Objectives for Creating a Script and Shooting the Video (Lesson 3)

Transcription

1 Communication 304, Freedom of Speech Spring 2007 Objectives for Creating a Script and Shooting the Video (Lesson 3) Students will: Learn how to organize their research and ideas into a script Conduct interviews Use appropriate images and words to convey an issue-based message A script is where you will put together the words you have chosen, with the images you have taken and the interviews you have conducted to tell the story to the viewer. A good script tells and shows viewers why they should care about an issue. Scripts need to be concise; the sentences should be short and clear to convey the message to the viewer; the paragraphs should also be short. The wording in the script should be conversational. It s a good idea to read your scripts out loud because in hearing what you have written, you will understand more quickly how to write a good script. Ideally, all the video and interviews will be shot before the script is written. When video is recorded, there is a running counter, the time code that appears on the screen. The writer and reporter will view all the video and mark down the best video images or sound bites by indicating the time code. This is called creating a log sheet or a shot sheet. The editor will use that information to put together the video piece. For example, a video log should look like this: 1:03 exterior of abandoned house 1:45 tight shot of broken window 2:20 pan from one side of the street to the other Try to write down only the time codes of the best video and not every shot taken by the photographer. Your log sheet of an interview should look like this: SOT Councilman John Doe in cue at 23:22: We have set up a task force to identify the vacant buildings and determine who owns them. If the properties are unfit for human habitation and the owner won t pay the taxes or wants to donate the buildings to the city, we ll get the bulldozers out there and get those properties leveled. :15 1

2 BEFORE YOU SHOOT Tips for Making a Quality Video Be Flexible: You have learned to plan out your video with the storyboard. If you want to write a rough draft of the script before you begin shooting, that s okay, but be flexible in case you learn new information while interviewing people that requires changes in your script. Practice: The photographer must practice using the camcorder, tripod and microphone. Shoot some scenes, a reporter standup or interviews and then look at your video. Is your video level even with the horizon? Check the tripod if it wasn t. Did you leave enough space around the person s head or in a critical part of the scene? When shooting, allow for extra space around the edges so your shot is not cut off. Practice counting to ten while recording your shots. Play them back. Were your shots long enough? If not, count slower next time. Frame Your Interview: Think about how you would frame the interviews and reporter standup. A good rule of thumb is called the Rule of Thirds. Position your subject or image in the middle third of the viewfinder, with some space above the image, and some on each side but not too much. Sometimes you will want to frame your image more to one side or the other, but if you aren t sure, stick with the Rule of Thirds. Check Your Gear: Before you leave the building to go into the field to shoot, double check and make sure you have all the equipment you will need: Camcorder with charged battery Extra battery Videotapes Microphone Tripod WORKING IN THE FIELD Focus on Your Tasks: Okay, now you re in the field. There s a lot going on a lot to remember. Is the microphone cable plugged in? Is the tripod level? Is there a tape in the camera and are you recording video? Take your time and make sure your gear is ready. Recording Tape: Always record thirty seconds of black or color bars when you put in a new tape so you don t get a crease in the tape. If you have pushed the pause button during recording, count to five after releasing it to make sure the tape is up to speed and you are recording again. Make sure you get enough static (non-moving) shots. Again, count to ten, ve-e-r-y slowly, while you are shooting to make sure your shot is long enough. Panning and Zooming: When it comes to panning and zooming, don t overdo it. Panning is when you shoot from left to right or visa versa. Zooming is going in tighter on 2

3 a subject, or pulling out for a wider shot. If you do a pan or a zoom, go slow. A fast zoom is hard on the eyes and the stomach! Wide, middle, tight, helps to get it right: It s another rule of thumb and it s how you build sequences, which really help you out in the edit booth. Here s how to think about a sequence: wide shot of the school bus arriving in the parking lot; medium shot of the bus as the door opens to let students out; tight shot of students faces as they get off the bus; tight shot of students sneakers hitting the pavement as they jump off the last step; tight shot of the door closing after all the students have disembarked; and wide shot of the bus pulling away. Shoot From Different Angles: Get on your knees once in a while. Don t shoot everything from the same level. Shoot from a kneeling position or in a crouching position. Hold the camera up over your head to get a shot. It takes practice to get a radically different shot, but it can pay off. Label Tapes: Label your tapes in the field, and to make sure you don t record over a tape you need, move the white (or red) switch on the tape from the record mode to save mode. Put the tape back in the plastic box. It keeps the tapes free from dust which can damage the tape. STANDUPS AND INTERVIEWS Shooting Your Subjects: When shooting a reporter standup or a sit-down interview, don t shoot the person head on. Have the person turn their body slightly so they are at an angle to the camera. Or move the camera so it isn t directly in front of the interviewee s chair. Note to reporters: do not wear white when you are on camera. Note to photographers: if someone you are interviewing is wearing a white shirt or blouse, ask them to put on a jacket. The camera will try to compensate for the bright white and the rest of your video could be darker. Holding the Microphone: When shooting a standup, the reporter should hold the microphone about five inches from his/her mouth, with the bottom of the microphone angled down. On a windy day, the reporter should hold the mic closer to his/her mouth, and a windscreen should be used. Check Your Viewfinder: Always be aware of what s in your viewfinder what s in your shot. Make sure there s no telephone pole coming out of your reporter s head. Or a tree branch coming out of your interviewee s ear. Don t be afraid to stop and make adjustments if you don t like what you see in the viewfinder. You ll like it even less in the edit booth. 3

4 A FEW WORDS ABOUT SOUND Quiet on the Set: Do not talk when the red light is on. The only people who should be speaking when the camera is recording video are the reporter doing a standup and the person being interviewed. When you are shooting the other video, the b-roll, you will be recording nat sound, or natural sound of the scene. It fills out the video; it adds another dimension. You don t want to ruin the nat sound by talking. Make Your Own Kind of Music: Don t use popular music in your piece it s copyrighted and no one will air it. Create your own music or buy some (one source is musicbakery.com). A WORD ABOUT LIGHTING Looking Good: You probably need to shoot with available light most of the time. When you are outdoors, do not shoot into the sun. If you are shooting an interview or reporter standup, make sure the sun is behind your back and in their face. If you shoot in the shade, try to make sure there is shade in your entire field of view in the viewfinder because too much sun in the background will cause the rest of your video to look dark. Here is a good link to check out for more tips on making videos: For tips on using Microsoft Movie Maker, visit here: Sample Script: Abandoned Houses 4

5 Sample Script VIDEO AUDIO 1:15 Shot of abandoned building Nat sot neighborhood (car driving down street, children playing, something like that) (:02) 1:32 Various shots of broken windows, rundown properties North Philadelphia VOICEOVER: BUILDINGS WITH BROKEN OR BOARDED UP WINDOWS CAN BE FOUND IN ALMOST EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CITY. THEY ARE AN EYESORE, THEY ARE DANGEROUS, AND THEY BRING DOWN THE VALUE OF OTHER PEOPLE S PROPERTIES. (:11) Jane Smith North Philadelphia Resident SOT: Jane Smith 8:55 There are several abandoned houses right here in my block. I m tired of looking at these buildings and even more tired of the drug dealers who hang out in them :09 12:30 Jane Smith and Harry Brown walking down the street pan from them to abandoned building More shots of boarded up windows, broken steps and buildings falling apart VOICEOVER: PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS PART OF NORTH PHILADELPHIA SAY THEY HAVE CALLED THE POLICE AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL TO GET THESE ABANDONED BUILDINGS TORN DOWN. THEY SAY THESE RUNDOWN PROPERTIES HAVE PLAGUED THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YEARS. (:12) Harry Brown North Philadelphia Resident SOT Harry Brown 10:12 The cops are able to run out the drug dealers for a few days but then they come right back and start dealing again. And nobody s ever done nothing to tear down these buildings. I ve lived here eight years now and nothing s been done about the buildings :14 Two-shot of reporter and councilman at 25:30 26:20 cut to tight shot of reporter listening SOT Councilman John Doe 23:22 We have set up a task force to identify the vacant buildings and determine who owns them. If the properties are unfit for human habitation and the owner won t pay the taxes or wants to donate the buildings to the 5

6 city, we ll get the bulldozers out there and get those properties leveled :15 27:50 city hall shots VOICEOVER OFFICIALS SAY GETTING RID OF ABANDONED BUILDINGS TAKES TIME AND MONEY, AND THE CITY IS FIGURING OUT HOW TO COME UP WITH MORE OF BOTH. (:08) Ann Clark North Philadelphia SOT Ann s standup 16:38 It s anybody s guess just how many vacant buildings there are in Philadelphia, but safe to say it s in the thousands. If there s one in your neighborhood call your city council member to have the property targeted for demolition. In North Philadelphia, this is Ann Clark reporting. (:16) ***REMEMBER, YOUR VIDEO WILL BE 10 MINUTES MAXIMUM! THIS IS A SAMPLE SCRIPT. 6

7 Script Template VIDEO AUDIO 7