Introduction Television Journalism The course introduces Television Journalism: 1)Talks about organisational structure of television news channels.

2) Discusses the various news formats of a story. ) !ives ti"s on #esearch and $ommunication skills for a television %ournalist &)Trains students to look for story ideas. 'lanning a (ews )tory This course teaches you to have clarity on your story before you get on location to shoot. *hat is it that you should look for+ *hat are the things that you should ensure is ca"tured on your camera+ Interviews The course gives basics of conducting interviews. This would have to be followed u" with the further courses which will need logging in for full knowledge of conducting interviews Interviews for )tories The course teaches how to conduct interviews for stories 'iece to $ameras The course teaches the student the skills re,uired to do "iece to cameras )hooting -isuals for (ews Teaches the student how to be the director on location .ace to .ace Interviews The course teaches the student about the various as"ects of conducting a face to face interview /nchoring 0asics Teaches the student about the various ,ualities re,uired to be an anchor 1ogging The course teaches the student the skill of enumerating what has been shot. )cri"ting (ews )tories

Teaches the skills re,uired for writing a news story -oicing 0asics !ives basic skills re,uired for giving commentary for a story -ideo 2diting 0asics Teaches how to direct video editors to cut your story The introductory course has three lessons. The lessons are aimed to introduce the reader to the basic functioning of a television news $hannel. The channels are not very standardi3ed in the way they function or the %ob roles they have. The system mentioned here is something which has been found to be logical by the author. This is based on his stints at various television channels.

News and Current Affairs Programs

/ news or current affairs "rogram could be one of the following:

1) (ews 4 (ot much e5"lanation needed about what kind of "rogram this is. The stories are of short duration and could range from as little as thirty seconds to two and a half minutes on an average. / news "rogram has different styles of re"orting news which would also be mentioned later in the lesson. 2) (ews maga3ine 4 These are "rograms whose aim is to take it beyond where the news left. )uch "rograms not only re"ort but also analy3e the events. ) Debates 4 Debates are also used to discuss a current event. !enerally6 the ma%or events are debated by im"ortant "eo"le. Indian $hannel (DT- has a "rogram by the name of Big Fight the "rogram is a debate &) Talk )how: *e the 'eo"le6 7"rah etc. 8) .ace to .ace interviews 9) Documentaries

2ach of these "rogrammes germinate from a story idea. In a later lesson story ideas would be discussed. )tory ideas are must for all the kind of television stories.

!iven below are the various formats in which news is re"orted today in channels.

1) /nchor #eads: 4 The story is sim"ly read out by the anchor without visuals. This is also called the dry anchor. )ince television is a audio visual medium6 even an anchor read cannot be allowed to go without looking visually interesting. :ence channels nowadays add gra"hics to enrich the anchor read. 2) 77- ;or 7ut of -ision): 7nce again6 the anchor reads these stories but now moving visuals are "asted over it. This is also called the wet anchor. )ince the effort is to get moving visuals as ,uickly as "ossible6channels may resort to using file footage to make the out of vision interesting. Instead of %ust writing file footage6 it might be better to say on which date this "articular footage was recorded or an im"ortant event during which these visuals were ca"tured. ) .ace to .ace Interview: In studio and out of studio it<s an one to one interview. &) 'hone in: The #e"orter answers ,uestions over the "hone or files a re"ort. 8) -sat or )im )at ;or -sat): the anchor interviews the re"orter generally live from a location using a outside broadcast ;70) van. 9) Two $am .ield #e"orting: The #e"orter covers a war4ravaged or an earth,uake4affected area with two cameras following him and filming whatever he does. =) 'ackages: / com"lete story filmed and edited over the #e"orters voice. This will be covered in this term.

*hat is the organi3ational structure of a (ews $hannel how to find and treat story ideas are given in the lessons that follow. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF A TELEVISION NEWS C ANNEL

The organi3ational structure of television channel can broadly be divided into the following three main areas.

>2ditorial >'roduction >Technical

0esides these areas there are the other de"artments which like any other organi3ation e5ists vi3. accounts6 administration6 marketing6 sales6 :# etc. :owever6 the above are the three main o"erational de"artments.

The "osition nomenclatures in news channels are not standardi3ed. .or instance the %ob role "layed by a 'roducer in one organi3ation may be undertaken by a Director in another and vice4versa.

E!ITORIAL

The editorial de"artment consists of #e"orters6 #esearchers6 'eo"le on the desk6 $oordinators6 (ews 2ditors6 (ews 'roducers and /nchors.

>Resear"#ers: This is the starting %ob in the editorial de"artment. (owadays not
many organi3ations have (ews #esearchers as they e5"ect the #e"orter to do his own research. The %ob involves researching a "articular sub%ect so that the #e"orter has the background information available when he goes for the coverage.

>Re$orters: This is the most "o"ular role in the editorial de"artment. The
#e"orter covers stories on location. :e does the interviews and is the on location director. 7nce back he scri"ts the story and gets it edited.

>!es%: The "eo"le on the desk have a varied set of roles. 7ne is to kee"
themselves abreast about what is ha""ening all over the world the other is to check scri"ts of #e"orters for grammatical and factual errors. /lso they ensure that no im"ortant story is left out.

>News Coordinator: /nother crucial area in a newsroom is that of the (ews

$oordinator. :e not only kee"s himself abreast of what is ha""ening all over the country but is also in touch with all his corres"ondents and stringers on the field. /t any "oint of time he knows what his corres"ondents are doing.

>Editors: There are mainly two kinds of 2ditors? In"ut and 7ut"ut editors. The
in"ut ones decide what news items or stories are to be followed whereas the out"ut ones decide which stories are to be carried in the bulletin ; amongst the stories being covered). In some organi3ations the desk consists of %ust in"ut editors6 out"ut editors and "roducers.

>News Produ"ers: These "eo"le hel" the out"ut editor in e5ecuting his
decisions. )ometimes the out"ut editor and "roducer is the same "erson. The main role of the editorial "roducer is to command the bulletin<s run4order. The run4order is the order in which stories are to be carried in the bulletin. It also gives information about the news story format and its readiness. Today newsroom automation software are available which make the "rocess easy.

>An"#ors: /lso called "resenters or hosts. These are "eo"le who come in front
of the camera and introduce a news item. 2arlier these "eo"le were called (ews #eaders but this nomenclature has changed with the roles of anchors changing over the years. (owadays all anchors are e5"ected to be %ournalists and not %ust read news. :ence they are also e5"ected to interview and cross ,uestion guests in the studio.

PRO!UCTION

> !ire"tor & Produ"er' The "roduction unit is headed by the Director. :e
decides the look and feel of the "rogramme and eventually e5ecutes what has been finali3ed on "a"er by the (ews 'roducer. In some channel this "erson is called the "roducer of the show. :e also has the task of controlling the 'roduction $ontrol #oom ;or '$#) when the news is being com"iled.

>Gra$#i"s: The gra"hics de"artment makes all the gra"hics and fires them at
the right time under the guidance of the director.

>Lig#ting !ire"tors: They light the studio based on the Director<s instructions. >Assistant Produ"ers: These "eo"le assist the director in his work. The work
could range from com"iling the story sent by a stringer6 news agency or kee" stories ready for telecast or run the /utocue machine. /utocue machines are com"uters with a see through screen at one side. The camera can see through and focus on the anchor whereas the anchor can see a com"uter screen and read the news.

>Produ"tion Assistants: Junior assistant "roducers are called 'roduction

/ssistants.

TEC NICAL >Cameramen: They o"erate the camera both on location and in studios. >Sound Re"ordists: They record and control sound levels on location and in studios. >Video Editors: These "eo"le edit the footage available as "er a scri"t. >Lig#tmen: They are %unior level staff who actually light u" a "lace. >Vision (i)ers: They are online editors who cut from one camera to another 7r from a camera to a -ideo #ecorder based on the Director<s instructions. They work with a series of monitors which are available with him on location. The -ision @i5ing $onsole is a machine which makes this "ossible for the -ision @i5er. >CCU O$erators: $amera $ontrol Anit 7"erators match the various cameras in a studio. Anmatched cameras will make a "rogramme look un"rofessional with different cameras showing different colour and light balance. >(aintenan"e Engineers: They maintain all the e,ui"ment >(CR & VSAT o$erators: @aster $ontrol #oom or @$# sends the com"leted "rogramme signals to the earth station from which they are sent to the satellite. They also control the signals coming from other studios and 70 -ans ;7utside 0roadcast -ans)

>Com$uter Engineers: (owadays the entire o"erations in a newsroom are automated hence com"uter engineers are a "art and "arcel of any news team Knowing news- story ideas

This is the first and most basic thing to know and conquer before going to the next step. All news organisations hold an editorial meeting everyday, wherein it is decided what to cover for the day. Most organisations work on a policy in which Reporters come up with ideas and the ditors decide what to cover. !hile presenting the idea a Reporter should first answer one question, what is the story" The answer has to be very specific. xample# The answer cannot be that $A story on the %ongress party$, or $About senior citi&ens$, etc. 'nstead it will have to be specific like (The leadership crisis in the %ongress party$, or $)ow the *enior %iti&ens are prone to crime etc.+

A TV news or current affairs story should have the following aspects#

Interest ,'t should be of interest to the viewers of the region where the programme is being aired. -epending on the audience your channel caters to the story has to be selected. A story that is of interest to the regional audience may not be of interest to a national or international audience. )owever the reverse may not be true. An international story may be of interest to everybody. At the same time one has to remember that a big market fire in the neighbourhood is of more importance than a suicide bomber in west bank. *o this report in a regional programme would take priority over the other one in west bank. Visuals , .ou should be able to get visuals that could tell the story. Why" , There should be a peg to the story, i.e. why you are doing the story now" Statistics , xperts and statistics should be available to make the programme rich. Focus , The idea should be focussed Conflicting viewpoints , 'deally an idea should have conflicting view points to make it rich. /nce you are clear on the idea, the next step would be to research and get the full information.

Where to look for ideas

!esterday"s news for today"s develop#ents 1 $ewspapers % Internet# 't is surprising to note that though television is the first to break news2 many channels even now depend on 3ewspapers for their story ideas. *ome of the story ideas are picked from the items the channels missed in the previous day whereas others look at the news stories that are bound to develop on the particular day.

&adio % Television# very channel has a monitoring unit to look at what the other channel is doing. At times stories come out of this. ven though in Radio at this point of time 3ews is open only to the official media a Reporter will have to regularly listen to the news developments there to keep himself up to date.

Agencies and their reports# very news agency 453', 6T', Reuters, A3'7 sends a list of stories they would be covering in the day. Many of these stories will be taken from the agency reports while the channel may decide to send their correspondents to cover some of them.

Scheduled events and 'lanner"s diary A court appearance, a football match or elections are events that are known in advance. )ence coverage of such stories can be planned in time and executed accordingly. very channel also has a 6lanning -esk which keeps a record of all the events that are scheduled for a future date. The planner8s diary comes very handy while looking for ideas.

Correspondents on (eats 'n television everybody is expected to cover everything. )owever, some of the correspondents end up specialising in a specific area. They are fully immersed with the specific area. They would know inside stories which others don8t. 3ot surprisingly many breaking stories come out of these ideas.

'ress &eleases and 'ress Conferences *ome stories develop out of press releases sent by different organisations. 6ress conferences on important issues themselves become stories to be covered. *ome may even be covered live if they are either very important, conducted by somebody very important or if they are sensational in nature.

$ews Falls These are unplanned events which develop into a full,fledged story. %alamities, sudden death of somebody important all develop into stories. %hannels keep profiles of important people ready all the time. These are shown as obituaries in the unfortunate event of a sudden death.

)ateral Thinking 'deas also come out of thinking creatively on a sub9ect. These are neither stories that are scheduled nor are they ones that develop from a news fall. These are issues that concern all of us, but nobody really takes them up. *ometimes they 9ust need to wait for a peg to be developed.

Journalists have often been accused of being B!eneralistsB6 thatCs because many donCt do their homework. #esearch is what makes a %ournalist the master of the sub%ect he is covering.

-arious sources such as news"a"er cli""ings6 talking to e5"erts6 reading s"ecialist books and now the internet hel"s in getting the basic information. /s "er the story the #esearch also has to be focussed.

)tories should follow the "rinci"al of B)I@'1I.D /(D 2E/!!2#/T2B. *hat it means is6 first get the focus of your story clear and then cover its various elements.

'ro"er research hel"s in getting below the skin of the story and in cornering your interviewee with "oints and counter "oints. / well researched story drives home the "oint one wishes to make through statistics and "roofs.

A few ste$s:

0ased on the story idea think of the various ,uestions that needs to be answered and the information you need to gather.

.ind out the different "laces from where you could get the answer. 1ibraries6 Information bureaus6 !ovt. de"artments etc.

Talk to e5"erts on the sub%ect. These "eo"le could also be used for interviews later. They will also be able to give you other sources and e5"erts.

!et research material6 statistics6 names etc. Instead of writing e5tensive notes6 "hotoco"ying and highlighting hel"s.

*hile researching not only should you concentrate on the story line and ,uestions that get raised but also find out about the "laces and things to film.

/ com"rehensive research would hel" in having clarity in your mind about the story. *ith good research the story can even be blocked into various segments.

)ome organisations have researchers working for the #e"orter6 but I believe that the %ournalist should do his own research.

)ince the credit for a story goes to the #e"orter6 #esearchers generally are not very motivated.

Communi"ation S%i**

/ ma%or "art of Journalist<s %ob is nothing but communication. The %ournalist gathers information ;listening) and conveys it to the audience in a more digestible and understandable format. Television does the %ob even better as the re"orter s"eaks to the audience6 even as he tries to show the events with the hel" of visuals. The re"orter has to communicate to sources6 "eo"le he talks to for research6 interviewers6 editors6 cameramen and many others. Therefore it hel"s to im"rove one<s communication skills. There are ways of doing this and books on the sub%ect always hel".

0elow I have %ust "ut down a few "ractical "oints that hel"ed me:

Learn to *isten : / cliche but an im"ortant art for a %ournalist.@ost %ournalists go with a "re4 conceived notion on a story based on "reliminary research 4 :owever when on location6 be o"en to ideas and try to be as ob%ective as "ossible. Im$ortant Points 4 (ote Down im"ortant "oints6 visuals6 ideas and facts. S$ot t#e good s$ea%er 4 During research itself know who you could interview. !ood s"eakers make good T-. Go t#e E)tra mi*e 4 1istening well could mean getting new insight. Dou could research a lead again. +ee$ u$ t#e re*ations 4 7ne might need to get in touch with the same source and "erha"s end u" interviewing the same "erson for different stories. It hel"s to have good relations with all of them. This however6 does not mean that they should be handled with kid gloves. S$ea% C*ear*,: 0oth in terms of content and articulation.

P*anning a Stor, Dou have %ust been asked to cover an earth,uake6 which has taken "lace a few hours back causing massive destruction and death. 7n reaching the s"ot you find lots of shots to be taken. Dour $ameraman is on a filming s"ree. :e films whatever he sees. 7n the editing table when you return you find lots of footage 4 many re"etitions. 0ut some im"ortant shots and crucial sound bites missing. Fuestions that can hel" your reach the answers.... )o how does one overcome this "roblem+ The answer is "lanning.

T#ree -ita* .uestions' Just before you go out to shoot6 give some time to yourself to "lan for it. There are three vital ,uestions which when answered will hel" you in "lanning your story. vi3. i/ W#at is t#e stor,0 ii/ W#at are t#e Sound 1ites needed and from w#om0 iii/ W#at are t#e -isua*s needed for t#e stor,0 W#at is t#e stor,0 )ome times the re"orter may get lead time to "onder over these ,uestions... however6 most of the times he is in a hurry to cover the event. In order to still ensure that you get the right story.. there is no o"tion but to think and resolve these stories at the back of your mind even as you travel to the location to shoot. The answers to the other three ,uestions actually make newsgathering a "ossibility. *hat is the story+ This is one of the most basic and im"ortant ,uestions that hel"s in carving your story. The answer to the ,uestion focuses the #e"orter to what he should be looking for. :owever6 the skill of knowing what the story is comes mainly with e5"erience. 0efore answering the ,uestion the following as"ects should be ke"t in mind. a) *hat kinds of stories are welcome in your "rogramme+ b) *ho is your audience and what is their awareness level+ c) :ow many minutes can your story be+ / news story generally is between one to two and a half minutes long. *hereas6 a story for a $urrent /ffairs (ewsmaga3ine can be 8 to 1G minutes long. An e)am$*e: /n earth,uake story could be any one of the following or "erha"s a mi5ture of some of them: Stor, 2/ #e"orting the event i.e. where and when it ha""ened+ *hat was the intensity of the ,uake and enormity of damage+ :ow many were killed or in%ured+

Stor, 3/ *hat causes an earth,uake+ *hat is an earth,uake "rone 3one and which areas are more "rone+ :ow safe are the buildings in the areas etc. Stor, 4/ *as enough done as far as relief is concerned+ *hat about rehabilitation+ #emember the Simplify and ExaggerateH "rinci"le. These stories have been sim"lified. /nd now think of the various elements of the sim"lified story. Dou can go one ste" further here and block the stories into various segments. In t#e Se"ond stor, for instan"e' 0lock 1: The information about the latest earth,uake 0lock 2: *hy does an earth,uake occur+ 0lock : The seismic 3ones 0lock &: *hat can be done ;)afety to buildings etc.) and why it was not done. )o before starting to work on the story be sure of what your story is and its various elements+ If you are a fresher4 I would suggest discuss your story with a senior to get focussed. / clear answer to this ,uestion will automatically tune you to the ne5t two ,uestions. If you know what your story is6 you can also figure out the various elements associated with it. W#at are t#e Sound 1ites needed and from w#om0 If you know the story you are doing6 itCs easy to think about who the right "eo"le to interview are and what sound bites you re,uire from them. .raming the right ,uestion will get you the correct ,uote. If it is not an interview where you are cornering someone6 you could tell the interviewee in advance about what you are looking for. This will also reduce the amount of footage used for the interview. Thus6 reducing the amount of time s"ent in "reviewing the ta"es. 1e o56e"ti-e: Interview both sides6 !ive e,ual im"ortance to both sides > in terms of time given6 interview frame etc. 25am"le: I once covered a story on child labour in lime stone kilns. This was a story for a newsmaga3ine and hence the story duration was 18 minutes. T#ere were -arious e*ements to 5e "o-ered for t#e stor,

a/ C#i*d La5our7 5/ T#e $#,si"a* dangers in-o*-ed w#i*e wor%ing in t#e %i*ns7 "/ Po**ution and #ea*t# #a8ards and d/ Low wages9 1etCs take one as"ect at a time and see what sound bites will be re,uired for each one of them: a/ C#i*d La5our' i) *e need sound bites of the children about hardshi"s in the kiln ii) The "arents on why they are sending their children to work+ iii) The owners of the lime kilns on why they re,uire children to work there+ iv) The 1abour $ommissioner on what action he has taken+ 5/ T#e $#,si"a* dangers' i) / $hildCs case study on how he fell of the kiln stairs. ;The kilns have un"rotected stairs 4 2G or 28 in number. If they sli" they will fall a good 1G 418 feet down) /nother child can also talk about how he got burnt. ii) The kiln owners on un"rotected stairs. "/ Po**ution and #ea*t# #a8ards' i) The children about their health "roblems. ii) The "arents e5"laining about the res"iratory ailments of their kids. iii) / doctor in the area talking about common health "roblem to kids. iv) /n environmentalist on "ollution levels in the area. v) The "ollution control board on what action they have taken.

d/ Low wages' i) The childrenCs sound bite on how much they are "aid. ii) 7wners on why they are "aying a "ittance. iii) The 1abour $ommissioner on what is being done on the low wages being "aid there.

7n doing this e5ercise you would find that even now there are more sound bites "lanned than re,uired. /im to get all of them as they may come handy when you are scri"ting. In the story I used brief bites from all of them. The sound bites themselves should not say or cannot say the story4 you re,uire su""orting visuals. In the ne5t lesson we talk about how to "lan for shooting visuals W#at are t#e -isua*s needed for t#e stor,0 If you have researched your story or under taken a recce to the area you would already have "lanned what shots you would take. :owever6 if you havenCt done it use your imagination and note all the ideal shots re,uired. Think about the various elements of the story and the ideal shots to "ortray them. 0ring out the director in you and even think of the creative shots. The various kinds of shots vi3. 1ong shot6 $lose u"6 'an etc. will be e5"lained in the cha"ter on visuals. /n 25am"le: In /ndhra 'radesh6 a southern state in India an on shore 7il *ell caught fire. The fire raged some 2G metres high and ke"t burning for nearly a month. It could be seen for some few kilometres. Trees in the neighbourhood got destroyed and the nearby villages had to be evacuated. There was a deafening sound because of the gushing gas. The 7il and (atural !as $ommission ;7(!$) was involved in trying to ca" the well and "ut out the fire. / foreign team was also invited to hel" in "utting off the fire. 7n the basis of this descri"tion "en down on a "iece of "a"er the visuals that you can imagine. Exercise : ( Write the Visuals down and then proceed) Then com"are it with the actual list of shots taken6 which is given below.

1) /n e5treme long shot of the fire taken from one kilometre distance. This shot will establish that it could be seen from kilometres away. 2) )hot of the fire from various distances and angles. ) $lose u" of the mouth of the well from which gas is gushing out &) 0urnt trees in the vicinity. 8) 2m"ty villages. 9) $lose u" of em"ty houses =) 7(!$ men trying to "ut out the fire. I) These men used to drench themselves with water before they neared the fire. )hots of that. 0oth long shots and close u"s J) *ater was used to kee" the surrounding cool. )hots of water being s"rayed. 1G) )hots of water eva"orating. 11) )o"histicated machines brought there. 12) 2armuffs used to kee" the deafening sound away. 1 ) The nearby school6 which was the tem"orary accommodation for the evacuated "eo"le. 1&) )hots of regulation of movement in the area. 18) The foreign team assessing methods to control the fire. 19) Ase of so"histicated machines by them. 1=) Triggering of blasts by them to "ut off the fire. 1I) The result of the blast on the fire etc. (ote that I have not used technical %argons for the various shots. If you are well versed with the terms used4 you could e5"lain it as long shots6 close u"s6 wide shots etc. Re""e or re"onnaissan"e

/ visit to the area where you are going to shoot your story hel"s in "lanning the story better. 1ook for the following details while undertaking this recce. 1) Take into consideration the lighting in the area. 0ased on the lighting6 fi5 the ideal time to shoot there. .or instance if a "lace looks good during sunrise or sunset "lan it then. 2g: seashore. 2) 1isten to the ambience sound in the area. Dou may re,uire to take a s"ecial micro"hone to ca"ture the sound in the area or to avoid unwanted sound. ) This visit can hel" you choose the ideal "lace for interviews &) This will also hel" you in identifying the shots to take. @ake a note of all of this. 8) (ew angles to your story may also emerge. 9) 1ook for the various visuals6 which you could "ossibly get from there. =) )"ot the locals you could interview and set them u". /lso conduct research by talking to them. I) If the shooting would be at night make sure the availability of electricity for lighting. If there is none6 you might have to take a battery sun gun. Pre:Fi*m S"ri$t 7ne more ste" ahead in "lanning a story is to write the "re4film scri"t. This is a good idea only if you know the story well in advance. *rite a "ro"er scri"t with visuals on the left side and $ommentary and sound bites on the right. i.e. ty"ically like a scri"t. The art of writing a scri"t would be discussed in detail in the cha"ter on )cri"ting. / "re4film scri"t looks e5actly like a scri"t but all the elements are imagined and "ut on "a"er. The real story will be an attem"t to emulate the "re4film scri"t 7ne drawback of "lanning > #eality may not e5actly be the same. 0ut yet "lanning will not go waste because it does give you the framework to work with. /lso remember that des"ite "lanning your story you should be o"en to ideas and willing to change the story as "er reality. INTERVIEWS

"In this interview I have given you a lot, you have taken something out o me, you!ve interrogated me " according to me" Kamal Haasan- Popular Indian film star "Was this an interview# I elt like talking to a classmate o mine, though you are not even hal my age"$ A 6 year old politi!al leader from "orth India# Former $ttar Pradesh %A "orthern Indian State& 'hief (inister (aya)ati tal*ing to her P+, after an inter-ie) - "Why did you allow this guy who keeps asking irrelevant (read "uncom orta%le ) &uestions$ 'hrow him out(" ")re you a counsellor# I eel more relaxed a ter this interview$ " 'hank you"$ A ./ year old girl )ho had attempted sui!ide t)i!e# "*on!t ask me these &uestions, ask some%ody else$ I won!t answer them"$ Senior 'ongress leader Prana0 (u*her1i on 0eing as*ed a0out per !onstituen!y poll expenditure of the party# These were reactions to my interviewing these "eo"le. I believe every interview is an event6 which leaves an im"act on both the interviewee and the interviewer. :owever this would ha""en only if the interviewers gets involved and makes the interviewee think and react to him. I have interviewed hundreds of "eo"le from varied walks of life. 0ased on this e5"erience I have categorised the interviews and ste"s to im"rove your skills. 0ut before I write any further I need to mention that @r. Ian @asters of Thomson .oundation6 *ales6 AK during his lectures demonstrated that how much more I have to learn about them. )o even as you utilise these ste"s6 kee" your eyes ; or more correctly ears) o"en to learn out of your own mistakes and trium"hs while interviewing. I broadly categorise interviews for (ews and $urrent /ffairs into: 1) Interviews for )tories and 2) .ace to face interviews. 1efore going into t#ese "ategories some "ommon fundamenta*s9 Resear"#' I have already em"hasised the need for in4de"th research for interviews. ThatCs what makes the interviewer confident L focussed and the interview interesting. Fo"us' #esearch however has to be carefully utilised. Just because you have known a lot does not mean youCve to ask everything. In fact6 the research should be used to figure out what is relevant and what is not. I know of many T- #e"orters who try to com"lete their research while interviewing. This not only results in waste of footage but also allows the interviewee to sell his "oint of view ;*hich may not

necessarily be the ob%ective one). )o be sure of what you re,uire from your interview before you start. O$en Ended ;uestions' To get a good ,uote the ,uestion should be so "hrased to get a com"lete answer. / ,uestion that gets %ust a MDesH or M(oH answer is to be avoided. )ometimes it hel"s to add a why2 ho) or )hat to your ,uestion to get such a ,uote. )ome interviewers even go to the e5tent of briefing an interviewee about what they are looking for. 0ut I donCt like to do that because the s"ontaneity in the interview is lost. 25am"le: C*osed ;n' /re you against your "arty leaderCs new economic "olicy+ /nswer: Des. O$en Ended ;uestion' *hy are you against your leaderCs new economic "olicy+ /lthough in most cases 7"en 2nded Fuestions hel"s to get a good ,uote6 with a reluctant interviewee only closed ,uestions work better. This is also true for small children. 1eading ,uestions / leading ,uestion will gain an obvious answer. They could be used to corner a interviewee who is avoiding to give a direct answer.. eg6 BDonCt you think this is too trivial an issue to have an internal s,uabble in the "arty+B :y"othetical ,uestions / hy"othetical ,uestion can be used to e5"lore an organisation or a "erson<s thoughts or ability in an unforeseen situation. eg6 B:ow "re"ared is your government in case an earth,uake occurs again+B 'robing ,uestions / "robing ,uestion will hel" tease information and thoughts from the interviewee. This hel"s when doing an investigative story. eg6 B*hat do you mean by hel"ing the family of the kids when you are actually forcing them to work for such a meagre salary+B 'rom$ting .uestion / "rom"ting ,uestion is a sym"athetic one which will hel" the interviewee formulate an answer which is close to the ,uestionerCs re,uirements eg6 BTell me a bit about it6 how you got here6 how long it took and what you thought of the trans"ort system+B Asing the right ,uestion format at the right time will obtain more information and make the other "arty more rela5ed. It leads to constructive interchange and gives the "erson asking the ,uestions more control over the situation. $areful structuring also "revents others from avoiding the answers.

Formu*ating t#e .uestions /lways consider what the ob%ect of any interview is. $hoose the right ,uestion format. If the answers are not develo"ing "ro"erly6 change the format. If the interviewee is nervous or an5ious use "rom"ting ,uestions. The aim behind such interviews is to get the right ,uote. :ence6 the efforts should be made towards this end. Ideally6 the ,uote should be com"lete in itself without the need of the interviewerCs ,uestions. If the focus of the story is clear a #e"orter would know what ,uote is e5"ected out of an interviewee. The ,uestion needs to be "ointed to get the re,uired result. / vague ,uestion would give only a vague answer. E)am$*e: Wrong' F.: *ould your "arty align with any other "arty to fight this election+ )nswer: We may align i need %e$ Rig#t' F: *ould your "arty have an electoral alliance with $ongress+ If yes why+ )nswer: We would align with the +ongress %ecause$$$$$ /n 7"en ended ,uestion discussed in the last cha"ter is very effective to get the right ,uote. ;uestion List' 7nce you<ve "lanned your story and know the various answers re,uired for your story6 create a list of ,uestions. Kee" these ,uestions short and to the "oint. /sk yourself the ,uestion and see whether you get the right answer6 if not change the ,uestion. Kee" the im"ortant ,uestions in the beginning of the interview. 0ut if this ,uestion is going to make your interviewee unha""y > start with soft ,uestions and lead to this. Cross ;uestions' *hen you realise an interviewee may not answer your ,uestion directly6 kee" cross4,uestions ready so that you can get the desired answer. Camera framing for ;uotes' If you are working with a good $ameraman you should give him the o""ortunity to choose the background and shot framing. This I believe involves him and visuals being his sole concerns can many times give you better results. 0ut you should on and off "ee" into the -iewfinder to know the framing. This has to be done very gently as $ameramen donCt like it.

1ooking )"ace: *hile interviewing for stories6 the interviewee should look at the interviewer and talk. If the "erson is turning right to look at the interviewer6 he should be ke"t at the left side and vice4versa. Ideally the sub%ect should cover 2N rd of the "icture ;hori3ontally) and the one third "icture left is called the looking s"ace. If the interviewer is looking left the looking s"ace should be given on the left side.. 1a"%ground' $hoose a background that goes with the to"ic. If you are interviewing a "erson who has something to tell about com"uters6 use that as the background. If it is an official who is being interviewed6 it hel"s to do the interview in his office 4 an actor in the sets of a film or theatre. 2ven the green room is an ideal "lace in such a case. 0ut if you want to "ut a "erson on the defensive take him to a background6 which he is not6 used to. S#ot framing' *hile interviewing for stories the $lose A" shot is the most used one. This frame hel"s to show the facial features L emotions of the "ersons and at the same time gives enough s"ace to su"er the "erson<s name. If however6 the interviewee shows lot of emotions ;say crying) there is nothing wrong in going for a -ery $lose A" or the 0ig $lose A" shot ;%ust the face). Framing for o$$osite -iews' If there are two sides to the story you are doing6 kee" the two interviewees on different sides when you film .i.e. if you are kee"ing the "erson who is talking for a sub%ect on the left side kee" the "erson talking against it on the right side. In a case where there are no clear sides alternate the sides of the interview as you go along filming the story. Cutawa,s' )hots of the interviewee doing other things than being interviewed are re,uired to introduce the "erson or an organisation. )uch shots are called $utaways 9 The commonly used cutaway shots include talking on the tele"hone6 reading a book6 walking on the garden6 coming in to sit on the interview chair etc. Instead of using the traditional ones new ideas can be utilised. $utaways also include close u" shots of the hands etc. These can be used to "ut together two different sound bites together. 0ut I have found using the close u" of hands to "ut two different sound bite together very %erky. Instead the second "art of the ,uote can be hidden behind relevant "ictures. OSS S#ots' 7)) or 7ver the )houlder )hots are needed in s"ecial situations when the interviewer wants to show that he was there interviewing the sub%ect. *hen using both original framing and 7)) 4 the 7)) shot should look like a 3oom out from the original frame.

Noddies' These shots again are taken to show that the interviewer was there ;doing the interview). These shots are taken after the interview with the interviewer nodding6 even as the interviewee talks. This could be inserted ;while editing) in between a soundbite9 (oddies could also be shot as an 7))6 this time over the shoulder of the interviewee. Lig#ting' In an 2(! ;2lectronic (ews !athering) situation6 the #e"orter does not have access to the best of lights. The "ortable lights used may not give the best results. :owever6 efforts should be made to at least have a key light and a backlight during the interview. The Key light will be the main one to light the sub%ect whereas the backlight will light the background and give de"th. Interviewing in sunlight6 utilising the window light etc. are some of the methods used by good $ameramen to get the best in an 2(! situation M-o5 'o"sH or M-o5 'o"uliH means "eo"le<s voice. In many of the stories that you will be doing6 you would re,uire the reactions of the general "ublic. The best way to get it is interview them on the streets. (ow6 you can never be sure what the common man can end u" saying. )o you might need to ask the same ,uestion to a few "eo"le to come u" with the right ,uotes. There should be a "erfect understanding with the cameraman while taking vo5 "o"s interviews. I have "ut down below a few things that you need to follow while talking to the general "ublic. 1) Identify the "erson to be interviewed and inform your cameraman. 2) /""roach him with the camera in the on "osition. ) )hoot the ,uestion to him. (o need to introduce yourself. &) Take "eo"le from varied walks of life and different economic strata. 8) Take the -o5 "o"s in different backgrounds. 9) /void the mike in frame unless the channelCs logo is available on it.

!os and don<ts w#i*e inter-iewing for stories' !os 1) 0e confident while asking the ,uestions. 2) If answers are longwinded > tell your interviewee that such answers cannot be used and ask him to give short to the "oint answers. ) 7n the other hand if an interviewer gives very short answers ask him to elaborate.

&) .ully concentrate on the answers to make sure you get the re,uired bite. 8) Dour interviewee may hi%ack your interview by giving leads6 which may be useless to your story. Try to take full control of such a situation. This you can do by being alert during the interview and sticking to your ,uestion line. 9) If you antici"ate that the interviewee may not want to answer your ,uestions > go with the camera on and get the M(7H on camera. =) If your interviewee wants the ,uestions in advance6 nothing wrong in giving it if the sub%ect is non4controversial. If you are cornering the interviewee give an ambiguous ,uestion line. I) Kee" your ,uestions short. !on<ts 1) /void ums and ahs. 2) )ome interviewee<s have the tendency ;and ability) to make you tense. #ela5 and don<t get intimidated. ) Don<t say Mumm< or say Oyes< in acknowledgement of the answer. Dou may nod. &) /void the micro"hone in frame 8) /void a boring s"eaker in your story. 9) /void re"etition in bites =) /void ,uestions in your bite Pie"e to Camera' The #e"orter talking to camera from the location as "art of a story is called 'iece to $amera. 2g: This is 5y3 re"orting for P..$hannel T,$es of Pie"e to Cams' =>I was t#ere?: The aim of this ty"e of "iece to camera is to tell the audience that I the #e"orter from this channel was "resent on location covering this event. The footage has not been taken from an agency or shot by a stringerPthe #e"orter himself was there covering the event.

>>To e)$*ain somet#ing?: In a way this is an e5tension of the above ty"e of 'T$. The #e"orter e5"lains an o"eration in front of the $amera. 2g: 25"laining the ease of o"eration of a new e,ui"ment. >>As t#e turning $oint?' If a story has two different as"ects to it a MTurning 'ointH "iece to cam can be done to combine the two. /lso called the 0ridge 'T$ the "iece to camera hel"s bridge the two different "arts of the story. 2g: MIf the govt. shows their a"athy towards these victimsPeven the victims themselves aren<t trying to get out of this "roblemH. =To summarise and end a stor,' @any stories end with the #e"orter talking to the $amera and summari3ing the story. )ome channels allow the #e"orter to even sign offPi.e this is so and so re"orting for 5y3 channel. In some cases the #e"orters use this o""ortunity to editorialise the story they have %ust covered. The role of the #e"orter is to "resent facts and let the audience decide. :owever6 each one of us has some biases even while "resenting facts these may "lay a role. P*anning a PTC It is better to "lan your 'iece to $amera in advance so that it takes lesser time to deliver it without mistakesPboth grammatically and factually. The sco"e of re"eating does not e5ist as the 'T$ is done on location. )ometimes such a "lanning may not be re,uired if you come across a good or interesting background. 1et us say behind you some action is onPsay a firing6 a "erformance etc. a "iece to camera there will work well as it can always be woven into the story. 7nce again while shooting you suddenly find something interesting and want to e5"lain it to the audience you could do it as a 'T$. Take for instance the absence of a ram" in an education institution for the handica""ed can be e5"lained by actually walking down the stairs. Television commentary is meant for the ears. Dour scri"t needs to be written accordingly. Ase s"oken language and avoid difficult words. This is es"ecially true for a 'iece to $amera > after all you would be addressing the audience then. Re"ording a PTC 0y heart the words well so that you need not do re"eated takes. If you are one of those who have "roblems by heartingPremember the different "oints and try to s"eak it e5tem"ore. >@ake sure that there are no grammatical errors. >/void tongue twisters and difficult words

>1ook straight into the camera lens >:ave a relevant background but avoid noisy "laces >!ive a ma5imum of G seconds for the 'T$ *hile shooting the visuals the %ob of a re"orter is being the director on location. 0ut before you start shooting the visuals kee" the following "oints in mind 1rief ,our Cameraman' Dour story is based on the shots that you take. Anless your cameraman knows what to shoot and why he is shooting it6 the results will not be good. )o take him into confidence while covering the story. During the shooting be "olite to get your work done6 give the cameraman the o""ortunity to show his skills and sense of vision. +ee$ s#ot *ist read,' *hile "lanning your story > you already should have created a list of shots re,uired for the story you are covering. Kee" this list handy while shooting. +now #ow to ta%e good -isua*s' 1earn some amount of basic camera work to be sure that your cameraman is taking the right shots. Ta%e re.uired e.ui$ments' /lways cross check that you are taking the re,uired e,ui"ments6 ta"es6 charged batteries6 lights6 battery sun gun etc. S#oot at t#e rig#t time' If a "lace looks good in the evening or that the "oint in your story can be "roved only in the morning. !o there at the right time to catch the events. The #ecce will tell you about the right time to shoot. A*wa,s use t#e Tri$od' Dou should see to it that your cameraman always uses the tri"od to take shots. :owever good the "articular cameraman<s shoulders are6 he can never substitute his shoulder for a tri"od. 0ut in some cases you might need to ask him to take a shot using his shoulder because it is faster. S#ooting Se.uentia**,' *hile shooting for a news or current affairs "rogramme6 there is little sco"e for re"eating any action. 2g: $an you ask the "eo"le who fired at the "arliament to re"eat what they did+ )o when you shoot any event aim to shoot it in se,uence. 7ne kind of se,uence is in the way a "articular scene is shot. 7ther could be the chronological se,uence as shown in the train accident story. +ee$ ,our e,es o$en' *hile shooting a develo"ing story6 be ready for any action to take "lace. Dou need to inform your cameraman of what is ha""ening and make him shoot it. Dour shot list may undergo a radical change on location.

Dou might need to break out of your earlier notions about the story by being o"en to new ideas6 which strike you on location. T,$es of s#ots used in ENG 2/ 1*o"% s#ot' This is the most used shot in a news or current affairs "rogramme. In this ty"e of shot there is no camera movement. /fter choosing the right frame the shot is recorded for 12 to 2G seconds. 2) Pan S#ot and Ti*t S#ot' The shot recorded when the camera is "anned from right to left or left to right is called a "an shot. /nd shot recorded when the camera is tilted from to" to bottom or bottom to to" is called a tilt shot. 0oth these shots need to be used only when needed. That is6 when you need to establish something from one end to the other say to highlight the length of a ,ueue you should use the "an shot. )imilarly to show how tall a building is one might use a tilt. ) @oom Qoom in: In this shot the shot si3e changes from a wide shot to a close u". Ase it when you want to highlight a small as"ect of a bigger thing. 2g: If you want to say that the huge ele"hant has a small eye. Qoom out: In this the shot si3e changes from close u" to a wider shot. Ase it when you want to establish where e5actly something is ha""ening. 2g: *hen you 3oom out from two "layers in a football field to the entire field. This will highlight in which "art of the ground the ball actually is. &) To$ ang*ed s#ot& *ow ang*ed s#ot' 1ow angled shot: In this the camera is ke"t at the ground level and lens is "ointed u"wards to show how big and im"osing the sub%ect is. To" angled shot: This shot is taken from the to" to show how small the sub%ect is. A/ Tra"%ing Bon "ar and foot/' )trictly s"eaking unless one has the steady cam these shots need to be avoided. :owever6 in a situation like say if you want to show the amount of damage in an earth,uake hit area or a war torn country tracking shot of the region even if taken from a slow moving car works well. Tracking on foot also works well when one is following somebody. 2g: / terrorist to his hideout.

C/ Creati-e s#ots B;ui"% 8oom7 (TV t,$e s#ots et"9/' In a feature story that involves covering a glamorous "erson or a "o" singer > an @T- ty"e shot works well. Dou could do ,uick 3ooms6 tilted frames6 shift focus etc. 0ut be sure to take normal shots as well. This is im"ortant as your organisation may have a strict rule when it comes to using such shots. Lig#ting for s#ooting -isua*s !enerally when you are out shooting for news6 you have only the Msun gunH and the Mbattery sun gunH to shoot. *hile shooting at night6 make sure you carry these lights > they may not give you the ideal kind of shots but in an 2(! situation they do the %ob well. Case studies' *hen you are doing a s"ot interview and you realise that the "erson you are talking to ; say a victim6 a "atient etc.) can be a case study in your story > take e5tensive shots of the "erson. These shots are re,uired to tell their story. Stage (anaging' )tage managing means asking your sub%ect to act out something which you could not ca"ture otherwise. .or instance6 asking the ca"tain of the winning team to take the "ri3e again as you could not shoot it the first time around. Simu*ation' In some cases a whole event may need to be dramatised to drive home a "oint. In a situation like this do say that this is a re4enactment both in the commentary and with a su"er. Introdu"tion to use of gra$#i"s in stories' !ra"hics is e5tensively used in stories. !ra"hics not only consists of frames with a diagram > the su"er6 the ,uote written out6 the "hone in "late etc. all of these fall under gra"hics. *e also have gra"hic in"uts for stock markets6 weather etc. In a story generally gra"hics can be used to highlight a "oint6 e5"lain something through sketches6 D images of a disaster6 unrecorded ,uotes6 statistics6 a survey etc. !os

1) #emember to shoot cut4aways after an interview6 "ress conference6 on location of "erformance6 action etc. 2) /sk your cameraman to take shots with editing "oints. .or instance6 if you are shooting a "erson moving in your frame from one end to another6 wait for him to move out of frame. ) /lways visualise how the shots will look when you edit them. /void shots that might cause a %um" cut. &) #ecord each block shot for at least 12 seconds. 8) The ratio of visuals used to that of shot should be a ma5imum of 1:1G. )hooting more than this is a waste of footage and time. 9) Know when to switch off and when to kee" the camera in stand by mode. !on<ts 1) Do not forget to give "re4roll to shots taken 2) Do not forget to lock the record button after the shooting. ) (ever forget to log on the recorded ta"e &) Do not forget to white balance

Fa"e to Fa"e Inter-iews' This sort of interview goes as a full "ackage in a (ews or $urrent /ffairs "rogramme. )uch interviews aim to get out the "ersonality of the interviewee BRe-ea*ing Inter-iews/ or grill him on a "articular sub%ect BCornering Inter-iews/9 0efore going any further on these sorts of interviews6 I would like to remind that some common fundamentals to both interviews for stories and face to face interviews were taught in the last class on interviews. Re-ea*ing Inter-iews' The aim of such interviews is to get the "ersonality behind an individual. !enerally6 this individual is a celebrity 2g: / film star6 a musician6 a director6 a s"ortsman and his family etc. :ere one should use 'rom"ting ,uestions e5"lained earlier to get the best results. :owever6 'robing ,uestions can also be asked to such an individual if there are areas where the interviewee is reluctant to answer. Cornering Inter-iews' $ommonly known as grilling to be resorted in case you wish to get something out of a reluctant interviewer trying to hide some facts. !enerally an interview with a "olitical leader or a "erson involved in a controversy works out to be this kind. @ostly "robing ,uestions are used in this sort of interview. /ntici"ation is also a very im"ortant as"ect of such interviews. 0e ready with a cross ,uestion to the most "ossible answer from the interviewee. In order that you get the most out of such interviews one can give answer o"tions ;a form of bait)6 which could get

the truth out of the interviewee. :owever6 avoid "utting words into the mouth of such an individual. These kinds of interviews are closer to interrogation and many a time aggression hel"s. 0ut remember you as a %ournalist is not an enemy6 and not out there to defame the individual. 7ne has to be very careful as this could backfire into a defamation case. W#om do ,ou inter-iew0 Do a face to face interview with the "erson who is in news. 2g: i) / "erson who has to""ed an e5am. ii) $a"tains of India6 /ustralia and (ew Qealand etc. ;iii) #ailway @inister during the railway budget etc. ;iv) /martya )en when he won the noble. )ome "eo"le however will always be worth doing the two4cam interview. 2g: I) The 'rime @inister6 ;ii) 7sama 0in 1aden or Dawood Ibrahim6 iii)/mitabh 0achchan. W#at do ,ou as%0 .or news you need to ask ,uestions on the current issue. In a cornering kind of interview know all his failures now and the failures in the "ast. In a revealing interview you could ask about all achievements of the "erson6 his failures6 likes and dislikes his hobbies and rela5ation methods etc. :omework or research is very im"ortant otherwise the interviewee will "rove you wrong in all stages. Pre$aring ,our .uestions *ist The decision to ask which ,uestion first and which ,uestion later has to be decided on a case4to4case basis. 7ne as"ect to be ke"t in mind is the length of the interview. / cornering ty"e of interview may not last long6 so one might have to kee" some not very critical ,uestions also u" your sleeve. .ocus u"on your to"ic6 and follow a logical line of ,uestioning. 2g: Dou are doing a story on e5"loitation of $abaret dancers. (ow6 while you<re interviewing a dancer6 if you begin by asking: M/re you being e5"loited+H6 chances are she<ll "robably clam u". 0ut if you begin by finding out about her routine6 why she chose this "rofession6 what su""ort does she get from "eo"le around6 and then move over to asking whether she feels e5"loited6 you<re likely to get a more honest answer. 7f course6 when you<re doing a news story6 it<s neither desirable nor feasible to ask many a ,uestion. Dou<ll focus on the issue at hand6 and "ose the ,uestion in a straightforward way. (7 */#(I(! 0211): There are times when it "ays (7T T7 warn the "erson6 instead %ust hit the "erson directly with the ,uestion. :aving a cosy informal chat with the sub%ect before the interview can take away the s"ontaneity in an

interview6 or give the sub%ect time to think u" an e5cuse instead of an answer. There are stories where catching the sub%ect off guard is best. 2g: / story on fake licenses being made. Dou are interviewing a license tout. 1ook the ,uestions below are all "robing ,uestions > which are closed as such. F: :ow may fake licenses do you make+ /: /bout 2GG a month. F: :ow much do each of these cost+ /: /nywhere between #s. 1GGG418GG F: :ow long does it take to get them made+ /: *ell6 2 days6 maybe. F: Don<t you feel guilty doing this+ /: *ell6 it<s my %ob6 my source of income. If "eo"le don<t care about not learning how to drive6 why should I. The first three ,uestions were being asked very matter factly6 all dealing with factual information. The sub%ect was caught unaware with the last ,uestion. /nd s"illed out the fact that it was %ust like any other business. It<s also a good e5am"le of follow4u" ,uestions. The entire F4/ was carried6 as it answered all the ,uestions briefly and "recisely P#rasing t#e .uestion' The way you "hrase your ,uestion determines the res"onse you get. Kee" your ,uestions brief and "recise. 1ong winding ,uestions only confuse the interviewee6 and "roduce wide4ranging answers. @ake sure the ,uestion is grammatically correct. If the interviewee is unable to understand the ,uestion6 you can e5"lain the ,uestion in detail6 and in the end6 #24/)K the "recise ,uestion after a "ause. This enables you to edit your ,uestion. /t times you may need to add deferential "hrases to soften u" your interviewee: @ay I askP. *hat do you say toP. $ould you tell meP. S$ot t#e answer' :ow do you know you<ve got %ust *:/T you want. Dou may have asked your ,uestion and got an answer that has no relevance to your ,uestion. To avoid coming back with unusable answers6 it<s easier to 2DIT the answer in your mind while you<re listening to them. Dou can mentally tick off your ,uestions once you know you have the sound bite of the right DA#/TI7(. The one thing that makes your viewer channel surf is a long6 boring bite. )"ecially in a news bulletin. )o if the sub%ect has given you a long drawn out vague answer6 "olitely ask the ,uestion again6 and tell him to be brief.

If you want to interru"t the sub%ect6 it is better to wait till the sub%ect "auses for breath or the inflection of the voice is downwards. 7therwise an ugly overla" of voices can be uneditable. /t the same time make sure you have got the answer you want. If the ,uestion is genuinely misunderstood6 the re"orter is well advised to call cut to sto" the camera so the "roblem can be discussed before starting the interview: 2g: / good e5am"le of ,uestioning to a cussed "etrol "um" owner: F: /re you aware that adulteration of "etrol is common+ /: (o6 they<re all rumours F: /re you trying to tell me that there<s no adulteration of "etrol taking "lace+ /: yes6 I<m sure. Dou see6 %ust because "eo"le<s cars don<t give them good mileage6 they blame it on the "etrol6 and say that it<s adulterated. The truth is that they don<t look after their cars well. F: 0ut many "eo"le are selling adulterated fuel and they<ve been caught red handed by ins"ection authorities. *hat do you say to that+ /: @ay be6 but I am not aware. F: /re you trying to tell me that s"urious "etrol is not being sold anywhere not even in the outskirts of big cities+ /: Des6 out of town it<s "ossible that s"urious "etrol is being sold6 since it<s very difficult to kee" a check on them. This re"orter was constantly editing the answer in his mind6 and knew that none of the first four answers were good enough. )o he "ersisted with his line of ,uestioning till he got a satisfactory re"ly. *hich is not to say6 that you distort the meaning of what is being said. Dou sim"ly don<t give u" and take any answer that is dished out6 in this case Mit<s %ust a rumourH. Li-e inter-iewing' 'he challenge The immediacy of live interviewing is what "robably makes it the toughest form of interviewing. )ince you don<t have the o""ortunity to edit6 you %ust have to live with whatever is said or asked at the time you<re on air. 0efore going live on air6 here are some basics to be followed: a) #esearch your sub%ect well. b) 0esides asking the right ,uestions6 make sure they are grammatically correct. c) Dou must be alert and ask follow4u" ,uestions to avoid any awkward silence that might cree" in. d) Dou must know when to cut4in or inter%ect the "erson if he<s rambling on6 or saying something that<s libellous. e) 0e very conscious of time. Dou have to take on4the4s"ot decisions about the ,uestions that need to be asked or dro""ed. f) @ake sure that your analysis "rogresses with your ,uestions Camera Framing

The rules for framing the $amera that was mentioned in the interviews for stories also hold good here. 7ften in a face to face interview along with close u" shots6 mid4shot is also used. This hel"s in showing the hand actions of the interviewee. RS44Tif SvmlU44V

RS44TendifU44V Imaginar, *ine of -ision *hen shooting a two4cam interview6 both the cameras should be on one side of the imaginary line that connects the interviewee and interviewer. This line is called the Mimaginary line of visionH. The "lacement of the cameras will be as shown in the above diagram. The two frames have also been de"icted. In a shot like this the two "eo"le would seem like talking to each other. 7n the other hand if you cross the line of vision > both the "eo"le will seem like talking to a third "erson. /lso6 line of vision should not be crossed while shooting meetings ;where the line of vision would be between those in the stage and those in the audience)6 "ress conference etc. 2ven while taking 7)) shots this should be avoided. Two s#ots / shot in which both the interviewer and the interviewee are visible is called a two shot. There are three different two shots which can be taken i) 7ver the shoulder of the interviewer6 ii) 7ver the shoulder of the interviewee L iii) 'er"endicular to the line between the interviewer and interviewee. -ariations of these shots are also used. !enerally shot number iii) is avoided. (at"#ing Frames The shot si3e of the interviewer and the interviewee should be more or less the same while doing the interview. In order to achieve that6 frames of both the cameras should be matched at the beginning of the interview. This however does not mean that the shot si3e needs to be maintained throughout the interview6 it can be changed de"ending on the emotions of the interviewee and the needs of the interview. (at"#ing Lig#ting and A$erture

During the interview the lighting and a"erture on both the interviewer and interviewee should be similar. This is im"ortant because while cutting between the two of them the %um" will be disturbing to the viewer. $arrying a monitor to the interview venue and com"aring the out"ut of the two $ameras can achieve this ob%ective. 1a"%ground $hoosing the right background 4 I can safely say is an art. If an ugly or dull background is chosen for an interview6 the viewer will get bored and may mentally switch off which will not be in the interest of the "rogramme. 7n the other hand a stunningly beautiful background will distract the attention of the viewer 4 once again undermining the interview itself. / "leasant background "ro"erly lit and the de"th shown would be ideal. @any use flower vase or a table lam" as a "ro" 4 this generally works well. / window in the background o"ening to a beautiful garden may also work well. 0ut this one will re,uire "ro"er colour matching and use of the correct filter Noddies The reaction shots of the interviewer as the interviewee s"eaks are called noddies. )hot of a "erson talking for more than G seconds it is believed bores the viewer. The reaction shot brings a change and also is used to edit "arts of the interview that are irrelevant and eating away the footage. )ometimes close u" shots of hands of the "erson s"eaking are also used these are called cut4 aways. Li-e Vision (i)ing Asing a vision mi5er ; a kind of editing machine) to switch between one camera to other as the interview ha""ens is called live vision mi5ing of the interview. 1ive vision mi5ing is also done for other "rogrammes such as shooting an event6 a cultural "rogramme6 a rock show etc. / well done live vision mi5ing does not re,uire any "ost4"roduction on it after the interview. Post Produ"ing Fa"e:to:Fa"e inter-iews /ny editing work done to "roduce the final "roduct is called 'ost 'roduction. In a situation were live vision mi5ing is not done 4 "ost"roduction will be re,uired. Post $rodu"tion for two "am inter-iews *hile working with a two4cam interview footage6 the entire interview ;if shot to the re,uired duration) recorded from one of the cameras is co"ied onto the master ta"e. 1ets say the entire interview recorded from the camera "ointing at the interviewee is co"ied onto a master ta"e. Then the visuals of the interviewerCs

corres"onding ,uestions are edited onto the master ta"e. 'rogramme logos and the relevant noddies are inserted at the right "laces. The two shots are edited into beginning and end of the interview. /lso the breaks that have been recorded later on in the same location are inserted at the relevant "laces. 2diting would be dealt in detail in a later lesson. Post $rodu"tion for sing*e "am inter-iews I have already e5"lained how a face4to4face interview is done using %ust one $amera. The editing of this is done as in the two4cam shoot but the audio of the ,uestions is taken along with the visuals while editing ;unlike the two cam shoot). This is because the original ,uestions asked during the interview will be difficult for the interviewer to re"eat without any change in the wordings or "auses. *os and *on"ts for a face to face interview *os :7 'f you need to refer to your questions do it when the interviewee is answering. ;7 Always keep the questions ready neatly typed in double space for quick reference. <7 =eep research material handy 1 9ust in case you are forced to refer to it. >7 Remember all the elements of research 1 do not make mistakes with numbers, statistics etc. /ne mistake will give your interviewee the upper hand. ?7 Try to keep the interview within the given time duration even if it is only being recorded. @ut at the same time do not hesitate to shoot the interview for longer duration if you realise the interviewee is opening up. A7 %arry extra tapes, batteries etc. lest these may run out 4or fail7 at the right time when the most important person is in front of you. B7 Always be on the interview spot before time and if possible set up the camera before the interviewee arrives. *on"ts :7 The background of interest should not be so absorbing or overpowering that it distracts the viewer from what is being said. ;7 -on8t spend all your time lighting up and setting the interview frame, and leave little time for the interview. %hances are that the sub9ect will answer in a hurry, and you may run the risk of not getting his interview again. <7 Remember you are being filmed throughout so don8t make improper gestures. 7ne of the key ,ualities that an anchor should "ossess is the ability to read written te5t with "ro"er em"hasis. The news reader has so many stories to read that by hearting the same like a 'iece to $amera is im"ossible.

Det you would have seen that the anchor is always looking at the $amera. This is made "ossible by the Tele4"rom"ter also called /utocue because of the com"any which makes the machine. This machine makes it "ossible for the anchor to look at a com"uter monitor to look and read whereas for the camera "ositioned behind the monitorPthe monitor acts like a trans"arent glass.

W/utocue machines ensure that anchor doesn<t have to by heart the anchor introductions 0esides what is to be read6 the machine can also be used to give instructions to the anchor. 2g: 1ook at $am 2. An"#or #as to 5e a 6ourna*ist (owadays all news anchors are trained %ournalists. They should know what is ha""ening in the world around them. This hel"s them correct any mistakes6 be ready for any news falls and interview guests even at short notice. ;ua*ities of a good an"#or The following ,ualities are re,uired to be a good anchor: >Persona*it, to "arr, t#e news in"*uding *oo%s' 1ooks may be god given but there are ways to im"rove ones "ersonalityPthe "osture6 body language6 style6 confidence etc. can definitely be worked on. >Good -oi"e and di"tion' /nother "art and "arcel of good anchoring. 7nce again these are as"ects which can be develo"ed through "ractice. >;ui"% t#in%er' / news fall6 a mistake in the tele"rom"ter or the altogether failure of the system re,uires that the anchor can think ,uickly and address the viewers without embarrassing the channel >A5i*it, to mu*ti:tas%' The tasks of the anchor in the news channels today are com"licated. :e has to read from the autocue6 simultaneously be ready to interview the guest in the studio6 be ready to interact with the corres"ondent on location and also react to the directions from the studio director. In channels dealing with business he also has to kee" a look at the stock market u"s and downs available on the com"uter. If you are one of those who has watched and followed )T/# T#2K6 you would have heard this "hrase very often: M $a"tain log6 )tar )hi" 2nter"rise6 July =6 PPH. The idea of logging there was to record day by day events that ha""en during the %ourney of )tar )hi" 2nter"rise. The idea of logging in television is to note down what is available at a given "art of the ta"e. In "rofessional video recorders a se"arate track on the ta"e notes the length of time the ta"e has been recorded. This is called time4code. This will never change irres"ective of from where you "lay the ta"e or in which machine. )o for every frame there is a s"ecific Time4$ode "o"ularly called T$.

0ased on this T$ one can note at what time6 what footage is available. /n e5am"le of logging is given below: Logging' WGG.G1. G > )hots of college WGG.G2. G > $A 0hel"uriwala WGG.G .GG > IN- )tudent WGG.G .28 > Talks about the taste WGG.G .884 Talks about hygiene ;!ood bite) WGG.G&.2G4 Talks about style ;(!) 1ogging is very useful both during scri"ting and editing of the story. (ever scri"t without logging as a crucial shot you thought your cameraman took was never taken or if the angle missed the im"act of the event. WLa5e**ing Ta$es' /s soon as a ta"e is recorded6 do not forget to label the ta"e and lock the record tab. This is done to avoid accidental erasure. WLogging w#i*e s#ooting' The time4code of an im"ortant event shot can be noted at the time of the recording itselfPfrom the $amcorder. In the breaking news scenario such a noting hel"s a lot as one can send back the ta"e with the time code mentioned for immediate retrieval by the "roduction team in the studio. This can save crucial seconds for being the first with the news. 1efore ,ou s"ri$t' )te" 1: Kee" your log ready: /s already e5"lained the log will come handy if you need to figure out what you have or whether a "articular sound bite is available. )te" 2: 0lock your story' 0reak your story into various "arts the beginning6 middle and the end. Dou are telling a story. :ence it should be told logically. Think how absurd the crow6 %ug of water and "ebble story would be if it is told in the wrong order. )te" : *rite anchor link first' The anchor link is the summary of the story. 7nce written this also clarifies the story idea in your mind. This also ensures that you do not re"eat the introduction in the first "aragra"h of the story. )te" &: *rite the scri"t itself: 7nce the above ste"s are com"leted one is ready to scri"t.

Writing An"#or Lin%s' In (ews the first line itself should introduce the story. M1G "eo"le killed and 8G in%ured in a landslide in Attar Kashi.H 7nce the story has been introduced give the summary and a background if it is re,uired. In some channels there is the style of introducing the re"orter in the link itself. M7ur war corres"ondentPso and so re"orts.H S"ri$ting' )"oken 1anguageN )hort sentences: The television scri"t is written for the ear. )ince there is no sco"e of rewinding or cross checking what has been saidPit is better to use sim"le words. )hort sentences also hel" as it kee"s the story sim"lePone idea "er sentence. 7nce you have written the scri"t read it aloud once or twice. *hen you listen if it sounds right6 it is correct. *riting to visuals: Television is a visual medium. )ince the scri"t is being written after watching the footagePkee" the visuals in mind. Do not try to e5"lain something for which you do not have the su""orting visuals. 7f course it is not always "ossible to get the visuals that you wantPhowever? some shots which give an idea of the thought being discussed in the commentary can be used. 7n the other hand when there is some s"ecific footage available few more lines in the scri"t could be added to highlight the issue. 2g: Pthe dignitary showed s"ecial interest on this child who "erformed well des"ite his handica"PH The first "aragra"h: /fter the story has been introduced by the anchorPthe voice of the re"orter takes over. The re"orter in his first "aragra"h should never re"eat what has been said in the anchor link. This will not only make the story monotonous but crucial on air time would be wasted: Dou tell the story: #emember that you as the %ournalist are telling the story. The sound bites are only meant to su""ort what you are saying. They are not su""osed to add new elements of the story. .ollow u" sentence to reinforce lead: *hatever has been said in the last "aragra"h has to be followed u" in the ne5t one. There has to be a connection. The "argra"hs cannot be dis%ointed. 1eft hand and #ight hand side: 7ne method of writing the scri"t is to have a left hand side and a right hand side. The left hand side for visuals whereas the right hand side for the commentary and other sounds. /ctive voice: Ase active voice while writing the scri"t. Instead of writing M/ustralia was beaten by IndiaH6 write MIndia beat /ustralia.H

/lways use the word that em"hasises immediacy: Taking from the other e5am"le itselfPinstead of saying MIndia beat /ustralia6< write MIndia has beaten /ustraliaH. This gives immediacy to the news. Television is su""osed to re"ort as things ha""en. That immediacy has to be felt in the language as well. ).E: ).E stands for )ound 2ffects. It is also called natural or ambient sound. This is the original sound recorded on location. In the scri"t when we write ).EPthe sound level there is su""osed to be increased so that the original sound has the re,uired im"act. .or instance if you are able to film a bomb blast6 the im"act would be very little without the accom"anying sound heard at the full level. The ending > /void editoriali3ing: The ending of the story could be a 'iece to $amera or the concluding voice over. /void using a sound bite to end the story unless the interviewee has something outstanding to say or is delivering a relevant "unch line. /nother as"ect to watch out for is editoriali3ing the ending of the story. !iving the #e"orters "oint of view is called editoriali3ing. The role of a #e"orter is to give both the sides in an unbiased manner and let the audience %udge. /bbreviations: 7nly abbreviations of well4known organi3ations can be used. 2g: $0I6 (/)/ etc. Do not use @r. /nd @rs. In the scri"t. This is to be used only in the case of the 'rime @inister or 'resident. /nother e5ce"tion to this rule is when both husband and wife figure in a story. 7mit /ddresses6 ages: /void full addresses6 age in the story6 unless it is very relevant. Ase contractions. It<s6 hasn<t etc.: )ince scri"t is su""osed to be written as we s"eak6 it is better to use such contractions. )"eak loudly these words and you would reali3e that more often than not we use Mit<sH instead of Mit isH. Dates: @arch 11th 6 2GG9 or 11th @arch6 2GG9: *hile writing the scri"t6 write in this format other wise you might end u" reading 2leven6 Three6 Two Thousand )i5 which would sound very odd. Asing numbers: (early6 almost6 over etc.: /void using e5act numbers? instead write nearly6 almost etc. 2g: $onsider how absurd the following statement would look when you read and listen to it. 7ne lakh twenty one thousand two hundred and fifty eight ru"ees have been s"ent on the "ro%ect. 1isten to this now: 7ver a lakh of ru"ees has been s"ent on the "ro%ect. $urrency > write in words after the figures: #s.1GGG? there is a danger of reading this as ru"ees thousand6 instead of thousand ru"ees.

Anknown names > follow u" with designation: It is im"ortant to give designations of unknown "eo"le as otherwise the viewers would not know who this "erson is. 2g: M)uresh kumar while s"eaking the media saidH > would not mean much unless you s"ecifyP M)uresh Kumar6 the ):7 of the "olice station saidP.H )tress negative M-a%"ayee did (7T see the warning: 7therswise audience might listen as -a%"ayee DID see the warning. Time: Don<t use a.m or ".m. make it this morning6 last night etc.: )im"ly because it sounds better. Ase full titles for names the first timeN can be shortened later. : /tal 0ehari -a%"ayee. 1ater this could be -a%"ayeeP Asing ,uote *:7 before *:/T: Do the e5ercise of saying the ,uote and following with the name and vice4versa6 you would understand why this is im"ortant. )cores: ten for two instead of M1GN2H: *riting it in words ensure you do not make a mistake while reading the commentary. $utting the story si3e: 7n an average 2nglish is s"oken at the rate of words "er second. This could be used as a thumb rule to reduce the duration of the story. *hile the e5act duration of a sound bite can be found out easily. (ote that Indian languages take longer to s"eak say at the rate of two words "er second C#oosing t#e rig#t .uote )hort and articulate "iece: / bite cannot be longer than G seconds. It will become very boring. 7n average kee" it between 1G > 2G seconds. 1ook for the good s"eaker both at the time of interviewing and at the time of choosing the bite. The ideal "erson to say the "articular bite: The reason for increasing the cost of "etrol and diesel looks more authentic from the "etroleum minister than a common man on the street or for that matter even from a "etrol "um" owner. /void re"etitions: /ll of us tend to re"eat what we have already said once. 2ven during interviews P.interviewees do this. *hile editing however6 it is for the #e"orter to ensure such re"eated words are not taken choosing the bite. /void ,uestions: *hile interviewing it should be the endeavour of the re"orter to get com"lete answers so that the ,uestions are not needed to be used in the bite. :owever6 if this has not been "ossible one could write the scri"t in such a way that the bite makes sense. The last o"tion should be to use the ,uestion asked by the #e"orter on location

Voi"ing a Stor,

Fuality of -oice: Though not much can be done about the ,uality of the natural voicePefforts can be made to im"rove it. -oice can be trained through e5ercises and constant "ractice. 'ronunciation and 2nunciation: 7ne should know the e5act "ronunciation and diction of every word. Know the use of "ronunciation key given in the dictionary. -oice Delivery: 'ro"er "auses6 inflections which go u" L down and "ro"er em"hasis form the basis of good delivery. *e do all of this while talking. :owever6 for most of usPthis does not come naturally while reading. In order to become a good voice over "erson this art will have to be mastered. $ontrolling breath does form "art of the voice delivery. If one were to give half a "ause for a comma and a full "ause for a full sto" the breathing should come naturally. Asing the micro"hone: $areful "ositioning of the micro"hone is a must to im"rove voice over ,uality. /n e5"erienced sound recordist will try two or three "ositions with the artist to get the best out "ut. 'racticing with audio recorder: The #e"orter on his "art could "ractice using a normal audio recorder at home. 1istening and "racticing would hel" better the voice. -oice e5ercises and singing: 25ercises to im"rove voice ,uality hel" a lot. This will however6 have to be done under e5"ert guidance. )inging is one of the safer e5ercises. Stor, Editing' This is the final ste" in "utting together a news story. There are two schools of thought on editing. 7ne is the method in which we scri"t first and then edit accordingly. The other thought is to edit first taking the best visuals and best bites and then writing a scri"t to it. *e will stick to the scri"t first method in this module. Re*e-ant Visua*s: 2nsure that the most relevant footage is edited over the correct voice over. /s the voice changes even the footage should. :owever6 it is to be ke"t in mind that even the shots a life s"anPunless they are allowed to live their full life they won<t look right. In television the thumb rule is that *:/T 177K) !77D I) $7##2$T. 1et me re"eat it as this is the most im"ortant ruleP. *:/T 177K) !77D I) $7##2$T. Se.uen"e' -isuals should be edited in such a way that a se,uence is created. 7bviously6 one will have to shoot kee"ing in mind the se,uences at the end.

This is the cru5. *hile shooting one will always have to remember how the whole thing will look in the editing table. Lengt# of s#ots' There is no s"ecific rule about the length of the shots. 7ne will have to "lay the shot to see how long it should and can last. 1reat#ing S$a"e' 0etween "aragra"hs a few seconds of break has to be given in the voice over. These breaks are called breathing s"ace and make the "rogramme better. (usi"' #elevant music used in the background heightens the im"act of the story. :owever6 one has to kee" in mind the style of the news "rogramme in mind 4 whether using music is allowed or not. Using Gra$#i"s' *herever statistics or im"ortant information or a unrecorded ;but im"ortant ,uote) is involved using a gra"hic "late makes the story richer. The names and designations su"ered on the screen are also gra"hic "lates. )u"ers are also called /stons. The following are some of the "laces were gra"hics is widely used: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 'hone ins *eather )tock #e"orts 25"laining an event /n unrecorded Fuote /stons )tatistics etc.