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...