Field Note Template: Venue, Time, Capacity, Who’s Booking

Nightlife Report desk

Good nightlife reporting starts with a boring document: the field note. Before a Nightlife Report story is written, the reporter fills in a simple template that forces the basic facts onto the page. This post publishes that template, explains each field, and shows why it keeps rumor out of our coverage.

Venue and address

Name the venue exactly as it presents itself, with the street address. Many LA venues share names or change names. Our LA Punk Film Festival coverage, for instance, places screenings at the Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. A precise address prevents readers from showing up at the wrong place and helps us track venue histories over time.

Date and time

Record the date and the start and end times as published by the organizer. Late-night events often run past midnight, so note both dates when they cross over. If the organizer has not published an end time, the field says so rather than guessing.

Capacity and access

Note capacity or seating if published, and how access works: ticketed, RSVP, invitation-only, first-come. The festival’s film market, for example, was described as under twenty seats and first-come. Those details matter to readers deciding whether to go, and they are easy to get wrong without a template.

Who is booking

List the organizer, promoter, or production company, and the performers or films if announced. Name the source of each. This field separates reporting from promotion: we name who is behind an event so readers can judge it, and we disclose any connection a SEROPTICS desk might have.

Sources and links

Every fact in the note maps to a source: a release, a schedule, an official page, or a named person speaking on the record. Unsourced claims are flagged and do not run until confirmed. Rumors about closures, disputes, or individuals stay out of print unless they are documented.

Photo and video credit

Every image is credited to its creator or provider. If we did not shoot it, we say who did.

Why publish the template

Publishing our method lets readers hold us to it. If a story is missing one of these fields, you can ask why.

A worked example

Here is how the template looked for the LA Punk Film Festival. Venue: Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. Dates: red-carpet opening October 9 by invitation; screenings October 16 and 17. Times: Punk After Dark on October 16 from 10 PM to 12:30 AM; matinee October 17 from 10 AM to 12:30 PM; film market October 17 from 2:30 to 6:30 PM. Access: first-come for the market. Source: the festival’s October 5 release. Credit: the festival and Beach Dancer Films.

Using the template yourself

Promoters and venues can use the same template when sending us information. A release that fills every field is far more likely to be covered accurately and quickly. Missing fields mean follow-up questions, and follow-up questions mean delays. We publish the template partly so that the people we cover can help us get it right the first time.

About Nightlife Report

Nightlife Report is an independent Los Angeles desk covering nightlife and culture, part of the SEROPTICS group. Founder Anthony Perlas is an LA photographer. The desk dates every report, links its sources, and corrects errors in public. Coverage is written for adults 21 and over. Tips and corrections: anthony@nightlifereport.app.

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