RTV 440 Week 2 Cell Phones Off and Put Away Chapters 1 & 9 How do you tell a story? It’s about writing … and about the connection with the storyteller and audience.

Chapter 1 Why do we tell stories to people? – Share human experience and understanding – Think about TV shows, movies, etc. Difference in visual stories and reporting: Visual stories reveal someone’s goals and actions as they unfold sequentially, along a timeline. Reports commonly emphasize just the facts.

Storytelling basics Just as audio serves to draw audiences into the environment of a real-life event, listeners and viewers become more deeply and more tangibly involved if you allow them to see, and feel, and smell, and touch, and taste that moment. See NPPA

Storytelling basics What is a ‘story’? Who, what, when, where, why and how. Entertain, inform, persuade. In video media you can only communicate in two ways; one way is with images, the other is with sound. Remember—a story needs to be a 2-way communication process: sender / receiver

Storytelling issues Culture impacts perception Plan the visual story – ‘theme’ / focus statement / structure The best stories convey a sense of progression Find images that convey a clear story focus You’re looking for what ‘tells the story’ you want to tell when you capture images and decide how to assemble them

Storytelling issues Write the pictures first – ‘write to the pictures’ – ‘visual lead’ Do Reportorial Editing: the process of previsualizing the story, including the pictures, the sounds, the words, and even the visual and audio transitions – Like a movie director

More Chapter 1 PROVE THE STORY’S FOCUS VISUALLY – If your subject is a routine warehouse fire, you may identify the focus by the statement as, “This is a big fire.” – Your “visual proof,” just as your words, will then follow naturally. – Visual proof is one or more shots that illustrate a main point or help convey the overall story focus.

Chapter 1 You select a focus based on available information The focus may change – be prepared to adjust the story you are telling. TELL YOUR STORY THROUGH PEOPLE STRONG NATURAL SOUND HELPS TELL THE STORY

Chapter 1 BUILD IN SURPRISES KEEP SOUND BITES SHORT ADDRESS THE LARGER ISSUE CHALLENGE YOUR FOCUS STATEMENT – “so what?” PACKAGES ARE FACTUAL MINI-MOVIES

The story structure The lead – Types of leads – Visual lead The main points – Prove points visually The close – Nothing else can top it

Chapter 9 – The Package 1. Focus (the story stated in a sentence) 2. Beginning (lead) a. Studio lead-in 3. Package lead a. Visual lead b. Voice over (VO) 4. Middle (three or four main points) a. Main point A b. Main point B c. Main point C d. Main point D 5. End (close) a. Final visual b. Final VO c. Strong closing sound

Student package examples (Links on drive)

Studio lead-In: If you want to lose weight and become healthy for life, you’ll never need a fad diet again. In fact, you never did. You learned the secret in elementary school. (Reporter) has the story.

The Package Lead Plan the “visual lead,” or first video of your package (include a ‘nat pop’) Identify the central idea you wish to communicate before you worry about the words. In general, the thought process focuses first on (a) an idea to communicate; (b) images to prove the idea visually; and (c) words as necessary to interpret and explain the images. Summary lead, hard lead, soft lead, etc.

WRITE THE MIDDLE OR MAIN BODY After the package lead, begin the middle or main body of your report. In a 1:10- to 1:30-minute package, try to limit yourself to no more than three or four main points. Again, focus on the ideas to be communicated before you worry about the images or words. B-roll with VO, sound bites, stand up

Body Main Points Main Point 1 – Supporting facts, prove visually, transition Main Point 2 – Supporting facts, prove visually, transition Main Point 3 – Supporting facts, prove visually, transition into conclusion

WRITE THE CLOSE Next, write the close to your package. The close makes it obvious to your audience the story is ending. Without a strong close, the package will stop but it will not end. As soon as you arrive in the field, begin your search for a closing shot—a visual close you can build toward throughout the entire piece, something so strong it’s obvious the story is finished. Lazy reporters sometimes end stories on interviews or standups, but such endings resemble unsigned letters. ‘stand up bridge’ (samples)

But, before the package RDR VO (VO) (script)VOscript VO-SOT VSV (VSV1) (VSV2) (script)VSV1VSV2script RDR-SOT ‘if you don’t have pictures you don’t have a story in TV news’ (packages)

Basics of News Timeliness, Proximity, Conflict, Prominence, Human Interest (and others -- ‘what makes it news?’) Spot News, hard news, routine news (note news releases and VNRs), soft news, features, investigative Types of TV stories – Package, Vo-Sot/VSV/VOB/AB, VO, reader – Live shot variations Production terms – B-roll, sound bites, nat sound, seamless editing (steady shots, sequences, matched action shots), voice over (‘track’), stand up, BOPSA, Rambo video, shoot to edit, in-camera editing, shooting ratio, focus/commitment, lead, lead-in, write to pictures, photography is... (lighting issues), close miking, handheld mic

Basics of News Stages of production Points of view – Objective, subjective, reportorial Shot composition – XCU, CU, MS, LS, 2-shot, OTS, etc. Camera angles – Eye level, low/high level, low/high angle Target audience (Who’s watching? Who cares?) – Information for whom? Done how?

Field Shooting In camera editing / shooting ratio Use a tripod (steady bag option) Zooming and panning before shooting – ‘make the zoom invisible’ Story focus and rough script before shooting – The focus may change Rambo video (editing chapter)

Shooting sequences WS, MS, CU, XCU and vary angles Mostly CU and MS Fleeting / perishable video Example: Bus arrives to pick up child – Child waiting on corner LS/MS/CU/XCU – Bus LS, child, then CU OTS bus into frame – MS child moving to get onto bus – CU bus driver smiling, LS bus – CU doors close, MS bus starts to pull away – Bus exits shot

Other shooting notes Static shots vs. shots with movement Anticipate action Shoot subjects in-frame/out of frame Plan for jump cuts / false reverse Staging versus motivating Issues in one-person band ‘MMJ’ – Shooting interview and cover shots B-roll & interviews on two different tapes – Shooting the stand-up – Flip viewfinder, wireless mic, sequence shot

Safety & Legal Issues Where can you shoot? – Public/private, permission, libel & privacy Informing people you are coming Making interview arrangements Tell them you’re with KETV News Distancing while shooting See the mistakes checklist in Chapter 4 No opinions in stories / clear attribution of facts Putting people in stories

Start getting sequencing Sequencing 1 Sequencing 2 Sequencing 3 – the 5 shot method