Live TV reporting: Jon Sopel

When reporting live for television, how much do you script and learn by heart, and how much can you rely on describing what’s happening around you, asks BBC North America editor Jon Sopel?

With live television, how do you gauge how much you can fit into a report? And do you need to have the interviewees with you? 

The location you choose is also crucial. Can it sustain a whole day of live reports and offer interesting backgrounds which add to the story? 

In this video, made during the 2007 French presidential campaign, Jon Sopel explains why it’s important to remember that you are part of a team.

He says it’s vital that you are all thinking along the same lines from the start.