TV News Production - Evaluation

 Evaluation

https://youtu.be/iCU6WrlbIY0

https://youtu.be/QVtOkjFNrv0

The task for this unit was to create and produce content for a news channel that you have created, with a live OB news item, a news package, and a promotional video (Turrell, 2021). 

With this project, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try out a different role within the production team than my usual role as producer. I discussed the roles within my group and was then made editor. Taking on a role that I have limited experience in was nerve wracking, but it allowed me to learn and develop new skills that I would’ve otherwise not learnt.

As editor, I was in charge of editing the whole project (the live news item, the news package, and the promo). This was my first time editing a project using both Premier Pro and After Effects. I used Youtube tutorials to help me learn along the way and had to play around with the software to achieve the finished product. It was a process of trial and error. 

When filming our news anchor pieces, the reflection of the LED light panels appeared in Ryan’s (the anchor) glasses and the shadows of his glasses under his eyes were distinct. In order to try and deal with this, we moved the lighting panels above Ryan’s head. This didn’t wholly fix it, but a slight difference was made. For future reference, we will aim to take this into account so that we can try to avoid it. 

Whilst filming the promo, we realised that the script that was written didn’t sound completely natural so, we edited it whilst filming. This allowed for the promo script to make more sense and allowed for a greater interactivity/connection with the audience. Upon editing the promo, I had to refresh my memory on how to replace a greenscreen with a background. I used a video on Youtube to help me with this process (Ignace, 2019). To fix the issue of the remaining spill from the greenscreen on Ryan, I used the advanced suppressor tool, which helped tidy this up. When exporting the footage, we realised that there was an issue with a cross fade I had used when editing the main video in Premiere Pro and the masking I had done in After Effects. To solve this issue with the limited time we had, Heather White and I put a dip to black transition in between to get rid of this. When editing the promo, I also learnt how to input social media links into the video. I played around with the graphics and eventually worked out how to do this. Through editing the promo, I gained the knowledge of replacing a greenscreen with a background in After Effects, using the keying tool and learning how to input social media graphics into a video clip.

Figure. 1 U2D News Promo

When it came to the graphics, I struggled at first. The graphics that I found most challenging to input was the one that involved the statistics of spikings in the UK. I had to edit percentages, different axis and input various data information in order to create it. After much patience and determination, I learnt how to input and edit graphics into our project. 

Figure.2 U2D Fashion Retailer Quote Graphic

Figure. 3 U2D Live OB Reporter

Figure. 4 U2D Spikings Statistic Graphic

With our news platform, we wanted to ensure we had some diversity within our piece. Our aim was to include at least one woman within our piece. 

With coverage on violence on women prominent within the media, particularly with the rise in spiking cases at the minute, it was fitting that the story on spiking be told by women, from a woman’s perspective, hence our decision for a female news anchor to accompany our female-led spiking items. 

When editing the sustainable fashion item, I struggled to structure it as we couldn’t get a contributor that we wanted (Primark), so we were missing a chunk of our script. There was also no storyboard, meaning I found it hard to find to understand what vision the director had in mind for the story and the piece lacked an arc. Thinking on our feet, Heather White (Producer) and I decided to get Ryan to record various voice overs to place into the item and also inputted stock footage and graphics. By doing this, we were able to piece together and recover the narrative. 

Throughout the whole editing process, I was ensuring that I responded to the feedback provided by Beth Turrell. Beth’s feedback provided an outsider's perspective and allowed us to see the project in a different light. As it’s your piece of work, you have a subjective opinion, so gaining Beth’s insight gave us a sense of objectivity towards our piece. Through this, we were able to make most of the changes suggested.

Figure. 5 Beth Feedback Notes 1

After filming the sustainable fashion interview with Trent, Beth mentioned to us that Trent’s background was not the best and appeared to potentially give him less credibility as an artist. The reason behind us not taking Trent’s background into consideration was that we wanted to make him as comfortable as possible. We did ask him to close his curtains so that he was visible and not hard to see because of the light. However, going forward, we will always aim to take the background of any contributor or talent into account, whilst trying to maintain their comfort. 

With regards to the background of our anchor, I would use the green screen room next time. The background we used was not brilliant, it was very dark and the room looked quite institutional-esque, not what we were going for. 

In the background of Jade’s interview, there was a sign displaying  “don’t worry, be happy”. Due to the severity and seriousness of the story, Beth fed back to us that it appeared to be making us seem flippant. In response to this, Heather and I blurred out the writing on the sign in Premier Pro. 

Figure. 6 U2D News Jade Rogers Interview

Figure. 7 Beth Feedback Notes 2

With the spiking story, we received the feedback that there wasn’t much purpose why Will was specifically chosen as a contributor, with this in mind, Heather and I went back and watched Will’s interview again and changed the footage that we had in the edit for other moments within Will’s interview. We gave Will more of a purpose within the story, getting a pub manager’s perspective on the spiking situation and giving the story a bit more of an arc in terms of what action is being taken with regards to the situation. After facing rejection from multiple pubs and clubs when finding contributors, we were grateful that Will Gentry had agreed to be interviewed. We wanted to include a pub or club’s perspective to avoid bias. When receiving feedback about Will as a contributor from Beth during the rough cut viewing, I reflected upon this and voiced that we could’ve used Labour MP for Balham, Furzedown, Earlsfield, and Tooting, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who started a petition calling for local businesses to act now and make changes in response to the rise in spiking cases and violence against women (Allin-Khan, 2021). However, going forward, I will think about the purpose  of contributors in terms of development being shown within the story. 

Figure. 8 Beth Feedback Notes 3

When filming the anchor pieces, we used the autocue, allowing for the anchor to deliver their lines more fluently. 

Due to the time constraints of this project and the amount of footage that we had captured, I had to cut down the footage and leave out bits of footage that we wanted to include. As a result of this, I learnt about the process of carefully selecting footage in order to build a clear narrative that had a sense of fluidity. 

As a result of editing this project, I now know how to input graphics into Premier Pro and change a greenscreen background in After Effects, amongst other things. I will take the skills that I have learnt into future projects, and continue to develop them. 

Next time, I will ensure that the background is carefully thought about so that it is more visually pleasing to the audience. This unit has helped me to gain a greater knowledge and understanding of how to use software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Illustrator. Going forward, I will continue to try and develop my editing skills. I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to input graphics into Premiere Pro. 

Bibliography:

Allin-Khan , Dr R. (2021) Safe Space Campaign. At:https://www.drrosena.co.uk/safespace.html (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 1 Potter, Elsie. (2021) U2D News Promo [After Effects, screenshot] (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 2 Potter, Elsie. (2021) U2D Fashion Retailer Quote Graphic [Premiere Pro, screenshot] (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 3 Potter, Elsie. (2021) U2D Live OB Reporter [Premiere Pro, screenshot] (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 4 Potter, Elsie. (2021) U2D Spikings Statistic Graphic [Premier Pro, screenshot] (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 5 Potter, Elsie. (2021) Beth Feedback Notes 1. [Photograph, portrait] In possession of the author: Rochester (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 6 Potter, Elsie. (2021) U2D Jade Rogers Interview [Premiere Pro, screenshot] (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 7 Potter, Elsie. (2021) Beth Feedback Notes 2. [Photograph, portrait] In possession of the author: Rochester (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Fig. 8 Potter, Elsie. (2021) Beth Feedback Notes 3. [Photograph, portrait] In possession of the author: Rochester (Accessed 04/11/2021)

Ignace Aleya - How To Green Screen Removal Like a Pro in After Effects Tutorial (2019) [Online Video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTh2CWXzOH4 (Accessed 02/11/2021)

Turrell, B. 2021 TV News Production Handbook. Kent: University for the Creative Arts. (Accessed 04/11/2021)

TV News Production - Branding

Branding

When in the ideas lab, we decided upon a colour scheme that we would use for our news brand. 

With the chosen colour scheme, I then went on to design the logo. 

Figure. 1 Cheerful Citrus Colour Palette

Rather than find a pre-made logo online, I decided to challenge myself and create a logo from scratch, which I did through the use of Adobe Illustrator. As I had never used Adobe Illustrator before, I struggled to navigate it, leading me to have to use a tutorial. I used basic shapes and put them together in order to create a fully formed logo. With our news platform/brand being called UP2Date News, I decided to include an arrow pointing upwards within the P of the logo. Upon feeding back the first logo to my group, it was suggested that I add orange into the logo, which I then did in the centre of the logo. I also added a slight orange glow to the outer ring of the logo. 

Figure. 2 Up2Date Trial Logo (2021)

Figure. 3 Up2Date Logo (2021)

Once the logo was created and approved by my peers, we created pages on various social media platforms. Ryan Perry created an Instagram page, whilst I created a Twitter and Facebook page. The reasoning behind creating social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook is that they are the three most popular platforms used for news consumption in the UK (Ofcom 2021). In addition to this, 73% of adults consume their news online (Ofcom, 2021). Through creating social media pages, it adds a sense of connection as it allows for further direct engagement with the consumers. 

Bibliography:

Fig. 1 Stitch Palettes (2019) Cheerful Citrus Colour Palette. [Photograph] At: https://stitchpalettes.com/palette/cheerful-citrus-spa0155/ (Accessed 07/10/2021)

Fig. 2 Potter, E. (2021) Up2Date Trial Logo. [Logo] In possession of: the author: Rochester. 

Fig. 3 Potter, E. (2021) Up2Date Logo. [Logo] In possession of: the author: Rochester. 

Ofcom. (2021) News Consumption in the UK. At:https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand/news-media/news-consumption (Accessed 07/10/2021)

 

TV News Production - Scripts

 Promo Script

Ryan wrote the script for the promo piece, however, when shooting, we edited it as a group so that it flowed better. With our target audience being 16-40-year-olds, we went for a more informal approach, whilst still maintaining a sense of professionalism and a news-style format. We wanted to create a more friendly and interactive news platform. 

Live OB Item Script

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1890VEhgehhoKRx2En8AW0zPNPJF2cOUjd8b2QWuSfLc/edit

Ryan and I collaborated when writing the live OB item working script. I created the basic outline of it, entering statistics, dialogue and the key information and Ryan then added in his anchor pieces. I felt that it was better that Ryan wrote his own dialogue so that he would appear more natural and less robotic/scripted when carrying out his role as news anchor. When writing the scripts for this unit, I looked back at the layout and format of the documentary script I helped to write for the documentary unit and based the news scripts on that (Potter 2021)

When writing the script for the live OB item, we had to take into account the sensitivity of the topic at hand, spikings, and think carefully about how our script would be worded. 

With Jade Rogers’ segment in the live OB, we wanted it to be led by her as the story that we were telling was hers, so we used more open-ended questions. When filming, we adapted the questions that were asked as we were responding to what Jade was saying and allowing her to be the one to lead the interview. With Jade leading the story and what was being said, it allowed for a “complex issue” to be personalised (Kobré, 2012), creating a greater emotional connection with the audience. 

News Package Script

TV News Production - Sustainable Fashion Working Script

Ryan and I collaborated again with the News Package Script. I created a basic script that Ryan then inputted his news anchor pieces into. When filming, we had to adapt the scripts so that they had more of a flow to them, sounded less robotic, and fitted in more with our vision. We also had to adapt them to what the contributors were saying so that the structure of the story made sense. 

We used more open-ended questions to allow the audience to gain a greater insight of the story and the contributors’ views on the importance of sustainable fashion. 

In order for our news item to remain impartial, we got statements from retailers to get their side of the story as to what they’re doing with regards to sustainable fashion. 

Bibliography:

Kobré, K. (2012) Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling. Oxford: Focal Press. At: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xb9y5pvumaYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false (Accessed 04/11/2021).

Potter, E. (2021) Television Production Blog: Documentary Script and Interview Questions. At: https://elsiepottertvpblog.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 04/11/2021).

TV News Production - Pre-Production Paperwork

 Pre-Production Paperwork

Due to us shooting at multiple locations, there were a lot of risk assessments to complete therefore, I helped the producer (Heather White) out by completing two of them for two of our potential locations. The locations that I completed risk assessments for were back up locations for if we couldn't get the location we wanted for our live OB report. When completing the risk assessments, I had to ensure that covid protocols were taken into account. Once I had filled out the risk assessments, I sent the off to Production Coordinator, Laura Coull. 

In order to use the footage with external contributors in, we had to fill out release forms and get the talent to sign them. 

With regards to contributors, I reached out to sustainable fashion designer, Trent Porter, who agreed to be interviewed for our sustainable fashion news item. As one of our other contributors (a fashion student) cancelled last minute, we had to come up with an alternative. I contacted some fashion design students I know and got two of them to agree to being filmed and helping us film the B-roll for our sustainable fashion news item. When setting up to film in one of the fashion rooms at UCA, there were some fashion students already working in there, so we asked them if we could film them instead. When finding contributors for our live news OB, it was harder as it is such a sensitive topic. We used social media to put a message out and ask anyone if they'd be willing to take part. It took us a couple of weeks to find anyone willing to be on camera, but Heather found a contributor who was willing to help. I emailed the contributors/talent and got them to complete and sign a release form, which was then sent back to me. 

TV News Production - Analysis of News Package

 Analysis of News Package

With Channel 4 News being one of the news platforms to have the highest number of viewers within our target age range of 16-35-year-olds (25%) (Broadcasters Audience Research Board, 2020), I chose to conduct an analysis on a news packaged produced and broadcast by ITN and Channel 4 News. The content of the news package looked at Poland's rule-of-law row with the EU (Channel 4 News, 2021) and the fact that it was Angela Merkel’s last EU summit. 

The news package uses multiple shots. The main shots used within the item are medium shots, medium long shots, shots of the video link and wide shots. Whilst filming our the content for our news platform, we will consider these common shots used within news and potentially input them into our work. 

Within the news item, a direct question is posed to the audience, "But what can the EU actually do?" (Channel 4 News, 2021). The question itself is short and is answered immediately, without a pause in between. With an immediate answer being provided, it leaves little time for the audience to pause and think. When it comes to our news package and live news item, we will try to include a brief pause before an answer is given to a question and will aim to break up the speech of the anchor so that the audience isn’t bombarded. 

B-Roll of Angela Merkle is used frequently within the item. The reason behind this most likely being the fact that it was Angela Merkle’s last EU summit (The Guardian, 2021). Footage is shown of her entering the summit and exiting it as well as footage from her first EU summit. It is a full-circle moment. Angela Merkel has been a present figure and played a central role within European politics throughout her term as Chancellor of Germany (Kampmark, 2021), therefore it is an important topic to be covered within the item. 

Throughout the news item, an explicit opinion on the matter of whether the presenter sides with the EU or Poland, is not given in order for impartiality. However, through the questions asked throughout the interview with Radek Sikorski (former Polish Foreign Minister and current member of the European Parliament), the ratio of coverage shown of the European Union, it is implied that the anchor and potentially the broadcaster are more in favour of the European Union than the Polish governments. 

In addition to this, the tone towards Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, appears to be more negative than that of the tone towards the European Union. This implicitly highlights Channel 4's stance on this human rights issue. 

A clip of EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the EU saying “It is my commission's duty to protect the rights of EU citizens wherever they live in our world” was selected for the item. This statement is a one-liner and appears to have been selected carefully. It provides the EU’s view on the Polish Government’s actions and ideology. It could also be suggested that it implies Channel 4’s view on the Polish government, being more in favour of the EU than the Polish government.  

With regards to this, we will take into account the issue of bias and impartiality, which was also mentioned in the talk with Will Rayner. 

Throughout the interview with Radek Sikorski, the camera shots switch between a medium close-up shot/the video link of Radek Sikorski and a wide shot of the news anchor facing away from the audience, looking at the screen behind him, displaying the video link of Radek Sikorski.  When filming the content for our news platform, we will take this into consideration about how to go about shooting the anchor and cutting  the item together in the edit. 

The story reflects upon and relates to the fact that there is often little change when it comes to world issues. The war in Iraq, unrest, and climate change are referred to within the item. 

To add light to the heaviness of the story, there is B-roll of those at the EU summit appearing to be friendly and civil towards each other. This could possibly provide some sense of hope to the audience that despite such terrible issues going on within the world, there is some sense of harmony. As the content of our platform is rather heavy, particularly the spiking story, we will take into account how we can go about bringing a sense of hope to the audience. 

Bibliography:

Boffey, D. (2021) ‘You are a monument’:EU Leaders hail Angela Merkel at ‘final’ summit’ In: The Guardian 22/10/2021. At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/22/monument-eu-leaders-hail-angela-merkel-final-summit (Accessed 01/11/2021)

Broadcasters Audience Research Board. (2020) What People Watch: Age Profile of news viewing. At: https://www.barb.co.uk/trendspotting/what-people-watch/what-people-watch-edition-4/ (Accessed 06/10/2021)

Channel 4 News (2021) [Television Programme] Channel 4 21/10/2021. (Accessed 22/10/2021)

Kampmark, B (2021) Auf wiedersehen, ‘Mutti’: How Angela Merkel’s centrist politics shaped Germany and Europe. At: https://theconversation.com/auf-wiedersehen-mutti-how-angela-merkels-centrist-politics-shaped-germany-and-europe-153447 (Accessed 01/11/2021)

TV News Production - Talk With Will Rayner (12/10/2021)

 Talk with Will Rayner

ITN editor Will Rayner gave a talk over zoom, with regards to TV news and his career. 

When it comes to thinking about how the angle that you're taking is new, Will explained that it is hard to come up with a new angle, but the way in which he often works around it is bringing in new people relevant to the story, rewording the news and using new locations. The content remains similar, but the story has a new take on it. When making our news package and live OB, we will think about how the angle that we take is new and different. With regards to our sustainable fashion news package, we will aim to focus on how sustainable fashion is moving forward. 

Will emphasised the importance of thinking about what the viewer wants to see. Throughout the pre-production, production, and post-production phases, we will we try to keep in mind what the viewer would want to see. Through doing this, it will hopefully help maintain the viewers' attention and allow for them to properly engage with our content and platform. 

Bias was an important topic within the talk. Ensuring that you remain balanced l is of great importance as it helps to avoid legal action and the deliverance of a one-sided narrative. Whilst creating the news packages and news brand, we will aim to follow the news agenda whilst also remaining fair and balanced throughout. In order to help us with this, we will word our script carefully and edit with caution, in a fair manner. 

With technology constantly evolving, there are new ways to acquire and use footage. The use of mobile phone footage within the news is an increasingly common occurrence. Will advised that if you yourself are not able to gain the footage needed, whether that be because it endangers your cast and crew or because you cannot travel, mobile phone footage is a great alternative. When using mobile phone footage, it is important to gain permission from the author and give them credit, by doing this, it avoids any legal action being taken. 

Will Rayner gave us an interesting insight into what it is like working in broadcast journalism, which I will be taking in to the future. With Will's advise, I will continue to challenge myself and think of different, creative ways of doing things. 

Bibliography:

Rayner, W. (2021) Talk with Will Rayner. [Online 12/10/2021]

TV News Production - Analysis of Relevant Live News Item

 Analysis of Relevant Live News Item

BBC News, Sky News, and Channel 4 News have the highest number of viewers within our target age range (16-35), with BBC News having a yearly average of 16% aged 16-44, Sky News 17%, and Channel 4 News 25% (Broadcasters Audience Research Board, 2020). With these statistics in mind, for the live news item analysis, I decided to analyse a live news item produced and broadcast by BBC News. 

At the outset of the BBC News live news item, the news anchor is shown on screen giving a brief summary of the story, with an image relevant to the story (of the sex trafficker and musician, R. Kelly) and graphics in the background. This allows for the audience to gain a visual of who the story is about (Turrell, 2021). When creating the content for our news package and live OB, we will aim to input images relevant to our news story in the background of the camera shots with the anchor on screen and/or as B-roll clips in order for the audience to have a visual understanding of the content the story entails. 

This news story allows for an emotional connection with the audience, serving its function (Turness, 2007:20 cited in Hudson and Rowlands, 2007:20). It causes them to be both shocked by the actions carried out by R. Kelly, whilst also holding onto a sense of hope and justice that he has been sentenced for his actions. 

Including a live outside broadcast (OB) within the news story provides a greater sense of involvement and audience engagement as the reporter is bringing the audience along with them into the action (Thompson, 2007:250), often fixing and maintaining their attention on the story at hand. As a result of this information, we will be including a live broadcast in one of our news packages. With our audience being of a younger generation (16-35-year-olds), they are consuming media at a faster pace, meaning that the media industry is having to work at a faster pace (Mulligan, 2017).

The news story seems to have been put sequentially, documenting the rise and fall of R Kelly. Towards the beginning of the item, the audience is shown archival footage of R Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" music video (Kelly, R. 1995, cited in BBC News 2021). This sequentiality allows for the audience to be taken on a journey, watching his career and life unfold as a result of his actions and the justice the victims managed to achieve. This allows the audience to feel involved and provides them with an insight as to who R Kelly really was and is. 

To help aid the audience into visually imagining the scenes inside the courtroom, cutaways of the courtroom sketches from the trial and conviction were used. Visual aids are incredibly vital when telling a story, as Lankow et al. said, "visualization allows us to immediately comprehend a message" and makes things, like media content, more "memorable". With this in mind, images and visual aids such as B-roll, will be included in both our live OB news item and our news package. 

Figure. 1 Courtroom Sketch of the Courtroom in R Kelly Trial (2021)

Figure. 2 Courtroom Sketch of R Kelly in Court During Trial (2021)

A medium, eye-level shot is the most commonly occurring shot throughout this news item, in both the OBs and in the studio. This allows for a sense of emotional connection and intimacy with the audience, creating a sense of empathy and shock. The audience feel as though they are a part of the story and involved in some way, allowing for audience engagement to be maintained. When shooting our news items, it is important that we try to put into practice the use of medium shots to engage the audience.

Rather than the news story being primarily voiced by the anchor and reporters, the story is guided and directed by the victims, focusing on their voices being heard. The emphasis on the story being voiced by the victims of R Kelly is confirmed at the end of the story, when Nada Tawkif (the reporter) says "for decades, these black women kept asking when they would be heard, when their voices would matter". It produces a sense of gratification and hope for the audience that the victims' voices were finally heard and that some justice was gained from their fight. In addition to this, Through having the story guided by the victims and their voices, it creates a sense of intimacy and allows for an emotional connection to be created with the audience. With the sense of hope created, it also allows for a lighter finish to a challenging news story. The live news item is then concluded with the anchor thanking the reporter and moving on to the next story. The anchor's role is to bring the news programme together, anchoring the programme (Turrell 2021). 

The content of this live news item is incredibly sensitive and looks to give a voice to R Kelly's victims. With our live news item story being about the sensitive topic of drinks spiking, it is important to keep this in mind. The interviews conducted will be led by the interviewee (a victim of spiking) so that they are given a voice and their experience isn't being taken away from. We will also include information about where viewers can go to if they have been affected by any of the issues raised/content covered.

This news item gave voice to the victims or R Kelly. Through the use of visuals, as well as audio, it delivered an important story to the audience, keeping them engaged throughout the news item. 

Bibliography:

Bailey, K. (2017) 'Gen Z Meet the Young Millennials' In: Media Insights and Decisions In Action 06/2017. At:https://www.bpi.co.uk/media/2857/bpi-era-insight-session-gen-z-meet-the-young-millenials-jun-2017.pdf (Accessed 18/10/2021)

BBC News at Ten (2021) [Television Programme] BBC One 27/09/2021. At: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/188E6503?bcast=135349241 (Accessed 11/10/2021)

BBC News at Ten - R Kelly Coverage (2021) [Television Programme] BBC One 27/09/2021 At:https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/188E6503?bcast=135349241 (Accessed 11/10/2021)

Broadcasters Audience Research Board. (2020) What People Watch: Age Profile of news viewing. At: https://www.barb.co.uk/trendspotting/what-people-watch/what-people-watch-edition-4/ (Accessed 06/10/2021)

Fig. 1 Courtroom Sketch of the Courtroom in R Kelly Trial (2021) [Television Still, Online] In: BBC News at Ten. London: BBC. At: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/188E6503?bcast=135349241 (Accessed 11/10/2021)

Fig.2 Courtroom Sketch of R Kelly in Court During Trial (2021) [Television Still, Online] In: BBC News at Ten. London: BBC. At: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/188E6503?bcast=135349241 (Accessed 11/10/2021)

Hudson and Rowlands. (2007) The Broadcast Journalism Handbook. (2nd edition.) London: Routledge. At:https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429021404/broadcast-journalism-handbook-gary-hudson-sarah-rowlands (Accessed 06/10/2021)

Lankow, Ritchie and Crooks (2012) Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling. (1st ed.) New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Incorporated. At:https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=882721&pq-origsite=summon (Accessed 18/10/2021)

Thompson, Hudson and Rowlands. (2007) The Broadcast Journalism Handbook. (2nd edition.) London: Routledge. At:https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429021404/broadcast-journalism-handbook-gary-hudson-sarah-rowlands (Accessed 06/10/2021)

Turrell, B. (2021) TV News Production Lecture Series. [Kent: University for the Creative Arts 28/09/2021].

TV News Production - Second Ideas Lab (30th September 2021)

 Second Ideas Lab

Within the second ideas lab, the primary aim was to try and move forwards with our news package. 

Upon reflection, we came to the conclusion that we should change our initial live outside broadcast (OB) from the pressure on emergency services/the NHS to the subject of drink spikings. We decided to move away from our initial idea as we felt that it was less relevant to our target audience (16-35-year-olds). In a survey conducted in England from April 2017- March 2018, it was found that those aged 16-44 were more likely to visit a club, bar, and/or pub (Statista, 2018). In addition to this, between 2015-2019, 2,840 incidents of spiking were recorded by UK police forces, with roughly 2,419 being those aged under 40 (Robinson, 2019). These figures show that this is an issue that primarily affects our target audience, therefore making it relevant. We also consulted our peers, who fit within our target age bracket, with regards to their opinion and it was expressed that they'd be more likely to view and interact with the drinks spiking story. This allowed us to to make our firm decision and move away from our initial story idea. 

When feeding back to Beth with regards to the sustainable fashion story we were made to question what would enable us to present the story with a new angle. In response to this, we came up with the notion of what does sustainable fashion and the rise of it mean for sustainable fashion, in addition to the evolution of sustainable fashion. When thinking about the spiking story, it was decided upon looking at the fact that spiking continues to occur and hasn't changed much within 20 years. In addition to this, the considerable use of social media within todays society means that there are a substantial number of clips circulating and gaining large amounts of attention surrounding the topic of spiking. 

Within this ideas lab, we allocated roles to each individual in our group. As there are four of us within our group, we have had to double up on roles. I have taken on the roles of editor, script writer, graphics designer, and promo. Heather White is taking on the roles of editor and director, Ryan Perry news anchor, script writer, graphics designer, and promo, and Ethan Tombs producer and promo. 

With our stories/components decided upon, potential locations were thought about. The current potential locations are outside Tap n Tin nightclub (Chatham), the student bar at the Universities of Medway, outside a local pub, and UCA. We also considered the various clips/B-Roll that could be included within our packages, for instance, clips of glasses, footage from a primary source etc. 

Keeping in mind that our story about spiking is a sensitive topic, which could potentially effect both the audience/consumers and ourselves, we decided upon including information to direct the audience/consumers towards help and support they could get if effected by the issues raised within the news story. 

When finding contributors, we are going to put a message out on social media to try and get in contact with those who are relevant to our stories. 

Going forward, we need to work on promo and branding for our news package. I will have a go at designing a logo with similar colours to the colour palette that we have decided upon. 

Figure. 1 Cheerful Citrus Colour Palette (2019)

Bibliography:

Fig. 1 Stitch Palettes (2019) Cheerful Citrus Colour Palette. [Photograph] At: https://stitchpalettes.com/palette/cheerful-citrus-spa0155/ (Accessed 04/10/2021)

Robinson, B. (2019) 'I collapsed in the street after drink spiking' In: BBC News 27/11/2019. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50508559 (Accessed 01/10/2021)

 Statista. (2018) Share of  adult population going to pubs, bars or clubs as a free time activity in England in 2017/18 by age. At: https://www.statista.com/statistics/557584/going-to-pubs-bars-clubs-by-age-uk-england/ (Accessed 01/10/2021)

TV News Production - Ideas Lab (28th September 2021)

 Ideas Lab

The brief for this unit is 4-5 minute news package, within groups, for our "own branded digital online news channel" (Turrell, 2021:7). 

As a starting point, we looked at the 'age range we wanted to target' (Turrell, 2021) , which was 16-35 year-olds.  Within our group, we thought about 

News broadcasters and brands, such as BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, and Channel 5 News were looked at, particularly the different styles of delivering news each news brand had. For example, ITV news often dives straight into the news story with a collection of cutaways, B-Roll, and interviews (ITV News: Army help and HGV immigration waivers considered over fuel issues, 2021), whereas, the BBC often start the story deliverance with the news anchors and then go between cutaways, interviews, and B-Roll (BBC News: Petrol supply:Army gets ready to assist as Boris reassures drivers, 2021). 

The atmosphere regarding the deliverance of the news is also important, and differs depending on the time of day and/or the brand delivering it. 

The first story that we decided upon was the pressure on the emergency services and the impact that this is having. This idea came about through one of my peers mentioning a recent local news story regarding a man who died as a result of an ambulance being sent to the wrong address (McLennan, 2021). Through discussing this news story, it was discovered that our peer's, Ethan Tombs, father is a logistics manager at a local hospital. So, we had a potential contact who we could gain access to and interview. 

The second story that we decided upon was sustainable fashion and upcycling. This story was chosen as over recent years, sustainable fashion and upcycling have been gaining increasing popularity, particularly amongst the younger generation, with a surge in sales of second hand clothing being driven by younger shoppers (Butler, 2021), which makes it relevant to our target audience of 16-35-year olds. Another point of reasoning behind the sustainable fashion story was that we wanted a more light-hearted piece within our package, not just because a more light-hearted story is often seen to be included in most news programmes and brands, but also because more hard-hitting, negative news stories can often have a negative impact on our mental health. For example, de Hoog and Verboon found that when news is perceived as being more negative, it often tended to have a negative affect on an individuals' emotional well-being (de Hoog and Verboon, 2019). Thus, having a lighter subject would allow for a lighter atmosphere to be created. 

Bibliography:

BBC News: 'BBC Breakfast - Petrol supply: Army gets ready to assist as Boris reassures drivers'  [Television Programme] BBC One 29/09/2021. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm9tIoPMPDQ&t=1s&ab_channel=BBC (Accessed 29/09/2021)

Butler, S. (2021) 'Pre-loved' 'fashion moves from niche to mainstream as retailers join the fray' In: The Guardian 01/05/2021. At: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/may/01/pre-loved-fashion-moves-from-niche-to-mainstream-as-retailers-join-the-fray (Accessed 01/10/2021)

de Hoog and Verboon. (2019) 'Is the news making us unhappy? The influence of daily news exposure on mental states In: British Journal of Psychology 111 (2) pp.157-173. At: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12389

ITV News: 'ITV News : Army help and HGV immigration waivers considered over fuel issues, 2021) [Television Programme] ITV 24/09/2021. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHQ118-IHpg&ab_channel=ITVNews (Accessed 29/09/2021)

McLennan, WW. (2021) 'Coronavirus: Man died of Covid after ambulance sent to wrong address' In: BBC News 28/09/2021. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-58713381 (Accessed 01/10/2021)

Turrell, B. (2021) TV News Intro. [Kent: University for the Creative Arts 28/09/2021]. 

Turrell, B. (2021) TV News Production Handbook. Rochester: UCA Rochester. At: https://learn-eu-central-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5d11c85256e5e/1465088?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1632927600000&X-Blackboard-Signature=NU3foMUui%2B1N2sMlFUahOs42q1ccy3S8L4RNnFvkqhc%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=190919&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27NEWS%2520HANDBOOK%25202021-22.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210929T090000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAZH6WM4PL5M5HI5WH%2F20210929%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=fee1ca20af2befd31cd55b56ce37ac19352e0f3cd1020b1c0e0ac3450cc1a391 (Accessed 29/09/2021)