[Training Column] A Reporter's Perspective: TV News Cameramen Aim for the "Moment" with "ENG" [Updated 20251102]
I am Takagi, your instructor.
Drawing on my experience as a former radio station announcer and news reporter, I conduct "Crisis Management and Media Relations Training" and "Communication Skills Improvement Training" for local governments and public institutions across the country.
Our theme for this session is as follows.
This time's theme is:
"A Reporter's Perspective: TV News Cameramen Aim for the 'Moment' with 'ENG'"
During my time as a news reporter for Ibaraki Broadcasting, I belonged to press clubs at the Ibaraki Prefectural Government (prefectural administration), the Ibaraki Prefectural Police, Mito City, and Hitachi City, where I covered numerous emergency press conferences and apology conferences.
The press clubs at the Ibaraki Prefectural Government and the Ibaraki Prefectural Police where I was stationed were places where news cameramen from Tokyo key stations (NTV, TBS, Fuji, TV Asahi) and NHK were constantly coming and going.
During press conferences, we would line up our microphones on the table together, and during election coverage, we would sometimes "bundle the microphones" from all the broadcasting stations.
Also, many reporters from newspapers and news agencies were members of these press clubs, and I have seen them use single-lens reflex cameras to take photos countless times.
Ibaraki Broadcasting, where I worked, was in principle a radio station that did not use cameras. However, through these reporting experiences, I have observed the characteristics of news cameramen up close.
Now, to the main topic.
News cameramen aim for that "important moment" with a gaze sharper than you might imagine. To use an analogy, they aim for "just a split second" with a "gaze as sharp as a predator stalking its prey."
The footage and photos they capture not only become news clips or article photos, but in the case of major news, they could potentially be broadcast nationwide, featured on the front page of newspapers, or even distributed worldwide.
Let me also provide a technical explanation.
TV station news cameramen make full use of "ENG."
"ENG" is an abbreviation for "Electronic News Gathering."
While the literal translation is "electronic news gathering," in the broadcasting industry, "ENG" refers to
"a complete set of professional video camera equipment."
Since ENG cameras are professional-grade equipment, they are naturally high-resolution.
It is even possible to firmly record parts invisible to the naked eye using the zoom function.
As for ENG recording media, professional video tapes used to make up the majority in the past, but in recent years, recording discs have become the mainstream. Important footage from news scenes is also recorded using this ENG equipment.
Let me introduce a case study.
News cameramen are always looking for scoop footage at the scene of a story.
This news story is an example of how such a news cameraman "captured a moment."...
[Continue reading the full text here]
※ Note
To avoid being treated as duplicate content on the web, I have included the note "Continue reading here." Thank you for your understanding.