STAND BY FOR NEWS…
• CELL PHONES OFF
• Be in class on time
• Have reading done by each class time
• Intro then Chapters 1 & 9 first
• Random textbook order
• Know when and plan for each Chapter Exam online
• Read news every day
• Check University Master Calendar, other media
• ‘Enterprise Reporting’ / East Texan Budget Meetings
• Pay attention to what’s going on
Getting Started
• Read the syllabus and review the outline
• Start on training immediately
• Have not completed RTV 322? You have extra work
this week and next.
• Everyone—sign up TODAY for shooting training
• Before going—watch video & pass quiz
• See production requirements
• Spend first weeks assuring skills
• Attend first Practicum meeting
Story shooting (see link)
• 1. You must shoot and edit sequences. If
you are not certain you understand the
concept, come get training.
• Your projects must show clear indication of
frequent sequencing, and have no pop cuts
and/or jump cuts.
• Good pacing -- no fewer than 3-4 shots per
ten seconds of story content
• Must have pad shot(s) as assigned
#2 ‘must do’
• You may not use a zoom or pan shot, except
in rare occasions for follow shots. In this
case the zoom or pan must be ‘invisible.’
You must fade in and out, but have only
cuts inside the story as transitions.
#3 ‘must do’
• You may not have any ‘hand-held’ / shaky
camera shots. If you submit a story with any
‘non broadcast quality’ shots, the
submission will be rejected.
#4 ‘must do’
• You must take and use a camera-mounted
light each time. B-roll may be lit with
available light—but MUST BE good light
on the subject.
• Every interview must have the cameramounted light turned on, or other clear
indication of an acceptable key light on the
subject.
#5 ‘must do’
• You must take and use a lavaliere mic for
every interview. To start the interview, you
must start the camera recording, then have
the subject say and spell his / her name.
• You must ask each interview subject a
minimum of five questions and must end
with a question that says essentially ‘what
else about this should the audience know?’
• Training interviews will be 10+ questions.
#5 continued…
• Your produced foreground audio must be
throughout at ‘zero’ and your audio mix
must be broadcast quality.
• Make sure you capture good audio
• Make sure you mix background under
foreground
• Make sure all foreground audio is balanced
#6 ‘must do’
• You are required to make advance
arrangements with someone in charge of the
event for every event you shoot. If you do
not, then you arrive and cannot shoot the
event, your project will be graded as not
meeting the deadline and will be graded
accordingly. (cont)
#6 continued
• Likewise, when you have an event planned
to shoot, always also have a back-up event
planned in case your event is canceled, so
you can still meet deadline. In news,
deadline is deadline—there are no
extensions.
#7 ‘must do’
• You must set up your Final Cut Pro settings
and file location only as demonstrated in
class and in training. If you are not certain
you understand the concept, be certain
during training -- before it’s time to edit. If
you do not follow this requirement, the
project will be rejected.
#8 ‘must do’
• You ‘submit’ your project by exporting it
into your Project Folder and then making a
duplicate copy to put on the desktop of your
log-in.
• You must then also upload it to a shared
Google Drive folder.
• You must properly set up your Google
Drive and share it with me.
Basic idea…
• Make sure you understand the content and
production expectations and get them right
the first time
• Start with a practice VO
• Move to doing good interviews
• Move to doing a good VSV
• Move to properly producing a news
package
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 (cont.)
• 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
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WS, MS, CU, XCU and vary angles
Mostly CU and MS
Fleeting / perishable video
Example: Bus arrives to pick up child
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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
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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
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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