Learn how to construct a TV news package, from research and filming to editing and scripting, with this step-by-step guide for new journalists.
The following is based on a week of training delivered to young television news journalists in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The training material has been reworked here for others who are starting off in TV journalism.
No pictures, no story
The golden rule for all TV news is no pictures, no story; pictures provide the what – words provide the why. See: The questions every journalist should ask.
Storytelling in pictures
- Three skills are necessary: reporting, camerawork, and editing
- You need at least a basic knowledge of all three
- The guiding principle: let the pictures tell the story
First steps – what is the story?
- Who is the subject?
- What are they doing?
- Why, and what is their motive?
Research – the evolution of the story
- Find out what has happened
- Uncover the who, why, when, where, and how of the story
- Ensure you understand fully all the elements
Next steps – plan your newsgathering
- Be sure you know what story you want to tell
- Discuss it with your camera operator
- Decide what shots you are going to need
How the elements work
- The hook – grabs the attention
- The context – gives essential background
- The unfolding – provides details of the new story
- The wrap – reiterates the main points or moves the story forward
At the scene – get enough shots
- Anything showing action: arrivals, establishing shots, walking shots, cutaways (shots that can be used to cover edits), sitting-at-a-desk shots, and interesting locations etc.
- Avoid noddies (where the journalist nods when an interviewee is answering). These can suggest you are agreeing with the interviewee, which could affect audience trust and opinions about your impartiality.
- Film faces, especially those showing emotion
- Avoid getting to the edit suite without the shots you need
Interviews – what are we looking for?
- You will need only one or two short clips
- What will tell the story best? Emotion, analysis, an eyewitness account?
- Be neutral in your tone
Interviews – the skill is in the questions
- Don’t ask questions that can be answered with yes or no
- Don’t ask two questions in one
- Use the old favourites: who, what, when, where, why, and how
The stand-up – piece-to-camera
- Why are you doing it?
- How does it help with the storytelling or the editing?
- If it is necessary, keep it short
Back at the office – consult and agree
- Make a shot list
- Show your editor the pictures
- Agree the treatment of the story
At the edit suite – choose the pictures first
- Identify the shots which best tell the story
- Decide their optimum length
- Choose the right sequence (not necessarily in the order in which they were recorded)
Editing dos
- Make sure each shot joins up smoothly with the next
- Keep points which attract the eye in the same area of the screen at edits
- Remove anything that can be cut without damaging the flow of the story
- Make a shot list of the finished edit
- Try to let the pictures tell the story
- Let the images speak and add as few words as possible
- With walking shots, end with the interviewee or the interviewer (or perhaps the interviewer and interviewee) walking out of the picture if you can
Editing don’ts
- Don’t use the same shot twice in a package
- Don’t use jump cuts (edits of a person speaking that cut out words or sentences and change the meaning of what the person is saying)
- Don’t use the first question from an interview – start with the answer
- Don’t start or end a moving shot with a static shot
- If you cut away from an interview or a press conference, don’t go back to it
- Don’t use noddies in edits; they could come across as agreement
- Don’t split clips and use them out of sequence
Packaging – putting it all together
- Understand – the story and the pictures you will need to tell it
- Capture – action, emotion, and atmosphere
- Discuss – agree the treatment with your editor
- Edit – use pictures to tell the story
- Script – add as few words as possible to complement the picture
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