Script Deadline Postponed

Greetings Everyone:

I hope you are all enjoying your day off!

It has come to my attention that some, if not many of you, have not completed your broadcast scripts that are due tomorrow. I am therefore postponing the due date until this Monday, November 15th. Failure to have completed your script by this point will result in a failing grade for this project.

Let's review what is required for the assignment:

1. A description of your settings: locations, people you will interview, who will be speaking in front of the camera, and anything else that is relevant to the set-up and design of your broadcast.

2. Your script: Each script should include your narratives (this is what the narrator, anchor person or field reporter says in front of the camera when they are not interviewing a subject), your interview questions, and directions for the camera people as to where and when they should be filming.

3. Interview Questions: interview questions should reflect the research you have done regarding your topic. If you are conducting an interview on bullying you should ask your subject a question that reflects your knowledge of bullying. For example a very poor interview question would be "What do you think about bullying here at WJPS?" That shows a lack of hard work on your part. A better question would be something like this, "According to the New York City Department of Education, bullying in New York City High Schools has increased by 75% since 2005. Do you feel that bullying has increased since you've been at WJPS?" A follow-up question might then be, "How would you define bullying?" And depending on the person's answer you could then ask them if they thought bullying matched with the definitions that you have come across in your research.

You have to control the interview. This does not mean that you censor what the interviewee says, but your knowledge and research of the subject allows you to ask questions which guide the direction of the interview.

All scripts must be submitted by Monday. We will spend tomorrow writing and editing. If certain group members are not contributing, I need to know this for grading purposes. I am not asking anyone to "snitch" on their fellow group members, but if I find that one person has done all the work, then that one person will receive the good grade and the rest of the group will not.

These are the basics that all broadcast scripts must have in order for the broadcast to function successfully. Some of you are doing a good job with this and others seem lost. What I have not received, and have asked for repeatedly, is feedback from all of you. No one has submitted a script before the deadline that I could provide constructive criticism for, nor have I received any e-mails from any groups asking for help. This is your responsibility.

Therefore instead of a tutorial on how to use the flip cameras, I will work with each group during class to see what progress you have made with your scripts. Please have something resembling a script with you tomorrow. If it's not typed then it has to be legible.

Below are some links for conducting interviews. Please, please, please read them. The second link should be especially helpful since it is an archive of broadcast news videos from high schools all across the country!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4577240_conduct-newspaper-interview.html

http://hsbj.org/videos/index.php

See all of you in class tomorrow.