- Broadcast-Television Source: video pro
Week 7 Practical: Write a news story as a very short broadcast audio visual script.
Based on Week Four’s interview activity where we interview someone and write a short news story, week seven asks us to write that story as a short broadcast audiovisual script.
| Timing | Audio | Visual |
| 00:00 – 00:10 | Reporter: sally Seabrook is a busy , fit mother of three children who is devoted to her family and her health. | Shot of reporter |
| 00:10 – 00:20 | Sally Seabrook : My kids are important because I always wanted to be a mum (SOT) | Shot of Sally being interviewed on camera preparing healthy food with her children |
| 00:20 – 00:30 | Reporter: Health and is also very important to Sally. Being fit and healthy enables her to keep up with her kids and also take time out and look after herself. (VO) | Shot of Sally working out at boot-camp |
| 00:30 – 00:40 | Sally Seabrook I keep fit and train regularly to keep my mind in a good place. It’s my release time. It helps me keep up with my kids (SOT) | Shot of sally chasing her children around. |
| 00:40 – 00:50 | Reporter: When she isn’t busy keeping up with her children’s lives, sally spends time at boot-camp working out with her friends (VO) | shot of Sally working out with boot-camp friends |
| 00:50- 01:00 | Sally Seabrook: Being fit and working out is not just about looking good, it’s a lifestyle change. It makes you a better person all around.(SOT) | Shot of Sally with her children. |
Week 7 Inquiry: Review Chapter 11 of your Media Writing text (Whitaker, Ramsey & Smith)
Chapter eleven of Media Writing (Whitaker, Ramsey & Smith) discusses writing copy for radio and television news. Writing broadcast copy is both more difficult and easier than it seems(Whitaker, Ramsey & Smith 2012).
The Key points of chapter 11 Media Writing is:
- Keep sentences simple, brief, and energetic with only one idea per sentence.
- Readability: broadcast is written to be read by the announcer as well as the audience.
- Clarity: it should be written in a style that casual listeners can understand as well as making pronunciation obvious.
- Avoid editorialising the news, remember to let the audience decide whether events are good or bad. Leave interpretations to the listener.
What are the key differences between writing for broadcast and print-based media?
Although print- based media and broadcast media journalism and broadcast journalism have a lot in much common, e.g., both disseminate information to the general public and engage in investigation, there are significant differences.
The key differences between writing for broadcast and print-based media are :
- Print allows for greater development of a story that broadcast cannot achieve.
- Broadcast is a simpler direct style that engages with the audience in a limited time frame using visuals and sound.
References
Whitaker, W, Ramsey, J & Smith, R 2012, Media writing: Print, broadcast, and public relations, 4th edn, Routledge, New York, NY.
Week 7 Technical: Complete Quiz 7 – Words
The Week seven quiz required us to read chapter nine -Words of ‘English for Journalists’.
This following quote from Hicks stood out to me:
‘You must learn to recognise the words and phrases that will convey your meaning exactly and vividly to the reader’ (Hicks 2013, p. 108).
My results from Week seven quiz were not bad, scoring 9/10 on first attempt. I made the error of not reviewing my answers before submission and selected the same wrong answer , twice !
I achieved 100% on the third and final attempt. Another lesson in always review your work.
References
Hicks, W 2013, English for Journalists, Routledge, New York.
Rebecca Ward 