Basics of Television Reporting

On assignment;

-          To get the best possible outcome from your time on an assignment the most important thing to do is research – going blindfolded into an important interview could ruin the whole piece.  Other important things to do are. P

-          Plan ahead – things are likely to change at the last minute and/or unexpectedly – consider a back-up plan before setting out.

-          Checking the equipment you plan to use before you need to use it prevents any time wasting journeys.

-          Get permission to film whatever you plan to film of you’re not in a public place.

-          Be punctual – arriving 10 minutes early and getting a great story is better then arriving late a missing the action. 

When filming;

-          Think about the sequence.

-          Film in a variety of shots and consider their effect.

-          Shoot long.

-          Consider continuity when filming sequences at different times.

-          Shoot cut aways to avoid jump cuts.

-          Remember to frame what you shoot within the rule of thirds.

-          Filming too much is way better than shooting too little. 

Terminology;

PTC; piece to camera                        SOT; sound on tape

GRAB/clip; interview sound            UPSOT; sound on tape

OOV; out of vision                            NATSOT; natural sound on tape

VO; voice over                                   Talking head; interview

GV; general view                               Cut Away; covering shot

SOQ; standard out cue

Piece to camera;

-          Don’t start a VT with a piece to camera.

-          Only be in the piece if you wish to add something to it.

-          Place yourself in the action.

-          Use movement within the piece.

-          Walk before you start talking.

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Interviews;

-          Get a number of cutaways to make the piece interesting.

-          Get some intro shots of the interviewee.

When coming home;

-          Formulate your story/begin writing it.

-          Organise graphics.

-          Report to the news editior.

Writing intros;

-          Write the link/intro first.

-          Think about the five W’s.

-          Never repeat the link in the package

-          Try to keep one idea per sentence.

-          Use the present tense.

-          Keep the story fresh.

-          Speak in plain English – don’t make it complicated for the viewer.

-          Simplify numbers.

-          Use graphics to explain number. 

Packaging;

-          Tell a story and use a sequence – people will have never heard the story.

-          Start with the best pictures you have.

-          Don’t name your interviewee – use a caption.

-          ‘grabs’ should be around 12 seconds – never more than 20.

-          End with something meaningful.

-          Never end on an interview.