slides for monday march 18

1. STORYTELLING
IN STAGES
March 18, 2018

2. Storytelling for Broadcast
• STAGE 1: PLANNING
Chapter 8
• STAGE 2: CHOOSING SOUND
• STAGE 3 : CHOOSING VIDEO
• STAGE 4 : WRITING TO SOUND
• STAGE 5:WRITING TO VIDEO
• STAGE 6: EDITING

3. Storytelling for Broadcast
• STAGE 1: PLANNING
 Screening Your Tape
 Logging Your Footage
 Bottomline: You must know what you have to work with before starting to write
Chapter 8

4. Storytelling for Broadcast
Chapter 8
• STAGE 2: CHOOSING SOUND
 “Sound is what brings people into the story”
 IMPORTANT: You cannot make a decision about what to use by looking at a
transcript. Something that looks great on paper may not work on-air.
 Tip: Listen to the audio with your eyes closed
 Soundbites should be CLEAR and SOUND AUTHENTIC (not robots reading from a
script)
 Soundbites should 1) Convey a complete thought 2) be easily understood and 3)
keep the audience’s attention
 Consider “butted” bites (back-to-back) if they convey dialogue
 NAT SOUND’S THREE FUNCTIONS: 1) gives viewers a sense of being CLOSE to the
ACTION 2) varies the pace of the story 3) provides information
 Nat pops – very short bites that go with natsound/video up full (often at the top of
a package or to transition from one aspect to another aspect of the story)
 Look for sound that reinforces the theme of the story

5. Storytelling for Broadcast
Chapter 8
• STAGE 3 : CHOOSING VIDEO
 Open with your STRONGEST VIDEO
 SET THE STAGE FIRST
 Choose video with an idea of Getting STARTED (Beginning), Moving along
(Middle), and WINding up (Close)
 Remember HANDSHAKE SHOT (p. 57)-- head-on medium shot you plan to
introduce in your story
 Remember NEGAITVE ACTION (p. 57) – movement away from camera (usually
at the end of the story– should be memorable)
 Aim for MOMENTS (time of surprise or emotion– capturing impact of story)
 Don’t forget SEQUENCES (wide, medium tight or close-up)

6. Storytelling for Broadcast
Chapter 8
• STAGE 4 : WRITING TO SOUND
 Don’t use soundbites as substitutes for EFFECTIVE storytelling
 “Stringing bites together” = lazy way out
 Soundbites are NOT production techniques to break up sound of your voice
 GOAL: Creating a ”seamless narrative”
 LEAD-IN Primarily designed to set-up the sound, NOT echo or repeat
 LEAD-IN Make clear the person’s role in the story
 LEAD-OUT It’s okay/advisable to repeat words from the bite

7. Storytelling for Broadcast
Chapter 8
• STAGE 5:WRITING TO VIDEO
 GOOD PICTURES SELL THE STORY
 Compelling images are crucial
 Put the video in order
 Don’t jump back and forth between locations
 Narration should ENHANCE the visual elements by adding context or meaning
 Remember “Writing to the corners of the picture” (WORDS Convey what the
viewer can’t see)
 Consider Parallel Parking (Inserting short narration between pauses

8. Storytelling for Broadcast
Chapter 8
• STAGE 6: EDITING
 Allows you to SEVERAL THINGS 1)change the order of events 2) Shrink or
expand the time it took for them to unfold 3) increase or reduce the impact
 TELL the STORY the way it ACTUALLY HAPPENED
 Rather than putting ALL BEST VIDEO and SOUND at top, put together a
sequence that pulls viewer into the story
 Quick Edits/Nats: Create URGENCY
 Beauty shots: Set tone/scene
 When you say person in narration, SHOW THE PERSON
 When you use a soundbite, make sure person is on camera at least once
 Give an idea of where nat sound is coming from
 NO JUMP CUTS
 RESIST TEMPTATIONS to use wipes or color adjustments

9. Storytelling for Broadcast
• STAGE 1: PLANNING
Chapter 8
• STAGE 2: CHOOSING SOUND
• STAGE 3 : CHOOSING VIDEO
• STAGE 4 : WRITING TO SOUND
• STAGE 5:WRITING TO VIDEO
• STAGE 6: EDITING

10. Achieving a
Conversational
Style
JCM 331
Before the Shoot
VIDEO
Wallpaper Video
Interviews – Who to interview/who to avoid
During the Shoot
What NOT to Do
6 Things to DO (Watch, Listen, Dig, Think, Plan, Communicate)
After the Shoot
Logging the Interview
Logging the Video
Writing the Story
FIRST THINGS FIRST (anchor intro) –’Grab and Hook’
“Second-mention technique”
Personalize
Make IT a Circle
”The Gold Coin Theory” (Moments & Surprises)