JOUR 4451:
Capstone: Advanced Electronic News Writing and Reporting
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Basic Information
Prerequisites
Course Description
Expected Competencies
Competency Goals
Assignments and Activities
Workload
JOUR 4451: Capstone: Advanced Electronic News Writing and Reporting (3 credits)
- Single-section course
- Lecture & class discussion twice a week
- Lab session once a week
Prerequisites
- Major status
- JOUR 3004W, JOUR 3101, JOUR 3121, and JOUR 3451
Course Description
Jour 4451 (Advanced Electronic News Writing and Reporting) is an advanced, skills-based course. The emphasis of this course is researching, reporting, shooting writing and editing TV news packages. Students will learn to master the use of digital cameras and a desktop non-linear system (Final Cut Pro). Students will also learn how to better write to video, how to improve their voice work and on-camera performance. Students will research reports, shoot, write and edit TV news packages and create a resume tape. Students will also contribute reporting, writing anchoring and other work for University Report.
Expected Competencies
Students who enroll in 4451 must have taken Jour 3004, 3101, 3121 and 3451. All students should have the following skills:
News writing
- broadcast news writing style, learning to distinguish between the writing styles required for electronic news and that which is acceptable or expected in print journalism
- ability to write various forms of electronic news stories (including anchor readers, voiceovers, packages for television
- ability to produce stories matching copy to video, using clean, concise, conversational copy and video/audio that captures and conveys the message
- ability to exploit video and audio story
- ability to report on a range of story types, including hard news, events and features
- ability to understand how a story would be
Video photojournalism & editing
- how to operate digital video cameras
- how to create match-cut sequences
- emphasis on steady-sequenced video (avoiding pans, zooms, tilts unless there is a sound reason for employing such camera/lens movement)
- use of neutral cutaway shots to avoid jump cuts in action
- proper video and audio transitions in shooting and editing
- honoring screen direction and the 180-degree rule
- importance of natural sound in video scenes
- importance of composition of scenes (including the composition of interview framing)
- methods for working on and off the tripod
- pacing in the shooting and editing of a television news story
Reporting
- ability to report on a range of story types, including hard news, events and features
- ability to understand how a story would be reported differently in print, television, radio and online
Competency goals for 4451
Jour 4451 is the advanced electronic news writing and reporting course. It is the student’s chance to raise his/her broadcast news reporting, writing, digital camera operation, nonlinear digital video editing and on-air presentation to a professional level. In addition to mastering the expected competencies in Jour 3451, students should further develop these skills:
News writing
- Writing strong leads
- Weaving important factual elements into a traditional story structure with foreshadowing, climaxes and a denouement
- “Marrying” words to video
- Mastering a clear, concise, conversational and individual style
- Effective use of verbal and visual triplets
Video photojournalism and editing
- Create a resume tape designed to get the student a job at a television news station
- Learn the technical skills and aesthetic sense for effective graphics
- Learn how and when to create necessary special effects in Final Cut Pro such as color correction, slow motion, and squeeze frame
Reporting
- Reporting on more complex hard news and feature stories than in Jour 3451
- Improve vocal and on camera performance to create a natural style
Assignments and activities
Story ideas
For 5 video projects, students will generate and research their own story ideas; they will not be assigned by the instructor. Students must select at least one feature, one hard news story and one event.
Video photojournalism and editing assignments
- students will shoot and edit 5 packages
- at the end of the semester, students will assemble their resume tape, with at least 3 packages, plus a standup montage and appropriate graphics (with name and contact information)
Additional activities to complement instruction
- News/current events quizzes
- Written assignments analyzing a student’s own reporting work and lessons provided in the Freedman text
- Guest lectures with TV photojournalists, reporters, producers, news directors and field trip to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting and other appropriate locations
Workload
Students work independently though the course and spend most of their time outside of class (approximately 10 hours a week) putting together packages.
- Reporting: 30%
- Writing: 15%
- Video photojournalism and editing: 45%
- Other: 10%