Concert review tips

I found an example page of concert review tips, as I need to save these for when I'll be reviewing Latitude (hopefully!) in July! I volunteered to go along with a few journalists to do some reviews and some hopeful interviews! This may be well out of my comfort zone, but I need to jump to any opportunity while I can! 

Instructions:

1. • 1
     Get press access to the show. In order to review the concert, you’ll need to get in the door. If your editor doesn’t handle this for you, contacting the band’s publicist should work if you can prove your credentials.
   • 2
     Take notes. Write down your observations of the show or any quotes from the stage. Depending on your deadline and when you write your review you may not remember all of the details. Similarly, reading over your notes may remind you of things you didn’t write down.
   • 3
     Get the set list. This is especially crucial if you’re reviewing a show for a band you are unfamiliar with. You will need to mention what songs were played at the show in your review. If you don’t know the names of all of the songs, you can sometimes get a copy of the set list from the band’s merch guy or manager.
   • 4
     Catch the opening act. Yeah, it’s cooler to make a late entrance, but catching the opening band can give you a little extra to say in your review if the show is bland and you still have words to fill.
   • 5
     Find what made the show worth being at. What makes the concert worth writing about? Is it a large band playing an intimate venue? Is it a new act on their first big tour? Is it a hometown show? Did anyone special join the band on stage? These kinds of things should definitely make their way into the review.
   • 6
     Come up with a lead. Just like any article, a concert review also needs an engaging and informative lead sentence.
   • 7
     Review the band. Write about how well (or poorly) the band played, if they did any of their songs differently (and if so, how?) and whether or not there was any stage banter. Be as descriptive and detailed as possible.
   • 8
     Don’t focus on the audience. Write about what the band does, not the audience. However, do make note of who is there, what type of fans have shown up and whether it’s a large or small crowd. Whether the show was sold out or only 10 fans showed up, audience size has a tendency to affect the band’s performance.
   • 9
     State the place, date and time. Your review should mention the venue and date of the show, but also use details, like what part of town to give readers unfamiliar with the area a better idea of where the show took place. Also, if the show was earlier in the day, or extremely late at night, be sure to mention that.
   • 10
     Name the band members. Even if it’s a solo act, try to catch the names of the backing players. Lead singers aren’t the only stars of a concert, even if they are front and centre. Don’t let your review be only a critique of the centre stage.
   • 11
     Write to entertain. Make sure that, while packing in all the information about the band and the night as you can, you are also using engaging description and clever turns of phrase. Make the review fun to read.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4514634_review-concert.html#ixzz3391A6Oxl


Source - Small tips on how to review a concert

Even the slightest mention is an achievement!

(It really is the little things.) Received a nice little mention about the video I made when I asked people of Ipswich if they were going to the Suffolk show. The video itself is shit but I just feel giddy about the whole mention thing, as it took me all afternoon to grab people to talk to me!

My mention on the website. And my utter rubbish video.

Before I die I want to...

This is quite embarrassing but it’s still an achievement and something to add to my Journalism portfolio!  I appear in the very last few seconds of the video, just to conclude the event.

I went out with a professional photographer to create a short video about Dying Awareness week, where people can talk openly about the subject at The University College in Suffolk.

We asked people what was on their bucket list, or whether they had a list of things to do before they die. I did have a short introduction at the very beginning, but unfortunately we had to cut it because some of the information was incorrect. So I would of had a few more seconds there!

It was a fantastic experience and it was nice to get out of the office and enjoy the sunshine! I hope I have the opportunity to do more of these videos, and also be able to host them!

I also had to write an article about the day and what it was about, and that appeared on page 3 of the paper! (Not in that way of course, don’t be rude guys!)

You have to start somewhere I suppose!

To avoid contempt of court - basics of court reporting in a 'relationship/sex' case.

TIP:

In a sex case, where the alleged victim has to remain anonymous, you must never even hint at a relationship with the defendant. Doing so quite clearly dramatically narrows down the number of people it could be.

Write a press release (for the journalists to actually read!)

One of potentially the most effective ways of securing media coverage is to send out a press release. Keep it short and punchy - never more than two sides of A4 - ideally a lot less.

Top tips

• Ensure you cover the Five W's: Who, What, Where, Why, When.
• Make it clear whether the event is open to the general public.
• Include key contact details.
• If possible, set up an interesting photo opportunity - and make sure you mention it in the press release. However, don't rely on a newspaper sending a photographer to the event - have someone take high quality photos and send them to the papers afterwards. 
• It's generally best to contact journalists by email in the first instance. Your press release should be pasted into the body of the email, not sent as an attachment - you don't want to place any barriers in the way of it being read. Make sure your email subject line is strong so that it grabs journalists' attention.
• Do follow-up your press release with a phone call to check receipt and to further sell your story. 

How to Write a Compelling Restaurant Review

The advent of the Internet has given rise to an ever-changing yet highly lucrative industry that is rapidly growing every day: review websites. From dog sitters to dentists, it seems there are websites to review just about anything you can think of. One of the biggest sectors of review websites is restaurants; there are endless restaurant review websites dedicated solely to helping consumers discover the best eateries near them (and avoid those that aren’t worth the money).

Millions of amateur foodies and casual diners alike have illustrated genuine consumer goodwill by taking to the web to share their best and worst eating experiences. If you’re eager to share your culinary hits and misses, here’s how to write a compelling restaurant review that can’t be ignored.

Offer Some Background – Be sure to offer as much information about the restaurant you are reviewing as possible, including location, phone number, type of cuisine, hours, etc. On many restaurant review websites you must add the restaurant to the site database (if it is not already there) and fill in any information the site asks for (like whether or not the restaurant serves alcoholic beverages or takes reservations). If another user posted inaccurate information – such as the wrong hours – change the information yourself or inform the website directly.

Give Both Pros and Cons – Maybe the food was less than stellar but was the service unparalleled? If your restaurant experience was riddled with both pros and cons, make sure you list both to provide readers with an accurate, well-rounded review.

Name Specific Entrees – Most restaurant-goers will appreciate specific recommendations and whether or not you loved or hated the food. Listing specifically what you ordered will help validate your opinions. Some review websites even have a spot where you can list exactly what dishes you ordered.

Evaluate the Entire Experience - While the food is obviously the main attraction of any restaurant, there are other factors that can greatly influence the overall dining experience including ambiance, décor and service are important to note. For example, how quickly did you receive your food and was the server attentive to your needs? Did the décor enhance or distract from the overall ambiance of the restaurant? Be specific as possible about the details of the restaurant.

Use Descriptive Adjectives – To really spice up your review (no pun intended), use descriptive adjectives. For example, instead of simply saying that the grilled chicken you ordered was “bad,” tell why it was bad; was it dry, bland, too salty, etc? Rest assured, you can never provide too much detail in a restaurant review.

Let Your Personality Shine Through – No one wants to read a boring, dull review of anything, let alone a restaurant. Furthermore, there is no added value or insight to your review if you simply copy what someone else has already written. Make your review highly personal and unique to you, using your own “voice;” readers will be much more interested and find your review helpful if it is genuine

Source: Katie Nielsen on http://restaurant-website-reviews.toptenreviews.com/how-to-write-a-compelling-restaurant-review.html

efficiency

ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/

noun

1. the state or quality of being efficient.

   "greater energy efficiency"

   synonyms:

   organization, order, orderliness, planning, regulation, logicality, coherence,productivity, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness More

   • an action designed to achieve efficiency.

     plural noun: efficiencies

     "the reforms will lead to efficiencies and savings"
   • technical

     the ratio of the useful work performed by a machine or in a process to the total energy expended or heat taken in.

     "the boiler has an efficiency of 45 per cent"

revenue

ˈrɛvənjuː/

noun

noun: revenue; plural noun: revenues

1. income, especially when of an organization and of a substantial nature.

   "traders have lost £10,000 in revenue since the traffic scheme was implemented"

   
   

   • a state's annual income from which public expenses are met.

     "his priority was to raise government revenue and to lower expenditure"
   • the department of the civil service collecting state revenue.

     noun: the revenue

     "when the revenue makes a demand for tax, that demand is implicitly backed by the powers of the state"

Just slightly embarrassed myself...

I was talking to my news editor about what title to put for my article.

Title.

Title....

He said "oh you mean the headline"

Idiot.

Oooooh big words...!

So I feel really thick when I hear big words used by other reporters, so I have kept note of these words and will add to it every now and then...


ADVERSE - Unfavourable, harmful, preventing success
AUSTERITY - Budget cuts, reduce budget deficits during adverse economic conditions 
DEFICITS - The amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small
DISPUTE - A disagreement or argument
INQUEST - Formal investigation
MAGNANIMOUS - A sense of forgiving
PREDILECTION - A preference/ special liking
PRONOUNCED - Very noticeable or CONSPICUOUS - Clearly visible 
SUBSEQUENTLY - Afterwards

Good Journalism words to use:

Allegedly 
Just to clarify
Police are appealing
Regarding

So now I'm looking up working abroad...

Okay seriously? I have had a sudden urge to work abroad lately. I have been looking on STA Travel for possible jobs, as this site seems really safe and I've heard good things about it. If anyone else know any good websites then please step forward!

BUT - If I did a teaching TEFL course in South Africa for example, (which is only two months), it would be amazing. However, I would have no money collected to go to Harlow College in October to do my Intensive Journalism Diploma! Dammit! 

This urge to work abroad or go travelling may have to wait until next year. I guess I should stick with what’s right and complete my diploma first, but I don’t even know if I’ll get in yet!

So in THAT case, if I don’t get accepted into Harlow College, I will use the money that I’ve saved up to do something else instead - like work abroad! 

If anyone else has worked abroad, or is currently working abroad, throw your advice my way!

Little epiphany going on here. If you are in a similar boat, please share with me so I don’t feel like the only one. 

Thoughts on starting a seperate travel blog? Becoming a feature writer/reviewer

HELP AND ADVICE WANTED!

I have major wanderlust and I’m always travelling. So I need to find what I can specialise in when it comes to my Journalism degree..

Hospitality - I’ve worked in the restaurant and hotel industry since I was 4 so maybe I can start reviewing places and becoming a critic?

Travel - I’m always going on holiday and I take pictures of literally everything (like a proper tourist) and I feel the need to write about my entire holiday in diary form or one event at a time in detail. The boyfriend and I aim to go skiing as well as Tokyo when we save enough money! I wish I started writing earlier because I would have had Australia and Florida and South Africa to write about also…Hopefully I will save enough to go back.

Food - I love food. I’m always dining out in restaurants and need to find more places that not many people know about. I could be a potential food critic on the side because of the knowledge of working in a 4* hotel and restaurant, as well as working in this field since the age of 14.

Culture - I’m a people’s person and I am always interested in different cultures and what they have to say. Hence travel and culture would be an interesting subject. 

I need some advice from anyone who has become successful in their speciality blogging, or anyone who has become a popular blogger. Help will be appreciated!

Amy x

The importance of the Inverted Pyramid

ALWAYS REMEMBER THE INVERTED PYRAMID!

Who? What? When? Where? and Why?

This will get you going for a successful telephone interview and a great article. 

Remember - The audience could stop reading at any time so it's best to stick with this method.

Random telephone interview notes...

This is just to jot down for myself. Take note if you wish!

It's just stuff to remember to ask whilst on the phone.

(In no particular order obviously...)

What, When, Where, Who and Why?
Is it worth sending a photographer?
Full name, age and address?
Was wondering whether you had a few minutes to talk about it?
Your position in your work place/club?
What does that involve?
Who else is involved?
Are you the main organiser?

Send those Press Releases my way!

press release
noun

plural noun: press releases

an official statement issued to newspapers giving information on a particular matter.

Press releases were probably the first thing thrown at me when I started working at the News Desk.
They seemed relatively easy. However, it was so tempting to just copy and paste the work into the system - then that would be considered laziness and possible plagiarism. We don't want that now do we.

The editor expected me to, well, be the editor of that piece! Grammar checks were essential, even the nitty gritty punctuation gets noticed, as well as changing the style of the article to fit our standard criteria.

Press releases can contain all the factual information about the event, the company and the people involved. Writing them up allowed me to look busy if I didn't have many telephone calls from the public asking me to write about their achievements / concerns / witnesses etc. It also helped improve my editing skills and proofreading.

Press releases are a quick and informative way to fill up a newspaper. (Not all of it of course, otherwise what's the point in us journalists?)

Here are ways for journalists to write up press releases:
6 ways journalists can use press releases effectively. 

AND here is the opposite - Information for all you PRs on how to write good press releases for us Journalists. I'm not saying we are the superior - we need YOUR help to add factual information into the stories!
Press Release writing tips

So I was asked to do a 'Vox Pop'

vox populi (ˈpɒpjʊˌlaɪ)

- The voice of the people; popular or public opinion

My editor asked me to do a Vox Pop during the lunch hour in Ipswich town centre, Suffolk, UK.

I didn't mind this of course, as journalists are supposed to have the confidence to ask anyone anything (within context).

I was asked to find 6 members of the public to gather their opinions on the new £3million design for Ipswich Cornhill. Their have been a variety of responses on the re-design of the town centre, luckily mine were fairly positive! I also had to make sure that they were residents of the area first as we needed local responses.

The first challenge was to gather the individual's attention. I knew this wouldn't be easy as I do feel sorry for the charity organisations trying their best to gather money for the charity. It's far more difficult to ask for money on the street so I had an idea to start my vox pop by saying:

"Hi there I was just wondering if I could grab your opinion for your chance to be in the paper? Don't worry I'm not asking for money, just a public opinion..." I then shove the newspaper article in their face (not literally) as well as the A4 sized re-design images given to me to show them. 

I felt that these people would compromise if they knew their opinion would actually count! So I emphasised what paper I worked for and that their view would appear within the article. This perked them up a bit and the phrase 'freedom of speech' came to mind. It was amusing asking them for their full name, AGE and whereabouts they live (not their exact address). It seemed like too much information to receive from them, but accuracy is key and it's just to make sure we're not making the whole thing up!

The second challenge was to try and take a photo of them. Some of them hesitated but were happy to have a typical 'mug shot' taken. Some didn't want one because of the company they worked for, which unfortunately meant that I couldn't use their opinion because I didn't have all the accurate information. That was one of the setbacks as they may have had really good views.

I was going to record their opinions via the voice memo app on my iPhone 4S. However, this was a silly idea as, even though my phone was at 60% battery, it died on me. How pathetic is that - having apps on the iPhone when they can't even handle them. However, that's a different matter I need to sort out. Next time a dictaphone will probably help, but I need to find one where I can plug in headphones so I don't annoy everyone else in the office. I need to research on a decent one. Any fellow journalists who could give me a heads up on good recording devices please comment below!

So, as an alternative, I used the notepad to jot down their quotes. This was also a challenge as I haven't fully learned how to do shorthand yet. I sound like a pretty useless journalist don't I! Blame my University for not providing the courses that would actually be useful for the everyday journalistic life! I'm ranting now, sorry. Back to the vox pop.

Even though it was during the Winter months, I enjoyed getting out of the office to train myself to grab people's attention and gather my own quotes. It felt good to cooperate and not just edit and re-write press releases. 

Note to self: 

• Get a good dictaphone or just a decent, up to date recording device as my iPhone is clearly unreliable. 
• Continue to learn shorthand
• Appearance must be professional during vox pops to make you look more legit 
• Have a camera on show or tell them you will be using not YOUR mobile phone but A mobile phone to take a clear photo. (preferably an Iphone with a good camera)
• Make sure the people you gather quotes from are a variety of ethnics/gender/age. It wouldn't look good if you only gathered quotes from 25 year old women. 

Click on this link for more how-to information: 

How to get the perfect Vox Pops

22 & not a clue: Decisions Decisions

22 & not a clue: Decisions Decisions: One extreme to the next is my preferred third gear, uncertainty being a comfortable second and worry a very reliable first. I am quickly...



This girl is an inspiration, as well as a bubbly Northern Irish lass who I met at Uni. It makes me realise I'm not the only one who's 22 and not a clue!