Steps to Writing Story

1. Find Topic
About?
Who is your audience?
Why is story important?

2. Find an Angle
What is important about your topic?
What should the reader learn?
Summarize in 3 words: Subject, Verb, Object

3. Collect Information
Who are the experts for this story?
Do you need opposing points of view?
what interview questions should i ask?
What other research must be done to complete story.

4. Interview
Ask open ended questions.
Get good sound bytes. A Piece of Audio That Can Stand Alone
Have the person restate the question in the interview

5. Shoot your reporter Stand-Up
Should have good idea what story is about
Stand-Up should provide into that audience doesn't know
Use Stand-Up for transition from one location to the next
No first person
Monday, November 30, 2009
Steps to Writing a Story

6. Organize your sound bytes
What quotes should i use?
How can i organize the quotes to tell a story?
What are my gold nuggets?
Sprinkle the nuggets throughout the story!

7. Write Segues in your story
Use words that tie the interviews together.
What other info can i ass to the story?
Can the story stand on its own?

8. Write the Beginning and End of your story
Write body first
Best sound bytes for beginning and end
Paraphrase a sound byte at the beginning
Leave them with strongest sound byte at end
Leave them with hope

9. Write in and outs
What should the anchors say to introduce my story or bring it to a close? No scoop went to find out.
How should the story begin and end?
Use attention getters at the introduction but avoid rhetorical questions?

A-ROLL
Anything said in story
Anchor In
Stand-Up
Interviews
Segues
Close
Anchor Out

B-Roll
How can video enhance my story?
Make a list of items you would liked photographed.
How should I edit the audio and video together to enhance my story?
Should other enhancement like music, graphics, eggects be used?