Aim for the Heart

Höfundur: Al Tompkins (Útgáfa: 3)
Aim for the Heart

Kaup valmöguleikar

Al Tompkins teaches students about broadcast journalism using a disarmingly simple truth—if you aim for the heart with the copy you write and the sound and video you capture, you will compel your viewers to keep watching. With humor, honesty, and directness, award-winning journalist and author Al Tompkins bottles his years of experience and insight in a new Third Edition that offers students the fundamentals they need to master journalism in today’s constantly evolving media environment, with practical know-how they can immediately put to use in their careers.

Aim for the Heart is as close as you can get to spending a week in one of Tompkins’s training sessions that he has delivered in newsrooms around the world, from which students:   •       Learn how to build compelling characters who connect with the audience •       Write inviting leads •       Get memorable soundbites •       See how to light, crop, frame, and edit compelling videos •       Learn how to leverage social media to engage audiences •       Gain critical thinking skills that move your story from telling the "what" to telling the "why".

Nánar um bókina

Útgefandi
SAGE Publications, Inc. (US)
ISBN
9781506315263
Print ISBN
9781506315256
Format
ePub
Útgáfa
3
Höfundar
Al Tompkins
Tungumál
English
Útgefið
2017-01-12
Prent takmörkun á líftíma
10
Prent takmörkun
2
Afritunar takmörkun
2

Kaflar

  • PREFACE
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  • INTRODUCTION
  • CHAPTER 1. AIM FOR THE HEART
  • Can Great Storytelling Make You Sexier?
  • All That Is Great, But I’m on a Deadline
  • Finding Focus: Aim for the Heart of the Story
  • The Focus Statement: Three Words
  • A Central Theme: Viewers Remember What They Feel
  • Use Sound Bites That Connect to The Viewer’s Heart
  • CHAPTER 2. THE SHAPE OF THE STORY
  • Stories Need Surprises: Give Viewers Gold Coin Moments
  • Story Frames: Structure and Restructure
  • The G-I / B-E Grid
  • Tried and True: Setting, Complication, Resolution, Summary
  • Upside-Down: The What, Background, Main Action, Conclusion
  • Dotson Storytelling: Hey, You, See, So
  • Hourglasses Versus Pyramids: When Narrative Rules
  • The Big Close: Resolve the Story
  • “Well, Timmy”: Untidy Endings Are OK
  • Sentences Have Shapes, Too: Power at the End
  • How to Sound Like Morgan Freeman
  • CHAPTER 3. FIND MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
  • Put a Face on the Story: You Remember What You Feel
  • One Event, Two Stories: Wife Mourns Loss
  • One Event, Two Stories: Sentencing Ends Ordeal
  • Little Pictures, Big Stories: Focus on People, Not Events
  • How Many Characters Do You Need in a Story?
  • CHAPTER 4. WRITE INVITING LEADS
  • First Impressions: Get Them Hooked
  • What Motivates Viewers: The Basics and Beyond
  • Al’s Eight Motivators
  • Some Do’s and Don’ts for Leads: Don’t Stall; Get On With It
  • Attribution Before Action
  • No More Fred Flintstone Leads
  • The Live Shot Lead
  • “Home” Is Where the Viewer Is
  • Do Not Continue to Use the Word “Continues”
  • Avoid “If You”
  • Seldom Start With a Number, Name or Place
  • Kill the Clichés: Especially the Clichés of Thought
  • CHAPTER 5. VERBS AND ADJECTIVES
  • The Thing About “ing”: A Passive, Verbless Style
  • “To Be” or Not “To Be”: Verbs Drive Sentences
  • Words Matter: When an “Accident” Is a “Crash”
  • Avoid “Fantastic, Unbelievable, Gut-Wrenching” Subjective Adjectives
  • CHAPTER 6. THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW
  • Learning to Listen: Using Your Ears More Than Your Mouth
  • Asking Better Questions
  • Think About the Purpose of the Interview
  • Ask Open-Ended Questions
  • Mirror What You Hear
  • Why Shorter Questions Produce Better Answers
  • Why Do They Ask Such Long Questions?
  • When to Use a Closed-Ended Question
  • Ready for My Close-Up
  • Find Focus
  • Focus on One Issue at a Time
  • Be Naïve
  • Avoid Editorializing
  • Setting Matters
  • Be Tough
  • Put the Burden of Proof on the Source
  • Empathize
  • Getting Started
  • Practice Interviewing
  • The Value of Short Questions
  • Interviewing Reluctant Sources: Explain the Rationale
  • Know What You Are Going to Say
  • Identify Yourself
  • Have a Business Card Ready
  • Making First Impressions
  • Discuss Ground Rules
  • Protect Sources, Especially Confidential or Reluctant Sources
  • Be Better Than Yourself
  • Try the “You’re Not Alone” Approach
  • Make Sure the Family Has Been Notified
  • Ask Families How They Want Loved Ones to Be Remembered
  • Consider Alternatives and Other Sources
  • Thank People for Their Time and Effort
  • Interviewing Juveniles and Other Vulnerable People
  • The Journalistic Purpose
  • Ways to Minimize Harm
  • Other Considerations
  • The “Golden Rule” for Interviewing Children
  • A Few Interviewing Don’ts
  • CHAPTER 7. WHY PICTURES ARE SO POWERFUL
  • A Little Bit of Visual Theory
  • We See the Big Picture First
  • We See What We Want to See
  • The Power of the Picture
  • Visual Versus Verbal: The Eye Wins
  • Use Words to Explain Images, Not to Match Images
  • The Fannie Lou Hamer Story
  • CHAPTER 8. THE VITAL ROLE OF LIGHTING
  • Lighting Sets an Editorial Tone
  • Construct the Light and Go for the Shadow Side
  • In Bright Sunlight Add Light
  • Be Careful
  • CHAPTER 9. VIDEO AND VISUAL TECHNIQUES
  • Let’s Get Visual: Capturing Compelling Video
  • An Action Without a Reaction Is Only Half an Action
  • Shooting More Than an Interview: B-Roll and Other Ways to Add Context
  • Get Your Subjects Comfortable With the Camera
  • Principles and Techniques for Photographic Objectivity
  • Guide Viewers With Cropping and Framing
  • Background Images Add Meaning to Your Story
  • Camera Angles Can Indicate Authority, Power
  • Use Camera Movement, Pans and Zooms as Tools, Not Crutches
  • Keep Proportions Honest in Your Images
  • Special Effects Are “Special”: Use With Care
  • Shutter and Frame Rate
  • CHAPTER 10. CAUTION, THIS MAY GET GRAPHIC: THINKING VISUALLY
  • Think “Shapes”: A Checklist for Effective Graphics
  • Understand First; Then Be Understood
  • Know the Context of the Graphic
  • Ask More Sophisticated Questions to Get Better Graphics
  • Go Lightly on Numbers
  • Be Symbolic
  • Use Movement With Caution
  • Write After You Make the Graphic
  • Ask Others to Look at the Completed Graphic
  • Get It Right: Graphics Are Precision Work
  • CHAPTER 11. THE SOUND OF THE STORY
  • Capturing Powerful Sound
  • Sounds That “Take You There”: Get Close to the Action
  • Use Those Headphones
  • Choose the Right Mic
  • Build in Silence
  • Ethical Concerns With Adding Music and Sound Effects
  • Do Not Rearrange Audio or Sound Bites
  • CHAPTER 12. WHAT EVERY JOURNALIST SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GUNS, AMMUNITION AND ARMED VIOLENCE
  • What Is a Caliber/Gauge and Why Does It Matter?
  • Clips and Magazines
  • Pistols, Shotguns, Rifles and Assault Rifles
  • The Difference Between Automatic and Semi-Automatic Weapons
  • Guns in Crime
  • Questioning Conventional Wisdom: A Look at Why Students Kill
  • Buying and Selling Guns
  • What’s Legal?
  • A Quick History of Gun Control
  • Comparisons With Other Countries
  • A Divisive Issue
  • CHAPTER 13. FIELD TRICKS FROM THE PROS
  • First Things First in the Field
  • A Plan When Working Alone
  • Don’t Limit Yourself to Traditional Video Cameras
  • The Stuff You Need in Your Bag
  • Field Tips for Covering Rough Weather
  • Drones as Newsgathering Tools
  • Story Ideas
  • Assessing Threats and Staying Safe
  • CHAPTER 14. TELL THE STORY WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE
  • Why Online and Social Media Are Important to Local TV
  • Drive to the Mothership
  • What Your Newsroom Needs From You
  • Tune-In Times
  • Key Data Points
  • Reporting and Writing for Online
  • So What Works Online?
  • Make It Interactive: Users Choose
  • Find Ways to Meaningfully Involve the Public
  • Map Data to Connect Viewers to the Story
  • Save Elaborate Presentations for Projects With Long Legs
  • Social Media Posts
  • Write Tight
  • Write in Chunks
  • Link to Your Sources, but Verify Them First
  • Who Is Behind the Website You Are Linking To?
  • Copyright and “Fair Use” Guidelines
  • Ethics and Social Networks
  • RTDNA’s Social Media and Blogging Guidelines
  • Online Skills You Need to Get Hired or to Keep Your Job
  • CHAPTER 15. ETHICS AND BROADCAST JOURNALISTS: SEEK TRUTH AND REPORT IT AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE
  • Seek Truth and Report It as Fully as Possible
  • Be Thorough
  • Be Accountable to the Public
  • Set the Story in Context
  • Use Undercover Techniques Carefully
  • Who Said That: Evaluating Sources for Your Stories
  • Guidelines for Evaluating Sources
  • Guidelines for Interviewing Confidential Sources: Who, When, Why
  • Bidding for News: The Challenge of “Checkbook Journalism”
  • Be Honest With Viewers About Your Reporting and Your Mistakes
  • Lessons from the Brian Williams Debacle
  • Brian Williams and the Culture of “I,” We” and “Us”
  • Attack Dogs, Watchdogs and Guide Dogs: A Journalist’s Commitment to Seeking Truth
  • File Tape: Truthful Reporting or Lazy Journalism?
  • CHAPTER 16. ETHICS AND BROADCAST JOURNALISTS: ACT INDEPENDENTLY
  • Avoid Conflicts of Interest
  • Refuse Gifts, Food and Special Treatment
  • Disclose Unavoidable Conflicts
  • Respect the Business Side, but Don’t Compromise News Coverage
  • CHAPTER 17. ETHICS AND BROADCAST JOURNALISTS: MINIMIZE HARM
  • Rights to Privacy for Private People and Public Officials
  • When Public Records Should Remain Private
  • Crime Victims and Privacy
  • Covering Criminals and Criminal Acts
  • Would Withholding Shooters’ Names and Photos Reduce Violence?
  • Quick Fixes Feel Good and Solve Nothing
  • Using Graphic or Violent Images and Language
  • When It’s Unfair NOT to Show the Graphic Video
  • Airing Graphic Video for the Wrong Reason
  • Handling 911 Calls
  • Identifying Suspects, Covering “Off-Limits” Stories and Other Tough Ethics Calls
  • Identifying Juveniles
  • Covering Suicides
  • Covering Bomb Threats
  • Covering Rape and Other “Unspeakable” Stories
  • Questions Before You “Go Live”
  • CHAPTER 18. LET’s GET CRITICAL
  • Kill the Zombie Stats
  • Be Skeptical, Not Cynical
  • Question Evidence That Seems Reliable
  • Seek Contrary Evidence
  • Critical Thinking and Polling
  • Should We Believe Polls?
  • Who Paid for the Poll?
  • Who Did the Pollster Talk With?
  • What Did They Ask?
  • Margins of Error
  • What Else Can Add to Polling Errors?
  • How Was the Poll Conducted?
  • Why Are Polls News?
  • Using Critical Thinking to Investigate Charities
  • What a Tax Document Will Tell You
  • Reading the Front Page of the I-990
  • Big Claims, Little Meaning
  • Be A Critical Thinking Watchdog
  • Is the Statement Accurate and True?
  • Question and Verify What You Find Online
  • What Kind of Website Is It?
  • A Quick Investigation Can Save Your Reputation
  • Not Every Crazy-Sounding Story Is Crazy
  • Al Gets Duped: Be Skeptical
  • CHAPTER 19. THE POWER OF ENTERPRISE REPORTING
  • Enterprise From the Start: Morning Meetings
  • You Get What You Inspect More Than What You Expect
  • Plan the Place and Space for Your Meeting
  • Include Many Voices
  • Include the Web in Your Planning
  • Efficient Meetings Do Not Equal Effective Meetings
  • Be Willing to Stop the Meeting
  • How to Generate Enterprise Stories
  • Seek the Ideas of Others
  • Build a Diverse Contact List
  • Look for Voices and Faces Seldom Seen on TV
  • Be Willing to Interview Anyone Who Has a Great Story
  • Explore All Sides to a Story
  • Avoid the Pack; Go Where the Story Is Going Next
  • Cover Follow-Up Stories With Care
  • Write Thank-You Letters
  • Look for the Story Behind the Story
  • CHAPTER 20. SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN TODAY’S TV NEWSROOM
  • How to Succeed
  • Continual Learning
  • Surviving Layoffs, Cutbacks and Reassignment
  • What to Do If You Get Fired or Laid Off
  • Know Why You Lost Your Job
  • What Do You Really Want to Do Next?
  • How Much Money Do You Want, and How Much Do You Need?
  • Find a Way to Work Through Your Anger
  • Learn About Your Severance Pay
  • What About Insurance Coverage?
  • You Can Negotiate
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • The Effect on Pensions and Retirement Funds
  • Job Counseling
  • A Buyout or Early Retirement
  • It Is Not a Bad Idea to Consult an Attorney
  • Avoid Pity Parties
  • Hire a Good Employer
  • A Word to Workers Who Do Not Lose Their Jobs
  • Stressed and Overworked
  • Time Management
  • Avoid Office Gossip and Politics
  • Leaders in the Newsroom
  • Become the Go-to Person in Daily and Breaking-News Events
  • Be on the Truth Squad
  • Be a Teacher, Mentor and Coach
  • Underpromise, Overdeliver
  • Be the Champion of Your Own Promotion
  • Take Ownership of Management Decisions and Find Ways to Be Openly Supportive
  • Be an Adviser to Your Boss
  • Manage the Boss
  • Have Your Facts Straight
  • Value the Judgments and Contributions of Others
  • Discover All You Can About Your Viewers and Seek to Serve Them
  • Be a Writing and Ethics Example
  • Anticipate Major Events
  • Know Industry Trends and How Ratings and Web Metrics Work
  • Be Prepared for Ripple Effects From Hard-Hitting Stories and Newscasts
  • Don’t Get Carried Away With Gadgets
  • Lay Down Deeper Roots
  • The Meaning of Life
  • INDEX