Week 13

Critique of a News Bulletin

Firstly, I looked at a local Gold Coast News bulletin from Channel 9, during the coverage of Cyclone Marcia. The program predominantly covers local news stories and highlights the rundown of a general news bulletin.

The first issue I noticed with the bulletin was an imagery issue. The background behind the presenter is completely blurred and covered in rainfall. A camera displays the live backdrop of the Gold Coast and during wet weather the camera is covered in water. I believe this suggests the program is amateur. It would be better suited to have a still background or have a live shot with a camera that isn’t covered in water droplets. The background therefore becomes immediately distracting to the viewer.

At 1min 50secs there is a shot that does not fit the screen (filmed on an iPhone) and this is simply mirrored to cover the wide screen. This shows the footage has been sent in by the public and it is not as good quality as the rest of the bulletin. This is an issue with the harsh deadlines and a lack of stronger technology allowing journalists to gather better footage.

At 3 mins 17secs the talent is also filmed incorrectly, the talent is looking directly at the camera and is centred, rather than being shot in two thirds of the screen. Again this is an amateur issue with the filming of the news segment.

Yet again, the weather news continues with a separate reporter in a new location with another angle to the Cyclone Marcia story. At 3mins 46secs we can again notice the mirror image method used when footage has been taken on a phone. It looks much less professional, but is used because of the short deadlines set on journalists.

Here is the segment of the bulletin with the most issues that I focused on with my critique...

Week 12

Editing Processes

In order to edit the news bulletin package I first checked the rundown of the stories to ensure that they were in the correct order. The most important stories lead the bulletin to the more ‘fluff stories’ at the end of the bulletin. This also sometimes follows the theme that bad news comes first. Celebrity and sports news is classified as the entertainment news, so it follows the lead stories in most news bulletins, depending on its relevance and value too.

During the read of the bulletin, I rehearsed the story to make sure that I made as little mistakes as possible. I also learnt to read loud, clear and paced to make sure that the read matched the pace of the news bulletin as a whole.

The planning of the news bulletin editing process begins with a story plan or story log. This is known as the story bed (Alysen 2012, p.195). It frames the news bulletin and is a journalist’s tool to creating a pre-recorded bulletin.

To cut each video I chose to save them individually and test each sound level to ensure that they all matched up. In a bulletin the sound levels should sit between -6 and -12, to ensure they all matched up to the program. Next I cut up my bulletin read. I chose to cut them also piece by piece, but I edited the sound levels to suit the program first.

Next, I added the introduction and began to insert each bulletin read with its corresponding story. However, the project required time to pause at the end of each lead in to a story. Allowing for a short pause at the end of a segment allows for the viewer to process the information and the bulletin then begins in a timely manner.

Week 11

Lectures and Readings:

This week relied on editing a bulletin and constructing the entire bulletin. In order to construct a bulletin there needs to be a specific structure to the bulletin. In any news presentation there is a specific pyramid structure with the most important news coming first to the least important news and the entertainment news with the sport. The bulletins was thus ordered in this manner with the most important news stories being more hard hitting pieces that are more newsworthy than the segments that discuss events or present the sports news.

During the editing process timing is also a key factor. To edit the presenter around each bulletin requires the editor to take time and care so that there are not long pauses or awkward silences in the presentation. In a live studio however, the editor would need to ensure the segments are ready to play on a reel for when the bulletin goes to air. This is a more difficult technique for the team as the presenter has to ensure they are as on time as possible for the cue to play each news package and the editing team need to ensure they are ready to play each package as soon as it has been presented by the journalist on screen.

Throughout the process of editing my video I found that the segments and news bulletins followed well together. The structure of the presentation matched the packages and I also allowed time after each read to pause and allow the package to play. Overall, this is the finished product of the semester...

Week 10

Lectures and Readings:

This week was the final presentation week and all bulletin presenters had their final go at perfecting a bulletin.

According to Barbara Alysen 2012, a good bulletin has to start with a good script and more importantly, the script has to suit the reader and the audience. For a more mature news bulletin like the ABC the script has to suit an educated mature demographic, but for programs such as the local Nine News and Seven News there is a more casual undertone to the news program to suit a younger demographic. The local bulletins also have a more local focus meaning sometimes the stories are more focused on soft news rather than hard news, which means they are read in a more casual soft manner.


Prior to the read I practiced the scripts until I knew them all in general. It was time to then focus in the pace of the stories. The pace for the first story was quite moderate and it maintained that pace throughout the bulletin. One story was read at a slower pace about a medical revolution to re-construct a young boy's face. I felt the need to add emphasis to this story to gain the special interest of the viewers. For human interest stories there needs to be an added emphasis to the story, so the viewers know the next story is of an important interest. The technique is commonly used on current affair programs including Today Tonight and A Current Affair or Four Corners. The slow-paced strong story emphasis grabs the readers attention making them feel as though the story is of a particular interest to them.

A few issues I originally found with reading the script were that I was pacing some stories too fast or too slow and at other times the emphasis on words did not suit the story. After a number of voice exercises I also found it easier to read the bulletin without making too many mistakes. If a mistake is made it's suggested that the reader goes back to the start of that line and immediately corrects themselves. For example, this is very important in facts of court cases and money figures, because misinformation is damaging in these cases.

Week 9

Lectures and Readings:

This week was our practice run-down for our news presentations and we developed an understanding of the news room and the set up of the studio. However, this week also primarily focused on the aspect of shooting and the techniques involved with reading the cue prompter. There are a variety of aspects that need to be checked in order to present the news bulletin at a professional standard.

AUDIO
Firstly, the audio levels need to be checked, the audio manager can do this by calling for a sound check. The presenter then reads a line or two of the script and the levels are checked. In most cases the audio should be mostly in the green meter, and just touching the yellow from time to time. This generally sits at 6 to 12 on the meter levels.

CAMERA FRAMING
In terms of the framing, the presenter should be in the front and centre of the camera. There should be around 15 centimetres of head space. In the shot the journalists lower arms and hands should not be showing in this case and the desk is cut out. In some studios there should be some hand space to show the desk and the presenter's entire upper body. However, in our case the desk was not necessary for our shot.

CUE PROMPTER
The cue prompter has the difficult task of managing the cue to match the reader's speed and the pace of each segment. Some stories are made to be read slower than others to add emotion or sympathy. In some cases stories should be read faster or more upbeat. For example, a story about a sick child should have a slow sad pace to stress emotion and sympathy in the story. On the other hand, stories that are about events and good news should have a more upbeat pace or feel.

PRESENTER
The presenter has one shot to get the story right and set up their bulletin. The presenter is the focal point of the bulletin. He/she has to prepare themselves for the camera and ensure there mic is on and ready to go. Some presenters have make-up and assistant teams, but the reading and presentation pace is all reliant on the presenter, they not only set the pace for the story, but they also need to know the pronunciation of words and the stories for the program.

DIRECTOR
The final say is all on the director as they send the checks out to ensure everyone is ready. The director then gives the floor manager the 'go ahead' and the recorder presses record, as the bulletin goes on the countdown.

This was my first practice read...

Week 8

Lecture and Readings:

From the film crew to sound checkers and even the first and second directors, everyone plays an important role to ensure that the program goes to air without a hitch.

Firstly the camera controller needs to frame the talent front and centre with a small amount of head space and lowered just below the shoulders to the desk. The view of the anchor also shows authority over the reader. By highlighting the reader as important it gives the presenter dominance over the stories and shows that they're credible.

Communications an important part of the broadcasting process, because without the directors and audio communicating with the visual team the program would not be collective. The video has to match up with the sound levels that need to be monitored through air checks. Next, the floor director/producer needs to contact the booth director to ensure everything is set and ready to record and go on air. The program then begins with a que in as the floor director counts down.

From the moment the director hits one on the count down the talent and the que controller are in the spot light. The talent/reader steps the pace of the story as the que director follows their lead. The reader also needs to set an emphasis to certain parts of the story so the que controller also needs to be in tune with the script and the way a presenter reads. Overall, the bulletin would not work without the entire production team working as one.

As part of my own video assessment I chose to source two authoratative sources on the issue. I chose not to include a vox pop in my piece as I believed the two interviewees gave the story enough context. Additionally, the time frame for the news story was not long enough for me to include this piece. I angled the story on the issues and what is happening now to ensure that it was still newsworthy at the time of submission. The piece also features a range of shots at the scene of the story. Below is the completed project...

Week 7

Lecture and Readings:

This week we worked in the studio to build our confidence up ahead of presenting a news bulletin. During reading a bulletin introduction, it's not as simple as reading a piece to a camera. Whilst reading there are certain ways you have to read the story to add emphasis and keep the attention of the audience.

During our reads to the camera we developed a news voice; a voice of authority and description. A journalist is not only required to write and present a bulletin, but as they are reading they need to understand the story to add their news reader element to the piece. The stories of the day also have to flow, so it makes the job of the bulletin presenter nearly as difficult as the job of the field journalists who compile the stories (Alysen 2012, p. 215).

Bulletins can be prepared before they go to air, but presenters also need to be alert in the case of breaking news (Alysen 2012, p. 211). In this case they will be fed the news story by ear and they will need to present it to the public directly, without preparation. This is an important skill that journalists need to master as breaking news can develop for online media outlets, radio news and television news bulletins.

Another important aspect of the bulletin is to understand the stories before they go to air, so there is pressure on field journalists to deliver and pressure on the presenter to read the stories. The presenter is also required to keep a steady pace and ensure they know what story is directly ahead (Alysen 2012, p.212). This means there are a number of skills that a presenter requires in order to read a bulletin; it's not as simple as just reading.

Week 6

Lectures and Readings:

This week has consisted of preparation for a news story project. Initially I intended to cover a news story about the cycling paths built in Varsity Lakes and Robina, but since that story has been changed. I am now pursuing a story about the Boa Constrictor that has been released at the Spit on the Gold Coast. 


Gold Coast Boa Constrictor story: http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/pets-and-wildlife/authorities-call-off-search-for-boa-constrictor-loose-at-gold-coast-spit/story-fnk74alk-1227294646627

I chose the story as it had more depth to the story and was more relevant, taking in the news values of timeliness and currency as well as proximity. I intend to get an interview with Mayor Tom Tate and possibly a professional snake catcher to get authoritative views on the issue. If time permits I will also allow for a vox pop in the segment. 

In class this week we developed our editing skills with a focus on how to run and time the news story. Using Final Cut Pro we learn how to crop and cut a video and how to construct a news bulletin from a news template. 

It is important for a journalist to construct a news template and script prior to conducting interviews, so the story angle and interview questions can be directly to suit the story. The template also ensures there will be a number of different shots filmed in the segment to gain the viewers attention (Alysen 2012, p.145). 

Most importantly this week we worked on preparing our stories and interviews using the camera equipment and set up. A note I have made about television journalism is that a journalist is more heavily relied on to research, produce and gather interviews, then edit an entire news story in one working day. The intensity of this is intimidating, but preparation is the key. 

Overall, this week has been productive in learning how to edit a news story prior to it airing on a news bulletin. 

Week 5

Weekly reflection: 

This week we studied the ethics and morals surrounding video journalism. We revised the laws regarding trespassing and what you can and can't record. We also went into detail about various codes of ethics that regulate the media. 

In television journalism there are a range of regulators that ensure that the media reports correctly, fairly and ethically balanced stories. From broadcasting acts to privacy acts, it is a necessity for a broadcast journalist to understand what they can and can't do and what they can report on. Some cases mean that stories can't be reported on in a specific way (Alysen 2012, p. 245). 

The regulation of media ensures that journalists are kept accountable for their stories and the law ensures that they will report in a balanced manner. Journalists that report unethically or those who choose to defame another could face defamation charges and possibly jail terms.

When reporting on television there are a number of elements that journalists have to be cautious of, in comparison to radio and print journalism. On television there is an added element of visuals and written visuals. What you see needs to be ethical as well as what you hear and what you read (Alysen 2012, p. 243). Therefore, television reporting can be the most complex type of journalism in terms of abiding the law.

Television programs can also be more accurate when reporting or less accurate, depending on when the bulletin is presented. For example, a program in the evening a story from the morning has more time to be researched so the program of an evening would have more details and be more accurate than the same story that was reporting on in the morning. Journalists have to be cautious when reporting breaking news live to air because the details of the story are just starting to filter out into the public (Alysen 2012, p.248).

Therefore, journalists have to maintain visual and audio concepts to a story and make sure that the story as  a whole is ethically sound. 

Week 4

Lectures and Readings:

This week the techniques of interviewing were explored. Journalists are known for their quick wit and cunning questions, so it is important to know how to interview in a way that will get you the answers you seek, rather than just getting prepared answers and spin.

A key aspect of interviewing is to ensure that you know the background of the story and more importantly the interviewee. It is important to first warm up into hard hitting questions. Making the interviewee comfortable will ensure that a journalist can make the interview casual and possibly develop a good rapport with a future potential source (Alysen 2012, p. 199).

Questions also need to be asked in a specific way. Double barrelled questions and closed questions can make the talent confused and cause them to give short answers. By asking open questions that are too the point, a journalist can ensure they get a clear and clean grab or sound bite. There are a number of techniques to ask these questions; starting with who, what, when, where, why and how, is the best way to angle questions in an interview.

It is also highly important to remain silent and listen after answering a question. Not only does this give the interviewee time to respond and develop their answer in a constructed response, but it also allows the journalist to gather questions to their responses that make create another angle to the story. Holding a silence is also another good technique, because it allows the interviewee to spill information. If a journalist remains silent the interviewee will usually start to talk and try to fill in the quiet with answers. This is a good technique that journalists use to catch out their talent (Alysen 2012, p. 195).

Finally, perhaps one of the most critical things to remember is to also prepare the equipment. Make sure there is an SD card in the camera and that there are spare batteries and the microphone is working, so complete a sound check first and then set record.

Week 3

Lectures and Readings:

This week we analysed how information is gathered and turned into stories. The art of consuming news is not only to just consume it, but to analyse its news values. Some news may be needed to just fill in a segment, but for television, news needs to be valuable to a viewer and grab their attention.

One way to identify if news is a priority for the daily agenda is to weigh it up against the news values. It depends on the type of program and audience too, because they can affect the priority of a story (Alysen 2012, p. 25). For example, a local bulletin in Australia would not contain a news story about the American Government, unless it directly affected locals.

I believe the most effective news value is proximity. In terms of interest in a news story, audiences tend to be more concerned about bad news or good news if it directly affects them.

Therefore, the news values control the news of the day. This also controls the way bulletins are prepared and the way stories are constructed. In print stories are written in a pyramid fashion with the most important information beginning at the top and the least important information at the bottom.

However, broadcast is a little different to this. In broadcast scripts there are segments of sound written in the program and the story has to start with a strong lead, hold the viewer’s attention in the middle and end with a strong conclusion (alysen 2012, p. 99). This is a little different to the written technique, because readers can get all the information in the first few paragraphs of a news piece, whereas in broadcast they need to generally keep their attention on the story to get all of the details (Alysen 2012, p. 43).

Week 2

Lectures and Readings:

This week we worked on the aspect of filming and framing. In the readings we focused on the way a bulletin is written. The main focus of writing te bulletin is the structure (Alysen 2012, p. 43). Unlike print broadcast writing has to start and end conclusively, rather than using the pyramid style.

Stephen Stockwell notes that the most prominent people are captured by the media using front and centred medium close-up shots to suggest they are a figure of authority. However, in some news pieces the journalist can be portrayed as the authoritative source. 

There are also a number of shots used to frame the talent and the background. Medium to very long shots are not as frequently used in news stories, but they are used on channel nine's A Current Affair. 

A variety of moving shots can add emphasis with zooms, or run alongside the talent using a dolly. Firstly, pans consist of camera movements from side to side and show the length or distance in the story. Tilts consist of movement in the opposite direction with a tilt upwards and then downwards. Finally, zooms include moving the camera inwards and outwards adding an emphasis to the feature. 

The piece to camera is a common technique used by the media to start or end a package.  They usually consist of only two sentences (Alysen 2012, p. 61). Most of the main stream media will use the stance of showing a story topic then following across to the reader to start the piece to camera. 



Another element of video journalism is the rule of two-thirds, used to frame an interviewee or the talent of a story. During a Vox pop or an interview the camera man will position the talent so that they only take up two thirds of the screen. The journalist will usually be positioned so the talent is looking toward the empty third of the shot. Therefore, this is the basics of framing in television journalism. 

Week 1

My television consumption (daily):
- Nine News local and state
- the Today Show
- A current affair
- 60 minutes
- ABC NEWS 24
- SKY NEWS
- the 7.30 report
- 4 corners
- twitter news feeds
- facebook news feeds

Lecture and Readings:

The news varies depending on what program you are watching. Through my consumption this week I have noticed that channel 7, 9, and 10 have programs that cover a variety of stories in some short packages. However ACA, 60 minutes and Sunday Night are used more to present in depth investigative or to some degree entertaining stories (e.g. neighbourhood wars, grocery prices and scams). Alternatively, ABC programs have more depth and different angles to a variety of stories that means they are more investigative in comparison.

So far I have noticed the structure of the television industry is very similar to the radio industry. Both fields require the journalist to do almost all of the work and be the reporter, the writer, the camera man and the fact checker/researcher. Therefore a journalist is required to do more work than ever before with stricter deadlines (Alysen 2012, p. 3).
The workers in both metropolitan and regional areas are more relied on to be efficient and ensure that they meet stricter deadlines. This means that employers can have a journalist covering an entire region or round each day (Alysen 2012, p. 11). On the other hand, without having a schedule and a system for the news team to work towards there could be issues with the same story being covered by multiple field workers, or worse dead air, by not making a deadline (Alysen 2012, p. 13).
Short deadlines have led to a decrease in investigative journalism as well. A large number of journalists simply churn through stories and information rather than analysing them and developing the information into a new angle. Most stories are therefore reported in a similar way and lack a depth into the story and the stories are rarely followed up (Alysen 2012, p. 15).

Welcome

My name is Caitlan Gallagher.

I am a Griffith University Journalism Student and this is my blog log for a course within my degree.

I will update this blog with a log of reflections on activities and my thinking processes throughout the semester.

Happy reading...