Sample Lessons
Making a Newscast
The focus of this project may vary depending on the skills you wish to highlight during the process of creating a news item – examining news and media in society, journalists’ objectivity and ethics, the technical process of creating a news item etc.
Resources
The BBC website has some really useful resources available on their site and tailors their ideas to different levels of technology that may be available in your school.
Script-writing tips and real examples from the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ /hi/school_report/6180944.stm#1
BBC School News Report Teachers Resources
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ /hi/school_report/resources_for_teachers/default.stm
BBC: How to make a one-minute TV report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ /hi/school_report/5 94886.stm
Broadcast writing style tips
http://www.jprof.com/broadcasting/bcstyletips.html
How to Write for Radio News Broadcasts
http://www.ehow.com/how_4840 90_write-radio-news-broadcasts.html
Sports Broadcasting Tips For Radio Beginners
http://www.americansportscastersonline.com/radiosportscastingtips.html
Tips on broadcasting
http://www.selectideas.co.uk/ross/tips-broadcast.htm
How to Create Intro for TV News Report
(see related videos on Outro, Stand-ups etc.)
http://www.ehow.com/video_44014 5_create-intro-tv-news-report.html
How to Be a TV News Reporter: Video Series
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_ 8 _p1_tv-news-reporter.html
What you’ll need
- Video Camera / Camcorder / Webcam
- Microphone
- Internet Access to view sample news items and resources
- trakAxPC Pro
Lesson Structure
Class Activity 1 – Background Analysis
Watch and discuss various news items from a selection of news agencies (or listen to radio reports). Do they adhere to the three C’s of journalistic writing skills – Clear, Correct and Concise?
Resources:
Analyse and discuss the journalistic code of ethics.
Journalism ethics and standards
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards
The New York Times Company Policy on Ethics in Journalism
http://www.nytco.com/company-properties-times-coe.html
Radio-Television Digital News Association Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
http://rtdna.org/pages/media_items/code-of-ethics-and-professional-conduct48.php
Is news always objective? What factors can lead to news being subjective – ratings, advertisers, corporate interests etc.?
(Google Scholar can be a good research tool for such debates: http://scholar.google.com/)
Class Activity 2 – Research
Each group should select a story for their report – this could be a local event, a school event, a profile on a teacher, student or the sports team or an international event currently in the news.
The students should plan:
- A basic storyboard and script
- What footage and imagery will be needed
- List of Interviews required
- What locations will need to be visited
- Draft a script for the reporter stand-up (this is when the reporter stands in front of the camera)
- Students should pay close attention of the three C’s when writing their news report – clear, concise, correct
- If facts and figures are required for the news item – are the sources reliable?
Class Activity 3 – Production
Students record the footage required for the newscast – record all interviews, record the reporter stand-up, b-roll footage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-roll) etc. Students can learn the basics of using a tripod when recording footage, how lighting can affect their recording, using a microphone etc.
Class Activity 4 – Post-Production
Students upload footage from their camcorders / cameras and media devices and begin to edit video and audio in trakAxPC. Students should save the original footage so any edits / cuts will not destroy the source footage.
- Students assemble the newscast in trakAxPC Pro
- Video / Audio is edited as required
- Transitions added between scenes
- News editing techniques such as “J and L Cuts” can be discussed: http://www.trakax.com/software/about/comments/video_basics_j_and_l_cuts/
- Titles and text is added
- Students create a Rough cut of the project
- Students create the Final Cut
Class Activity 5 – Review
Each group of students presents their newscast and critique the various decisions behind the project – news item chosen, imagery used, interviewees selected, editing decisions etc.
Students can submit a short written piece on what they have learned about journalistic ethics, the process of creating a news item, the relevance of news in our society etc.
Fair Use of Copyrighted Material
If students are creating a reportage on a current or historical event, they most likely will want to use radio and video clips as well as photos that are copyrighted. However, if the distribution is purely within the classroom and will not be distributed outside the classroom, then the content is covered by the Fair Use Guidelines of Copyright.
Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use for more information.
trakAxPC Tutorials
Text
Adding Titles and Text/Titles to identify people, places and things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or40l0uf3wY&feature=player_embedded
Transitions
Students will want to add transitions between scenes; some scenes may fade into each other, some may use natural transitions and some may simply cut from one to another in a quick chain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrP5MxTcsyI&feature=player_embedded
Recording Voiceovers
Students can record in voiceovers directly into trakAxPC Pro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr_TWX8CvsY&feature=player_embedded
Envelopes
Students will need to control volumes, video brightness etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpfBbk1x9x0&feature=player_embedded
Saving
Saving the video for future editing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCnCqqCHvec&feature=player_embedded
Export
Export the final cut to popular file formats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx1QioSUUQs&feature=player_embedded
