Headlining

I'm back at the Free Press copy editing and writing headlines this summer while I look for a permanent job. The first couple weeks have been a sharp reminder of a hard truth I learned last time around: I'm not really a copy editor.

I don't have the depth of grammatical and linguistic knowledge my coworkers have, not to the level it takes to be a really good copy editor. More than that, I struggle to rearrange other people's writing to make their stories really sing. There are a couple colleagues whose skill at storytelling is impressive - they're the secret weapons of the Winnipeg Free Press newsroom. Me? I can hack it out, but I'm not great.

Every now and then, however, I redeem myself with a good headline.

Headline writing doc - excerpts

I shot and edited a doc at the Winnipeg Free Press this past month, profiling the team who puts together the headlines (along with laying out and editing all the pages). When you realize that 75% of people don't read past the headlines, this anonymous group of people are some of the most influential folk in the city.

I can't show you the final film just yet - I'm pitching it to MTS On Demand and they'd prefer to purchase a film that hasn't already made it's debut.

But I can show you these excerpts that didn't make it into the final piece. Think of it as a little taste to whet your appetite. And I'll let you know when/if the full version is coming to a screen near you.