USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

Journalism 306Broadcast News ProductionFall 2009

Jeff Wald(213) 440-5555 Celljeffrey.wald@usc.eduOffice hours: Per your request, depending on my schedule.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course will put together all that you have learned about writing and reporting and turning that knowledge into solid story telling through solid production techniques. You will have plenty of room to express your individual style as long as you follow the basic rules you will learn during this semester. The following will be the techniques to follow:

Clear conversational writing Well composed, compelling video Best pictures Best sound bites Best natural sound Good pacing

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The objective by the end of the semester is that Broadcast News Production students will be able to research, pitch, write, report, shoot and edit professional television/web packages with graphics and special effects if appropriate. This class will emphasize reporting the context crucial to more complex stories. By this time, students should have mastered professional interviewing skills to elicit interesting sound bites and shoot interviews in a visually compelling manner. We will also critique your performance in front of the camera utilizing “standups” and voiceover techniques. Students should also have mastered the skills necessary to shoot creative sequences rather than “wallpaper” video. Editing skills on the Avid software should match basic professional standards in a creative and technical manner.

All students, whether interested in reporting, anchoring or producing should have a clear understanding and appreciation of the major role that production plays in reporting video news. Class and homework exercises should emulate or exceed real-world situations to prepare students for the final upper division classes of reporting and/or producing.

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OPTIONAL TEXTBOOKS

ISBN: 13: 978-0-07-352609-6Title: Broadcast News Handbook, 3rd EditionAuthors: C.A. Tuggle, Forest Carr, Suzanne HuffmanPublisher: MCGraw Hill

ISBN: 13: 978-0030791765Title: Broadcast News, Third EditionAuthor: Mitchell StephensPublisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

ISBN: 0205262589Title: Creative InterviewingAuthor: Ken MetzlerPublisher: Allyn and Bacon

ISBN: 0967843200Title: Power ProducerAuthor: Dow SmithPublisher: Radio-Television News Directors Association

COURSE OUTCOMES

1. Following current events and being able to find a local angle to a national or international story.

2. Pitching, researching, writing, reporting, shooting, editing stories under tight deadline pressure.

3. Advanced photojournalism: Students should have a high appreciation for the power of pictures in video news. They should have the ability to distinguish the most memorable and compelling video to help tell the story. Students should also be able to personalize a story with a least one central character.

4. Researching stories: Students should be able to go beyond the basic information provided by their instructors, editors or interviewees. They should be able to write a story “pitch” proposal based on the information they discover. A thin or incomplete Story Idea Form will affect your project grade.

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5. Reporter standups: Students should be able to produce meaningful standups that advance or bridge their stories from one element to the next both journalistically and visually.

6. Producing News Broadcasts: We recognize that most producing opportunities, aside from on-air reporting, are in producing entire news broadcasts. Annenberg broadcast majors should be able to understand the challenges of putting together a television news/webcast for a mass audience in Los Angeles. This means that students should be able to start thinking in terms of news judgment, setting realistic time allotments, orderly presentation of ideas, pacing, style and several other areas of production necessary for a journalistically sound and creatively compelling newscast.

7. Producing specialty segments, such as sports and weather: How these segments are changing as people get information from other sources such as the Internet, ESPN, The Weather Channel, Blackberrys, iPhones, text messages, etc.

8. Live reports: Students should be able to report and/or introduce a story live at the scene and interact with an anchor. This skill is critical for a television news journalist.

9. Graphics: Students should be knowledgeable in the types of graphics available and be able to incorporate them into complex stories to aid understanding.

10.Ratings and Research: Familiarity with ratings and sampling techniques. What ratings can tell a producer and what they cannot.

Students will complete two reporter packages for homework assignments by midterm. Maximum length: 1:30 to 1:45. No package (except for the final) should exceed 1:45 without the consent of the instructor in advance.

Students will complete two additional packages the second half of the semester, last of which will be a multi-faceted or complex issue, as a final exam. This final project could run up to 2 minutes, if approved in advance by the instructor.

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DAILY NEWS AND VIEWINGS

You will be required to watch at least one local and/or national newscast daily. Vary the newscasts each day to gain an appreciation for differing styles and news judgments.

We also urge you to view “CBS Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes”. CBS Sunday Morning features some of the best produced and most creatively shot news stories on television. 60 Minutes offers lengthy reports that are issue oriented or profiles of famous people.

Also, given this era of opinion journalism, I recommend the “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel and “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” on MSNBC. Also, Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart. These programs round out the traditional news broadcasts by providing stories influenced by the anchors opinions. These programs utilize traditional newsroom personnel to write and produce the various segments.

ETHICS DISCUSSIONS & SPECIAL GUESTS

Special guests from local newsrooms will appear to discuss current ethical issues and share their views on the changing landscape of television news. Ehy will also talk about their experiences as television and web journalists. Students will be encouraged to participate in these discussions. You will be graded on your participation in class and the written logical thoughtfulness of your reports on these sessions.

STORY ASSIGNMENTS

There will be four major produced packages including the final, plus several other assignments listed in the syllabus. All video assignments should be turned in on miniDV. All audio and video elements – voiceover, sound bites, natural sound and picture descriptions must be shown on the accompanying hard-copy script. A sample script will be distributed to show the format.

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GRADING CRITERIA: ASSIGNMENTS AND VIDEO PACKAGES

A. Basic criteria - You will be graded on clarity, organization, accuracy, fairness/balance, completeness/omissions, grammar, spelling, and ability to meet deadlines. We will distribute a separate checklist showing the exact criteria we will be grading. Written story pitches (proposals) are mandatory and will be factored into the grade average for each project.

Each story will have a letter grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-or F). On some assignments, we may use a point system, but the points will be translated to a letter grade.

1. “A” stories are accurate, clear, comprehensive stories that are well written and require only minor copy editing (i.e., they would air). They are also shot and edited creatively, are well paced, and include good sound bites and natural sound that add flavor, color, or emotion to the story.

2. “B” stories require more than minor editing, and have a few style or spelling errors or one significant error of omission. There may be minor flaws in the composition of some shots or in the editing. Good use of available sound bites.

3. “C” stories need considerable editing or rewriting and/or have many spelling, style or omission errors. Camera work and editing techniques are mediocre or unimaginative, but passable. Sound bites add little or no color – only information that could be better told in the reporter’s narration.

4. “D” stories require excessive rewriting and have numerous

errors, and should not have been submitted. Camera work is unsatisfactory, or fails to show important elements.

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5. “F” stories have failed to meet the major criteria of the assignment, have numerous errors, or both. A story that has a  factual error that is material to the story merits an F. The following are some other circumstances that would warrant a grade of F:

Plagiarizing a script, portions of a script, or information from any source – wire copy, feed packages, another reporter’s package or story script. (See below.)

Staging video: When the reporter tells or asks someone to do something specific, unless that is revealed or made obvious in the context of the story. (Gray areas will be discussed in class.)

Using video shot by someone else and presenting it as his or her own work.

Telling interview subjects what you want them to say.

Distorting video: shooting video in one location and presenting it as being another location.

Using the camcorder to intentionally intimidate, provoke or incite a person or a group of people to elicit more “dramatic” video.

Having someone else shoot your stand-up (portion of story when the reporter is on-camera) or interviews – (but only in those cases when the assignment specifically calls for you to shoot your own stand-up and/or interviews).

Promising, paying or giving someone something in exchange for doing an interview, either on or off camera.

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B. Plagiarism/Academic Integrity - Plagiarism is defined as taking ideas or writings from another and passing them off as one's own; in journalism, this includes appropriating the reporting of another without clear attribution. The following is the Annenberg School of Journalism's policy on academic integrity as published in the university catalogue: “Since its founding, the USC School of Journalism has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found guilty of plagiarism, fabrication, cheating on examinations, or purchasing papers or other assignments will receive a failing grade in the course and will be dismissed as a major from the School of Journalism. There are no exceptions to the school’s policy.”

GRADING POLICIES

Undergraduate Degrees: The School of Journalism expects its students to maintain at least a 2.7 (B-) grade point average in all journalism classes. Those who fall below this will receive additional counseling from faculty and advisement staff. Students are required to complete each journalism class with at least a grade of C-. Journalism courses with a grade of D+ or below must be repeated.

Please note that the university's cumulative grade point average will include both grades in its calculations and students must maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average to graduate from USC.

C. Late Assignments - Core policy is that no late assignments will be accepted, except for verified medical reasons or documented extraordinary circumstances. Meeting deadlines is a journalistic necessity in the real world.

D. Rewriting Stories - You will be allowed to rewrite, reshoot, or re-edit assignments to achieve a higher grade.  Such rewrites must be done within a deadline to be determined by the instructor, and the two grades will be averaged. This policy does not apply to Package #4 (final exam).

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ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONSAny students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the professor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The office is located in the Student Union room 301 and their phone number is (213) 740-0776.

INTERNSHIPS

The value of professional internships as part of the overall educational experience of our students has long been recognized by the School of Journalism.  Accordingly, while internships are not required for successful completion of this course, any student enrolled in this course who undertakes and completes an approved, non-paid internship during this semester shall earn academic extra credit herein of an amount equal to one percent of the total available semester points for this course.

To receive instructor approval, a student must request an internship letter from the Annenberg Career Development Office and bring it to the instructor to sign by the end of the third week of classes. The student must submit the signed letter to the media organization, along with the evaluation form provided by the Career Development Office.  The form should be filled out by the intern supervisor and returned to the instructor at the end of the semester. No credit will be given if an evaluation form is not turned in to the instructor by the last day of class. Note:  The internship must be unpaid and can only be applied to one journalism class.

CLASS ATTENDANCEStudents are advised to attend the first class meetings of their journalism classes or the instructors may drop them from their classes. The School of Journalism adheres to the university policy, which states “an instructor may replace any student who without prior consent does not attend...the first class session of the semester for once-a-week classes. It is then the student’s responsibility to withdraw officially from the course through the Registration Department.” You are expected to be in class every week, or obtain the instructor's approval in advance if you will miss a class – except for verified medical reasons or emergencies. You will be allowed to edit packages in the Annenberg Digital Lab only if you attend the advanced Avid editing workshop Week 2 and complete required work.

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COURSE GRADES

Ethics Discussions 10%Package #1 (Coastal Cleanup) 10%Package #2 (Multi-shoot preferred) 15%Package #3 (Multi-shoot preferred) 20%Newscast blocking and explanation 10%Package #4 (Final Project – Multi-shoot required)   25%ATVN Learning Lab: 10%

__________Total: 100%

CLASS SCHEDULE

Week 1 ▬ August 25

Class Topics:Introductions; review syllabus; What’s expected – what you should be able to do by the end of the semester. What constitutes good production? Photojournalism: Discuss the importance of pictures and sound in news packages.

Discuss the importance of “people” in television news stories. Going beyond the obvious and required elements for a memorable story. View DVD: KTLA The First 35-Years.

Homework:E-mail me a letter about yourself. Tell me anything you would like to help me understand who you are and your particular interests or goals in journalism. You may tell anything you’d like to mention. Write it in an easy, conversational style, and make it interesting. We will be making preliminary judgments about your writing and storytelling abilities from this letter. It will not be graded, but it will be answered. Due no later than this Friday, August 28.

Readings:Most reading assignments are not shown in this syllabus because we want to provide current examples. Such reading material will be distributed in class and/or e-mailed to you as a Microsoft Word attachment.

Ethics:Read an ethics statement prepared by the Society of Professional Journalists:

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http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp

WEEK 2 — SEPTEMBER 1

Class Topics:Discuss shooting assignment and editing basics, e.g., jump cuts, etc. Discussion from photojournalism reading assignment. Special Guest: Tony Fote, KTLA Senior Videotape Editor

Homework Assignment:Enroll (free) in the Poynter Institute’s “News University” at www.newsu.org by clicking on the registration button. Click on “Courses,” and under “Photojournalism,” go to “Language of the Image.” View all photographs in each category, and note which pictures convey a message and which pictures simply establish the scene or identify people or things in the pictures. Send report back to me.

Reading:Advanced Camera Techniques: We will distribute a handout explaining key points. Chapter on photojournalism from “Write for the Ear, Shoot for the Eye, Aim for the Heart” also will be distributed in class. Be prepared to discuss the material next week.

WEEK 3 — SEPTEMBER 8

Avid editing in-class workshop. Mandatory! We will meet today in the Avid Digital Lab. Room G40 (Garden Level), not in our regular classroom. (Alternate training may be available, in the Avid Digital Lab. Check the schedule.)

Homework Assignments:Complete editing the package you started in the in-class Avid editing workshop. Deadline is next Tuesday. Students who have not completed editing on the workshop package will not be permitted to edit additional class projects on the Avid computers. Take care to balance audio levels between the reporter narration and ambient sound in the background.

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WEEK 4 — SEPTEMBER 15

Class Topics:Discuss the importance of pictures and how they relate to words. Discuss and illustrate the use of a compelling opening shot, and how its choice can affect how story is told and perceived. View videotape examples of creative shooting and discuss what makes it good. Illustrate and discuss sequences and how they can make a story more interesting. We will also discuss the importance of sound – both natural sound and sound bites. What is the purpose of a soundbite? How long should a soundbite run? How do you decide? Personalizing your story: Try to find a “real person” to help advance your story.

Homework Assignment:The 25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is this Saturday, September 19. Research story on the Internet and shoot it at a beach or inland waterway of your choice between 9 a.m. and Noon. You will produce your first narrated package from this material. Students who cannot shoot this story for any reason must propose an alternate story on a Story Idea Form for approval in advance. Make appointment with instructor to view your raw, unedited video in a 30-minute session next Tuesday, September 22. We will give you instant feedback on your video. Edited story on mini-DV is due Tuesday, September 29, along with a complete script.

WEEK 5 — SEPTEMBER 22

Class Topics:View edited clips of Coastal Cleanup Day shot last Saturday (or alternate story) Bring to class your edited mini-DV with a hard copy of complete script and OTS graphic. Also bring your camera, tripod, and microphones for an in-class shooting assignment (see below). Special Guest: Lynette Romero, Senior Reporter, KTLA. How to make numbers and statistical comparisons understandable and relevant. Sequences and Jump Cuts: View examples. (This may be review for some students.)

Reporter Stand-ups:View examples and discuss the purpose and value of stand-ups. We go beyond the simple stand-up and strive for motivated production values. Discuss live stand-up opens and interaction with anchors. Discuss team coverage and standup closes that “toss” to another reporter.

In-Class Assignment:Bring your camera to class and shoot a “live” opening standup for a story that will be assigned. You may have a classmate operate your camera if necessary to pan, tilt, or zoom. Shoot as many standups as you would like, but select only one

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to be shown in class. (Be sure your mini-DV is cued to just before the start of the standup you want to show.)

WEEK 6 — SEPTEMBER 29

Compelling graphics that both inform and hold viewer attention. Importance of OTS graphics to help anchor “sell” your story. Importance of animated graphics within packages and as anchor VOs in

today’s wide-screen, high-definition world. Composing and shooting “lockdown” shots to use as backgrounds for

superimposed text. Should such shots be blurred? Under what circumstances? When is a video background better than a PowerPoint/Keynote or

Photoshop graphic?

Homework:Shoot a “lockdown” shot for 60 seconds for a story that will be assigned in class. Shot would be used as a background for text information to be superimposed over your scene. You may shoot more than one such scene, but select only one for showing in class next week. Be sure to cue your mini-DV to just before the scene you intend to show.

WEEK 7 — OCTOBER 6

Class Topics:View and discuss “lockdown” shots for assigned story. Handling controversial issues. How the production of a story can seem to make a political statement, even when none is intended (as it should not be).

Diversity coverage. How to avoid stereotypes; when and how to describe members of minority groups such those shown below. View and discuss examples.

Homework Assignment:

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Make appointment with instructor to view your raw tape before writing and editing your story. MiniDV of edited story and script with all cues are due next Tuesday, October 13.

WEEK 8 — OCTOBER 13

Class Topics:Completed Package #2 to be viewed, discussed, and critiqued in class.Explanation of what will be required for Package #3 (multishoot).

Homework Assignments:Start working on a proposal for Package #3. Fill out a Story Idea Form to be e-mailed to me ASAP, or turned in next week at the latest. You may propose more than one story. Each proposal will be answered. Package #3 is due November 14.

Read chapter 11 of Tuggle’s “Broadcast News Handbook.” Complete shooting on Package #3. Mini-DV of package is due in two weeks. View national cable news: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC for discussion next week.

WEEK 9 — OCTOBER 20

Class Topics:Can or should the national news media be all things to all people?

View and discuss several television cable news stories. What makes some good? What makes some bad? What could be improved? Review and tie up any loose ends or topics we had to drop for time earlier this semester.

Homework Assignment:Purchase and skim through the L.A. Times next Tuesday, October 27, of that morning. Bring that edition to class next week and be prepared to discuss which stories you propose including in your newscast, and why. You may want to head a jump on the stories by watching two or more television newscasts Monday evening – at least one local and one national newscast.

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WEEK 10 ▬ OCTOBER 27

Class Topics:Producing a television news broadcast. Discuss what a producer does. What decision does he or she make, and on what basis are those decisions made? We will use today’s October 27 Los Angeles Times to block out (paper-produce) a sample newscast in class based on a vote of your story selections and time allotments. Be sure to bring to class a copy of the Tuesday, October 27 Los Angeles Times. No other date or edition will be accepted.

Handouts:Sample Blockout Form, Blockout Legend, Wave Concept.

Homework Assignment: Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, October 28, purchase a copy of the Los Angeles Times. You will use the Wednesday paper as your news file to block out a newscast, much as we did in class on Tuesday.

Download a blank Blockout Form and a Blockout Legend at the following Web site: http://public.me.com/mdaniels7 (Click on the small arrow to the right of each document to download to your computer.) The Word document will allow you to do all your work within the form by placing your curser in the appropriate boxes and typing.

Follow the general form of the sample distributed in class to block out a 30-minute television newscast for a Los Angeles audience at 6 p.m. (You may assume each story occurred today.) Attach a sheet explaining in general terms what elements you are using for each story. Due next Tuesday, November 3.

WEEK 11 ▬ NOVEMBER 3

Class Topics:

View local newscasts of the three major network-owned stations to compare and discuss. We may spread these viewings over two weeks to allow more time for discussion. Unless there is a single, overriding story that day, you may be surprised how different they are. Discuss why there is such a difference between newscasts, since all three are vying for the same basic audience – viewers who want local news at 6 p.m. and may stay tuned for the national-international network news at 6:30 p.m.

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Ratings and Demographics. How they affect news judgment and news production.

WEEK 12 — NOVEMBER 10

Class Topics:Package #3 is due. Cue mini-DV to start of story. View, discuss, and critique in class. Discuss and compare 30-minute newscast blockouts turned in last week. Special Guest: Gerald J. Ruben, former News Executive Producer of KTLA and Producer at Channel 2 and Channel 11, Los Angeles.

Homework Assignment:Meet with instructor this week to discuss your final project. Come with your Story Idea Form. We will give immediate feedback so that you can begin work on the final package immediately.

NOVEMBER 10 – LAST DAY TO DROP A CLASS WITH MARK OF “W”

WEEK 13 — NOVEMBER 17

Class Topics:The “new look” in television news. How news producers are aiming at the young (18-34) audience with new production and distribution methods, and Web convergence. View and discuss examples: What’s with CBS News? Discuss the role of the “gatekeeper” in television news in the age of the Internet.

Homework Assignment:Fill out a Story Idea Form for your final project. Plan to meet with instructor in the next few days (before Thanksgiving break) to discuss your idea in person.

WEEK 14 — NOVEMBER 24

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! NO CLASS THIS WEEK

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WEEK 15 — DECEMBER 1

Class Topics: Review requirements for final project. View and discuss “Breaking News” documentary that realistically shows

what goes on in a large television newsroom – KCBS Channel 2 – the demands, challenges, joys, and frustrations,

Homework Assignment:Complete editing on your final project. Try to show raw tape to instructor before you edit. Advance showing is not required for this final package. But we will probably have some suggestions to help you, so why not take advantage of the offer?

WEEK 16 ▬ DECEMBER 15: 4:30pm ▬ 6:30pm

Final Projects due today. Bring to class a mini-DV of your edited story plus a mini-DV of your raw tape, and a complete script with all cues. Also, submit a contact list of your significant interviews.

“Wrap” party in class, hosted by instructor!

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