Creating a News Broadcast VSA News

Your Task In groups of 3 - 5 you will work through a guided process to create a realistic news broadcast. Each stage is supported with an online video clip of ‘Top Tips’ from a real News Broadcaster and helpful worksheets. There are 6 stages to follow in making your news report: Finding news Gathering news Writing news Assembling news Ordering news Broadcasting news

Assessment Within your group you will work as a team to create a finished news broadcast. However, you will be marked individually for Criterion A (Content), B (Organization) and C (Language Style and Mechanics). Use the rubric for this task to help you achieve success. This assessment task will allow you to showcase many of the skills you’ve developed throughout the Text Types unit across reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The Essentials Your group must have 1 main (lead) news story (you will be directed to this on the ‘Stage 1: Find’ slide). You should have at least 1 supporting news story which will not be covered in as much depth as your lead news story. You should have at least 1 of the following: a sport/ weather or entertainment round-up section. Points 1-3 above will need summarising as headlines at the beginning of your broadcast. Everyone in your group must have a speaking role – there is no option to simply work behind the scenes (i.e. as editor or camera operator) so share the work fairly. You might want to work on stories as mini-teams within your group. Plan all stages of the process following the guidance within this presentation and accompanying worksheets. To give your news broadcast a more professional finish you might want to consider the use of: idents (your news programme logo); introductory and concluding theme music and the camera angles and shots you will use.

News Broadcasting task Your audience will be VSA students as your broadcast will be made for VSA TV. Your purpose will vary depending on your chosen news stories but you will be informing your audience and will need to be conscious of maintaining an appropriate register to meet the needs of your audience. Follow the link below to learn the basics of news reporting from Huw, the helpful News Broadcaster who will guide you through making your news broadcast: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7496032.stm

Stage 1: Finding News You will need to find initial stimulus material for your news broadcast from one of the following: An article from the most recent edition of VSA’s The Vic newspaper. Hong Kong local news (newspaper, online news broadcast, local television news broadcast). International world news (newspaper covering news from around the globe – e.g. China Daily, International news streamed online, e.g. CNN or BBC News).

Help with finding news Listen to Huw’s top tips: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7496032.stm Alternatively examine worksheet 1.1 Consider what headlines you might use for the different elements of your news stories. Remember to be conscious of your target audience for your news broadcast. Before you begin, reflect on the types of stories that will interest your audience and the most appropriate register and style for your delivery.

Stage 2: Gather http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7497310.stm Watch Huw’s tips following the above link or explore worksheet 2.1. Gather the facts (what? Who? Where? When? Why? How?) You may want to gather opinions as well as facts through interviews (fact = beyond dispute, opinion = viewpoint and not guaranteed to be true). See the next slide for help when preparing interviews. Don’t forget news broadcasts must be impartial – any opinions put forward must be balanced with an alternative perspective. Gather any of the following that might help to add colour to your report: photographs (stills), extra video relevant to your news story(e.g. a 3 second clip of the school hockey team for a sport section), audio sound (background track, sound effects), graphics (e.g. bold number beside image, graph, maps, etc). Be creative!

Gathering news: Preparing interviews Plan any interviews you might include – try to use open ended questions (answers require more than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’) supported through the 5w and how? questions. Here are some examples of open questions: Is homework set every day? What do you like about school? How much homework do you receive? Listen carefully to the answers given in an interview. Good follow-up questions will take the story on. Worksheet 2.2. may help you to structure and plan your interview questions. Ensure you write down the name and position of the people you interview as you will need this for the writing and assembling stage.

Stage 3: Writing News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7497775.stm Tune in to watch the above clip of Huw’s tips for writing success in your news reports or work through worksheet 3.1. Key things to remember when planning to write: Beginning of reports: What is the main point of your story? Begin reporting your story from this crucial point to maintain your audience’s attention. Place your key facts at the beginning. Middle of reports: Best of your interviews go here – review your interview information, which are the most interesting opinions? Which quotation would balance that opinion? Endings of reports: maybe look to the future? Ask the audience what they think?

Support with writing the news 3 Cs of newswriting: be CLEAR; be CONCISE; be CORRECT. CLEAR: write as if you were telling the story to one person, use simple language and read your script aloud as you write it (this will help you to avoid errors and get the flow of the sentences right). CONCISE: keep your reports short – stick to the key facts. Don’t overload stories with too many details and keep sentences short. CORRECT: get your facts right! Use accurate grammar and punctuation. Be honest and truthful and say where information came from. Peer assess each others work for errors and redraft parts that aren’t quite right. For further support in scripting your news see worksheet 3.2. This will help you calculate how long your script will take to read out working on the basis of 3 words per second. Scripts should last no longer than 30 seconds.

Midpoint Self Reflection Present the first draft of your script to your other group members. As you listen, ask yourself these questions: What was the main point of the story? Have the 5 Ws been answered? What do you need to change in your script? Re-draft areas that need improving.

Stage 4: Assembling/ Editing News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7497917.stm Watch the tips on assembling news from Huw above. Key things you’ll need to think about: Words Video Quotes Sound Stills Graphics

Help with assembling/ editing news Start by choosing the best quotes from your interviews. Review your interviews and pick the best answers. Take your script and slot in your chosen quotes from the interviews. You may still need to redraft some of your report to fit around the quotes. Work out the best place to put your additional material (video, sound, stills, graphics, etc) to help tell your story and to hook or interest the audience. Warning: make sure your words work with your pictures (blend them into one message). When editing, don’t get bogged down in details. You might want to concentrate on sound first, place the quotes in order and work on perfecting your video last. Share your edited news and have others suggest improvements.

Stop point reflection: Amend your scripts and rehearse Check the scripts aren’t too long. Reduce if necessary. Remember any one script shouldn’t take longer than 30 seconds to deliver. Check newsreaders understand all the words in their scripts. Check the broadcast answers the 5 Ws. Is there anything else you could add to make it more interesting?

Stage 5: Ordering News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7499484.stm Catch up with Huw’s tips on the link above and/or use worksheet 5.1. Order your news to maintain the audiences attention. Select your running order: Lead story comes first, stories that follow are ranked in terms of interest to audience, sports/ weather round-ups should come near the end and may come from an outside location. You may want to add a lighter “And finally” story at the end. Worksheet 5.2. may help you with ordering your news. Consider the length of each story. The lead story is often the longest as it contains most of the information. You might want to appoint an editor to make the final decisions.

Stage 6: Broadcasting News Follow the link below to watch Huw’s final tips: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/7499921.stm Before you record your news broadcast: Check the facts. Check the news is suitable and appropriate for your audience. Don’t forget technical checks – cameras, microphones, etc. As you broadcast: Read the news naturally, clearly and don’t rush. Pause between each news story so it is clear where one ends and the next one begins. Rehearse your news report fully before your record it. Debrief and reflect on your news report. See the final slide of this presentation.

Rehearsal time Check your broadcast runs to time. Check your newsreader knows their lines. Check your stage – is it easy to move around for the different broadcasts? Is the camera working and easy to move? Is the sound working as it should? Are any additional sound effects really enhancing your news or are they distracting from it?

Reflection and Debrief After completing your news broadcast, consider your strengths and how you might make any improvements in the future by completing the grid below: What went well? What could have gone better? How could I improve this area in the future?

Congratulations! You have completed your news broadcast.