Journalism 450-News Video
Syllabus Fall 2013
Tuesday/Thursday 10:00-11:15 a.m.
Callaway S-108
Instructor: Sissel McCarthy
E-mail: swmccar@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 712-8457-office, (404) 909-3222-cell
Office Hours: T/Th 1-2 p.m. Callaway, S-106
Teaching Assistant: Brittany Fauconnet
E-mail: brittfauconnet@gmail.com
Phone: 678‐596‐3183
Lab Hours: Monday, 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m., Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. -11:30 p.m., Callaway S-108
Objective:
This class will teach you the skills required to produce a broadcast news package from start to finish. We will continue to build on the broadcast writing skills you learned in Journalism 301, including an additional emphasis on writing for television. We will also focus on how to tell a compelling story. This includes how to get good interviews, how to structure a story, how to choose the best sound bites and write in and out of them effectively, and how to use your voice and delivery to enhance the meaning of your words. Throughout the semester, you will be developing your own story ideas, producing, shooting, interviewing on our new Canon Vixia HD cameras, practicing different types of stand-ups, writing, editing with Final Cut Pro X, and delivering your stories in your best-broadcast voice. At the end of this course, you should feel confident in your ability to write and produce a variety of stories, live shots and formal interviews in an ethical, engaging and informative manner.
Required Texts/Equipment:
· “Television News,” Teresa Keller and Steve Hawkins, Holcomb Hathaway Publishers, 3rd edition.
· Broadcast News Writing Stylebook (from Journalism 301).
· A set of headphones/earphones with a mini-plug to hook into the cameras
· 1 TB hard drive Like the WD My Passport to back up your videos and packages
Class Format:
You will become critical consumers of all media, but especially TV news. While critics decry the sinking standards seen on many TV news programs (and we’ll do our share as we critique the good, bad and ugly in TV news), television is still the preferred medium for most people to acquire news. Television tells stories with emotion and impact and can connect powerfully to the audience. We’ll learn how to achieve that.
We will also employ peer criticism in the evaluation of everyone’s work in a way that does not demean anyone and provides feedback on both strengths and weaknesses to improve future work. We will critique all our work collectively and publicly, which speeds up the learning curve as we learn from each other’s successes and failures. Being able to accept criticism is another important skill that will serve you well in television news. Remember, the critiques are about the work and not the person. While much of our time will be spent learning necessary skills to be good television reporters, we’ll also keep our attention on the bigger picture--why journalism matters to society and how to serve our communities better with our reporting. A major theme will be how to come up with original stories and diverse sources. We will learn why finding underrepresented voices is required of good journalists and how to find those valuable points of view to enhance our story telling. We will put a premium on enterprise reporting—that is telling fresh and new stories rather than recycling “news” from other media. As we develop the needed skills as broadcasters, we will remain grounded in our purpose to serve our audience.
Assignments and Grading:
This course will demand a lot from all of us. Please take your responsibilities seriously and come to class prepared each day. Complete reading assignments in advance, be ready for story meetings, know what is happening in the news and be prepared to participate in class discussions and critiques. This course is a major time commitment, so make sure you make it a priority. As in all other journalism courses, no late assignments will be accepted. You cannot miss a deadline. Ever. If you do, you will receive an F for that assignment. If you are absent the day any assignment is due, it is your responsibility to turn it in no later than the beginning of class. Any factual error, including misspellings of any names and proper nouns, will result in your grade being lowered 10 points on the first offense. Any subsequent error will result in an F on that assignment. This is a journalism program policy, which reflects the belief that accuracy is the cornerstone of good journalism and that such errors cannot be tolerated.
Plagiarism also undermines a journalist’s credibility. All work must be original. You cannot submit stories written for another class or news organization nor may you ever copy or use the work (b-roll or soundbites) of another journalist, whether a friend, the Internet, or other broadcast medium. Every word, outside a sound bite, must be your own. All sound bites and interviews must be authentic and reported by you alone. Any student suspected of fabricating sound bites or plagiarism will be reported to the director of the journalism program and the Honor Council.
The breakdown of your grade is as follows: homework is worth 20 percent of your overall grade and includes short broadcast writing assignments, two oral package presentations, editing exercises, a VO-SOT-VO, participation during class critiques and news quizzes. Early assignments like the news show open, live shot and formal interview are each worth 5 percent. You will be required to redo these and your old and new grade will be averaged. The midterm exam on October 17 is worth 10 percent. To keep the focus on the learning process when it comes to packages, the first draft of all your packages will not be graded. You will receive feedback from the class and me on these assignments and will have at least two weeks to re-shoot, re-write and re-edit each of them. They are worth 15 and 25 percent or nearly half your grade. You will also have three different partners during the semester as part of your shooting duties, and they will evaluate you after each stint for a total of 10 percent of your grade. Finally, your “demo reel” on Vimeo, with all your revised packages, show open, second live shot and second formal interview, is worth 5 percent.
Homework/Presentations /Participation/Quizzes 20 percent
News Show Open 5 percent
Live Shot 5 percent
Formal Interview 5 percent
Midterm Exam 10 percent
Package #1 15 percent
Package #2 25 percent
Shooting Duties 10 percent
Demo Reel on Vimeo 5 percent
Total: 100 percent
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory, but students are allowed two unexcused absences each semester. Other absences for illness or personal emergencies need to be documented in writing. Unexcused absences after the allotted two will impact your final grade.
Tardiness:
Students need to be on time for class. We will start promptly at 10 a.m.
Habitual tardiness will impact your final grade.
Food or Drinks: Food or drinks are not allowed in the classroom.
Final Note:
This is an intense class. We will be learning new ways to produce excellent broadcast journalism, as well as new technology and skills. Remember not to let the technology overwhelm you—it is a tool that will help you as a journalist. Pay close attention to the class demonstrations; practice early and often before deadlines to reduce the discomfort that comes with any learning curve. Also remember the greater purpose of journalism in all that we do: to serve our audience and community with news that is important, relevant, contextual and engaging. Good journalism empowers people with the knowledge they need to make their lives better. As we accomplish these goals, we will grow as broadcast journalists.
We are fortunate to be working with an excellent teaching assistant, Brittany Fauconnet, who will assist in teaching Final Cut Pro X and in editing your packages. She will be holding lab hours Monday/Wednesday from 6:30-11:30 p.m. in Callaway S-108. The “no food or drink” rule will be strictly enforced in the lab.
You will all be working long and odd hours for this class and will get to know each of your colleagues very well during the process. By mid-semester, you will be either reporting or shooting or re-shooting an assignment each week. Reporting and shooting teams will rotate so that you get the chance to work one-on-one with many different people in the class. Make sure you give 100 percent effort as the photographer when it’s your turn, as you will be counting on your classmates to deliver the same. Television news is a true team sport.
Bottom line, this is a demanding class, but as many students report, also their favorite. I hope this is the case for you this semester.
Tentative Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction and Camera 101
Thursday, August 29: Class Orientation, review of syllabus and class introductions.
Week 2: Shooting Video
Tuesday, September 3: Shooting Video Part 1. Keller, chpts. 7,8. Review of cameras and shooting techniques. Homework Assignment: News Open B-roll due 9/5.
Thursday, September 5: Guest Speaker on Shooting Video Part 2: David Gladstone, CBS, Photographer. Review and critique of b-roll for news open. Homework: Re-shoot b-roll after feedback.
Week 3: Final Cut X: Video and Audio
Tuesday, September 10: Keller, chpt. 9. The editing process from importing video to cutting it.
Wednesday, September 11: Mandatory lab to complete first editing homework.
Thursday: September 12: Keller, chpt. 3, Style Manual, chpt. 7. Laying the audio track. Homework: Edit News Open, due 9/19.
Week 4: Broadcast Writing, VOs and the VO-SOT-VO and Story Structure
Tuesday, September 17: Broadcast Writing review and in-class practice. Read Keller chpts. 5-6 and review Broadcast Style Manual chpts. 1-5 before completing homework assignment.
Thursday, September 19: News Open due. Shooting, writing and editing VO-SOT-VOs. Story Structure. Homework: VO-SOT-VO assignment due 9/26.
Week 5: Story Structure and Voice, Delivery, and Stand-ups
Tuesday, September 24: Story Structure continued.
Thursday, September 26: VO-SOT-VO due. Voice, delivery and stand-ups. Homework: Prepare for live shot practice 10/1. Package #1 announced. Story pitch due 10/8.
Week 6: Live Shots Practice and Critic’s Corner News Open
Tuesday, October 1: In-class live shot practice. Live Shot assignment due 10/8.
Thursday, October 3: Critic’s Corner News Open/VO-SOT-VO.
Week 7: Story Meeting and the Broadcast Interview
Tuesday, October 8: Live Shot due. Story Meeting Package #1 due 10/24.
Thursday, October 11: The broadcast interview. Formal interview assignment due 10/31.
Week 8: Fall Break and Midterm Exam
Tuesday, October 15: NO CLASS
Thursday, October 17: Midterm Exam.
Week 9: Standup Workshop and CNN Tour
Tuesday, October 22: Stand-up and Delivery Workshop
Thursday, October 24: Package #1 due. Package #2 announced, due 11/14. Story pitch due 10/31. CNN Tour with Richard Griffiths, Editorial Director, 4-6:30 p.m. (departure location TBD)
Week 10: Critic’s Corner and Story Meeting
Tuesday, October 29: Critic’s Corner Package #1.
Thursday, October 31: Formal Interview due. Story Meeting Package #2.
Week 11: Improving your Storytelling and Guest Speaker on Stand-ups and Delivery
Tuesday, November 5: Improving you Storytelling.
Thursday, November 7: Guest speaker on anchoring, stand-ups and delivery: Sophia Choi, Anchor, WSB
Thursday, November 7: WSB Tour with news director Mike Dreaden. Depart Emory: 4:15. Tour: 5-6:30 p.m.
Week 12: Guest Speaker on TV News Beat Reporting and Critic’s Corner
Tuesday, November 12: Guest Speaker: Jill Martin, freelance reporter, CNN, BBC, CNBC
Thursday, November 14: Package #2 due. Critic’s Corner Live Shot and Formal Interview.
Week 13: Guest Speaker on Backpack Reporting and Critic’s Corner
Tuesday, November 19: Package #1 and news open redo due. Guest Speaker on backpack reporting: Sonia Moghe, Reporter, CBS Atlanta
Thursday, November 21: Critic’s Corner Package #2.
Week 14: Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 26: NO CLASS
Thursday: November 28: NO CLASS
Week 15: Guest Speakers on Field Production and Entry Level Jobs
Tuesday, December 3: Live shot and formal interview redos due. Guest speaker: Matt Sloane, CNN Medical Unit.
Thursday, December 5: Package #2 redo and demo reel website due. Guest Speaker: Sara Belsole, Reporter, WFTX, Ft. Myers
Week 16: Showtime and Class Party!
Tuesday, December 10: Demo Reel presentations and class party!
Syllabus Fall 2013
Tuesday/Thursday 10:00-11:15 a.m.
Callaway S-108
Instructor: Sissel McCarthy
E-mail: swmccar@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 712-8457-office, (404) 909-3222-cell
Office Hours: T/Th 1-2 p.m. Callaway, S-106
Teaching Assistant: Brittany Fauconnet
E-mail: brittfauconnet@gmail.com
Phone: 678‐596‐3183
Lab Hours: Monday, 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m., Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. -11:30 p.m., Callaway S-108
Objective:
This class will teach you the skills required to produce a broadcast news package from start to finish. We will continue to build on the broadcast writing skills you learned in Journalism 301, including an additional emphasis on writing for television. We will also focus on how to tell a compelling story. This includes how to get good interviews, how to structure a story, how to choose the best sound bites and write in and out of them effectively, and how to use your voice and delivery to enhance the meaning of your words. Throughout the semester, you will be developing your own story ideas, producing, shooting, interviewing on our new Canon Vixia HD cameras, practicing different types of stand-ups, writing, editing with Final Cut Pro X, and delivering your stories in your best-broadcast voice. At the end of this course, you should feel confident in your ability to write and produce a variety of stories, live shots and formal interviews in an ethical, engaging and informative manner.
Required Texts/Equipment:
· “Television News,” Teresa Keller and Steve Hawkins, Holcomb Hathaway Publishers, 3rd edition.
· Broadcast News Writing Stylebook (from Journalism 301).
· A set of headphones/earphones with a mini-plug to hook into the cameras
· 1 TB hard drive Like the WD My Passport to back up your videos and packages
Class Format:
You will become critical consumers of all media, but especially TV news. While critics decry the sinking standards seen on many TV news programs (and we’ll do our share as we critique the good, bad and ugly in TV news), television is still the preferred medium for most people to acquire news. Television tells stories with emotion and impact and can connect powerfully to the audience. We’ll learn how to achieve that.
We will also employ peer criticism in the evaluation of everyone’s work in a way that does not demean anyone and provides feedback on both strengths and weaknesses to improve future work. We will critique all our work collectively and publicly, which speeds up the learning curve as we learn from each other’s successes and failures. Being able to accept criticism is another important skill that will serve you well in television news. Remember, the critiques are about the work and not the person. While much of our time will be spent learning necessary skills to be good television reporters, we’ll also keep our attention on the bigger picture--why journalism matters to society and how to serve our communities better with our reporting. A major theme will be how to come up with original stories and diverse sources. We will learn why finding underrepresented voices is required of good journalists and how to find those valuable points of view to enhance our story telling. We will put a premium on enterprise reporting—that is telling fresh and new stories rather than recycling “news” from other media. As we develop the needed skills as broadcasters, we will remain grounded in our purpose to serve our audience.
Assignments and Grading:
This course will demand a lot from all of us. Please take your responsibilities seriously and come to class prepared each day. Complete reading assignments in advance, be ready for story meetings, know what is happening in the news and be prepared to participate in class discussions and critiques. This course is a major time commitment, so make sure you make it a priority. As in all other journalism courses, no late assignments will be accepted. You cannot miss a deadline. Ever. If you do, you will receive an F for that assignment. If you are absent the day any assignment is due, it is your responsibility to turn it in no later than the beginning of class. Any factual error, including misspellings of any names and proper nouns, will result in your grade being lowered 10 points on the first offense. Any subsequent error will result in an F on that assignment. This is a journalism program policy, which reflects the belief that accuracy is the cornerstone of good journalism and that such errors cannot be tolerated.
Plagiarism also undermines a journalist’s credibility. All work must be original. You cannot submit stories written for another class or news organization nor may you ever copy or use the work (b-roll or soundbites) of another journalist, whether a friend, the Internet, or other broadcast medium. Every word, outside a sound bite, must be your own. All sound bites and interviews must be authentic and reported by you alone. Any student suspected of fabricating sound bites or plagiarism will be reported to the director of the journalism program and the Honor Council.
The breakdown of your grade is as follows: homework is worth 20 percent of your overall grade and includes short broadcast writing assignments, two oral package presentations, editing exercises, a VO-SOT-VO, participation during class critiques and news quizzes. Early assignments like the news show open, live shot and formal interview are each worth 5 percent. You will be required to redo these and your old and new grade will be averaged. The midterm exam on October 17 is worth 10 percent. To keep the focus on the learning process when it comes to packages, the first draft of all your packages will not be graded. You will receive feedback from the class and me on these assignments and will have at least two weeks to re-shoot, re-write and re-edit each of them. They are worth 15 and 25 percent or nearly half your grade. You will also have three different partners during the semester as part of your shooting duties, and they will evaluate you after each stint for a total of 10 percent of your grade. Finally, your “demo reel” on Vimeo, with all your revised packages, show open, second live shot and second formal interview, is worth 5 percent.
Homework/Presentations /Participation/Quizzes 20 percent
News Show Open 5 percent
Live Shot 5 percent
Formal Interview 5 percent
Midterm Exam 10 percent
Package #1 15 percent
Package #2 25 percent
Shooting Duties 10 percent
Demo Reel on Vimeo 5 percent
Total: 100 percent
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory, but students are allowed two unexcused absences each semester. Other absences for illness or personal emergencies need to be documented in writing. Unexcused absences after the allotted two will impact your final grade.
Tardiness:
Students need to be on time for class. We will start promptly at 10 a.m.
Habitual tardiness will impact your final grade.
Food or Drinks: Food or drinks are not allowed in the classroom.
Final Note:
This is an intense class. We will be learning new ways to produce excellent broadcast journalism, as well as new technology and skills. Remember not to let the technology overwhelm you—it is a tool that will help you as a journalist. Pay close attention to the class demonstrations; practice early and often before deadlines to reduce the discomfort that comes with any learning curve. Also remember the greater purpose of journalism in all that we do: to serve our audience and community with news that is important, relevant, contextual and engaging. Good journalism empowers people with the knowledge they need to make their lives better. As we accomplish these goals, we will grow as broadcast journalists.
We are fortunate to be working with an excellent teaching assistant, Brittany Fauconnet, who will assist in teaching Final Cut Pro X and in editing your packages. She will be holding lab hours Monday/Wednesday from 6:30-11:30 p.m. in Callaway S-108. The “no food or drink” rule will be strictly enforced in the lab.
You will all be working long and odd hours for this class and will get to know each of your colleagues very well during the process. By mid-semester, you will be either reporting or shooting or re-shooting an assignment each week. Reporting and shooting teams will rotate so that you get the chance to work one-on-one with many different people in the class. Make sure you give 100 percent effort as the photographer when it’s your turn, as you will be counting on your classmates to deliver the same. Television news is a true team sport.
Bottom line, this is a demanding class, but as many students report, also their favorite. I hope this is the case for you this semester.
Tentative Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction and Camera 101
Thursday, August 29: Class Orientation, review of syllabus and class introductions.
Week 2: Shooting Video
Tuesday, September 3: Shooting Video Part 1. Keller, chpts. 7,8. Review of cameras and shooting techniques. Homework Assignment: News Open B-roll due 9/5.
Thursday, September 5: Guest Speaker on Shooting Video Part 2: David Gladstone, CBS, Photographer. Review and critique of b-roll for news open. Homework: Re-shoot b-roll after feedback.
Week 3: Final Cut X: Video and Audio
Tuesday, September 10: Keller, chpt. 9. The editing process from importing video to cutting it.
Wednesday, September 11: Mandatory lab to complete first editing homework.
Thursday: September 12: Keller, chpt. 3, Style Manual, chpt. 7. Laying the audio track. Homework: Edit News Open, due 9/19.
Week 4: Broadcast Writing, VOs and the VO-SOT-VO and Story Structure
Tuesday, September 17: Broadcast Writing review and in-class practice. Read Keller chpts. 5-6 and review Broadcast Style Manual chpts. 1-5 before completing homework assignment.
Thursday, September 19: News Open due. Shooting, writing and editing VO-SOT-VOs. Story Structure. Homework: VO-SOT-VO assignment due 9/26.
Week 5: Story Structure and Voice, Delivery, and Stand-ups
Tuesday, September 24: Story Structure continued.
Thursday, September 26: VO-SOT-VO due. Voice, delivery and stand-ups. Homework: Prepare for live shot practice 10/1. Package #1 announced. Story pitch due 10/8.
Week 6: Live Shots Practice and Critic’s Corner News Open
Tuesday, October 1: In-class live shot practice. Live Shot assignment due 10/8.
Thursday, October 3: Critic’s Corner News Open/VO-SOT-VO.
Week 7: Story Meeting and the Broadcast Interview
Tuesday, October 8: Live Shot due. Story Meeting Package #1 due 10/24.
Thursday, October 11: The broadcast interview. Formal interview assignment due 10/31.
Week 8: Fall Break and Midterm Exam
Tuesday, October 15: NO CLASS
Thursday, October 17: Midterm Exam.
Week 9: Standup Workshop and CNN Tour
Tuesday, October 22: Stand-up and Delivery Workshop
Thursday, October 24: Package #1 due. Package #2 announced, due 11/14. Story pitch due 10/31. CNN Tour with Richard Griffiths, Editorial Director, 4-6:30 p.m. (departure location TBD)
Week 10: Critic’s Corner and Story Meeting
Tuesday, October 29: Critic’s Corner Package #1.
Thursday, October 31: Formal Interview due. Story Meeting Package #2.
Week 11: Improving your Storytelling and Guest Speaker on Stand-ups and Delivery
Tuesday, November 5: Improving you Storytelling.
Thursday, November 7: Guest speaker on anchoring, stand-ups and delivery: Sophia Choi, Anchor, WSB
Thursday, November 7: WSB Tour with news director Mike Dreaden. Depart Emory: 4:15. Tour: 5-6:30 p.m.
Week 12: Guest Speaker on TV News Beat Reporting and Critic’s Corner
Tuesday, November 12: Guest Speaker: Jill Martin, freelance reporter, CNN, BBC, CNBC
Thursday, November 14: Package #2 due. Critic’s Corner Live Shot and Formal Interview.
Week 13: Guest Speaker on Backpack Reporting and Critic’s Corner
Tuesday, November 19: Package #1 and news open redo due. Guest Speaker on backpack reporting: Sonia Moghe, Reporter, CBS Atlanta
Thursday, November 21: Critic’s Corner Package #2.
Week 14: Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 26: NO CLASS
Thursday: November 28: NO CLASS
Week 15: Guest Speakers on Field Production and Entry Level Jobs
Tuesday, December 3: Live shot and formal interview redos due. Guest speaker: Matt Sloane, CNN Medical Unit.
Thursday, December 5: Package #2 redo and demo reel website due. Guest Speaker: Sara Belsole, Reporter, WFTX, Ft. Myers
Week 16: Showtime and Class Party!
Tuesday, December 10: Demo Reel presentations and class party!