Bulldog Dispatch - ID# 414
Richards High School
News Program
Entry Description
On this episode of Bulldog Dispatch we get the latest school announcements, meet a sophomore who just published her first novel, learn about the risks of wrestlers cutting weight, and follow our Special Olympics basketball team on their inspiring road to the state championship.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/29 8:12 am - The anchors have nice energy and work well together. Good b-roll and lots of variety in the segments, but in some stories you should use more. There was a lot of talking heads in the book author. It would have been better to have some graphics in Sophia’s part that have the main points on them (dates, times, location. etc.). In the wrestling segment, one of Leo’s shots was off. You want more space in front of them and not in back. Audio is clean and levels are consistent.
- 4/15 12:29 pm - Great opening with the anchors and the highlights of your school. Good energy and conversational tone by the anchors. Basketball story- make sure you include FACTS too, not just the cliche lines from the reporter. Cool story about the book writer! Good animated character in your announcements- she does well. Transition in between every story is a bit much- try putting graphics in the corner or b-roll over the anchor to avoid so many transitions. Lip story had some awkward moments of silence in between voice-overs- was expecting an interview there, but it was just silent. Good facts and stats in the wrestling story- good angle. Would like to know what they do to cut the weight! A solid show! Keep up the good work!
Judge 1
Positives: 1. The visual composition and lighting was superb. This really showed with how your two anchors were positioned in the hallway. We could really see the depth of field in that shot which showed intentionality in your shooting. 2. All talent that appeared on screen came off as warm and engaging which is so important in TV news. You looked like you wanted to be there, speaking with the audience. Really good job!
Improvements: 1. The storytelling in your broadcast was very strong, so this is a bit of a small critique, but I think it would've been nice to only have story about sports compared to two. That way, you could've showed a few more different perspectives from around campus. 2. Again, very small critique, but there was a shot that was a bit too shaky in the first sports piece that kind of got my attention. In cases like those, just opt not to use the shaky action shot, even if you choose to replace it with something you think may be less interesting. The tradeoff is worth it.
Judge 2
Positives: The hosts! They were terrific, full of energy and enthusiasm. They engaged well with the subject matter and pulled me into the content. Their poise and confidence in front of the camera is impressive! I especially liked the choice to have them deliver the newscast standing from the school environment. That added energy and authenticity to the newscast. The graphics bring another level of energy and movement to the newscast.. nice job!
Improvements: While the hosts were overall excellent, there is room to improve the segues between pieces. A quick comment about the previous piece could tie the content together and improve the flow. The goal is a newscast that flows seamlessly from one piece to another as opposed to feeling like stand-alone stories that might have been produced in a vaccuum. The announcements section was a nice way to keep students informed about happenings. If possible, you may want to include a graphic banner with the event info at the bottom of the screen to reinforce the info.
Judge 3
Positives: Love your main anchors. The chemistry between them is really difficult to replicate - even in major media markets. The production value is very high. The use of, what I suspect is a DSLR for capturing stories is professional. Very creative. I work for a company overseeing 60 television stations and a staff of 2000 journalists, and I'm very impressed with this program and team.
Improvements: Keep working on the storytelling - a single person interview story CAN work, but the audio and visuals need to be so compelling it can carry the entire story. I'm not sure we got there with the first piece. Sophia's segment needs visual reinforcement - keep pushing beyond a transition wipe.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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