& Other Helpful Tips

 Video Clip Video Clip  Lead  On Camera  SOT – Sound On Tape  VO – Voice Over  Sound Bites

 Stories for TV or Radio ▪ Should be conversational  A well-written story contains three basic ingredients ▪ The essence of the story in the lead ▪ Copy that doesn’t sound written ▪ Anchor should seem to be talking to someone ▪ Facts presented in a storytelling format

 The art of the lead  The lead is the 1 st sentence ▪ Considered the single most important element ▪ Similar to the headline in print ▪ Will likely keep or lose your reader

 When writing a lead – Video clipVideo clip  Grab viewers or listeners attention ▪ By capturing the essence of the story  Don’t make lead hard to digest ▪ By loading it with too many facts ▪ Or jargon and complex words  Don’t write a lead that sounds dated or stale

 Apply copywriting rules to Broadcast leads ▪ Write in the active voice ▪ Who does what vs What was done ▪ Use narrative storytelling technique ▪ Use creative techniques to make copy sparkle ▪ But don’t overdo it ▪ Write conversationally ▪ Employ the “Mom Rule”

 The “Mom Rule” ▪ How would you tell this story to your mom  Write for the ear ▪ Viewers/Listeners don’t get a 2 nd chance to hear it ▪ Needs to be right the 1 st time

 Audiences decision about a story ▪ Asking themselves “Is it beneficial or valuable”  Is usually made during the lead ▪ This is your sales pitch to keep the viewer ▪ Will they stay or change the station

 When writing your lead ▪ Think of the 5 W’s ▪ Also Ask yourself ▪ Who are the participants in the story ▪ What are they doing now ▪ What will they be doing later - tonight, tomorrow, etc

 When writing your lead ▪ Use present or future tense ▪ Broadcast focuses on immediacy to define news ▪ Happening now or about to happen ▪ Avoid past tense most of the time ▪ If it’s in the past, it may be old news ▪ Re-write if necessary to keep it conversational

 The Narrative lead  Sounds like the beginning of a story ▪ That you are telling to you audience  Narrative leads can work with past tense elements ▪ And still sound acceptable

 Connecting with the viewer or listener  Question Lead ▪ Effective way to make a direct connection ▪ With audience/listener/viewer ▪ HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY KEYPADS ON DRIVE-UP A-T-M’S ARE WRITTEN IN BRAILLE ▪ Use of “YOU” is effective ▪ It is a very personal pronoun ▪ Can effect readers feelings about story

 You can also connect by using a statement  Appeals to viewers/listeners experiences ▪ If you’ve ever been stuck in slow moving traffic, there is now an answer to your problems ▪ If you’ve ever paid too much for a text book, help is on the way ▪ Possible problem would be losing those who haven’t had the experience

 Facts in the lead  How many facts should be in the lead for your broadcast story?  Is there a minimum? ▪ Maximum?

 Keep it short: - Video ClipVideo Clip ▪ The nonfactual lead  Believe it or not ▪ Some of the best broadcast leads ▪ Contain no specific facts at all  If you saturate the lead with facts ▪ Audience will tune you out before you start ▪ Too many facts means I’m going to have to think ▪ If I wanted to think, I would read the paper ▪ Just tell me

 Preview, View, Review  Your goal is to be clear the first time ▪ Create a beginning, middle and end  Make sure you include the “So What” ▪ Give your story context, perspective, & meaning

 Narrative storytelling  To tell a story ▪ You must first know what the story is ▪ You should be able to sum it up in “1” sentence ▪ Consider chronological order ▪ Narrative style can create suspense and drama by revealing facts one at a time ▪ There are times where this may not be appropriate

 Write in the active voice ▪ Active voice identifies who did what ▪ Passive voice identifies what was done ▪ Passive voice tends to be less exciting ▪ Passive voice can hurt a narrative story  Sensitivity ▪ In today’s world there are many different views ▪ Try to avoid offending anyone by accident ▪ Change or omit offensive content ▪ Or leave it because you mean for it to be there

 Basic creative techniques (Pg 47 – 51) ▪ Alliteration ▪ Repetition ▪ Parallel writing with wordplay ▪ The rule of threes ▪ Simile

 Basic creative techniques ▪ Metaphorical writing ▪ Exaggeration ▪ Human terms ▪ Personification