1. Topic:
Cross Country and Homecoming Game.
2. Focus Statement:
Cross Country Team Runs Football to Homecoming Game.
3. Sound Bites:
"Our cross country team holds traditions very dear to us"
4. B-Roll:
The over head shot of the team running.
5. Reporter Stand Up:
When one group of runners passes the ball to the next group and the reporter is there talking about how they almost forgot the football.
6. Voice Over:
When he talks about how long the run is.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Make It Memorable- Bob Dotson Part 2
Read, in Dotson’s book, pages 43 thru 55. Respond to what you read, and
use these questions if you get stuck: What strikes you as interesting?
In what ways do you agree or disagree with him? How does this fit where
you are as a writer, and how will it help you become a better one?
(100 words minimum)
I thought it was interesting how he compared storytelling to onions. I like that comparison because the story needs to have layers to make it more interesting. While someone is telling the tale, a series of strong images and sounds are being projected. I agree that this is how it must be done if you want the viewer to feel like part of the story. I'm glad Dotson talked about not making your stories into movies, because I feel like I try to make my stories longer with more detail when really the public doesn't have much time to watch a long story. It has to be to the point, yet captivating. I also really liked how he mentioned to write to express, not to impress. It's not about how good you sound, it's about what emotions and reactions you get out of your viewers.
So, Dotson highlights the following:
- How to defeat the TV remote control
- Be conversational
- Gobbledygook and clichés
- Active voice
- Write in threes
- Surprises
Read this story and watch this one (a bit of a sports theme this week). Write two paragraphs (one about each) that explains how the story uses/handles at least three of these aspects. Give specific examples (100 words in each paragraph, so at least 200 total words).
I think the story of Nate Smith had some Gobbledygook in it. When the story was talking about how Nate did sign the sheet, but signed his brother's name instead, the phrase "that's a lot of soybeans to eat" was said. It may be a cliche, but I'm not sure because I've never heard that saying before. Either way, it's not needed and as a viewer I shouldn't be confused about what the writer is saying. Another aspect this story had was write in threes. "Righteousness has its own rewards" is a good example in this story. Lastly, it was conversational. The whole format of the story was very casual, nothing too complicated or fancy. This is how the writer would talk in person.
In the 12-son football dynasty video, it showcased the aspect of surprises. After talking about all sons being in football, and being on a more sad note, a pleasant humorous surprise was brought up to the viewers. Steve Hartman: "Cursing like true Minnesotans." Mom: "Oh sugar!" was a funny surprise broughten up in the story. Another aspect was the active voice. Steve Hartman speaks very confident, with no passiveness. The story itself isn't too interesting (it's unusual, but not interesting), but Hartman made it more interesting with an active voice. Lastly, this story defeat the TV remote control. Hartman wrote to express the relationship between the family and football, not to impress.
(100 words minimum)
I thought it was interesting how he compared storytelling to onions. I like that comparison because the story needs to have layers to make it more interesting. While someone is telling the tale, a series of strong images and sounds are being projected. I agree that this is how it must be done if you want the viewer to feel like part of the story. I'm glad Dotson talked about not making your stories into movies, because I feel like I try to make my stories longer with more detail when really the public doesn't have much time to watch a long story. It has to be to the point, yet captivating. I also really liked how he mentioned to write to express, not to impress. It's not about how good you sound, it's about what emotions and reactions you get out of your viewers.
So, Dotson highlights the following:
- How to defeat the TV remote control
- Be conversational
- Gobbledygook and clichés
- Active voice
- Write in threes
- Surprises
Read this story and watch this one (a bit of a sports theme this week). Write two paragraphs (one about each) that explains how the story uses/handles at least three of these aspects. Give specific examples (100 words in each paragraph, so at least 200 total words).
I think the story of Nate Smith had some Gobbledygook in it. When the story was talking about how Nate did sign the sheet, but signed his brother's name instead, the phrase "that's a lot of soybeans to eat" was said. It may be a cliche, but I'm not sure because I've never heard that saying before. Either way, it's not needed and as a viewer I shouldn't be confused about what the writer is saying. Another aspect this story had was write in threes. "Righteousness has its own rewards" is a good example in this story. Lastly, it was conversational. The whole format of the story was very casual, nothing too complicated or fancy. This is how the writer would talk in person.
In the 12-son football dynasty video, it showcased the aspect of surprises. After talking about all sons being in football, and being on a more sad note, a pleasant humorous surprise was brought up to the viewers. Steve Hartman: "Cursing like true Minnesotans." Mom: "Oh sugar!" was a funny surprise broughten up in the story. Another aspect was the active voice. Steve Hartman speaks very confident, with no passiveness. The story itself isn't too interesting (it's unusual, but not interesting), but Hartman made it more interesting with an active voice. Lastly, this story defeat the TV remote control. Hartman wrote to express the relationship between the family and football, not to impress.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Break In Story
1. What is the lead in this story? Does it intrigue you to keep watching?
"It's hard to imagine something like this could happen in a quiet neighborhood." It intrigues me to keep watching because I want to know what happened in this neighborhood.
2. What are the 5W's of this story: Who, What, Where, When, Why
Who: Heather Berg
What: Someone broke into her house
Where: In her neighborhood
When: In the fall
Why: The thief came in through the doggy door
3. Give an example of the reporters Voice over or seque (Write it down word for word)
When they are shooting footage around the house, he talks about what the thieves stole.
4. When do we see the reporter's stand-up? Beginning, Middle, or End?
Middle.
5. What is the purpose of this reporter's stand-up?
To take us to a whole different setting and show us where another break in happened.
-Move Story Forward
-Reporter becomes B-Roll
-Take me to the scene
-Use props
-Be creative and surprise
"It's hard to imagine something like this could happen in a quiet neighborhood." It intrigues me to keep watching because I want to know what happened in this neighborhood.
2. What are the 5W's of this story: Who, What, Where, When, Why
Who: Heather Berg
What: Someone broke into her house
Where: In her neighborhood
When: In the fall
Why: The thief came in through the doggy door
3. Give an example of the reporters Voice over or seque (Write it down word for word)
When they are shooting footage around the house, he talks about what the thieves stole.
4. When do we see the reporter's stand-up? Beginning, Middle, or End?
Middle.
5. What is the purpose of this reporter's stand-up?
To take us to a whole different setting and show us where another break in happened.
-Move Story Forward
-Reporter becomes B-Roll
-Take me to the scene
-Use props
-Be creative and surprise
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Classmate Story
Focus Sentence: Sabrina has faced many challenges because of her move
from Africa to America, but she has overcome these challenges to become
the great person she is today.
Sabrina Epou is not your normal Eastview High School student. She has had many experiences that most of us may never face, but still fits in great with the Eastview community. Sabrina is involved with the school theater and played a sorority girl in the play, "Good News." She enjoys playing soccer in the summer and taking contemporary dance classes. She sounds like your typical active high school student, but what makes her so unique is what happened in her past.
Sabrina was born and raised in Africa. She lived in Lome, Togo with her family and her father worked with the government. When she was 7, her family had to leave Africa because the government was becoming corrupt. This meant she had to leave her Aunt, Grandma, and close friends behind. Leaving the ones she loved behind was tough, but now she had to focus on learning English to survive in America.
When Sabrina moved to Minnesota, she was placed in the 3rd grade. Along with public school, she also had to attend a school to learn English. While talking about this challenge with Sabrina, she stated "learning English took seven years to master." Now Sabrina is very fluent in the language and has no problem understanding others. Although, learning English wasn't the only challenge she had to overcome. Her Grandma's death was another tough time in her life, especially since she rarely got to see her after the move to America.
Sabrina may have had a difficult past, but that doesn't stop her from her ambitions. She says she "hopes to go to college in New York to study performing arts or journalism." I hope to see her make it big in New York as well; she works hard for everything and deserves it.
Sabrina Epou is not your normal Eastview High School student. She has had many experiences that most of us may never face, but still fits in great with the Eastview community. Sabrina is involved with the school theater and played a sorority girl in the play, "Good News." She enjoys playing soccer in the summer and taking contemporary dance classes. She sounds like your typical active high school student, but what makes her so unique is what happened in her past.
Sabrina was born and raised in Africa. She lived in Lome, Togo with her family and her father worked with the government. When she was 7, her family had to leave Africa because the government was becoming corrupt. This meant she had to leave her Aunt, Grandma, and close friends behind. Leaving the ones she loved behind was tough, but now she had to focus on learning English to survive in America.
When Sabrina moved to Minnesota, she was placed in the 3rd grade. Along with public school, she also had to attend a school to learn English. While talking about this challenge with Sabrina, she stated "learning English took seven years to master." Now Sabrina is very fluent in the language and has no problem understanding others. Although, learning English wasn't the only challenge she had to overcome. Her Grandma's death was another tough time in her life, especially since she rarely got to see her after the move to America.
Sabrina may have had a difficult past, but that doesn't stop her from her ambitions. She says she "hopes to go to college in New York to study performing arts or journalism." I hope to see her make it big in New York as well; she works hard for everything and deserves it.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Make It Memorable- Bob Dotson
o What do you notice about the way he writes? Use specific examples, please. (75 words)
The way he writes is very smooth and simple. When he explains filling the silence, he explains it in a very casual, but truthful way. It's easy to understand, yet it tells me everything I need to know. Datson also likes to tell stories. In the beginning of section one, he explains his career through a story of his grandmother disapproving his job. He tells some personal stories, and some stories of other people. He uses those stories to help us understand; another reason why his writings are easy to understand. At times I didn't think he was that professional, (telling stories doesn't seem professional to me) but overall his work is very professional. He knows what he is talking about and if sharing his knowledge means explaining it through story, then he is still a very professional writer.
o What did you learn from reading pages 9 to 27? (75 words)
I learned three different ways to make my stories better. The rules of threes, filling the silence, and the non- question/question. The rules of threes are when who you are interviewing will answer the question the way you want to hear it at first, then they will explain their answer, and last they blurt out a sound bite. Filling the silence is letting the silence grow after they answer a question, this will put their thoughts into sharp focus. The non-question/question is asking them more personal questions and leading that into more questions about the actual situation. I also learned to write your story fast, you write the middle first, then the opening line, and lastly jot down your thoughts.
o With the scripts: What do suppose is described in each column? Why would it be split like that? What else is interesting about the scripts? (50 words)
In the scripts, there are 2 different columns. The descriptions of the different shots appearing during the news story are in the left column. What is being said during that shot is in the right column. I believe it's split like that because that keeps it organized and in order. It makes the filming and editing process easier. What else is interesting about the scripts is whenever someone being interviewed is talking, it is typed in all capitals on the script.
o On Page 34 (and to the end of the section), Dotson writes about a long-form feature. Find one of these (a story at least 4 minutes long) on a TV news magazine such as Rock Center, 20/20 or 60 Minutes. Then, give and explain examples of how the storyteller uses the five bulleted traits Dotson gives on Page 34. (200 words)
"Linsanity" is the video I watched about New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin. They show the setting of basketball by showing wide shots of Jeremy in action. In his interview, there are basketballs behind him, giving us even more shots of the setting. There are lots of natural sounds during basketball clips, home videos, and the roar of fans when returning to Asia. Jeremy foreshadows when they show highlights of his playing. For example, he said "I've never heard an auditorium so loud when I made that 3 pointer." Jeremy Lin faced a few conflicts. First, living in the Asian culture, sports aren't a priority. Education is the priority, but this was resolved by his parents being abnormally supportive towards Lin's basketball. Another conflict he faced was receiving scholarships for basketball. He was clearly good enough for Division 1, yet he was not offered one single scholarship most likely because he's Asian-American. Along with being an Asian-American basketball player, he had to put up with all the stereotypical comments as well. He ended up going to Harvard, where they did offer him a spot on the team. Sadly, the conflict of the name calling wasn't resolved. It actually got worse, but Jeremy claims, "it made me a stronger person." This whole experience has made Lin stronger, and more confident now knowing he has more fans out there.
The way he writes is very smooth and simple. When he explains filling the silence, he explains it in a very casual, but truthful way. It's easy to understand, yet it tells me everything I need to know. Datson also likes to tell stories. In the beginning of section one, he explains his career through a story of his grandmother disapproving his job. He tells some personal stories, and some stories of other people. He uses those stories to help us understand; another reason why his writings are easy to understand. At times I didn't think he was that professional, (telling stories doesn't seem professional to me) but overall his work is very professional. He knows what he is talking about and if sharing his knowledge means explaining it through story, then he is still a very professional writer.
o What did you learn from reading pages 9 to 27? (75 words)
I learned three different ways to make my stories better. The rules of threes, filling the silence, and the non- question/question. The rules of threes are when who you are interviewing will answer the question the way you want to hear it at first, then they will explain their answer, and last they blurt out a sound bite. Filling the silence is letting the silence grow after they answer a question, this will put their thoughts into sharp focus. The non-question/question is asking them more personal questions and leading that into more questions about the actual situation. I also learned to write your story fast, you write the middle first, then the opening line, and lastly jot down your thoughts.
o With the scripts: What do suppose is described in each column? Why would it be split like that? What else is interesting about the scripts? (50 words)
In the scripts, there are 2 different columns. The descriptions of the different shots appearing during the news story are in the left column. What is being said during that shot is in the right column. I believe it's split like that because that keeps it organized and in order. It makes the filming and editing process easier. What else is interesting about the scripts is whenever someone being interviewed is talking, it is typed in all capitals on the script.
o On Page 34 (and to the end of the section), Dotson writes about a long-form feature. Find one of these (a story at least 4 minutes long) on a TV news magazine such as Rock Center, 20/20 or 60 Minutes. Then, give and explain examples of how the storyteller uses the five bulleted traits Dotson gives on Page 34. (200 words)
"Linsanity" is the video I watched about New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin. They show the setting of basketball by showing wide shots of Jeremy in action. In his interview, there are basketballs behind him, giving us even more shots of the setting. There are lots of natural sounds during basketball clips, home videos, and the roar of fans when returning to Asia. Jeremy foreshadows when they show highlights of his playing. For example, he said "I've never heard an auditorium so loud when I made that 3 pointer." Jeremy Lin faced a few conflicts. First, living in the Asian culture, sports aren't a priority. Education is the priority, but this was resolved by his parents being abnormally supportive towards Lin's basketball. Another conflict he faced was receiving scholarships for basketball. He was clearly good enough for Division 1, yet he was not offered one single scholarship most likely because he's Asian-American. Along with being an Asian-American basketball player, he had to put up with all the stereotypical comments as well. He ended up going to Harvard, where they did offer him a spot on the team. Sadly, the conflict of the name calling wasn't resolved. It actually got worse, but Jeremy claims, "it made me a stronger person." This whole experience has made Lin stronger, and more confident now knowing he has more fans out there.
Changing Identities
1. Identify and explain as many WALLDO shots as you can.
Wide-to get an idea of the setting. Ex: shot of him and dog going down stairs.
Angled- gives the shot a different feel and look. Ex: shot of spreading jam on toast.
Low- get down. Ex: also shot of spreading jam on toast.
Linking- linking two different shots together. Ex: shot of wind chime, then tilts down to Noah.
Depth- gives it a 3D feel. Object closer to camera is blurry while object farther away is in focus. Ex: shot of toaster popping and Noah behind it.
Opposite- shooting at the opposite side of what you usually would, also action/reaction. Ex: shot of Noah taking toast out of toaster.
2. What is Natural Sound?
The sounds going on in the environment. Example, bouncing basketballs and squeaking shoes during a basketball game.
3. Identify several examples of Natural Sound in this story?
Noah playing the piano, dog barking, wind/cars driving by, toaster popping, knife in jam jar, wind chimes, leaves crunching.
4. How does Natural Sound enhance the story?
You get every detail of the story. It gives you a feeling that you're actually in the story.
Wide-to get an idea of the setting. Ex: shot of him and dog going down stairs.
Angled- gives the shot a different feel and look. Ex: shot of spreading jam on toast.
Low- get down. Ex: also shot of spreading jam on toast.
Linking- linking two different shots together. Ex: shot of wind chime, then tilts down to Noah.
Depth- gives it a 3D feel. Object closer to camera is blurry while object farther away is in focus. Ex: shot of toaster popping and Noah behind it.
Opposite- shooting at the opposite side of what you usually would, also action/reaction. Ex: shot of Noah taking toast out of toaster.
2. What is Natural Sound?
The sounds going on in the environment. Example, bouncing basketballs and squeaking shoes during a basketball game.
3. Identify several examples of Natural Sound in this story?
Noah playing the piano, dog barking, wind/cars driving by, toaster popping, knife in jam jar, wind chimes, leaves crunching.
4. How does Natural Sound enhance the story?
You get every detail of the story. It gives you a feeling that you're actually in the story.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Walldo
Wide- to get an idea of the setting.
Angled- gives the shot a different feel and look.
Low- get down.
Linking- linking two different shots together.
Depth- gives it a 3D feel. Object closer to camera is blurry while object farther away is in focus.
Opposite- shooting at the opposite side of what you usually would, also action/reaction.
Angled- gives the shot a different feel and look.
Low- get down.
Linking- linking two different shots together.
Depth- gives it a 3D feel. Object closer to camera is blurry while object farther away is in focus.
Opposite- shooting at the opposite side of what you usually would, also action/reaction.
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