me at a sports show with: “Gosh, you’re not as fat as you look on television!” While I trained to maintain that weight, my waistline grew, but not my height. On that hospital bed, the digital scale kicked out 249 pounds. An active, supposedly healthy person is how I portrayed myself on TV and believed myself to be. What I was doing wrong – eating, drinking, overworking, not getting the right exercise and letting stress rule – are habits I pondered during two days of hospital care. Times like these a person makes all sorts of pledges to self and family. (I’ve already lost close to 20 pounds in five weeks.) First, I realize that many in outdoors television are indelibly addicted to the outdoors and hope to translate that affair into the best programming they can produce. But do they consider how they and their actions look to impressionable audiences? Here are some examples of shortcomings, and suggestions, from questions and comments I’ve received:

• “Why don’t you wear a life vest all the time? My kids are watching!” (I often wear a personal flotation device while under way or encountering rough waters.)
•  “Why do you flip fish into the water?” (Some do, many don’t. I admire and photograph while holding them in a natural horizontal position, then quickly slip them into the water.)
• “Some hunters appear to be pointing guns at the camera or others in your group.” (Some TV hunters do get sloppy with guns. This is big – insist that all practice gun safety rules to the letter!)
• “Why is the weather always great?” (We do bring in the weather factors as they are as much part of the real outdoor experience as sunny, bluebird days.)
• “People on your show look so stiff” and “Isn’t there a lot of staging?” (Lighten up and inject sensible humor when appropriate. Carefully edit sequences that are real or exact replicas of the witnessed event – viewers are very perceptive!)
• Research your stories for interesting in-depth angles that truly separate what you’re doing from weaker products.
• Strive for informative “intros” and “segues” that enhance reports, not just fill time! Try spontaneous afield scenes and dialogue.
• Viewers regard that “billboard” look on clothing, boats and vehicles superficial and boring.
• Musical soundbeds are OK as links and, in a pinch, in the absence of natural sound. Long stretches of music are irritating and deprive viewers of information producers should be adding instead injecting banjo music or rock ’n’ roll. Besides, what beats nature’s music? Nat sound should rule!
• What’s with this “whispering” and “subtitle” craze? If dialogue isn’t audible on the first pass, don’t air it!
• Finally, look at yourself and what you’re doing!

By all means stay as healthy as the outdoors world you’re trying to reflect. Dave Carlson, of Eau Claire, Wis., is writer, producer and host of the outdoors TV show “Northland Adventures” and a former OWAA board member.  Print This Post