Writing to Video

Objectives
(This plan assumes either one long class period (approx. 2 or 2-1/2 hours) in which both the discussion and exercise could be done – or instructors with shorter class periods could do the lecture and discussion portion in class and assign the exercise outside of class. Either way, there is an additional "show and tell" and discussion follow-up for the next class.)

1. To get students to think about their stories and the video they’ll need to tell them before they go out in the field.
2. To get students to take the time to review their video before they start writing their stories.
3. To help students recognize when the "eyes and ears" are competing in stories.

Teaching Materials

• A handout describing why writing to video is so important.
• A fact sheet for students to write a VO using the video and information provided.
• Raw video of samples being taken at a lake. (right click and save video file)

You will need to tape a local or national newscast.
Instructor’s Guide In television, we obviously have the advantage of telling our stories with video and sound as well as words. But the best video in the world won’t have much impact if the words don’t match or the two don’t complement each other. Why is that? (Elicit responses from students.)
In fact, researchers have found that "when the eyes and the ears compete, the eyes win." That means even the best writing in the world won’t work if the video doesn’t support what was written. A great story that has video that doesn’t make sense – and doesn’t match – won’t be a great story after all.
(Using the newscast you taped, watch several stories and discuss whether or not the video and script match. If they don’t match elicit ways the story could have been improved.)
What can we do to help ensure we’re gathering the right video in the field and that we use it in the best way possible when we’re editing? (The following is included as a handout to help guide the discussion.)

• Know Your Story Before You Go. Do as much research as possible about your story before you go out into the field. With that research you can start to sketch out your story before you leave the newsroom. If you have a good idea of how you’re going to tell the story, you know what video to get.
• Communicate with Your Photographer. If you’re working with a photojournalist, he or she should know everything you know about the story. That means sharing your research and your preliminary thoughts about how you’ll tell the story.
• Be Open to Input from the Photojournalist. The best stories are told by reporters and photojournalists who work together as a team. The photojournalists may capture some compelling footage or sound and suggest that’s a strong way to open your story. For example, if you’re doing a story about new recruiting restrictions for college sports teams, your photographer may suggest using a shot of the coach packing team t-shirts while saying "Everyone loves a t-shirt, I always take lots to give away."
• Watch and Log Your Video. It’s impossible to write to video if you don’t know what the video is! Even if you’re on a tight deadline, you should be able to take a quick look at the video to get a sense of what you have. Or, if you did work with a photojournalist, ask what video he or she shot before you begin writing.
• Test Your Script. You should show your script not only to your producer but also to your photographer to make certain he or she has all the necessary video. If not, you need to adjust your script!

Let’s try this out with an assignment. You (and a classmate) should use the attached fact sheet and the raw video being provided to write a :30 voiceover about a fish kill and potential pollution problem in a local lake.
Before you begin, let’s look at the fact sheet and figure out what video we would like to shoot for this story. (Elicit list from students.)
But sometimes, you don’t get all the video you’d like for one reason or another, so be sure to write to what you have instead of what you’d like to have. And remember, you should watch and log the video first, then write your script. Edit the voiceover video only after you’ve printed a script out.
Follow-up Discussion
In the following class period you should have each student or team play the voiceover, while reading the script to accompany it. Classmates should answer the following questions:

• Does the video match the script in all instances?
• Are there facts used in voiceover script for which there isn’t appropriate video?
• How can you avoid that problem?
• If you simply don’t have the video and have an important fact you need to include?

© RTNDF Educator in the Newsroom Lesson Plans