Telling the Visual Story

 Does television has a language of its own?

 Television is a language apart from the words that help guide its content  Television works best when it communicates visually.  Words serves as essential guides for the pictures and sound that makes up the television.  Thus television scripts are blueprints for what will be on the screen and come through the speaker.

 Television communicates through pictures just like motion pictures do.  Its main strength is the television screen through which it helps the viewers experience and understand the current and historical events.

 What do you understand by that?

“People in our culture talk photographs rather than experience them visually. Whatever is being looked at, photographs or anything else, the input is visual while tagging is verbal. So for most of us words, words, words, overwhelm and wrap any significance appropriate and becoming to visual perception. Some students even claim, that unless they name it----until they name it--- the thing seen has no meaning! Minor White, Noted Photographer

 What are the main components of television language?

There are four main components of television language:  Visual image.  Sound.  Video tape editing process.  And writing.

VISUAL IMAGE  Without the image, television would become radio.  But television images are different from still photographs. They do not stand alone. Just like in music a single note has no meaning in television a single image has no meaning. Television images only work when they are arranged in a sequence to narrate a story.

The Sound  In television sound is used to set the mood or location.  The words are absolutely unnecessary for these two purposes.  Natural sound or the ambience sound is used to set the location while music is used to set or depict the mood.  Remember silence is also a form of sound in television.

VIDEOTAPE EDITING  In print words only become meaningful when they are arranged systematically in grammatically correct form. Similarly television has its own grammar and television visuals create meaning only when they are arranged according to the grammatical principles of video editing.

WRITING  In television words are used to describe what the camera has missed, or is unable to communicate.  Words clarify, emphasize, provide tone and mood.  Words alone are powerless to create television news that communicate with strength and impact.

 Thus in television news, everyone is a writer. “In television news the story is a group effort and everyone’s contribution is co-equal.” Larry Hatteberg, TV Journalist

 When sound and picture join hands to narrate a story they put viewers at the scene of news events and help them feel as if they have experienced something of those events themselves. No other medium, except motion picture, can even come closer to television in this regard.  Visual storytelling is therefore the most compelling form of storytelling.

VISUAL STORIES BEGIN WITH CLEAR FOCUS  In television summary statement of a story is referred to is called ‘focus’ or ‘focus statement’.  Defining the story focus forces the television journalist to not just identify the story, but to identify what is most important and interesting about the story.  Focus statement helps define the essence of the story.

 Until you know what the story is, you can’t tell it to anyone else.  The story itself remains unidentified until it can be stated in one sentence.

“Anyone with a camera is photographer. My mother is a photographer; my grand mother is a photographer, but no none is photojournalist until they learn how to tell the visual story.” Larry Hatteberg, TV journalist

THE ESSANCE OF VISUAL STORYTELLING To achieve excellence in visual storytelling, the reporters must firmly understand: “Telling” the audience is lecturing. “Showing” the audience is teaching. “Letting the audience experience the moment” is visual storytelling.

 Wise television reporters know they are never the story, or even the ‘star’ of the story.  They always step back and produce other people’s reality.  They work to sell the people in their story and then let the people themselves sell the story.

1) Write the pictures first. 2) Shoot sequences. 3) Prove the story’s focus visually. 4) Look for a focus in spot news. 5) Tell your story through people. 6) Tell your story through natural sound. 7) Build in surprises. 8) Keep sound bites short. 9) Address the larger issue. 10) Make the report memorable.

WRITE THE PICTURES FIRST  While in the field look first for the pictures that will tell your story.  Then search for sound and sound bites, that will add impact, emotion and meaning to your reporting.  Use words to interpret and explain what the pictures can’t say.

SHOOT SEQUENCES  Television journalists first deconstruct the larger world into its component parts, and then reconstruct it from the fragments.  In television news this method of deconstruction and reconstruction is followed both at the time of shooting and editing.  Sequential pictures with action that matches from one shot to another that replicate how viewers would break down the action if they were at the scene.

 Television sequences are always made of long shots (LS), medium shots (MS), and close-ups (CU), or their variations.  Because sequential video is difficult to achieve when pictures are forced to fit a pre- written script, it becomes imperative that reporters learn to think in sequence and commit themselves to “write pictures first.”

PROVE THE STORY’S FOCUS VISUALLY  The focus statement of the story drives not only the story you tell, but the pictures you bring back from the field.  Focus statement is not a static thing. Sometimes the focus of the story changes and the reporters must always be prepared to change the focus of the story.

LOOK FOR A STORY FOCUS IN SPOT-NEWS EVENTS  While reporting or shooting an event always keep asking this question: What is the story?

IDENTIFY THE LARGER SPOT-NEWS STORY  In case of spot news, first shoot what presents itself to protect your job. Record the action shots first, before they are lost for ever.  Once it is done ask yourself: What is the real story here? Redetermine the focus of the story and start the shoot again. This time round concentrate on reaction shots.

STRONG NATURAL SOUND HELPS TELL THE STORY  Strong sound help in establishing a sense of realism.  The sharp, crisp sounds of news events give us a sense of being there and having experienced the moment.

BUILD SURPRISES  Surprises can be compelling visuals, unusual or unexpected sound, short sound bites, or poetic script.

KEEP SOUND BITES SHORT  Short sound bites (five to fifteen seconds) can be used effectively to prove the story you are showing.  Sound bites are basically used to enhance the visuals and to punctuate story content.

ADDRESS THE LARGER ISSUE  Even routine stories can address larger issues if you look beyond the event and search instead for the meaning of the event.  To check whether you have addressed the larger issue always challenge the story focus by asking the question: So what?

MAKE THE REPORT MEMORABLE  The strongest stories are memorable. And strongest stories are those that touch the emotions of the viewers.  So tell a story in such a way that your audience will be able to feel something about the story and its subjects.