The Beat TV NY JOUR-UA 201, Section 007 Fall 2013 Instructor: Jason D. Maloney Time: Thursdays, 2:30 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. Room: 750 Phone: 646-279-2897 E-mail: jason.maloney@nyu.edu Office Hours: Room 726, Fridays 10:30a-1:30pm and by appointment. Course Description: This class will introduce you to the world of television journalism. You will learn how to report, write and produce a television news piece. You will shoot and edit your stories by yourself. You are covering the city of New York as your beat, so there will be no shortage of story ideas! In the course of the semester you will be learning a lot about technology, but we ALWAYS prioritize story before production. We are not training shooters and editors, we are furthering your education as journalists. Assignments: Place Video Written Video Dissection Profile Video Issue Video Final Video Occasional, scheduled in-class student presentations: bring in and present examples of the following genres of video news local news, national news, news magazine, news documentary, multimedia news. Detailed assignment descriptions (with percentage of final class grade): Place Video: 15% In a series of additive assignments, students will film, edit and write a piece about a certain place. Assignment will be carried out in groups of two. Deliver as YouTube video. Dissect assigned video piece for analysis: 10% Students will individually reverse engineer a video news package. Screening through a video documentary called Death of Detroit (link will be provided), students will identify and list several common video storytelling elements and devices (such as POV shots, L cuts, cutaways, compression shots). Watching interviews, students will detail where internal interview edits were likely made and how these edits were covered. Deliver via email as word or text document. Profile: 15% 1
Your first individual assignment. Students will identify a person and create a video news profile on them. For this exercise there will be no narration allowed. Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct and record a comprehensive interview, and identify and acquire relevant visuals to use in order to edit a complete piece. Deliver on YouTube. Issue Video: 15% Students will cover an issue affecting a New York community. For this assignment students may use narration and should prioritize covering an issue that has more than one side or perspective. An example could be a dispute over noise coming from a neighborhood bar or restaurant. This assignment will be completed in randomly drawn teams of two. Deliver on YouTube. Final Video: 25% This assignment represents the culmination of the technical and reportorial skills learned all semester. This is an individual assignment, should use narration, be longer than previous assignments and add value to the beat you have been covering. Written scripts will be required for this assignment. Students may make use of a correspondent and if so should incorporate a standup. Deliver on YouTube. In determining final grades, the above assignments will carry the indicated weights. An additional 20% of the grade will be based on overall class participation. SCHEDULE Class sessions will be fluid and include a mix of editorial discussion and more technical-oriented skills training. Classroom exercises will be interspersed. Participation and discussion will be encouraged. Sept. 5, Session 1 Introduction to Video Production Class roadmap and orientation; Intro concepts: (best producers are best watchers; close, wide, sun behind, TV is un-natural); Intro to video camera; Hand out vixia work sheets and review camera, all functions Tripod; Types of shots and some basic video vocabulary; Discuss first lab: Place (building, park, neighborhood, city); Screen Rwanda, Abkhazia, Lebanon or Mombasa pieces for examples; Guilty buildings show and tell with Frontline: Chasing the Sleeper Cell; Legal guidelines for shooting on public streets. ACLU Handout. 2
Assignment: Choose a place and describe it with the camera, video only, teams of two. Sept. 12, Session 2 Intro to Editing Screen examples of raw place footage; Fundamentals of edited content; Ethics of editing; Media management; Intro to Final Cut & Premiere; Log & Transfer; Logging and timecode; The mechanics of the timeline; Edit tools: razor, roll, move Manipulating audio levels; Manipulating stills in Final Cut; Making text slates, basic graphics; Video care discipline and workflow; Exporting files for distribution, publication. Assignment: Take Place video clips and edit them in a fashion that tells a story; gives you a sense of the place. Think about how edited shots tell more than the shots alone, through context. Additional shooting allowed if you need more shots. Sept. 19, Session 3 Intro to Writing and Audio Intro to Microphones: Lav, Shotgun, Remote Mic (Edirol) Connector cables and level settings; Beachtek Demo (2 channel audio); Conditions for good audio recording; Importance of natural sound; Opening shots; Shoot to writing/write to picture; Invoking visuals; Writing for TV, write like you talk; Narration voice; Demo track booth. Assignment: Write narration for Place video, re-edit. Return to place, get soundbite, add. Sept. 26, Session 4 In class edit session (Guest editing assistant TBD) Students will use class time to work together in teams to write, narrate and edit their existing place video into a finished 2 minute video piece. Deliver via Youtube for next class. 3
Assignment: Research subject for profile piece. Be ready to discuss it in Oct 10 class. Oct 3, Session 5 Expanded Basics of a TV News Piece Screenings of finished place videos, discuss; The essentials: Cover shots, Narration, Soundbites, Stand-up; Identifying Characters; Elements!; The most useful tool in video: the Cutaway; Shot glossary detailed walk through of advance video production concepts with examples; Action/Reaction; Axis. Assignment: Death of Detroit dissection; Research Profile piece Oct 10, Session 6 The Interview Pitch profile pieces; Review Death of Detroit assignments; Who to interview, why and what to ask; Overview of interview types/techniques; Eyeline; Background and fundamentals of light; Active settings: car, walk and talk; Process interview; Editorial lighting and backgrounds; Translation issues; Set up shots; Wide shots & cutaways; Debriefs; Working with multiple audio inputs; Being interviewed; In class interview exercise. Assignment: Video profile assignment, due in two weeks, research, develop, book, start shooting associated video. Oct 17, Session 7 The Sequence Progress discussion of profile pieces; Taking dissection exercise and applying it to shoot; The sequence; Changing angle and focal length to shoot sequence; 4
In-class sequence exercise. Assignment: Profile video, due next week Oct 24, Session 8 Advanced Shooting: Events, Broll and Following Action, Standups; The TV News Landscape Screen and discuss profile assignments; Advanced video shooting concepts; Depth of Field; Transitions; Capturing events on video; Press conferences 101; Standups, shooting and doing; Multiple camera interviews; Working with a Correspondent; Correspondent on scene and walk and talk interviews; Following action; Advanced shooting: handheld, manual settings intro, shutter tricks; rack focus; Run and gun; Radio microphones; Lay out basic categories for additional assignments and make assignments. Assignment: Identify and present news pieces that demonstrate effective use of the genre in a series of categories. To be drawn randomly. Local, Network, Magazine, Documentary, Web, Multimedia. Presentations will come over next two weeks. Oct 31, Session 9 Hard News Presentations on local, national, web news; Breakdown of different genres, look at more examples; Discuss differences and how these categories have changed over time; The (d)evolution of the news crew; Discuss conditions and workflow at major TV news operations: PBS Frontline, CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, Local News, New York Times. Assignment: Issue video, due in two weeks. Nov 7, Session 10 Magazine, Documentary & New Media Discuss progress on issue stories; Presentations on magazine, documentary; Not just TV anymore: review of the multimedia documentary (there is no more just TV ); Mediastorm; 5
VBS Dramatic Journalism, deconstructed news tell what you did. Assignment: Issue video, due next week. Nov 14, Session 11 Edit workshop In class edit of Issue videos. Assignment: Develop final project; be ready to pitch after break. Nov 21, Session 12 Advanced Writing and Editing for Video Watch Issue videos; Pitch final projects; Working with Transcripts; Selects; Lighting demo; Intros; Lifting up changemakers ; Paraphrase to save time; Avoid writing into bites with half sentences. Make selects, clipreel; Subclipping; Color correction Assignment: Final report, due in three weeks, focus on shooting. ****Thanksgiving Break**** Dec 5, Session 13 Applied Videography Special class exercise day: either iphone production or Video scavenger hunt. Assignment: Final report, due next week, focus on writing/edit Dec 12, Session 14 -- Final Day In class edit of final projects. Tools of the Trade: The focus of this class is to learn the skills to produce video news reports of high quality, not to master one or another piece of technical equipment. Nonetheless, by necessity we will focus on the following gear for instruction, since it is what the 6
Institute has chosen and has stocked. If you own your own more advanced equipment or software and wish to use it, please arrange to discuss with instructor. Do not expect to discuss interface particulars or menu settings as part of class review. Also note that instructor and multimedia support staff may have only limited knowledge of some camera systems. The institute has opted to use Canon Vixia S20 cameras for video instruction. The camera is a wise choice for being affordable enough to allow procurement of many units, and yet still represents a fully customizable camera with a very advanced set of manual commands. The lens and recording guts limit this camera to web use for the most part, but it is an excellent learning unit (the basic operation and editing workflow are in line with industry standards). Students who wish to shoot with their own video camera for assignments must check with instructor first and cannot expect individualized tech support. Editing will be taught on Final Cut Pro/Express. But students will also have access to Adobe Premiere for editing. The focus of the class will be on the main concepts of editing and the majority of these skills are easily transferable from Final Cut to Premiere or Avid with some technical instruction. Required Multi-media Tools A 500 GB, 7200rpm, Firewire hard drive Lacie Rugged, G-Drive or OWC (around $115). These specifications are important. If you purchase a USB or 5400rpm speed drive you may encounter playback difficulties when working with video. 2x8GB or 1x16GB Class 4 or higher SDHC Card for audio and video recording. Recommend 16GB Class 10 card. Personal vimeo or youtube account for uploading class assignments (free) Multi-media Tools That Are Available Through The Carter Institute (**Students are required to place a refundable $150 deposit to borrow equipment, information available from equipment counter) Canon Vixia S20 video cameras Video accessories/tripods Video light kits Various microphones and audio recorders Desktop Macs Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, Adobe Premiere (video editing) Canon Rebel XS (still cameras) Optional Multi-media Tools: MacBook Pro laptop Adobe Premiere (via Adobe Cloud subscription, student price $20/month for 1 year) Mandatory Reading (in advance of class): RTNDA s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct 7
http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/code-of-ethics-and-professionalconduct48.php?g=36?id=48 RTNDA s Guidelines for Ethical Video and Audio Editing http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/guidelines-for-ethical-video-and-audioediting152.php?g=37?id=152 Recommended Reading about Video Production: The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production, Anthony Artis. Focal Press, 2007. Roll! Shooting TV News: Shooting TV News:Views from Behind the Lens, Rich Underwood. Focal Press, 2007 Recommended VideoJournalism Sites: SBS Dateline: Australian weekly public TV newsmagazine that consistently produces some of the finest videojournalism in the world. Specifically, pieces by Aaron Lewis, Nick Lazaredes and Mark Davis -- http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/ Chris Parkinson s pieces -- http://www.caparkinson.com/ Zac Gooch: Local news videojournalist producing very high-end pieces with HD DSLR -- http://exposureroom.com/members/zacgooch/videos/ NPPA Solo Video Awards: Some great examples of how to incorporate good visuals into local stories. All videos here produced by single videojournalist -- http://tv.nppa.org/videos/solo-videos/ My videos: while perhaps not edgy or fast paced, you will find examples of all the fundamentals in these. Plus I can surely give all the details about what I did, when, where and why! -- http://thebir.org/the_bureau_for_international_reporting/video_gallery.html Vice TV: Purposefully edgy videojournalism. Often crosses ethical and taste lines, but some of it, such as their Liberia series, is professionally produced -- http://www.vbs.tv/watch/vbs-news/ Mediastorm: the go-to spot for high quality audio slideshows, presented in an impeccable interface -- http://mediastorm.com/pub/projects 8