Journalism requires quick and concise writing.Good writing
- Have something to say
- Read books
- Manipulate language
- Plain English
- Single syllables
- Be direct
- Know your medium
- What is the burden I want my script to carry? - aims of storytelling
- Write short sentences - more than 16 words, sentence is too long
- Clarity & precise
- Use adjectives sparingly
- Conversational
- Simplify
Consider writing techniques which can help the 'reading' of your story
- Alliteration
- Avoid repetition
- Wordplay e.g. It's a new Dawn for Jennifer - the comedy partnership spanning thirty years is finally over...
- Rule of three - One or two is too few many, three is just right e.g. got up, got out of bed, brushed a comb through my head.
- Similes & metaphors
- Personification
- Exaggeration
- Relatable comparisons - something complex? give the viewer something to relate it too e.g. staggering 1000 metres long, equivalent to a football pitch
The 'P.A.G.E F' test
Precision
- spelt correctly, good grammar, think like a viewer
Accuracy
- hand in hand with trust - ensuring you present the facts accurately is a given in any form of journalism, get names or titles spelt correctly, all information is up to date (persons title etc) especially if a graphic on the screen
- Case study -
Germane
- i.e. relevant - are the facts necessary? Test them for relevance to ensure your story is tight and does not waste time on unnecessary elements
- Know your story which can only be done through thorough, well executed research
Equitable
- Ensuring balance is a key task in journalism. Making sure you view your story objectively and give equal priority to all central parties concerned.
Flow
- Logic - the 'natural order' - walk the viewer through the story
- Tie-writing - using scripting to naturally link or corner turn from one point to the next
Write it in the correct order
- Write the LEAD-IN first (the intro to the story read by the news anchor), the then PACKAGE and then your TAG
Beware
- Don't repeat the lead in within your package
- Wordy writing
- Overkill of facts and figures / keep them simple
- 'Leads' and 'tags' - brief and to the point
How to write a good 'lead' and/or 'tag'
- Attention grabbing
- Concise and not overloaded with facts
- Should sound fresh and new
- Be written in an 'active voice'
- Be creative
- Conversational in tone
- Use narrative to tell the story (storytelling lecture)
Attention grabbing
- Clear top line
- They can then therefore decide whether it's relevant to them and whether they want to watch the item
- Think of it like your longline that would be used in a pitch
- Often you need do no more than tease the viewer, entice them to want to know more
- Give them enough, but not the whole picture
Concise/fact-light
- Don't weigh down your leads with facts - remember to keep them to the salient points in terms of their impact
- In fact many people think the best leads are fact free! Keep the tone engaging but more general and easy to relate/identify with
- The facts belong to the main body of the story
- One sentence is one thought
- Your telling the viewer the key elements that they want to hear i.e. "stay with us - you don't want to miss the tragic story
Finding an 'active' voice
SVO method
Subject
Verb
Object
- Writing about the person or persons doing the action first then what they do and lastly the target of their action.
Conversational tone
- Write as if you are imparting some important news to a friend - almost a 'gossip' voice - write as you speak
- Tease the audience, "it could be me!" rather than "I don't live their I don't care."
Things to avoid
- 'Journalese' - artificial exaggerated or embellished writing - those well worn phrases which are so familiar they feel like a parody
Write to pictures
- What we watch and what we say need to match up. It should be thematically in tune with the pictures
- Look at pictures
- Listen to sounds
- Talk to picture editor
- Polish, polish, polish
- Write to the presenters voice
- Don't be too literal
Writing for Live News/Studio content
-
Writing for a news anchor (segue words)
- Meanwhile
- And
- Well
- Back home
- Now to, (sports...)
Headlines and comings up
- A menu of the main stories
- Top story
- In order of importance & ending with something lighter - the "and finally..."
- Tell the viewer what is coming up
Toppling
- Know your audience
- Sell your story
- WIIFM?
- Match the headline
- Read out loud
- Tempt the viewer
- Check the facts
- Make it easy to read
- The responsibility of the script will lie with the producer
Scripting OOV/SOT
- Scripting this sort of story requires the ability to discern good sound bites from interviews and script in and out of them
- The studio script must indicate when and where the video is supposed to start and its duration so that the director is forewarned
- Ensure the presenter is aware when to stop reading the VO and allow the SOT to take over
- Direction through the ear piece from the gallery OR
- Put the SOT on a separate source to play out so that the sound is separate and can be mixed into the gallery
- Presenter should be in vision when finishing filming
Scripting a news package
- If possible work out key elements of your film on paper before filming
- Work out your shot list and scripted elements such as the PTC
- Scripting will allow you to be sure you know what you need to shot
- Ensure you give your presenter a purpose - make them active in the film - doing something relevant to the story
- Means that we as the audience can feel vicariously connected to the piece and have greater understanding and empathy with the subject
Who is involved in the story?
What are they doing now?
What happens next?
Decide how we want to tell the story
Your decision will be made with regard to the following considerations:
- Access
- Time
- Duration
- Angle
- Essentials
Narrative
- Thinking of your package as a whole
Narratives are structured in the following ways:
- Chronologically - don't mess around with the timeline
- Most up to date info/pix first - then return to recount the story in it's entirety
- Story told through strong central character - relatable
- Answer the 5 'W's' - What, When, Why, Where, Who
Prepare for the edit
- Prior to editing you will need to view, log and transcribe your interviews
Studio workshop prep
We are going to:
- Devise story structure and angle
- Write script & tag on your story
- Script PTCs/walky talky for a reporter to tell story
- Remember WIIFM
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