Due Dates
Pitches for Assignment #2, a 5-minute news radio feature (a “wrap”), will be due on Wednesday, Sept. 20. even though there is no class on Wednesday. This will give me time to give you feedback on your pitches before Monday’s class next week so you can get a head start working on your stories.
The script for this radio feature will be due Wednesday, October 4.
If you took my multimedia class, this is essentially the same assignment, but I’ll expect something produced at a higher level. This assignment required ambient sound and room tone throughout. The final mixed version will also be accompanied by a photo and a modified web version of the script. It will be due on Monday, October 16.
A wrap is a scripted radio piece that weaves together natural sounds, interview clips (known as “actualities”), and reporter narration to tell a story. The trick is to choose your actualities carefully to get the most memorable, interesting, powerful, or colorful sound bites possible, leaving the bare facts and background info for your narration. In your narration, you’ll write in and out of the actualities and provide any context that is necessary to help the story make sense. The natural sounds evoke a sense of scene and place. It’s also the reporter’s responsibility to script an introduction for the host to read.
Examples of wraps:
When brainstorming pitch ideas, ask yourself these questions:
Does this story have news value? (Aka, is it pegged to some big current news story? Does it involve a prominent person or event? Is there a strong human interest component that sheds light on a larger issue? Does it have some kind of novelty factor? Will it have an impact on a community? Is there conflict? Does it pass the “so what?” test?)
Is there potential for scene-setting natural sounds? (If the whole thing takes place in an office, the sound will not be very compelling.)
Can I confirm that I will have access in order to do the story?
The Script
Radio scripts follow a format that looks like this:
INTRO:
AMBI:
TRACK:
ACT:
TRACK:
ACT:
AMBI:
etc.
childmarriage_feature_tanzania2
What does it mean to write for the ear?
Descriptive
Brief
Conversational
Writing into and out of acts
Finally, let’s listen to a few of your finished podcasts from the first assignment.