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.