Viewing Blog 1: BBC News At 10: Floods In Scotland
After the news belt the presenter in the studio reads the cue for the story. As the piece was one of the programmes top headline stories, he gives a short in-depth explanation about the floods before introducing the link to the package. The package itself includes highlights of the places affected by the floods shown through various basic sequencing shots with a voiceover explaining what has been happening. This is an effective technique in telling the news story, as through the use of the voiceover, viewers watching don’t have to recognise where the pictures taken are of. This news programme informed my work in assignment 1, as through watching this programme it informed me more about the use of voiceover and how effective it is. This influenced my ULAY, as I learnt how to be more efficient with the content, through being more concise, as I had a restricted timescale for the ULAY to fit in to.
Viewing Blog 2: ITV News: Syrian Refugee Crisis
The package begins with a piece to camera, the reporter on location positioned in front of a boat filled with refugees. This is an immediately successful technique as it expresses to the viewer how the chain of events was occurring at the moment of recording. Creating an instant impact of immediacy and guilt as no one was assisting them. This was closely followed by a sequence of cutaway shots of a different boat in difficulty, refugees fleeing the boat and close-ups of women holding babies crying. This was another TV Journalism technique that assisted the effectiveness of the news story, as some pictures can speak a thousand words and therefore don’t need the voiceover to explain what is happening. This news programme helped with my ULAY-SOT in assignment 1, as I found that cutaway shots are a way of not only keeping the audience interested, but the sequence itself visually interesting and dynamic. I also used them in parts of my SOT to cover cuts in the dialogue.
Viewing Blog 3: CBBC Newsround: How long we spend looking at computer screens
This package begins with the presenter asking the viewers, ‘how long do you spend a day looking at computer screens?’ This technique makes the viewer feel involved, instantly connecting them to the story. The presenter of the programme is also the reporter in each of the stories throughout, allowing the young audience to connect to her voice. The more they hear her talk about each individual story, the more confident they feel and trust in what she is saying. This is a key aspect of how successful the programme is in telling the various news stories. The reporter also speaks with a conversational tone appealing to the young target audience of 6-12year olds. Her use of quick pace and energy through her voice also reflects the lightheartedness of the programme. These techniques influenced my assignment, as I began my story with the presenter asking a direct question to the viewer, and I wrote the ULAY in a conversational tone.
Viewing Blog 4: Good Morning Britain: New Year Security
The story begins being introduced by the presenter in the studio. As she begins talking, a still of a security guard with a name strap underneath it, (displaying the title of the news story) appears next to her, making it clear to the viewer what the story is going to be about. As the shot type of the presenter is a medium close up, structured in the framing of ‘rule of thirds’, with her positioned to the right of the screen. The still is positioned in the clear gap next to her, giving the viewer something new to look at whilst she continues to introduce the story and the correspondent live on location. These techniques helped to influence my assignment as I included name straps in my SOTs to make it clear to the viewer the name of the individual talking. This was because I used a two-shot, since I had two interviewees talking together.
Viewing Blog 5: Sky News: Prime Minister: Islamic State Killing Video
This package begins with a panning shot identifying a row of masked supposed Islamic killers. This particular choice of shot to open up the report is particularly successful in telling the news story, as it immediately grasps the viewer’s attention. Not only because the row of men are masked, hiding their identity, but by the panning shot itself, as this gives the illusion that the list of Islamic killers is on-going. This technique influenced my assignment as I used a number of panning shots throughout my ULAY-SOT. I incorporated these, as it gave the feel that I was giving the viewers individual tours around the homes on Canada Street. Creating the illusion of a point of view shot. (POV)
Francesca Eagleton 