jrn 572 - lecture twelve

15
JRN 572 - Researching & Writing the News Documentary Rich Hanley, Associate Professor Lecture Twelve

Upload: rich-hanley

Post on 10-Feb-2017

370 views

Category:

Education


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - Researching & Writing the News DocumentaryRich Hanley, Associate ProfessorLecture Twelve

Page 2: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

Overview:• This week we move to the

second act of your script.

• Again, the expectation at the end of this final phase of the course is not a fully realized shooting script, with transcribed interviews in place.

Page 3: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

Overview:• What you want to show at the

end of the semester is a clear storyline, with a beginning, middle and end.

• In short, the outcome of the draft script at the end ought to be this:

• “I have a story, and here’s the evidence of that in script form.”

Page 4: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

Overview:• The written draft will show the

story but details may shift as the recording commences and new facts come to light.

• As noted earlier this semester, research continues into a story until the documentary is locked.

Page 5: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• Some

producers/writers/directors think the best approach to documentaries is to just go out and record stuff and find the story in the footage.

• Good luck with that, according to the BBC.

Page 6: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• “The key thing in TV is always

‘preparation, preparation, preparation’. If you go out shooting willy-nilly, then in the edit you’re going to come a cropper." – BBC producer/writer/director Lizzie Faulkner.

Page 7: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• Faulkner and other

producer/writer/director pros follow a process where the draft script is created even as research continues.

• It seems counter intuitive, but the script provides a structure that encourages flexibility because the story elements are visible in a story format.

Page 8: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• The draft script is the

scaffolding or infrastructure on which factual films are built.

• Without it, new information or insights become part of a blob of material that is difficult to sculpt into a story in a reasonable amount of time.

Page 9: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• It’s important to note that the

process of scripting is actually one of revision.

• In other words, the composition of act two means that act one ought to be revised as weaknesses emerge in the narrative and so forth.

Page 10: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• The same holds for act three.

• That act will include the final destination of the documentary – the ending.

• That means acts one and two will need revision to finesse the information in narrative form.

Page 11: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• It is possible with the proper

preparation (i.e., research) to determine the ending even before act one is written.

• But the process of writing may change that destination in some way, so revisions to the original narrative are a natural part of the process.

Page 12: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• In fact, you may find after

running through your material in draft form through three acts that the opening you thought was good when first written may not be strong enough to match the ending.

Page 13: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• Moreover, new information may

emerge, because as noted many times, the research continues up until the film is locked.

• A new image or anecdote, could provide a stronger opening or deeper backstory or stronger expository information for the voice-over.

Page 14: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• That underscores the need for a

draft script that has a beginning, a middle and an end even if the research is continuous.

• The script is a critical organization tool that puts in filmic form the story.

Page 15: JRN 572 - Lecture Twelve

JRN 572 - News Documentary

The Script:• In terms of a self-analysis of the

narrative strength or weakness, always focus on the three C’s: character, conflict and change.

• And ask yourself in each part of the process whether this is a film you would want to watch.