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Always finish your story

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.

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Always finish your story

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  1. Always finish your story

  2. Two things about broadcast news we need to understand

  3. Substance and format

  4. Writing a TV news script: the substance

  5. Writing a TV news script It’s brief

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

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

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

  9. 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

  10. 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

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

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

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

  14. It’s live and you never know...

  15. Format your story: the style

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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. Here’s what we’ll use for WLAF-TV

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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. WLAF-TV style All copy being read is ALL CAPS

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. On camera tips Be ready for the unexpected

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

  29. 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:

  30. 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

  31. 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

  32. 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;

  33. 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

  34. 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

  35. More on camera tips

  36. 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...

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

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

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

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