J. M. Wright RVTS | Student News | Fox 61 WTIC-TV Connecticut

J. M. Wright RVTS

Date posted: December 14, 2004
School: J.M. Wright RVTS
Town: Stamford
Slug: "Lakeside Diner"
Status: Re-submit
Length: :45

DELIVERY: Try to work on keeping a consistent pace through out the story. Remember, to keep the story flowing and keep viewers attention you need to write into your interview.

INTERVIEWS: Remember, to keep the story flowing and keep viewers attention you need to write into your interview and introduce the interview subject so people know who you are talking to. Your reporter should not be on camera with the person they are interviewing. Focus the shot on the interview subject. Also, when the interview subject is answering questions put the mic closer to them so that their response is clear and there is less background noise.

ORIGINALITY: Good idea, but you need to dig to find the story. What makes this diner newsworthy? Are the donuts shipped regularly to Alaska? Did the diner win an award for their donuts? Did they receive a write up in a well-known food magazine?

WRITING: Find the hook to that makes this news. Remember in a news piece you have to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. Working on the writing will help improve flow and make the story stronger.

VIDEO: Excellent quality. Great color and nice shots.

AUDIO: Work on keeping the levels consistent through out the story. Some levels were very loud.

EDITING: Try to work on a smoother flow.

OVERALL: Great first try. The quality of the video was excellent. The color was great. Work on the writing and that will improve flow. Find the hook and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. Once the writing is improved then edit the footage to reflect the story. Be careful when writing the script that this does not become too commercial. With news we have to be very careful that we are not promoting a business. Be careful not to cross the line into an infomercial. This could sound like a recommendation for the diner and therefore it would not be impartial journalism. Also, the story is only 45 seconds in length. This needs to be :50 seconds in length from the beginning of the voice-over to the end of the stand-up with an additional :5 seconds pad of video and natural sound at both end of the story. Please re-edit for the required length and rework the writing.

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Evaluations 2003-2004

Date posted: April 12, 2004
School: J.M. Wright RVTS
Town: Stamford
Slug: "Catching the Train"
Status: Re-submit
Length: :46

DELIVERY: (How is the voice used to tell the story [pitch, tone, diction]):

INTERVIEWS: (Sound bites interesting and did they enhance the story?):

ORIGINALITY: (Story creative, unique, statewide appeal?):

WRITING: (Report written clearly, creatively, & grammatically correct?):

VIDEO: (Pix illustrated the story? Tri-pod used, lighting, composition?):

AUDIO: (Clarity, natural sound, enhance the story?):

EDITING: (Pictures and sound used in the proper sequence to tell a story? Pictures match the script?):

OVERALL: (All the elements used to tell an interesting story for the viewer?): You have a very interesting start to a documentary. In order to translate your story to a broadcast news story you will need to write a script with a voice-over that will answer the following questions: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW. If you story is about students having to ride public transport (ie: trains) to get to school, then you will need to answer those questions about your premise. Use your interviews (sound bites) to enhance your story and tell both sides of your issue. Remember a journalist is always impartial and can not have an opinion one way or another. You will need to cover both sides of an issue with your sound bites and the facts with your script. Your images will then support your script. Remember to introduce your interviewees within your script, no not use supers. It's is good practice in writing into a sound bite, also your super will be covered with a wrapper and therefore won't be visible. Again, this is a good premise and worth translating into a news story. I've included a "How To" manual to help with your effort.