Shots of police lights during crime reporting

[OKCDrummer77]

Why do the local news stations show the police car lights so predominately while covering a crime? I understand it's hard to avoid showing them when there are a half dozen units on the scene, but some shots are focused entirely on the light bar. Is there a purpose for this? I'm asking here because we have a couple of camera guys on the board who might be able to shed some light on this (no pun intended ... well, ok, yes it was).

[jsibelius]

I'm sure it has to do with how it looks, but I think it needs to stop. They certainly aren't considering their viewers who suffer from migraines or Epilepsy.

[okctvnewsguy]

When I shoot crimescenes, I use police lights as cutaways. A cutaway is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.
It is usually, although not always, followed by a cutback to the first shot.
Cutaways usually do not contribute any dramatic content of their own, but help the editor assemble a longer sequence.
For this reason, editors choose cutaways related to the main action, such as another action or object in the same location.
For example, if the main shot is of a man walking down an alley, possible cutaways may include a shot of a cat on a
nearby dumpster or a shot of a woman watching from a window overhead.

[kevinpate]

.oO(so folks can rubberneck without getting back out?)Oo.

[dances with cameras]

Why do the local news stations show the police car lights so predominately while covering a crime? I understand it's hard to avoid showing them when there are a half dozen units on the scene, but some shots are focused entirely on the light bar. Is there a purpose for this? I'm asking here because we have a couple of camera guys on the board who might be able to shed some light on this (no pun intended ... well, ok, yes it was).

Truth is, a lot of crime scenes look the SAME. A handful of police cars, a handful of cops, and some crime scene tape. It's difficult to make the scene you're shooting tonight look any different than the one you shot last night. Sure, the light bar cutaway gets old, but you're just looking for anything to shoot other than tape. Add the fact that you're usually NOWHERE NEAR the actual "scene", and at night, that cool zoom lens you have only does so much... you get the idea.

[BailJumper]

Textbook Cutaway. What else are you going to show at 2am in South OKC? Do you really want to watch the baby reporter fumbling around trying to ad-lib? At least with the flashing lights you don't get the deer in the headlights look most of Channel 5's reporters have.