WINOL Bulletin Debrief 20th October

WINOL’s Twitter gained two new followers this week – we need to establish a strategy for social media. Forums, mentions. If things aren’t getting viewed what’s the point?

Website: 510 unique IPs, predicting that there are 90 more than that on campus alone, 194 Facebook shares, gone up in Alexa 3 million but nowhere near there, bulletin got the most views. Very useful graph this week on last week. River cottage canteen 232 hits on our site – Sophie’s review

SEO: a bible will be circulated concerning social media

FEATURES: really good last week, improvement on everything, spreads and pictures, sound on coffee house. Good pegs, links to news and current events

Features need to go through Laura before the subs. Everything must contain a featured image, particularly important in features. Tweet through the week and not just on the day, give viewers a preview

Need part of the website to look like a magazine spread, turn the pages etc. Fashion is particularly strong.

Make up video very good, framing and eyeline is good, presentation and sound mix is smooth, sound needs to be swelled up and down, don’t just leave the music bed as it is do more with the soundtrack, gone gonzo on this, good peg

Reader involvement and how to

WinchXtra production good – content not so much. Brilliant sting to head, sound before vision, Zeena’s PTCs have come on a lot very relaxed committed very natural, tate’s package good, Lucy crosses the line. Review it see what we can use for sport and news, analyse

Review: what it is? Facts. Comment part

2 types: take part gonzo or standard review

News pictures. Guilty buildings, roads etc banned. Work hard to get the pictures, think about it

NEWS:

Not just VTs, OOVs, in studio chat. Give the bulletin texture. Actuality is not you. In and out words for floats. Rant = live Skype talk. A news belt changes the pace of a bulletin, nib, visuals. OOV 2/3 sentences, 15 seconds long, footage 20 seconds. First sentence in, two sentences out of vision

Screwed up heads – act must follow oov. Impossible to understand. Oov bit is to explain what you’re gonna see next. Sting in between heads. Should have had swell and actuality. Team not known well enough in heads – explain the game as if nobody knows football. Underselling sport need to realise not everybody likes football

Isaac: picture and sound. Struggling with video. Get around, a lot of interviews. Get in more. ‘What do we want?’ Persons face.

Bracken: Go tight if background isn’t great, classic walking intro, interview whilst doing job, obvious stuff makes good pictures, go pro always for sport, leave frame

Brooke: came in too early, delivery is good and well paced, but believe in the story, go tight mic closer, no white walls, came alive with case study

Josh: no actuality, starts with figures, out of focus gate, PTC must be perfect just your time do it again, no window, eyeline wrong, needs sequence

Stephen: nice piece, high danger but dealt well, closer to actors would be nice, anonymity

Alex: too long voxes, hit hit hit, out of focus, only opinion never explanation, sound is wrong on Jackie – content fantastic though

Sport: 7 WINCHESTER same as Southampton 8 goals, if it was a record should have screamed it. GOAL!!! Lighting on interviews isn’t broadcastable. Work the manager’s for decent heads

WINOL 15th October Wednesday Debrief

We were late coming on air no start time – 22 and a half minutes late what is industry going to do? Cannot give free commercials or just wait, master control will take over and the week’s work is redundant. Never do this.

It was a shambles, anything but a professional news station today. Wouldn’t win a thing. Never had got to air, never started a debrief at this time before. No excuses. Snag all difficulties in the new studio. 2 o clock deadlines unrealistic – between 12 and 1 – 1 latest.

No rehearsals, slugging, no timings on script, links in too late. Timing of packages and out words. Timing on heads too. Run everything to the second.

If you don’t have discipline you are not a journalist.

Script

Midwife package – midwives need mentioning, key fact is that they have never done this before
Horses package fine
Sexed up Julian fellows story
No need for introduction after voice of God saying with Tate Slyfield

Heads two of one image – that needs sorting, looks like we’re lacking in images

Black holes in production, check packages properly

Whole bulletin lacks people – human interest stories. This is what we specialise in, why was it not here this week?

MIDWIFE: no voice track, grab with midwife – stick to one idea per sentence, don’t confuse the viewer, examples of midwives doing their jobs, pregnant women. HUMAN INTEREST

HORSES: problems with sound in production, more explanation needed?

SPEED LIMITS: White balancing outside shots are blue be careful with this, telling the story right

EMPTY HOMES: talk slower, movement in ptc, make sure cutaway you use says something and means something. Light on interview needs sorting – rule of thirds. Don’t end on a sign off

STEPHEN: bit dry story but very newsworthy, shot well voiced well components

GRAD: could’ve made more of it, moved it up huge story that we did not get, easy get

ALEX: sell story all over again, would’ve liked own fresh pictures, today’s story, work in research a little bit lazy, make graphics clear

SPORT: relax in the studio it’s only sport. Terminology got to be careful of being a bit pompous and formulaic, don’t say what you see, don’t jump cut, change size of shot or cutaway for penalties

Nice pics in space story but sound problems

Work as a team and professionally, tell the story, think visually, blend of stories is there but pictures and people need to be improved

Practice with the new studio – technical support can’t afford the times

Take the time on packages – agonise over words, frames and sound mix. This is how you’ll improve

WINOL Bulletin Debrief 13th October

WEBSITE: 206 new users – most of our searches were from Google. As a team we need to share links for WINOL as a whole not just our individual packages (primarily on Wednesdays ie #WINOLLiveat5). Reporters please put where the picture is from/caption on the bottom of the post, whether it’s Creative Commons or your own picture both needs to be done. Everything needs to go through the editors, if it has not been checked do not put it up. *Big push in social media.* Ballet days got 131 views this week did very well, we need more of this. The site is well subbed and the majority of text stories are well written and do not need major structural work. There have been a few legal problems – a couple on comment but not much else. We produce twenty stories on average but this needs to build up and up and up. It will be higher when we come to the General Election. The site has a robust template but is rather slow when lots of people are logged in. There will be a focus on SEO next time when second year reporters are more confident in writing text stories. The structure of the promo stuff on mobile site – shall we rearrange?

Fashion pictures are very good: rule of thirds, masking, montages, typography should be slightly tighter. Hard to criticise. FIREWORKS. There are ways of improving distortion – bare this in mind for resizing images in Fireworks.

Action pictures are best even in features (fashion shows), or graphics, no illustration

FEATURES: Sophie’s river cottage and ballet day – best views
Need more videos on all accounts really – across the board, reviews
Pictures for Autumn accessories are not as good as Elly
Trench coat article was well done – looks good for realistically a bit of a boring story
We’re focussing too much on localised things, broaden out a bit more just remember the news peg
Coffee House sessions need to work on sound but we’re doing well and it’s free content on campus. Take advantage.
Elly is consistently good
We need to up our Twitter involvement and competitions
Remember to put packages on YouTube winchesterjournalism and personal accounts link these to social media and SPAM
Magazine spreads are flying, we’re looking to Look magazine for style purposes
Fashion are focussing on more videos and events

Don’t need to be original. Clichès and formula. Don’t overestimate it.

We want provocative, comment evoking articles for features.

Production: sound is very difficult, impossible to replace more difficult than pictures perhaps. BJTC courses always start with sound. Equipment often doesn’t work, check check check. If it can go wrong it will go wrong. Vision mixing wasn’t quick enough – lack of practice and leave plenty at beginning and end of package. Reporters need to leave a clean out point.

Make sure you capture just sound, different sounds on location, layer up the sound. Tweak it and layer it as long as you do not alter the meaning it is fine.

NEWS

Sound mix, was wrong; presenter too far down and we need a little suggestion of music not that to be the overriding sound.

Viewer decides after the heads if they tune in – heads are important, gather material for heads when on location. Ingredients for HEADS: quote, facts, NATSOT
Facts in your voice, comment in interviewee’s voice.

HEADS: cows had good NATSOT quote was okay, court needs quotes, football zoom in on actual action no quote but comment. Close to really good. Pictures were very good in this.

Ellen’s PTC with acorns one of the best PTCs – look this up.

News editing, not quite right, assembled from available packages. It’s still the beginning so stories are struggling but we had quite a full bulletin.

COW: good NATSOT in opening shot, good pictures, sequences, wide shot into detail, graphics possible move, good linking sequence to quote from farmer, cut down dairy crest statement (for full statement go to website). Good solid piece, good for patch

HATTIE: good work, good quote, jump cut in PTC

BROOKE: lengthy to cut into, good natural sound, presentation very good, decent quote from police, initial copyright images good, swell on sound could have been better, graphic was good but too static, PTC? Second interview, uncomfortable in camera not great quotes

ALEX: find the real story in this?
LAUREN: good underlay interview, very good sound bytes, decent quotes. Maybe make Mike Thornton the story?
LAURA: be sure to talk over the graphics, don’t fill a gap, explain them
SPORT: guilty building banned, both possible types of quotes in Basingstoke interview
Bit more texture, better quote not fact in the second, Rachel PTC very good presentation
BACKANO: UPSOT
DONKEY: not quote really, but quite good, no panning

WINOL Analysis ‘Farmers milked dry’

In the HEADS

I feel that this week’s package is the best that I have produced over my time on WINOL. I wanted to use this final semester to predominantly make up my showreel to be the best possible piece of work to show off.

My opening shot works really well in my news package, the angle is interesting and zoomed in – very involved and a great hook. I boosted the sound up to have the richest NATSOT possible and it attracts the viewer.

I thought my voice and presentation was one of my strongest this week; there was attack and I thought about every word and where to put emphasis. I put a firm focus on writing to pictures like I had seen on my experience at BBC and ITN and so the story was told fluently.

Perhaps it would have been better to have the cows being milked and not just the equipment but this was not possible so I created the milk sequences. I think that this solution worked well and reverted the package back to the bigger picture and not just a farm. Were these sequences too different? Too much of a jump from farm to shop to house?

My PTC was involved – I was further in with the cows originally surrounded in their barn but they kept knocking the equipment and myself so I made the decision to move.

I would have liked to put a move on the graphic so I shall aim to work on how to do that over the week. However, the expo was clear and not too long.

My set up shots for the farmer worked really well, I made sure in the edit to let him leave the shot before he started talking. My interviewee’s grab was good; there was emotion in his voice and the cutaways were good. I used the newest go pros this week and the quality was amazing. These need more experimenting by our reporters.

I would have liked to highlight the key words and phrases on my statement potentially also with a zoom but I need to look further into how to do this on final cut.

I had a strong sign off with a good ending shot. Overall, I was very pleased with my package.

WINOL 8th October Wednesday Debrief

This week’s WINOL was a fantastic improvement on the first week. There was a good mix of stories, a full board and reporters were getting out there producing credible content.

The new equipment and the new studio were challenging but we managed to solve the issues and broadcast without many glitches.

You need to own your story and package all the way through, from the planning process until the recording in the studio. It is your responsibility.

HEADS: Milk, Rambler, Sport

There was a vast improvement in sport; we went from zero packages in the first week to four from the team. The fight was a good choice for the headline clip.

All of the headline images were strong and good hooks. The new titles were good and modern – very good production values for the relaunch.

LAGLO: NATSOT was needed in the opening shot. The second interview lacked some punch, we needed a bit more from her quotes. Good to have interview with police. The story was very newsworthy – Brooke did well to find this.

MILK: Getting access to a real farm is great, good use of case study, localising a national story, camera work was well executed. There were enough pictures to tell the story and I let the farmer leave the shot before viewers saw the interview. “As good as the BBC”

NAKED RAMBLER: This was a good story with a good viewership but a more challenging stance should have been taken. For example: ask about taxpayers’ costs, is it worth the money? Is it a crime worthy of ASBOs and prison? Be particularly weary of jump cuts.

LIB DEM: Perhaps put the source on the screen over your graphics. It would have been good to have some more background in regards to the survey – how many people were questioned? There was genuine interest in this story, could have made more of it.

UKIP: Great to secure the Mike Thornton interview. Good use of contacts here but make sure to use copyright accreditation on the pictures.

TOURISM: We needed to hear from tourists – vox pops. The Cathedral shots were well done but a bit dull just to focus on this. Remember to throw forward.

SPORT: We covered all bases this week – there was a good variety of packages. Viewers wanted to see the consequences of the fight – was there a ban? Managers’ comments? The script repeated the link – make sure these are different.
The eyeline was wrong in the Basingstoke package, there was no opposition, we don’t tend to use images of signs and end on an artist impression.
Women’s football was good; there was good presentation, the voice had attack and a strong PTC. However, there was too much script and an ambiguous quite from the interviewee.

FEATURES: Give us the tease, we needed to hear the joke.

DONKEY: good piece but needed more of a variety of shots – close ups and different angles. May have made more sense to start with the donkey although NATSOT in the opening clip was good.

A very credible running order, a good variety of stories – light and dark.

What we need is to PRODUCE – get out, do it and learn.

PROMOTION.

WINOL Bulletin Debrief 6th October

Social media needs to be a focus for us – more effort should be put into this. Key to getting us known and our names out there.

FEATURES: A success. Ballet was a great piece – good pictures with audience involvement, quickly edited and entertaining. Fashion was very good – own pictures but perhaps needed a little more exposition. Location was great; a lesson in that it’s always better to ask for more access.

Avoid comment pieces/essay type features and in video avoid too much presenter involvement.

NEWS: don’t do research to show off, use it to benefit the package – Sophie as an example. Make it accessible for everybody. News is people doing things.

LOCATION

TORIES: very good package, not our footage at the beginning but good to use. Decent interviews and great to use graphics but expo is a bit too long. Interviews were good but needed more targeted questions, look at how the pictures could tell the story, protest pictures lacked actuality but beginning pictures were strong.

Remember to establish balance with political stories.

Be careful of copyright on images – never use unless you’ve taken it yourself, bought it or copyright cleared it. Worth recapping legal notes. This is a must.

You are a journalist and not a specialist, make it easy for the viewer they look to you to tell the story.

Production is a bit flat and static in the studio needs more movement and interest.

Opening sound should never be the reporter’s voice, use NATSOT or interviewee.

Can top and tail a package with live feeds for more interest.

Alternate between left and right angle in interviews and remember the rule of thirds and eyeline. Drag your interviewee’s voice underneath a clip, hear them before you see them. Throw forward at the end of your package.

Overall points:
We need more OOVs in the bulletin.
Try to incorporate more Skype conferences.
Start your package with your best pictures, never a PTC – a presenter does the links and introduction.
Walking PTCs add texture to a story lacking images.
White balance.
Try and start a court story with a mugshot.
Boring cutaways and soft pictures.
Don’t look down in a PTC, use a few sentences so you can remember.
Stick to who, what, where, when not so much expo.
Never let the interviewee hold the microphone because you surrender control and may get in the frame.
Do not use guilty signs.
Let shots breathe.
An event is not news – this is why we have case studies.
Always use a tripod for GVs.

Ballet, fashion and political round up were three star pieces this week.

WINOL 1st October Wednesday Debrief

First time together as a team for production and there were no catastrophic disasters.

Communication in the studio/gallery with presenter needs to be better, cue names, clear instructions. Control and direction is key in the gallery when we go live.

Re-recording of links, post production packages – always assume we will go as live but post can work.

KEY THEME: Not enough news pictures – not enough to play with. For TV not just talking heads, need to have the pictures for the script

ANIMAL FIRE: Interesting story to tell but not enough room to tell it but great newsworthy story.

ELDERLY DRIVERS: No interview with an elderly person – need those affected. News is people doing stuff. Event needed more pictures, always shoot more than you need.

FIRST TIME BUYERS: Toby’s script was very short, he was unable to tell the story due to a lack of pictures.

FEATURES: nice, tight visuals, sound needed correcting – as important as pictures.

More stories are needed as we want to be in the position to spike stories. Sound needs to be improved – make use of the equipment available to you and practice.

Overall, pleased with the standard of packages for the first week but remember the best experience is through doing it. Really happy with features, some of the best we’ve had over the years ie fashion. Sport did not produce enough for the size of the team we have but were unlucky this week.

With packages, it is best to just go for it, get something on the table then we can improve. You cannot improve if you do nothing.

WINOL Critical Reflection Y2S2

Winchester has won yet more awards this semester – WINOL as a project has become more successful than ever predicted. The project as a whole has graduate employees in dream jobs at Al Jazeera and ITN securing placements at The Sunday Times, Sky and the BBC. WINOL progresses each term to get more viewers for example securing big names for interview during the budget special and producing this exclusive programme across the country’s journalism courses.

WINOL’s front page was constantly changing; scaling images of the furniture on the top banner and new columnist sections for feature writers were created. This increased views to features as the links to work were on the front page for every viewer to see and click on. Images sell papers and make people click onto the news but they must be news images not padding. This is why headlines need to be perfect; it is on production to choose the best clips.

Sports and features have come on leaps and bounds from last semester’s work on WINOL. Editing and graphics across sports have improved and are almost in every package – Sportsweek was cancelled for the majority of this term as there was not a big enough sports team to make it into a separate programme. I really liked that sports branched out to find news stories this term and not just match reports, for example Raveena’s snowboarding and skate park packages and, Calum’s report on Winchester City needing funding for a ground upgrade. Some of the links for sports were done at the stadiums themselves this term, which looked so much better and we should continue this. Last semester, it was made as a requirement to have video content as the main part of a feature; using simple and creative ideas to produce a visually attractive feature that would get hits and increase employability. Maria’s lip sync video, the fashion team’s shoe feature and London Fashion Week were real successes along with Lucy’s interactive graphics based campus poll. WINOL achieved access to interviews with stars such as Frank Turner and improved features to a higher market standard. The features team used limited access to their advantage – using the London Fashion Week footage to create a punk style video as the camera work was unstable.

This semester’s guest editors vastly helped us improve our packages and were very influential. With their main use to build contacts in the industry and as the majority were successful graduates of the course, it spurred the team on to produce some of the best packages we have produced. After Wednesday’s output, the guest editors deliver a debrief package by package of which they have been particularly impressed by the production and graphics produced by such a small team on a fraction of the budget of other organisations.

Despite WINOL getting off to a slow start – with East London Lines beating us circulation wise – the project has achieved a record breaking number of views in two bulletins since January. WINOL’s week six bulletin was viewed by 580 unique IP addresses and there were 3800 page impressions. Our budget special programme was viewed by 407 unique IPs, had 3765 page views and an Alexa UK rating of 76,000 compared to East London Lines at 66,000 that week. WINOL does not know it’s exact audience which could explain the overall lower statistics.

As transport correspondent, my aim was to produce packages every week ensuring my name was in the bulletin every single week with a variety of stories. Overall, I am very pleased with my progress from production to news this semester and I have achieved my aims for the semester. My confidence on camera and using the equipment has greatly improved as on features I only used the cameras twice. As a result of this experience, I can use both JVC and DSLR cameras to a high standard capturing good quality sound knowing exactly what needs to go into a good news package. It was quite difficult to establish relationships to begin with with contacts because there was no transport reporter last semester. I spent three weeks arranging the fire truck report to gain access to the station and get a visually strong package even though it lacked an angle. This semester has completely taken me into a new area of expertise. I feel that I am strongest in news writing, capturing sound, camera work, my editing has significantly improved and gotten quicker. I struggle most on WINOL with my scripting of both packages and links; it takes a long time for me to get it just right. I find my voicing has improved so much over the weeks as I now fully understand the importance of putting emphasis on certain words. I have learnt to think of every possibility and every angle – making sure to have the best shots for my edit. Follow the formula and think logically about what your package will look like at the end as a finished product. I know that I need to fully understand the story before going to film to almost establish a script ready to get the shots. From each new package I have produced, I have learnt a lot from their failures, for example: framing interviews, syncing sound to DSLR footage, how to get the best sequences, NATSOT is extremely important. I conducted an in studio chat during my flood package to add extra detail and updates which I felt was good experience and flowed well.

My strongest reports came at the end of the term where I used my experience and creativity to take advantage of the go pro equipment. I used the cameras underwater for the Steve the sturgeon and strapped it on the cyclist for my other package. This footage made these reports into good news stories rather than just a newspaper story put on TV. I make a mental plan of what the end product I would like to have and I think this has helped me a lot. I try to get fully involved in the story at people level so I want to reciprocate this idea with the shots I get. I have had a few stories in the headlines this term, which is very successful for this beat and I feel like I have done well to adapt to whatever challenge is thrown at me. Libel issues with identification and number plates was a big problem when editing on transport but it was good practice. I learnt that persistence is key this term and never to give up on a story or even getting a story at week and that is why I delivered a report every week. I doorstepped the leader of Southampton City Council which was a great experience and produced an equally good result – proving I would do anything to get the story. I filmed the Rowenna Davis guest editor video as an extra project – this was extremely successful and a useful experience to build contacts. The budget special lacked some organisation in terms of the production but I produced a package that was everything the editor wanted. I would not have done that short report any differently but the overall structure of the programme needed work and more planning. I find arranging interviews one of the hardest aspects of WINOL but I try to think of different angles to speak to the people directly affected rather than just officials.

For WINOL, I would recommend doing all future links in the bulletin outside on DSLR cameras if possible. The green screens look dated, conversion of packages through the studio affect quality and the studio is merely a training tool for those who wish to go into the field of production. I think having Chris, Brian and Angus as alternating news editors worked really well this semester; decisions were based purely on the stories and the newsroom was a lot calmer. Reporters writing links made the script read much better and was written by the people that knew the stories best. This semester was filled with in studio chats and live updates from reporters which was good experience and practice for reporters but sometimes it may have been clear that WINOL was lacking in stories. The biggest struggle this term was the lack of reporters so that if stories did fall through we rarely had back ups but in future reporters should be more prepared for this. For the future, I need to remember that making your interviewee at ease is the best way to get the perfect quote and that sequences make a good package but are not the only thing that will.

I am proud of myself and my work on WINOL this semester, I have improved week on week by producing packages every week without fail. Even though at the beginning there was a lot of room for improvement I have learnt so much from the start and can only improve more.

SuperWINOL

WINOL Analysis Week Nine: Budget Day

 

Part 1:

• Good heads – were well delivered and had strong pictures
• I did not think the rotating and moving screen worked particularly well – it looked slightly confusing
• Raveena OB – good, fluent walky talky, vox pops on opposite sides, variety of opinions and people. Overall was a very well rounded package in a great location with good delivery of the script
• Had good names in this bulletin – these get us views! Steve Brine, Mike Thornton
• I really liked the scrolling graphic at the bottom of the screen filled with facts just like the BBC’s budget coverage
• However, on the reporters’ packages the scrolling graphic on the top of the screen was slightly cut off
• My package was cut short with the wipe at the beginning, which was slightly disappointing. However, I had a good variety of shots, a great interviewee and enough footage for a strong edit
• Calum’s graphic was really good with a clear, simple voiceover well delivered
• Alex’s package was graphically very strong and, well delivered and presented
• Lucy’s OB was well presented but slightly too wordy for me perhaps. It was good to have more detail from the budget in this though
• The summary before the break was good and simple for viewers – very helpful
• I do not really like the break images even though it is good to internal advertise it is a bit confusing in the middle of the budget special

Part 2:

• In studio chat with live reaction was extremely good; it was good to challenge politicians with what the audience want and to ensure balance in the bulletin
• However, the edit was not slick enough so a bit jumpy and camera angles were not good enough – the Conservative councillor was cut off and the lighting was not right on the other angle
• Lucy 2nd OB – good main politics from parliament, we included the big names here too (Ed Miliband)