Ten tips for writing TV news
People who think writing TV news is easy have probably never done it well. What’s easy (unfortunately) is finding examples of BAD news writing–”simplistic, cliché and shallow,” says Jessica Grillanda, who teaches at Cambrian College in Ontario, Canada. Getting it right takes a lot of skill, she says, because you have to synchronize the elements of sound and video into a cohesive story “that appeals to both the eyes and ears.”
She’s absolutely right. I often tell print journalists that their TV counterparts are a little like Ginger Rogers to their Fred Astaire–both were amazing dancers, but she had to do everything he did backwards and in high heels. That takes a lot of concentration, coordination and confidence.
So how do you learn to write TV news well? It wouldn’t hurt to consult Grillanda’s 10 tips. Some of them are as basic as it gets, but they’re all useful reminders:
YOU CAN ONLY TALK FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE IMAGES It sounds simple, but a good television piece is planned well before you hit the record button on your camera. If it’s important to explain—“David Pearson is the science director of Science North in Sudbury. He is also a leading researcher in Ontario on climate change”—you need visuals to cover your words. Plan ahead and ensure you shoot not just your interview but sequences of Pearson studying weather charts or giving a talk on the subject.
IMAGES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS Images can be deafening. If your visuals do not support your words, your audience will remember the visuals but not the news. If you are explaining how faulty wiring led to a blaze while showing video of the charcoal remains of a house, don’t expect your audience to pay attention to your well-researched details. If you say it, show it.
DON’T SAY WHAT THE PICTURES DO, SAY WHAT THEY DON’T Nonetheless, don’t waste your time trying to say what the pictures already do. What insight does your audience gain by showing a quiet suburban neighbourhood and then saying, “This is a quiet suburban neighbourhood”? Give your viewers the information to understand why they are looking at those photos. “This is the first murder on record in Sleepytown.”
The rest of Grillanda’s tips are online here.
Filed under: 05. Writing the Story
i’ve seen hundreds of these writing sites, but none of them provide a sample news script with time code, sig out, etc.
Fair point, Ted. We do have sample scripts in the online workbook associated with the Advancing the Story text, but not yet on this blog. I’ll make it a priority to add an example or two soon. Thanks for the suggestion.
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its great and very usefull for young reporters .
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[...] As you refer back to your list of terminology from our first class, you will see that some of the most important terms are: O/C – on-cam, this is the anchorperson on camera reading V/O – voice-over – this would be the anchor reading over video SOT – sound-on-tape – this would be soundbites of people talking, such as a statement from the police chief, an eyewitness to an event, etc. On the left side of the script are the video directions for the director to know what should be on the screen, as well as editing instructions for video and soundbites for a video editor to produce those elements. On the right side of the script you will see that those same terms (O/C, V/O, etc) are in the script so that if the anchor is reading off a teleprompter, he will know wheher he is on camera, if there is video up, or if a soundbite is playing. Normally, only the copy of the right side of the script will appear in a teleprompter. It is very important to make sure your video and audio match up. If you are talking about a fire at an apartment complex, then the video the audience is seeing should be video of that fire. Of course it is not quite as simple as that. There are a few key things to keep in mind when writing TV news copy. Below is a link to an excellent article on some of the major things to keep in mind when writing TV news copy: TV News Writing Tips [...]
The guide you provide is the best I have ever read, the number two is educative of all, you show your audience what you say not say a different thing from the picture running on the screen. thank you for a free lesson.