DHS-TV News Episode 4 - ID# 184

Deerfield
News Program
Entry Description

On today's broadcast, we go behind the scenes of this year's musical "Annie", then we check out a local coffee shop committed to sustainability, and finally, we hit the field with boys soccer as they prep for the post season.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

  • 4/27 11:26 pm - The open is clean, and not too long. The side pan to start is a little off putting. The anchor lead in for the first story is strong and well written. Good use of nat sound to start the first package, but a little long. It seems like this is meant to be a nat pack, but it doesn't really have the creative flare of a nat pack. Try some quicker cuts, camera angle changes, and not just a news package minus audio. The lighting on the anchor desk seems a little dark. Don't fade out the OTS before the story, just cut to the story. Usually packages don't have music in it. Like the first story, no reporter track which is okay, but back to back stand alone stories in the same feature feel is a little boring. The soccer story was informational, again, might have been helped by a reporter adding some perspective.
  • 4/27 11:07 pm - Nice opening. Consider how you use your anchors. Instead of having them introduce every story, maybe they could tell some of the stories with broll that layers on top and cuts to interviews. Annie is a not nat pack. All of the interviews are shot with the same composition. Consider varying those shots and tightening them a little to bring the subject closer to the viewer. The music that layers over the ending seems a little dark for that story. Wild Roaster package audio seems to cut in abruptly. Some audio seems distant. Boys soccer package has some good broll but all of it seems to be shot from the same perspective...far behind the sideline. And then the package just sort of ends mid interview. Good story selection which connects nicely to your audience.
  • 3/3 2:45 pm - Cool opening graphic! Music transition was a bit abrupt in its ending. Anchors at the start needed to have a bit more casual talk. It was quite awkward when the show started- loosen up and chat a bit before getting into the news. The Annie piece was a good example of Natural Audio News- good interviews and b-roll were included. The ending was a bit odd, as it went to music for the last few seconds. Coffee segment's audio was HOT! Music started and was way louder than anchor's audio. Stay consistent in the audio- even within a single interview in the coffee segment- the audio goes up and down. Almost sounds like the interview was chopped up too. Wind was hitting the mic too. Coffee segment ended abruptly. Soccer segment was cool- watch the areas where there is no one talking- sometimes that audio was odd because nothing was happening. Again- the segment ended very abruptly where there should have been more. That caused the end of the show to seem rushed. Overall- it was a good show. Work on the technical aspect of transitioning to and from segments and making sure we know when something is done. Let's see more of the anchors and their role on the show!
Judge 1

Positives: -there were a variety of shots in the packages. The interviews were framed well and the interview order told a fluid story. -the anchors had personality while delivering the news and made it interesting to watch. The inflection and pacing was executed well.

Improvements: -I think the NAT packages (stories without reporter track) are effective, but if there’s not a lot of sound or visual elements, it may improve the stories by weaving together your soundbites with a reporter track -Try mixing in some hard news stories with your feature stories, if possible. It can add some more depth and variety to the newscast

Judge 2

Positives: The use of news packages was appreciated. These provided engaging stories. Great b-roll that related to the story being told, such as construction equipment being used while reporting on the behind-the-scenes work for “Annie.”

Improvements: News packages ended abruptly. Using a reporter to provide narrative would have provided the opportunity for a better close, such as, “The soccer team’s next game is…” A reporter could also help tell the story. The newscast would have benefited from more creativity. Music and graphics in the segways would have added energy. While news packages are appreciated, including other common newscast elements, such as hard news delivered by the anchor or a weather forecast would have added variety.

Judge 3

Positives: - I really like the visuals in this newscast. The effort to make on-screen graphics with your anchors, while using video, is awesome. The coffee shop & soccer stories had some great shots. Well done! - The use of natural sound was good. When doing a sports story, the viewers need to hear the cheers/raw emotion, and you delivered. The sounds on the set design were great too.

Improvements: - While I'm glad you had natural sound, I wish there was more. You set up your newscast with 'natural sound packages' -- without any reporter voiceover. That's fine -- but in doing so, you need more natural sound to weave in and out of the stories. - I think your newscast need a little more continuity. Consider adding tags to every story to kind of wrap them up. A lot of times, you can do this by looking forward. When can people see the play? When is the farmers market? When's the next soccer game?

Judge 4

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Judge 5

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