TIPS FROM WAYNE FREEDMAN
“Sometimes I wonder why we call our
work television news ‘stories’ when so many of
us overlook the ‘story’ part. We get distracted
by deadlines and details, and forget a basic fundamental:
stories have characters. It’s so simple. Events happen
to people. When you build stories around them, audiences take
a stake in those people and their situations. Let viewers
see a little of themselves, or someone they know. By using
characters, reporters can ground any story in the real world.”
“Find a person. Tell a story. Weave the facts of the
news inside it. See news events as daily dramas and the people
within them as role-players. When you look beyond a newsmaker’s
function and examine the individual instead, you can make
almost anyone interesting, from an embattled politician to
an overworked detective, to a man on the street, to a civil
engineer with a clipboard.”
“Here’s a trade secret—with
a proper beginning and ending, the middle of a story will
usually take care of itself. You’ll always find it easier
to write a piece if, before leaving a location, you already
know how it will start and finish. Think of this as planning
your entrance and exit routes.”
“When you use a sound bite to either
open or close a piece, pair it with a line of track. In an
open, that line should precede the sound bite and introduce
the moment or character. If you close with a sound bite, it
should be stronger than any other words you might write. In
such cases, the written line it’s paired with should
signal the end of the story. Any trailing sound should amplify
or complete that thought, and then close the door on the piece.”
“Endings leave the lasting impressions.
No matter how strong the rest of your material may be, a weak
ending guarantees a weak piece.” |
