Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Creating an Effective News Story

Every news story should have three principal themes

Gives views a reason to remember

When interviewing try not to ask questions

Make observations

Get a closing shot so viewers remember

Video shooting tips:

Creat a strong close

Build your report around sequences

Use strong natural sound to heighten realism, authenticity, and believability

Short sound bites prove the story you are showing.

Writing the Script:

Always remember! Your not the story

Do you know what you want your audience to take away?

Write to the pictures first. A strong lead will instantly telegraph the story to come

Keep the Main body of the script to three to five main points

Say nothing your viewers would already know, or that visual s could "say" better

Allow for moments of silence

Build in surprises to sustain viewer involvment: Visuals, wild sounds, short bites, poetic script

Address the Larger Issue

Make sure it meets the "so what" test

Would someone truly care about your topic?

Make your story MEMORABLE

Do your viewers feel something when watching?

Practice

Rewrite the following to make sense:

Miners refuse to work after death - After coworkers death miners refuse to work

Stolen painting found by Tree - A stolen painting was found next to a tree

Grandmother of Eight Makes Hole in One - 95 year old makes a hole in one

Milk Drinkers are Turning to Powder - Powdered Milk vs Regular Milk

NJ Judge to Rule on Nude Beach - Nude Beach in NJ be banned?

Juvenile Court Tries Shooting Defendant - Shooting Defendant on trial by Juvenile Court

Iraqi head seeks arms - Head of Iraq seeks for illegal weapons

Death causes loneliness, felling of isolation - Depression rising in teen suicides

Queen Mary has botton scraped - Queen Mary has scraped the bottom of the barrell

Police begin campaign to run dow jaywalkers - New campaign for Police to stop jaywalking