Comprehensive Guide to TV News Production Techniques

1. Like doing TV news • VO narration, sound bites, b-roll, cutaways, stand-ups. • Beginning, Middle and End • Extension: • Open—overview, tease, attention-getter, thesis, specific purpose • Segments—Main ideas with evidence • Climax and denouement • Pull together open, ‘kicker,’ resolution, action

2. How do you collect content? • Subject research • Create shot lists & interview scripts • Gather b-roll • Interviewing • Designed for sound bite content • Further research for the story • Who? ‘Connected to the topic’ – experts, MOS, people once removed

3. Field shooting – lighting • On camera light • Available light • Color temperature -- auto / indoor /outdoor • Never point a camera toward a light • 2-point / 3-point lighting • Low lighting situations -- iris / gain • “The art of capturing and controlling light”

4. Field shooting – audio • Close (isolated component) vs. distant miking • Foreground audio (narration, sound bites, stand up) • Managing distant action that needs to be close-miked • Nat sound (in camera mic) • Lavaliere, boom / shotgun, ‘stick’ • Other equipment • High pass, low pass, band pass, notch filters • EQ, compressor, other processing equipment

5. Shooting in segments • First research -- contacts, other sources • What happened, is happening, will happen • What ‘about this’ topic -- evergreen • Storytelling -- beginning, middle, end • Focus of production – thesis, purpose • Who, what, when, where, why, how, so what • Balance of narrator and sound bites

6. Framing shots • Rule of thirds • WS/MS/CU variations • Eye line, look space, lead room • Cut off lines • Depth of field / focus variations • POV • Angle variations • Steady shots

7. Camera moments • Pan, tilt, truck, dolly, arc, boom, zoom • Tracking shot (dolly moves—portable) • Steadicam / body brace • Handheld shots • Beyond our ability… • Crane, jib, GoPro, Copter, etc.

8. Transitions • One shot • Fade, Cut, Wipe, Dissolve • Snap zoom • Whip pan / swish pan • Invisible transition • DVE

9. Graphics • Lower Thirds • FSG / FSS • Opening titles • Credits • Motion vs. FCP

10. Shooting a news story • Shooting the b-roll • Matched action sequences (WS/MS/CU) • Master scene shooting method (ST: ENT) • No zooms. No pans. • Motivated moves

11. Effects • Kulechev effect • Each shot has a relationship to the shot that precedes it and the shot that follows it • You determine the meaning of the shots • Ken Burns effect • How do you show ‘video’ of historical events? • Zoom, pan and sequence from still images • Smoothly done--invisible

12. Shooting the interviews • Objective POV, look space • Scripted, ad-lib, semi-scripted • News interviews vs. talk shows • ‘Multi-cam’ interview from single camera • Lighting and miking • Change the shot as the interview progresses

13. Planning for Editing • Task oriented sequence • Script, Logging / EDL • Recording ‘track’– making skeleton • Capturing clips • Lay down audio / video & audio clips • Lay down b-roll • Adjust each clip’s audio level • Export final, final script