JOUR 4452:
Capstone: Electronic Newscast Producing
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Basic Information
Prerequisites
Course Description
Expected Competencies
Competency Goals
Assignments and Activities
Workload
JOUR 4452: Capstone: Electronic Newscast Producing (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 4452 (Electronic Newscast Producing) is an advanced, skills-based course. The emphasis of the course is planning, writing and producing live TV newscasts. Students will produce five University Report newscasts throughout the semester. Much of the class will also be spent writing broadcast news copy. Students will collaborate with students in Jour 4451, using 4451 stories as is or reshaping those stories for the newscast. Students will also generate their own stories as needed and may also anchor news or sports.
Expected Competencies
Students who enroll in 4452 must have taken Jour 3004, 3101 and 3451. All students should have the following skills:
Newswriting
- ability to write 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 storytelling potential of the electronic news-gathering tools
- 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
Video photojournalism
- how to operate digital video cameras
- 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 4452
Jour 4452 is the class that produces University Report. It is the student’s chance to raise his/her electronic news writing, video editing, editorial judgment and management skills to a professional level. Students will:
- write clear, concise, conversational and accurate news copy under deadline
- edit visually pleasing and editorially fair video and graphics
- learn to re-edit reporter packages into shorter voiceovers and voiceovers with soundbites
- produce professional standard live television news shows and segments and material for the web
- master knowledge of studio equipment capability
- create a show rundown
- write interesting but not overly hyped teases and promos
- demonstrate management and leadership skills in dealing with technical crew members, anchors and reporters under tight deadline pressure
- react to breaking news in a manner that is editorially responsible
Assignments and activities
Show producing
In teams of 2 or 3, students will produce one University Report and will be responsible for:
- all editorial decisions, including story selection, anchor copy, show structure, graphics, live elements, and choice of lighting, studio, set and music
- all management decisions including student assignments in regards to stories, graphics, tape editing, writing, studio work
News writing
At least six times through the semester, students will be responsible for rewriting news copy from the Associated Press and, with available video, crafting editorially sound and engaging news anchor copy, under a tight deadline in class.
Field producing
At least once a semester, students will be responsible for researching, shooting, editing and writing a news story (either vosot or package) for University Report.
Additional activities
- Students will write a written analysis of the journalistic soundness and production values of a local affiliate’s evening newscast
- There will be guest lectures with local TV producers and news managers in addition to a field trip to television and production studios
Workload
Students work both independently and in teams through the course and spend most of their time outside of class (approximately 5 hours a week) preparing for University Report. Once a semester, however, when the student is one of the lead producers for Unviersity Report, the student may spend up to 30 hours outside of class.
- Newsroom and studio work (writing, graphics, editing): 80%
- Field production and writing: 15%
- Other: 5%