One of our first lectures back after a very long Summer appeared to be very useful for Winol which we will produce weekly this year. The lecture was lead by Angus Scott a well known journalist which gave us a guide as to the content of our news stories and how they should be created to look the most effective.
- Do your research- who, what the story is about (think about the pictures and how it will look).
- Know where you are going (when getting the pictures etc)
- Forward plan (what you will look like as a reporter and how you want the story to go)
- Check equipment (before you leave- have you got a tape or disc?)
- Get permission if you think you will need it (public places are ok)
- Be punctual (3:00 Winol is on air)
- Get shooting (as soon as you can- can be edited if you have too much)
Filming :
Always begin with natural sound, if there is no sound where you are e.g. in a church then ask and try and get some to make the package appear more natural.
Use different size shots to replicate what we see- try not to zoom a lot but use a mixture of big wide shots as well as some close ups.
Shoot long (at the beginning and end of shots use a pan and leave the camera running for a few seconds).
When giving your piece to camera the reporter should always be looking straight on down the barrel of the lens of the camera.
Maintain continuity- different shots being put together need to be made smooth
Shoot cut-aways - for example someones hands, close up on their eyes etc which can be used to cover editing points and angles.
Shooting in thirds- this is known as framing - and explains the positioning of an interviewee on camera. If they are standing directly in the middle of the frame it looks unnatural therefore we position them slightly to the left or the right of the frame and have them talking across to us.
Too much is better than too little footage- try not to re-use any footage in the same package including grabs of images. Read slowly and emphasise your words.
The Terminology Dictionary
- PTC- piece to camera (reporter talking to the camera)
- SOT -sound on tape (interview)
- Grab/clip- interview sound on tape (15 sec per interview chunk of interview used 8-18 sec)
- UPSOT -sound up on tape (peaks at certain points e.g. when reporter isn't talking)
- OOV- out of vision, presenter talking out of vision- image on screen
- NATSOT- natural sound on tape (birds tweeting, whatever is happening where you are)
- VO-voice over
- Talking head- interview
- GV- general view (most simple shot)
- Cut away - covering shots
- SOQ- Standard out cue (signing off cue- Sophie Webb Winchester News Online, location)
You should never start with a PTC if possible, try to use as many pictures and footage as you can. Only use one if it adds something to the piece such as when you don't have pictures for something or if you are there amongst what is happening, try to avoid filming buildings especially for too long. You should use movement (walk and talk if possible, however walk before you talk!)
Interviews
- Get cut-aways, captions and straps should be on screen text below the person that is talking showing their name.
- Film an intro shot for interviews such as them doing something before the interview e.g. buying their train ticket or something that relates to the story you are doing.
- Make sure you show balance in the story
Coming home
- Start writing your story and working out how it will all be put together- check pictures in the library or on the database if you don't have any.
- Organise graphics- slides made up ourselves if we cant film something e.g. statistics. Capture editing techniques from films as this will look affective, a moving image can be disguised as footage.
Writing the intro
-Write the intro/ link first 2-3 sentences teasing the viewer about your package, who, what, when, where, how.
-Never repeat what is said in the link follow on from it in your package.
Writing the story
-One idea per sentence- tell it simply- careful choice of words
-Present tense as it is current
-Keep the stories fresh
- Speak in plain English
- Simplify numbers e.g. - 3/4..
- Use graphics to explain numbers
- Use voiceover to explain what is happening over the background noise
Packaging
- Don't say what we see, add to the pictures by telling a story and using a sequence
- Start with your best pictures- let them tell the story
- Don't name your interviewee- use caption on screen
- Limit 'grabs' to 20 seconds max- 12 seconds roughly (vox pops x3 roughly 4-5 seconds)
- End with something that means something- DONT end on an interview have a voiceover after it
- DONT SAY- what happens next remains to be seen!!
Press Conferences
Get there early so you can choose a good spot to film an opening shot.
Always ask if there are one to one interviews!
Media Scrums
An example of this would be the Harry Redknap case
Roll early so you don't miss anything, film before they speak
Be prepared for the crush
Headlines- make people want to watch the bulletin- limit the words to make it catchy
A link is what we write to be used as a headline, don't repeat what you say
Establishing shot to start the package
Ouves- presenter in vision for 8 seconds- 24 words
You can hear someone talking before you see them
Keep the sound down to around 2 with the voiceover on top
A minute and half package would roughly follow this style:
- Natural sound to begin before you talk,
- 2 interviews roughly 15 sec each
- Piece to camera 15 sec
- GV's- footage 45 sec (135 words)
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