Always finish your story

Two things about broadcast news we need to understand

Substance and format

Writing a TV news script: the substance

Writing a TV news script It’s brief

Writing a TV news script It’s brief Gotta gather as many facts and video as time permits

Writing a TV news script It’s brief Gotta gather as many facts and video as time permits Use friendly, conversational tone

Writing a TV news script It’s brief Gotta gather as many facts and video as time permits Use friendly, conversational tone Active voice

Writing a TV news script It’s brief Gotta gather as many facts and video as time permits Use friendly, conversational tone Active voice Present tense

Writing a TV news script It’s brief Gotta gather as many facts and video as time permits Use friendly, conversational tone Active voice Present tense Attribution before quotes

Writing a TV news script “Talking head bad. Video good.”

Writing a TV news script “Talking head bad. Video good.” Write to your best video: lead with the strongest shots

Writing a TV news script “Talking head bad. Video good.” Write to your best video: lead with the strongest shots Engage emotions

It’s live and you never know...

Format your story: the style

Format your story: the style Idea is to make your copy readable and to fit exactly into the news slot

Format your story: the style Idea is to make your copy readable and to fit exactly into the news slot Spells out who says what and what the viewer is seeing on screen

Format your story: the style Idea is to make your copy readable and to fit exactly into the news slot Spells out who says what and what the viewer is seeing on screen Much more complicated and technical than print or internet media

Format your story: the style Idea is to make your copy readable and to fit exactly into the news slot Spells out who says what and what the viewer is seeing on screen Much more complicated and technical than print or internet media No standardization from station to station

Here’s what we’ll use for WLAF-TV

Here’s what we’ll use for WLAF-TV Always use split-page format (two columns)

Here’s what we’ll use for WLAF-TV Always use split-page format (two columns) Left shows what viewers see; length of segment (TRT); and who’s saying it

Here’s what we’ll use for WLAF-TV Always use split-page format (two columns) Left shows what viewers see; length of segment (TRT); and who’s saying it Right column shows the exact words the viewer will hear

WLAF-TV style All copy being read is ALL CAPS

WLAF-TV style All copy being read is ALL CAPS The words being spoken in sound-bites or SOT will be in lower case (initial caps) in Italics

WLAF-TV style All copy being read is ALL CAPS The words being spoken in sound-bites or SOT will be in lower case (initial caps) in Italics Put the name of newscast, date and your name (as the writer) in upper left

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected

On camera tips: College of Charleston Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud:

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud: can it be read easily and naturally

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud: can it be read easily and naturally; is it easy to understand

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud: can it be read easily and naturally; is it easy to understand; is it conversational;

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud: can it be read easily and naturally; is it easy to understand; is it conversational; get rid of awkward words

On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected E’s and I’s! Energy, enthusiasm, emphasis, inflection and interpretation As you write your copy, say it out loud: can it be read easily and naturally; is it easy to understand; is it conversational; get rid of awkward words; determine real length of story

More on camera tips

So let’s try it Write and record a 15-second lead-in to SOT. You are a reporter for WLAF-TV. You are life at the scene of a train-car crash. A Tropicana juice train carrying 2.5 million cartons of juice rammed a Dodge Ram truck at the intersection of US 301 and 27th Street in Bradenton. No one is hurt. You are leading in to a sound-bite from the train engineer, Bob James...

Teams Ashlyn & Avery David & Dylan Holton & Ian Miranda & Sarah

Assignment 3/6 Prepare and tape a one-minute news package

Assignment 3/6 Prepare and tape a one-minute news package You will turn in your script and show the video next week