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GRAPHICS:
Add on-screen information
These stories illustrate how graphics can be used to add information to a natural sound package. Compare the two versions to see if the graphics answer questions a viewer might have after watching the first version.
The Story: Monument Reopens
The Changes


The Washington Monument reopens today after three years of renovation work. This story is a natural sound package with interviews. (This story was produced by NewsLab and did not air.)

Monument Reopens v.1 script

Monument Reopens v.2 script


  • Story uses sound from only one person.
  • "Pop-up" graphics were added to convey additional information about the renovations.
  • Graphics are carefully placed so as not to compete with sound-on-tape.

    • The Issues

  • Story uses sound from three different people, but two of them appear only once.
  • The interviews convey some factual information, but without a reporter track it is difficult to include additional details.
  • The viewer is left with questions unanswered.

    		•

    For Discussion

  • Can "pop-up" style graphics help a viewer get more information from a natural sound package (without a reporter's track)?
  • If you were planning to produce a story with "pop-ups", would you shoot it differently from a standard natural sound package? How?
  • What do you notice about the picture and sound at each point where the graphics are inserted?
  • How do you decide the length of time that graphics should stay on screen?
  • How do the size, font and format of a graphic affect what viewers can learn from that graphic?

    • Return to Before & After Rundown

     
    Page Last Updated
    January 3, 2005
    		 

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