Use of B-Roll in Promos

There's an interesting conversation happening on TVSpy right now about the use of b-roll in promos. 

What's your rule?  Do you use generic b-roll in news topicals?  What about sweeps promos -- are they different? 

Here's the convo from the TVSpy Watercooler:

EDitor in NJ   I hate this new convention of using stock/stagged b-roll footage for insertion into NEWS promos. Examples: You'll see it all the time=----When the dramatic voice-over promos...talk about ,say, a drug bust and you see a montage of piles of coke or pot (not the actual stuff confiscated)....or stuff like..."There have been more arrests tonight in blah, blah blah' and you see quick shots of handcuffs or a jail cell door slam shut-----this is cheap, dramatization---===not ===NEWS FOOTAGE. This is dishonest and unethical. Only actual news footage should be used in promos IMO....actors portraying criminals or prostitutes or stock footage of jail cell doors slamming shut--- we gotta outlaw it.

I hate this new convention of using stock/stagged b-roll footage for insertion into NEWS promos.
Examples: You'll see it all the time=----When the dramatic voice-over promos...talk about ,say, a drug bust and you see a montage of piles of coke or pot (not the actual stuff confiscated)....or stuff like..."There have been more arrests tonight in blah, blah blah' and you see quick shots of handcuffs or a jail cell door slam shut-----this is cheap, dramatization---===not ===NEWS FOOTAGE.
This is dishonest and unethical.
Only actual news footage should be used in promos IMO....actors portraying criminals or prostitutes or stock footage of jail cell doors slamming shut--- we gotta outlaw it.
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orthicon  not sure we can OUTLAW anything that way..
how do you propose to tell all the cost-cutting news directors and station managers that they can no longer use stock video?

what penalties do you envision for breaking that prohibition?

mostly, how do you plan to enforce it in the first place?

curious minds want to know...
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justaskin'

Ed is correct. It is not news. So, a different question: Are "promos" news or are they "commercials"? Next subject: is it okay to use ANY stock video EVER? Classic use of stock video: money being printed to talk about federal budget deficit. Is this OK? We're all going to say, yes it is. Next question: shots of police cars at a crime scene from a YEAR AGO used to discuss this week's murder stats. Is this OK?

Steve Jobs Talks Marketing

This spot features some of the worst still shots of anchors I've seen in awhile. Almost everyone looks bad, in my opinion.

For more on a bit of controversy sparked by this spot, check out Uncle Barky's website:


http://unclebarky.com/dfw_files/653fa69cc6598a2bb973624b3addf229-2174.html

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New KHOU Spots

I worked at KHOU from 2002-2005... great station. Here are a few new promos from the Lone Star state:

WFAA Corning in the Morning Promo

Another in the series:

IDOPROMOZ Turns 4!

Thanks to everyone who visits IDOPROMOZ!

And good luck with November... share your spots here by shooting me an email: donsjr@hotmail.com

Brush with Greatness

I was having breakfast the other morning with some friends and the subject of meeting celebrities came up. Being in TV... we all get a chance to meet famous people. So I thought I'd throw it out to you guys and ask -- what's your best celebrity story?

I have two. First, I got a chance to write promos for George Bush Sr. to read. Kinda cool to have your words delivered by the former leader of the free world. No matter how you feel about politics -- working with a President has to be considered cool, right? He even signed one of my scripts.

The second was meeting comedy icon Bill Cosby. Anyone who knows me well knows I love comedy -- so the chance to meet the Cos was a thrill. He did NOT call me "brilliant", as the president so graciously wrote. Bill Cosby called me an asshole. It was a joke. I think.

What's your favorite "brush with greatness" story?