1. News Packages

2. A picture can tell 1,000 words, but sometimes it still needs a few more.
Here is the link, in case it doesn’t work on the slide:
I like to show this video with the sound muted, then ask the class what they can tell me about the event. The point here is that even when the video is dramatic, video by itself it not enough. Words provide context and hard information.
Example

3. On the other hand, words are greatly enhanced by photos.
Here is the link for Example 2:
On this video, you can listen to it without pictures and still get the whole story. But the pictures add so much. I like to have the class talk about what the pictures add to this piece.
Example 2

4. News Values Think of your viewers Timeliness Proximity
Conflict/Controversy
Human Interest
Relevance
How do you determine if it’s news?
Think of your viewers
Not all news pieces will have all of these elements. In fact, a news item that has all of them is rare. But any news story should have at least one of them, and the more of the elements a news story has, the more likely it is to lead the broadcast or land on the front page. I like to come up with local examples to drive the points home, depending on the time I have.

5. News = Non-fiction We rely on facts. Confirmable, verifiable facts.
We don’t get to make things up.
We don’t get to assume things.
Facts include but are not limited to people, places, things, proper nouns, numbers, dollar amounts, quotes.
Never, never, never include your opinion in a news story.
Always, always, always seek out multiple sources. Who else might know something? Who else might have a perspective?
Again, this is still the basics of newswriting, regardless of medium. This is what separates CNN from Law & Order.

6. Video storytelling Get the visuals/audio first
The action happens only once
Can still use sequences
Don’t forget b-roll or nat sound
Limit distractions
No canned music
See something, say something
Make sure the words complement the visuals.
Now we are delving into the video part of news reporting. When arriving on the scene of breaking news or something going on, the first priority has to be getting the shot, because a thing will not happen twice for you. News reporters don’t get to stage events. That is called movie-making. News videographers have to collect enough appropriate visuals and sound to have material to work with in post-production. This is why broadcast news crews tend to get to events as much as an hour early: They have to be sure they are set up before things get started so they can get the shot.

7. Video storytelling Not staged No intentional zooms and pans
Reporter questions are typically not included in the script; the viewer does not hear the questions
Visual transitions like a fade are typically not used
Now we are delving into the video part of news reporting. When arriving on the scene of breaking news or something going on, the first priority has to be getting the shot, because a thing will not happen twice for you. News reporters don’t get to stage events. That is called movie-making. News videographers have to collect enough appropriate visuals and sound to have material to work with in post-production. This is why broadcast news crews tend to get to events as much as an hour early: They have to be sure they are set up before things get started so they can get the shot.

8. It’s all about the narrative.
Here I talk about narrative arc: a little if there is not a lot of time or a lot of I have time. If there is time, I talk about narrative in a literary sense. Think how a movie is made. You can use some of those elements to tell your story. You just don’t get to make things up.

9. Focus turns this …
This goes with the following slide. It’s important to go into a reporting assignment with an idea of a focus you can use. You might change it on the scene, but if something doesn’t happen that makes you take a different tack, at least you have a framework to use. I talk about the people as sources and the ribbons as information. This is a hot mess. What on earth can you do with this?

10. … into this Example 3
But with focus (the maypole in the middle) it all comes together. I use this link to make the point:
The reporter who did this piece is an excellent television reporter, and I highly recommend his work. In this piece, the trumpet serves as the focus, and he keeps coming back to it to tie the disparate bits of information together. It also is a fine example of other techniques that I will refer to later.

11. Writing to video (Wenger & Potter, 2015)
Limit shots to 3-5 seconds each
Build sequences
Show don’t tell
Draw attention
The source text on this is “Advancing the Story: Journalism in a Multimedia World,” 3rd ed., Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter, 2015.
If you watch the Jed Boal piece on the World War II vet who played trumpet, you will see three out of these four techniques used. Few shots go longer than 5 seconds, but he uses those short visuals to build beautiful sequences, for example at the start of the piece from the man to the lap to the face to the hat. For show, don’t tell, notice how he shows a picture of the hat with the man’s name on it as he says the name. For draw attention, notice how in the airport segment, he points out the trumpet in his lap and how well that transitions to the next segment.
For parallel parking, a good example of that is in the forgiveness video (example 2). There is a part when the son is talking about his mother and how forgiving she was that the narrator inserts the narration between the interviewee’s pauses in the sentence. You don’t even notice it at first, but that is called parallel parking, and when it works, it works well.

12. Words and pictures (Wenger & Potter, 2015)
Pictures should illustrate the story, not dictate it.
Use words to add to pictures. Don’t describe the obvious.
Understand the value of silence and natural sound. It lets the audience feel like they’re there.
Let pictures reveal surprises. Words set them up. Don’t steal the thunder.
This amplifies the idea of show something, say something. Wenger and Potter recommend “writing to the corners,” meaning talk about the context that cannot be seen. In the first bullet point, you can note that in the case of Example 2, that story could have been overlooked for video, because it did not have action to shoot. The reporter had to go out and find visuals to build around that story. Was it worth it? I think so. For the second bullet point, use words to add to pictures, it’s worth going back to the earthquake piece and examine what information is given in the narration and how it complements instead of telling the viewer what can already be seen. For the third bullet point, the trumpet player provides nice natural sound. A voice does not always have to be heard. And for the fourth bullet point, the trumpet player in the airport is a great example. You can see the trumpet in his lap in the first airport shot, but Boals waits to point it out until he uses that as a transition. Wait for the right timing.

13. PKG Requirements Two Interviews ALL original video
No photos unless ok’d by teacher
Story should not be bias
Get all perspectives
Students
Teachers
Administrators
Anyone else involved you an think of!
For package

14. Before Editing 1. Obtain footage - interviews and b-roll
2. Upload video to computer
3. Write story in packet
4. Record voice over and upload to computer

15. Editing Begin by laying down voice track
Insert interview video in between voice
Insert B-roll
Cover some interview with B-roll if needed
Add lower third titles to subjects
Do NOT add extra music, transitions, or effects unless lighting or color is bad

16. Shooting Reminders Variety of shots Get B-roll No unmotivated moving.
Finish action in shot – person/object needs to leave shot and complete action
180 rule – Continuity
Natural sound

17. Story Construction 1, 2, 3 Method Inverted Pyramid Chronological
Stories with 2+ major themes
Inverted Pyramid
Lead with 5W’s and Body with details
Chronological
In order of time

18. A new way of writing Key concept: Immediacy.
Write in the present tense.
Your new friends:
-ing
There’s
Says
Always emphasize whatever is new. Police are investigating. A case is headed to court.
Sometimes this takes creativity.
Now we are getting into how writing the script for video differs from writing a story for print. The classic difference between TV/radio news and newspaper/online news is that in TV and radio, the assumption is that the viewer is receiving the information at the same time it is being given. It’s a real-time exchange. With newspaper and online, you can never be sure when the information is being consumed. So in writing for newspaper/online, the past tense is favored. It happened. In video, the present tense is favored: It is happening or is going to be happening. Sometimes this takes creativity. For example, an arrest in a bank robbery would be written: “A 25-year-old woman was arrested Monday in the robbery of the First National Bank in Summerlin.” For TV, you want a more immediate angle, what is still happening? “A 25-year-old woman faces bank robbery charges after being arrested Monday.” If video news writers have to use past tense, they choose wisely if they use the –ing form. It just sounds more present, even if it’s past tense. Also, they should use “says” instead of “said,” and don’t fear “There’s,” which some journalism instructors may have tried to beat out of them.

19. The 4 C’s
Clear.
Short sentences. If you need more than one comma, the sentence is too long. Make it two sentences.
Easy to understand words. Short words are not only more common, but also easier to pronounce. Have pity on the poor announcer.
Repetition of key words is OK for reinforcement.
These four C’s(clear, concise, conversational and color) are from my former colleagues at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where I did my graduate work. A shout-out to Dr. Gregory Borchard and KUNV General Manager Frank Mueller.
When it comes to clarity, video writing relies on short sentences. My rule is if a sentence needs two commas, it needs to be two sentences. For example, in print we might write, “Frank Mueller, general manager of KUNV, UNLV’s radio station, advises students to follow the four C’s.” For video that becomes, “Frank Mueller is general manager of KUVN radio at UNLV. He tells students to follow the four C’s.” Note that “advises” becomes “tells.” One syllable is easier on the tongue than two which points to the second bullet. Use easy words. It’s not only easier for the announcer, but it’s also easier on the listener.

20. The 4 C’s
Concise
Leave out the adjectives and adverbs unless they add clarity.
Select facts carefully. You may not have time for the whole story. Keep the focus tight.
Use the active voice.
Make each word count.
Writing for video has to be concise. An 800-word piece in the newspaper is likely to become a 180-word piece (60 seconds) for video or audio. (Note: that is based on average speaking speed of 3 words per second.) That means video news writers have to home in on only the main facts and leave out some context. They have to leave out adjectives and adverbs (who has time for those?). The should use the active voice (passive adds words and weakens the sentence) and make sure each word count. It’s good to find exercises where students pare sentences to their bare minimum.
A nice way to find an example is to go to a news radio site. Find a piece where the story differs from the online words (not a transcript in other words). Generally, the audio will be fewer words than the online story.

21. The 4 C’s Conversational
Friendly, but not the way you talk to your friends. Think of how you talk to your grandmother or the parents of your girlfriend/boyfriend.
We generally speak in short sentences and active voice.
Read your copy aloud to someone. Have the person stop you at any point the story is hard to follow.
Writing for audio and video needs to be conversational, but not in the way students may talk amongst themselves. I always do a bad imitation of students talking in their slang, which can get a laugh. The type of conversational that is appropriate is the way they might talk to their grandparents.
In addition, this underscores short sentences. Sentences can’t be longer than a human breath. That means short sentences, because that is how we talk.
I encourage students to read their story out loud to someone else. If at any point they have the smallest glitch, assume that part needs to be rewritten.
A great example of conversational is Marketplace, an NPR show featuring Ky Risdall.

22. The 4 C’s
Color
The focus gives you an idea of how to add color. What makes this story different? Make that come alive with detail.
Sounds become images.
Why is this not as important in TV?
Color applies only to audio without video. Why? Because video has pictures that provide color. For radio, the nat sound becomes the images, and you figure out what types of nat sound to collect based on the story’s focus.

23. Broadcast writing You have two audiences.
The listeners. Think about how much you remember when I talk. Make it easy for them to remember.
The announcer. Generally, your words are being read cold, with no practice. You don’t want anyone stumbling over your words or creating dead air trying to figure out what you mean. Write clearly.
This is one of the most important things for students to understand: They have to think of their audiences. First, their listeners. As they may understand from listening to lectures, sometimes listeners drift off in the middle of things. It’s up to them as videographers and writers to keep listeners engaged. One way is to use simple language, so listeners don’t have to think about what a word means or what the announcer said. Short sentences are critical.
Equally important is writing for the announcer. In the real world, the reader—whether that’s an anchor or a deejay—rarely reads a script before it’s live. They always read cold. That means the writing has to be flawless and easy to roll off the tongue. Go back to the World War II trumpet player piece. In the intro, the anchor trips up. I consider that a problem with the writing. That double B sound just trips him up. That is not something we would normally think about, but it’s an issue when reading text aloud without rehearsal. I tell my students that when the announcer trips, it’s the writer’s fault. They have to write for the tongue.