Electronic Journalism

Lesson 14 : Writing and Editing Script for Television News

Qualifications of a TV Reporter

To perform well on the job, a television reporter has to possess some basic and essential qualifications. Some of these are- Versatility; good writing skills; a liberal education; excellent understanding of the TV medium; integrity; pleasing personality; good voice quality; confidence.

To be able to comprehensively cover the news, television news reporters generally employ the following techniques-
(a) Piece to camera
(b) Studio spots

Piece to Camera:

Of all the skills needed for television news reporting, the piece to camera is amongst the most frequently used. The piece to camera, which is essentially in vision, is recorded on location.

It has three advantages: it immediately establishes the reporter's presence on the spot; it is extremely simple to execute, and, it is fast enough to be considered a kind of contingency sample.

These stand-ups are written on the scene, without the benefit of typewriter's or the other conveniences of the newsroom. Since the reporter looks straight into the camera, the lines have to be memorized.

A stand-up can also be used in the middle of a story to "bridge" two other sections of the report. Bridges work especially well when the reporter demonstrates something.

Studio Spots:

While the piece to camera is an in-vision news presentation by the reporter recorded on location, the studio spot is a news item read in the studio by someone other than the programme's main presenter, as additional information to the visuals. Usually, it is a special correspondent or a reporter who is called upon to draw together the elements of a news story with or without the aid of videotape or illustrations.

Because television news is a team effort involving many persons, the chances of human error are great in a studio set­up, particularly in an 'on-air' situation. There are four simple rules that the on-camera studio reporter / correspondent should follow:

1. Maintain self-control. Expect problems and be prepared to cope with them
2. Always prepare file copy. If film or video tape fails to come up, have the file copy close at hand, to carry on the show.
3. Never pick your nose or scratch yourself.
4. Be familiar with studio cue-signals.

Television Interviews:

To be a good reporter, a television newsperson must be a good interviewer. Whether talking face to face with a personality or an expert, or may be when asking questions in front of the TV camera, the newsperson must know how to conduct an interview. For a good interview, learn as much as you can about the person you are going to interview, and the subject matter to be covered. Prepare your questions in advance

Guidelines

1. The person should be able to think quickly to follow up with topics outside the originally planned structure of the interview, besides possessing a capacity to marshal and arrange thoughts so that the questions are asked logically.
2. The actual phrasing of questions needs to be considered.
3. Too many inexperienced reporters tend to make long statements. This is irritating to the viewer.
4. Questions which are too direct are quite likely to elicit either a 'yes' or 'no' without further elaboration. It is better to start a question with who, what, when, where, which, why or how.

Research for Interviews:

Research is the backbone of the information for a television programme, including interviews. Research takes team work. Researchers look for-(l) guests as interviewees; (2) facts, opinions and ideas; (3) visual materials, films, slides; (4) graphics, drawings, photographs etc.

Warming up for the Interview:

It is important to take the audience along at every step of the interview. The hardest thing to do is to listen. Listening to your guests' answer instead of studying your list of prepared questions does two things. It encourages your guest to shed any inhibitions and respond freely to your questions. And it enables you to pick up the thread of thought and follow naturally with the next question.

Questions for TV Interview:

A television interview should seem like a conversation, not a cross-examination. Listen to casual conservation. Watch when and how a person responds to non-verbal reactions.