1. The VOChap 7

2.  There are 5 basic story form in TV News  Readers  Voice-overs (VOs)  Voice-overs/sound on tape (VO/SOTs)  Packages (Done by reporters)

3.  Voice-over (VO)  Usually about 20-30 seconds in length  Any story read that includes  Video, Full-screen graphic, or Other visual  Name implies  Voice will be heard over some visual

4.  Role of the VO  Helps producer vary the pace of show  Present information in short form  When to use VOs  For short less important stories  Late breaking news  With no time to develop full story  When stronger news takes precedence

5.  Mechanics of a VO  VO content originates from several places  Story Notes (From reporter or ENG)  News/Press releases  Wire Services  Video feed services  After reviewing material  Follow up with a source or the reporter/eng  Rewrite script with a local angle

6.  Writing VO with video  The 5 W’s alone may not be sufficient  Video will just be wallpaper  Write story based on video footage  To make content relevant to story  Avoid a play-by-play recap of video  The script and video should match  Thematically

7.  Choosing the right visuals for the copy  Review examples of Vos  Start on pg 111  Compare with revisions starting on pg 113

8.  Literal Video  Avoid taking video too literally  Copy doesn’t have to be a slave to images  Don’t just describe what viewer is seeing in the video  Video/visuals can also be used  As support for story idea  To reinforce a point being made

9.  Writing from file footage  Sometimes file footage is all that is available  Often used to write about a past event  Tip for writing from file footage  Reference the specific video first  Then discus story that may not be connected to visual  Example pg 116

10.  More on file footage ▪ If it’s unrelated to the script content ▪ If a reference can’t be made to the video ▪ You should probably find some different video  So called “Generic” video is often used for VO’s ▪ If people recognize themselves ▪ It could be a lawsuit ▪ Some editors say “No Faces” ▪ Can help prevent recognition ▪ But still problematic if limited people used

11.  Poster children  Video/Images are often used over and over ▪ Consider the impact on the person in video ▪ Seek new or different video for repeated stories

12.  Graphics ▪ Used when no appropriate video is available ▪ Bullet Points ▪ Quotes ▪ Charts and Graphs ▪ Locator Graphics ▪ General Information ▪ Weather Graphics ▪ Explanatory Graphics ▪ Thematic Graphics ▪ Branding

13.  Use of Natural Sound  Placing sound from tape under VO ▪ Gives audience better sense of the story  30 Seconds or Less  VOs are typically 20-30 seconds in  Although there is no set length requirement

14. VO DO’S AND DON’TS  DO  Write from Video  Grab viewer attention right away  Make sure everyone knows what we’re doing  Don’t  Leave out times and other cues  Write generic copy for generic video  Leave out and major information

15.  Let’s Practice writing some VO’s  Go to www.professorleach.comwww.professorleach.com  Click on MCOM 42 link  Go to In Class VO assignment