mathematics HEALTH ENGINEERING DESIGN MEDIA management GEOGRAPHY EDUCA E MUSIC C PHYSICS law O ART L agriculture O BIOTECHNOLOGY G Y LANGU CHEMISTRY TION history AGE M E C H A N I C S psychology ADVANCED TV JOURNALISM Subject: ADVANCED TV JOURNALISM Credits: 4 SYLLABUS Television Reporting Writing for Television News Cast; News Writing for TV: TV Reporting Basics; Investigation and Interview Techniques; Beat Reporting; Reporting Live; World Television Standards: World TV Standards; Maintaining Video Quality; Video Formats; Aspect Ratio and Conversion. Camera Basics Introduction to Camera Parts & Operation; Lenses and Filters; Camera Composition Angles; Shots and Movements; Lighting: Introduction to Lighting; Lighting Principles; Lighting Ratios; Types of Light and Lighting Accessories; Sound: The Basics; Audio Control Devices Mixing; Equalization and Recording. Editing Basics Introduction to Linear Editing; Logging; Use of Time Code; Introduction to Non -Linear Editing; Vision Mixing in PCR; Maintaining Consistency and Continuity; Guidelines for Editing. News Graphics; Anchoring and Budgeting: Graphics for News; 2D; 3D Animation Graphics; Anchoring: Handling Teleprompter; Live Interview; Art of Anchoring; Producing a Bulletin: Production Control Room; Role of Functionaries; Putting the Bulletin Together; Run Order; PCR Commands and Cues; Live Broad Casting: Production Phases; Electronic News Gathering; Satellite News Gathering; Budgeting: Introduction to Budgeting; Proposal Making. Suggested Readings: 1. Portable Video; Medeoff Norman J; Tanquary Tom; Focal Press. 2. Video Editing and Post production; Anderson Gary H. Focal Press. 3. Basic News Writing; Mencher Melvin; Universal Book Stall. 4. Television Production; Millerson Gerald; Focal Press. CONTENT Lecture No. Topic Page No. Television Reporting Lecture 1 Writing for the television news cast 1 Lecture 2 TV reporting Basics 15 Lecture 3 Investigation And Interview Techniques 27 Lecture 4 Beat Reporting 44 Lecture 5 Reporting Live 52 Lecture 6 World TV Standards, Maintaining Video Quality 60 Lecture 7 Video formats, Aspect ratio and conversion 74 Camera Basics Lecture 8 Introduction to camera parts and & operation 91 Lecture 9 Lenses and filters 111 Lecture 10 Camera composition angles, shots and movements 130 Lecture 11 Introduction to lighting, Lighting Principles, Lighting Ratios 160 Lecture 12 Types of Light and lighting accessories 174 Lecture 13 Television Sound: The Basics 182 Lecture 14 Audio control devices mixing, equalization and recording 207 Editing Basics Lecture 15 Introduction to Linear editing, Logging, Use of Time code 221 Lecture 16 Introduction to Non -Linear editing 234 Lecture 17 Vision Mixing in PCR 242 Lecture 18 Maintaining consistency and continuity 251 Lecture 19 Guidelines for Editing 263 News Graphics Lecture 20 Graphics for News 273 Lecture 21 2D, 3D Animation Graphics 280 CONTENT Lect No. Topic Page No. Lecture 22 Anchoring: handling teleprompter, Live Interview 288 Lecture 23 Art of Anchoring 296 Lecture 24 Production Control Room 304 Lecture 25 Role of Functionaries 311 Lecture 26 Putting the Bulletin together 319 Lecture 27 Run order, PCR Commands And Cues 340 Lecture 28 Production Phases 353 Lecture 29 Electronic News Gathering 356 Lecture 30 Satellite News Gathering 377 Lecture 31 Introduction to Budgeting 386 Lecture 32 Proposal Making 390 Lecture 1 WRITING FOR THE TELEVISION NEWSCAST Objectives Ø Learning to write to visuals, combining words with pictures Ø Learning to write the headlines, voiceovers, piece to camera, anchor reads Introduction The first thing to be said to the apprehensive newcomer about writing for television news is there are any number of broad guidelines but few hard and fast rules. This makes sound common sense in a medium where so much depends on instant reaction in the field or in the newsroom, up to and often including the time of programme transmission. Television style Attempts at some kind of standardization do, of course, take place from time to time, with varying degrees of success. Editors looking for continuity will occasionally assign senior journalists to produce lists of preferred spellings, titles and phrases to match the standards of ethical Behaviour they expect from their staff. All the big news organizations have their own style guides dealing with the way language should be used. There is, however, no argument about the basic principles of television news writing: Ø Be direct, simple and precise. Ø Use short words. Ø Use separate sentences rather than a maze of sub-clauses. Ø Be brief. You write for the ear and eye. Ø Prefer active to passive verbs ('he did something' rather than 'something was done'). Ø Use familiar phrases but avoid the tired ones. Ø Prefer vivid language to the bland. It may seem obvious to say that broadcasting English is based on the spoken word, not written word. But try reading a few scripts under your breath and the good ones will stand out. If you're new to television, watch how many excellent writers do read to themselves. The good scripts sound as if the presenter is talking to the viewer, not just reading out loud... Scripts are meant to be read by presenters from autocue ... complex numbers should be written out. Writing Rs.17.4m is likely to make the presenter stumble. This should be written as seventeen-point-four million rupees) Complete control over every single word spoken by every single contributor - whether they are reporters, interviewees or participants in some other way - is unachievable in any practical sense, and while it is certainly desirable and possible to lead the viewer from event to event by the proper use of visual signposts, combined with careful phraseology, what occurs within the brief timescale of many a broadcast news item is open to each viewer's personal interpretation of what is being seen and heard. It is this extra dimension, which helps to place television in its unique position among methods of communication. A newspaper's verbatim report of an important political speech will give a clear record of what is said ... a newspaper reporter's word picture will give, at one remove, an interpretation of what is meant. A direct radio broadcast will enable what is said to be heard complete with repetitions, hesitations and 'bad' grammar. But only the television viewer, sitting in domestic comfort, is given the full information from which to make a personal assessment of the way things are said, together with the sidelong glance and nervous twitch which accompanies the confident - sounding delivery. Unfortunately, it is extremely probable that the viewer will be shown a relatively small sample on which to base a judgement, as it is freely accepted by television news people that the 'whole' story, however important, can rarely if ever be told within the context of a routine 25- or 3-minute newscast sandwiched between the domestic comedy and the detective serial. Even if there were no pictures, and the presenter read continuously for an entire half-hour, it would not be possible to pack in more than about 5500 words - fewer than the front page of The Times Of India. However long they might like to linger over recounting events of the day, television news journalists are acutely conscious that, through no fault of their own, they have to be ultra-selective, both in the number of items put on the screen and the amount of time devoted to each. Whether or not this is entirely true, there is little doubt that the time element does impose an important form of constraint on the newsroom-based journalist in particular. Yet whether it has only negative influence is arguable. The need to condense forces continuing reassessment of the merits of individual items as they develop, ensures economy in the use of words, and discourages length for its own sake. Above all, it sharpens the newsman's or woman's traditional ability to recognize those facts which cry out for inclusion from those which do not. The availability of all news 24-hour channels does not invalidate the argument. Continuous coverage of events as they unfold, however exciting live, unedited action may be, serves an entirely different purpose from tightly shaped reporting and explanation putting matters into perspective. Application of a developed news-sense is only one half of the newsroom journalist's task. The other half, probably more important, is to convey the chosen facts in a way that every television viewer can readily understand. It does not mean pandering to the lowest common denominator of intelligence, but it does pose a problem which does not' apply to the printed word. Even though the audience may be made up of millions, the writer should be encouraged to think small, perhaps imagining people in groups of no more than two or three. Conversational language, preferably used in short, direct sentences, should be the aim. Decide what it is you want to say: then say it. Experienced television journalists never forget their efforts will be totally wasted if the viewer does not immediately grasp what is being said, particularly when a moving illustration is competing with the spoken word. The admission may be painful to journalists, but the old cliche, 'one picture is worth a thousand words' has more than a ring of truth. It is always possible for the newspaper reader to return to the printed sentence. If necessary he or she is able to pore over a dictionary. But words once uttered on television or radio are beyond recall. A viewer left wondering about the meaning of what has been said at the beginning of a sentence will probably be too distracted to comprehend what is being said at the end of it. That applies to every television news item without exception, and almost the greatest crime any journalist in the medium can commit is to leave part of the audience confused about what is meant.