http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php HSBJ Blog http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=71 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=71 Thu, 3 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST Originally published December, 2010 You could watch this video a dozen times and see something new each time.  At its most basic, this is a simple two-interview story, but just look at what Hillcrest High School did with the B-roll. There are in-school and out-of-school shots here. Black and white shots start to appear in the early interview with Nicole. That black and white theme will be played out in re-enactments -- some of them very dramatic -- throughout the story. Note the use of still photos, including photos from Nicole's day with her family. But there's a surprise here, the story isn't just about Nicole. As a matter of fact, the deep emotion here comes from the interview with her teacher. Right to the last frame, there are topics to discuss. Just consider the very last freeze frame. What does that say? HSBJ’s featured videos are chosen each week those submitted to SchoolTube. To have one of your school’s videos considered, send the SchoolTube link to carolk@rtdnf.org. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=70 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=70 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST Originally published: October 11 – 22, 2010 When should you use background music in a video? The basic rule of thumb is that news stories don’t use background music – unless the music is natural sound that is part of the story. Some features can use a bit of background music, but it has to be the right music – at the right volume – and it shouldn’t last through the entire segment. No amount of music – whether it fits or not – takes the place of including solid facts as Voice Over or as graphics in the video. On Monday, S C Lee Junior High uses soft dissolves between well-read items. These dissolves may give a more dynamic look to the show, but adding graphics showing times and places would add more information. The music plays on. The math segment is solid, but barely can be heard over the music. On Tuesday, Wakeland High has a terrific interview with a former student from Frisco, TX, during segregation when there wer black schools and white schools. The sound bites and historic photos are strong. Loved the use of sepia. Music in the lead-in works, but it should have been dropped when the former-student started talking. Is there any nat sound that could have been used instead?  Could the script have been written to eliminate the questions-as-graphics approach? Wednesday it’s a season classic: football highlights. Pleasant Grove High School’s video is first rate and it needs some first-rate voice over explaining what’s going on. Some lower-thirds showing us the changing score would have added a lot. There’s some nat sound at the beginning, very good. But in the big plays you don’t hear any cheering, just the music going on and on. On Thursday we feature another sports story – this time an overview of the Track& Field team at James E Taylor High School. This shows enterprise in the number of interviews. Is the music necessary through the interviews?  Could the interviews have been done outside the parking garage or could the interview shots be closer (with the mic out of sight, held by the reporter). Finally on Friday, the right music in the right place. This is a PSA for National Principals Month from Ladue Horton Watkins High. Nice job. Good B-roll and sound bites from principal. Carol Knopes, carolk@rtdnf.org       http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=69 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=69 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EDT Originally posted: October 4 - 8, 2010 One anchor? Two anchors? What works best? Each format can work with the right mix of camera angles, graphics and strong stories. Here are four examples: On Monday Lee’s Summit West High School shows how to shoot swimmers in the water. Note the last shot at water level. Tuesday’s announcements show from Whitney High School in Rocklin, CA, features two anchors and coverage of that morning’s pep rally – from the local station. You can hear some of the behind the scenes conversations. Nice credits. Good teaser for the video magazine show. Wednesday features a single-anchor announcement how from St. Thomas More Prepatory School. The single-announcer format puts a lot of pressure on the announcer. Graphics add interest, but these should include the time, date and place for each item. Recording some out-of-studio interviews would add interest. Loved the final seconds when the anchor broke a smile. On Thursday, Lopez High School offers a mix of announcements and features that lets the single-anchor format work. The “Open Mic” story showed off lots of student talent, but it needed a reporter’s voice to give context and tell us what’s happening. Friday’s video is the Carlsbad High School Live Show. Two anchors add energy to the show. Nice story on Student of the Week who creates apps for iPhones. (Listen closely to the teacher’s interview about the student. You expect him to say what an outstanding student he is, but he puts him in his to 100.) Music piece at the end had good sound and camera work.   http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=68 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=68 Mon, 4 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EDT Originally Posted September 27 - October 1, 2010 This week let’s talk about sports interviews.  First, if you are interviewing away from the field or court (or locker room), have the player sit down for the interview. Ask about a favorite play or what play was practiced most. Ask detailed questions to get solid answers.  Speaking of sports, showing action over music is fine for the end-of-year sports banquet. For a news show, do voice-overs while showing highlight action and explain what’s going on. Set up the video and give detail:  “Watch how Smith’s block opened a lane for Williams’ 45 yard run.”  Friday’s video shows how to do game highlights. This week’s featured videos: On Monday, Marcus High School tells the story of vandalism in the school bathrooms. Nice interviews with a victim and school officials. Would like to see one interview with a student. On Tuesday, it’s a hybrid show from Barlow High School.  Effective quick opening. Anchors on location add interesting backgrounds and energy to the show. Format  makes a jarring shift when local news is read in the studio using  video from a local station. One note: Watch the interview with the coach. The photographer changes the camera settings while the interview is underway. Get your camera on the tripod, focused and white-balanced BEFORE the interview starts, then take your hands off the camera. If your settings are wrong, re-start the interview. On Wednesday, Countryside HS gives a preview of the strong show it will become later in the year. Overall the show has a strong format, but the live show had some problems. The swiveling anchor was a distraction, but the co-anchor remained professional. Sports anchor did a set-up interview with fellow teammates and allowed way too much silliness at the end of the piece.  Thursday, Hanford High School offers one of the best announcements shows we’ve seen with multiple anchors, solid graphics, good writing and a fast-paced format. On Friday, South Mountain High School has a mix of out-of-studio reports, announcements and a principal’s message. Sports coverage is strong with well done highlight videos of football and volley ball. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=67 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=67 Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT Originally posted: September 20-24, 2010 Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association’s Broadcast Pacemaker and Story of the Year competitions. HSBJ provided professional broadcasters to judge the contest, which was also co-sponsored by SchoolTube, which is collected all entries and is posting the winners.  Winners will be announced in November at the fall NSPA/JEA National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. Full list of finalists is here.    SPORTS: On Monday, Ladue Watkins Horton takes the sports honors with its story on of a local boxer.  Watch the camera work setting up wide, medium and tight shots. The interviews are strong and the script is carefully written. NEWS: On Tuesday, Central High School in Springfield, MO, takes a USA Today/EPA national investigation of air quality in high schools and localizes it to point out troubling chemicals in the school. Solid interviews with a medical expert and several teachers plus great B-roll make this an important story to tell. Many schools would not tackle this kind of story – about a potential health problem in the school. This is the very kind of story our students should be reporting. Central High’s broadcast staff, adviser and administration should be commended for their commitment to students’ Free Press rights. FEATURE: On Wednesday Apple Valley HS handles a sensitive subject with just the right touch. Everybody on campus knows The Cowbell Guy – who plays the cowbell at hocket games, but there’s more to know about him. Nice anchor finish – thanking the subject and his parents  for sharing the story. Note: This entry needed to watch the Rule of Thirds in the shooting – and put the subjects on the right or left third – eyes on the top third line. NEWS SHOW: On Thursday, Blue Valley Northwest shows two different faces. The reporting and stories are solid, well shot, well written, certainly some of the best we’ve seen, but the anchoring is all schtick. There’s the falling snow, the Ray Charles imitation, the silly banter. For the last segment, the anchors quietly introduced an extraordinary story featuring an emotional audio interview with a dying student. This was incredible. The anchors’ introduction was perfect. Anchors hold a show together. Their lead-ins set up the stories – often giving the who, what, where and when that lets reporters go into more depth on a slice of each story. Good anchors are vital. There should be interaction between anchors, but it shouldn’t be silly or forced. NEWS SHOW:  On Friday, Mira Costa High School’s news show is a treat to watch. Mira Costa is doing serious stories on important teen topics. There is no fancy moving background or over-the-top opening, just a solid news show. Announcements pop up as readable slates. That saves valuable air time.  The program is a “public forum,” meaning the students choose the stories and edit them. Their teacher is an adviser, not a news director. The teacher trains the staff and gives authority to student producers – of course watching for libel or any other inappropriate content. Post show advisers typically go over the production with the entire staff, pointing out the good and the bad and grading the students’ work. These public reviews are important “teachable moments.”  Mira Costa’s students obviously study student First Amendment issues.   http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=66 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=66 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT Posted Sept. 13, 2010 September 13 – 17, 2010 Going through dozens of videos this week, we were struck with the contortions that anchors can get into. This week we saw anchors gripping the arms of their chairs, wringing their hands and swiveling in their chairs. Basic rule: If you’re using a teleprompter, sit at the desk and DO put your elbows on the table – and your forearms, too. Then just cross your hands and concentrate on the news. Here are five schools that – even this early in the school year – are doing quality work. On Monday, we start with a simple question and a simple answer from Deltona High.  What happened to all the portable classrooms? Answer:  “They went to portable heaven.”  Watch the camera tilt up to the sky during that quote. Nice.  Now I want to know what happened to all those extra students who disappeared, maybe interview some at their new Tuesday’s announcement show from S C Lee Junior High shows a good example of how to deal with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence and a state pledge. Nice graphics in the intro. Graphics during announcements need to be larger and have more information. On Wednesday Whitney High School covers its first game with cross-town rival. Nice stand up leading into game highlights. (Unless you are streaming live, use past tense in the your stand-ups). Good interviews with coaches and players after the game. Very good shooting throughout. Thursday’s featured video highlights some strong writing from Countryside High. This is an announcements show that’s clearly ready to move up to using over-the-shoulder graphics and B-roll. Consider dropping the national sports and celebrity news and finding more local news in your own school and community. Friday we’re back at Carlsbad High School for a primer on how to put together an announcements show. This show features strong over-the-shoulder-type graphics and interviews both in and out of the studio. It also includes a package on school construction. Clever concept on taking a German exchange student to his first American football game. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=65 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=65 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT September  7-10 Welcome to the 2010-11 school year. I know some of you have been back in class since mid August. Many of you started last week, but by today I think we can safely say that school is officially open. All summer we’ve been offering “Best of” examples from last year’s videos. I hope you show those (all are in the HSBJ blog) to your classes as you teach anchoring, reporting, writing and while you are putting together your openings for 2010-11. If you are new to broadcast journalism, welcome. You’ve come to the right place for resources and advice. Sign up for our forums and our listserv at the bottom of this column. You’ll be glad you did. Next Friday, Sept. 17, is Constitution Day and we hope Tuesday’s video, by a history teacher from New Hampshire, will give you some ideas about topics to cover.  Here are two links for information on Student Press Rights and U.S. Constitution resources sources. Be sure to include Freedom of the Press in your lesson plans for Sept. 17. On Wednesday, check out the football coverage from Homestead High School. This is a video primer for your students. You can also practice writing scripts for the video. Thursday, a nice piece on the Ladue Horton-Watkins’ broadcast staff auditions. More than 80 students auditioned for the on camera and behind-the-camera jobs. Note that no student is embarrassed by showing outtakes or flubs. This shows students working hard to join the staff. It builds interest and energy in the program. Friday features a report from Hillcrest High School shot last year. This is about a support group for students whose parents have died. There are many openings for classroom discussion here – both in the technical aspects and the content of the report. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=63 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=63 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT Posted: August 23-27 This week we’ll look at the evolution of the announcements show. We won’t start with the very basic show –anchors read raw announcements (no editing or re-writing) and sound like they are being recorded using the built-in mic in the camera (no stick mic or lav mic). In general, we don’t recommend announcements shows for Broadcast classes. They take  up too much time that should be spent teaching the students writing, storytelling and advanced tech skills. A bi-weekly or monthly magazine show (20-30 minutes) is much better and teaches students much more. If you must do an announcements show (and most schools start with announcements), don’t feel that your students are stuck with a boring rip-and-read format. Student anchors and reporters should look and sound professional. Our motto: Dress up. Sit up. Practice. Practice. Practice. As a teacher, set goals for your announcements show. Keep moving to the next level.  This week we feature examples to share with your student producers. Where is your show? Where should it be going? On Monday, we start with Announcements 101 from Katy High School. Anchors look professional. The show is well written and produced. The background is simple and clear. This show needs graphics to let viewers more easily understand what is being said. That takes us to the next level of announcements show, Announcements 102: Basic  Announcements Plus Graphics. Grand Island High School uses a green screen background with double anchors. Note that they are wearing headsets which requires speaking slowly to avoid pops and hisses. Simple lower-thirds give time-date-place information for each announcement. There’s a nice segment of  basketball video highlights with voice-over play by play. Note there are no out-of studio interviews here, but we’re moving toward that. On Wednesday, Johns Creek High School shows us Announcements 201: Basic Announcements, Graphics and In-Studio Mini-Interview. The opening segment brings in some of the people who are working on a school events. Note: It would have been nice to read the names of all those debate winners on lower-thirds. Announcements 202 comes from Granada Hills High School. Multiple anchors and desks make the show interesting. Sports news and weather give it variety. Reading those last-minute announcements in a casual setting just might make the deadline fighters get their copy in earlier. NOte: Would like to see mics held lower – below the chin. Anchors should work on more dynamic delivery. That will come together when you are writing more dynamic stories. Which brings us to: Grad School Announcements. Once again Carlsbad High School shows the way with its announcements show. (Carlsbad also has a magazine show as well.) This is a mix of announcements and out-of-studio reporting. It even has a Skype report live from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. (You can try it using two laptops. This is an inexpensive way to get coverage of  school trips). Note: I do NOT recommend a live show for high school broadcasts. From here it’s on to packages from simple interviews and B-roll to more complicated multi-source stories. Then on to        2020 Vision – your class webpage updated daily with print, audio and video stories. Your staff using all the latest free technology to learn great writing, journalism and storytelling... Ah, but that’s for another blog. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=62 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=62 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT Posted: August 16-20 This week it’s back to basics: Stories and Writing. On Monday, James Robinson HS in Virginia reports a trend story. The revival of Pokemon on its campus – complete with in-class players and stories of confiscated Pokemon discs in the principal’s office. On Tuesday, Coronado High School shows us its culinary arts class. Lots of good camera work as well as good storytelling. Wednesday shows a strong story by Washington High School in Missouri about physical therapy using horses. Do you have a physical therapy story in your town? Thursday Central High School tells a story that hits home at every high school. How much sleep do your students get every night? How much do they need? Why does school start so early? Friday ends with a sweet story from Hillcrest High School about a singer who lost – and found her voice. This is the best of video storytelling. Find a character and tell his or her story.  http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=61 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=61 Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT   Archived from August 9-13 Getting ready for the first news show of the year means putting together an opening.  Our Best of 2010 continues with week with some of our favorite openings. A few words about news and announcements show openings:  1. Keep ‘em short: This should not introduce your whole staff to the school every week.  2. Change them often: Keep some variety in the first 30 seconds of y our show.  Even if you start with the Pledge of Allegiance, change the patriotic B-roll under the audio. The same start week after week makes your whole show seem stale.  3. Promo your stories: Use the intros to get students to watch the whole show. Write these like mini-advertisements: “You’ll be paying more for parking this year. Stay tuned to find out how much.”  4. Remember the audio: The big horn section staccato opening is a classic across the country. It’s part of several copyright-free packages. It’s fine now and again, just don’t use it every day.  Going from a big trumpet and trombone build-up into a small-set announcements-only show doesn't set the right tone. . 5.Your opening should enhance your news show. It should match your show.   This week a variety of openings that work.  On Monday, Whitney High School, uses quick teasers before it rolls the opening. On Tuesday, Grand Island High School uses only 10 seconds to get into the show. This show is a year-end special, but it used the regular intro. On Wednesday, South Mountain High School gives a quick look at students, a class, a football game and then quickly moves to the news. (It would be a good idea for the either the anchors to say the date or to have a date slate at the start of each show.) Texas high schools have two pledges before school: one is the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag; the second honors the Texas flag.  On Thursday, Northwest HS has another element, a moment of silence. Using several images during the moment of silence and moving images during the pledges helps keep the audience’s attention. There is a very quick station i.d. then right into announcements.  On Friday, Carlsbad High School uses its music and graphics intro to split the Pledge of Allegiance, the introduction of its anchors and some teases from the start of the show.  The opening music starts to build while the anchors are talking to give a smooth entry into the graphic opening. The whole thing takes a little over a minute, but it sets the stage for the news and keeps everyone’s attention.         http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=59 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=59 Mon, 9 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT July 19 – August 6, 2010 For three weeks we’ll feature five  outstanding stories from the 2009-2010 school year.   The best way to teach writing, interviewing and all the technical aspects of shooting and editing is to get students out of your classroom, studio or the school and get them into your community doing stories. If your class is still doing announcements only, work this summer on a plan to get the students out doing stories. You can start by talking to the people planning upcoming events. Interview one club adviser and officer a week – anything to get your students doing stories out of the studio.   Over the next two weeks we’re offering five stories – all from Missouri high schools – to get ideas for you program. We’ll run them twice, Monday through Friday Monday and Tuesday feature Central High School’s regular Everybody Has a Story segments.  On Monday it’s the story of a student who loves anime card games. On Tuesday, a student who loves music. The Everybody Has A Story approach has been perfected by CBSNewsman Steve Hartman and videographer Les Rose. Steve throws a dart at a map of U.S. to find a city. He heads to that city and finds a phone book, closes his eyes, opens the book and at random puts his finger on a name. That’s the interview. You can choose the names of students from the school directory or lists of student ID numbers. This is a great way to get new faces in your broadcasts. Have your staffers (working in teams) interview that student and find out what he or she does for fun, for a job. Does he have to take care of younger siblings right after school to let her mother work? Is she crazy about video games or shopping? Is he a black belt in karate? Students should do a quick interviews – no video. Then have the students develop their questions and plan their shoots. Interview teachers, parents, clergy – anyone who can flesh out the story. These should be video-rich stories. Not just stagnant interviews. Go with the student to show what he or she does. The babysitter? Show him going home, coming in the door, taking care of the little brother. Interview the parents about how important this is. Ask him if he feels he is missing out on after-school activities.                                                            On Wednesday here’s a strong story from Washington High School about physical therapy using horseback riding. Notice the number of interviews and the camera shots. Thursday’ report from Ladue Horton Watkins High School shows how breaking news – the Haitian earthquake – can have students working to find video. This was part of a student documentary that was to be shown that week at a fundraiser for Haitian Relief. Friday we go to one of the country’s best high school broadcast journalism programs, Hillcrest High School, to show a local trend in students smoking incense. This story ran last February and I’m just seeing this teen trend story this summer on my local TV news. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=60 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=60 Mon, 9 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT July 19 – August 6, 2010 For three weeks we’ll feature five  outstanding stories from the 2009-2010 school year.   The best way to teach writing, interviewing and all the technical aspects of shooting and editing is to get students out of your classroom, studio or the school and get them into your community doing stories. If your class is still doing announcements only, work this summer on a plan to get the students out doing stories. You can start by talking to the people planning upcoming events. Interview one club adviser and officer a week – anything to get your students doing stories out of the studio.   Over the next two weeks we’re offering five stories – all from Missouri high schools – to get ideas for you program. We’ll run them twice, Monday through Friday Monday and Tuesday feature Central High School’s regular Everybody Has a Story segments.  On Monday it’s the story of a student who loves anime card games. On Tuesday, a student who loves music. The Everybody Has A Story approach has been perfected by CBSNewsman Steve Hartman and videographer Les Rose. Steve throws a dart at a map of U.S. to find a city. He heads to that city and finds a phone book, closes his eyes, opens the book and at random puts his finger on a name. That’s the interview. You can choose the names of students from the school directory or lists of student ID numbers. This is a great way to get new faces in your broadcasts. Have your staffers (working in teams) interview that student and find out what he or she does for fun, for a job. Does he have to take care of younger siblings right after school to let her mother work? Is she crazy about video games or shopping? Is he a black belt in karate? Students should do a quick interviews – no video. Then have the students develop their questions and plan their shoots. Interview teachers, parents, clergy – anyone who can flesh out the story. These should be video-rich stories. Not just stagnant interviews. Go with the student to show what he or she does. The babysitter? Show him going home, coming in the door, taking care of the little brother. Interview the parents about how important this is. Ask him if he feels he is missing out on after-school activities.                                                            On Wednesday here’s a strong story from Washington High School about physical therapy using horseback riding. Notice the number of interviews and the camera shots. Thursday’ report from Ladue Horton Watkins High School shows how breaking news – the Haitian earthquake – can have students working to find video. This was part of a student documentary that was to be shown that week at a fundraiser for Haitian Relief. Friday we go to one of the country’s best high school broadcast journalism programs, Hillcrest High School, to show a local trend in students smoking incense. This story ran last February and I’m just seeing this teen trend story this summer on my local TV news. More best stories in a few weeks.           http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=58 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=58 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EDT Archived from July 12-16, 2010. This week we’re saluting some of the best anchors of the year. The anchors you’ll see this week all have a few things in common: Proper dress. This year we’ve seen sloppy clothes, low-cut blouses, T-shirts with garish logos, backward baseball caps. And these weren’t for the Halloween show. Some schools use broadcast class shirts for everyone. Some require “Sunday best” for their anchors. Whatever you choose, anchors should look professional. Clear speech.  Most anchors should slow down and avoid slurring their words.  Practice saying this: “The tip of the tongue. The roof of the mouth. The teeth and the lips.” Say it very, very clearly and distinctly. Then speed up – but keep the same clear words. It’s a good warm-up for anchors and reporters. Good posture. Every week we’ve watched anchors lean into the camera, wiggle in their chairs, rock to and fro and move their hands on the anchor desk. Sit up straight and sit still. Tech help. When two anchors have to share one teleprompter, move the anchors closer together or use two teleprompters. Anchors should be looking into the camera – not next to it. (Anchors also have to practice reading scripts several times before each show).  Busy backgrounds take away from the anchors. Keep it simple. Also, many schools use the in-camera mic for their anchors. This gives bad sound and it’s not fair to the anchors. Use lav or stick mics. On Monday we feature Valley Junior High School. This is one of the few junior highs we have featured, but as many members of STN may know, the adviser is Doug Greene, who also advises Carlsbad High School. The anchors stand and when they do gesture, it’s integral to the story. Note: This video could also be used to show how to use a stick mic. Which reporter uses the mic best? Which videographer framed the interviews to eliminate “floating hand with a mic” shots? Tuesday’s “best of” features a basic announcements show with graphics from East Central Career & Technical High School. Anchors are professional and two cameras give texture to the show. On Wednesday, Cathedral High School presents a special anniversary show. Once you get past the special opening, the anchors take over. They have good rapport with each other, talk to the camera and present themselves professionally. Thursday Granada Hills High School’s anchors speak slowly and look directly at the teleprompter. The background is moving, but at least it’s muted.  Holding scripts give the anchors something to do with their hands. On Friday Graves County High School starts with a post-April Fools’ show update. Just watch the start of this show to get an idea of the anchors’ professional appearance and delivery. Watch for more outstanding anchors later this summer http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=57 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=57 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EDT For the past two weeks the HSBJ homepage featured one video, an outstanding report on Arizona’s proposed cut in CTE funding. Over the last month we’ve highlighted several stories about cuts in education budgets. This one by Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, AZ, adds much more to this national story.This is the single best news story I have seen this year.The highlight is an interview with a state senator. In many stories this would be the balance interview. It’s easy to get local teachers and students saying why the CTE program – including broadcast – should be maintained. It’s harder for student journalists to get the other side – why the program should be drastically cut. But instead of just ending up with a a he-said, she-said story, the Corona del Sol team did its homework in its interview with a state senator.  I won’t spoil it – you have to see it – but the homework paid off. The reporter stayed professional and low-key throughout.  Two problems: First, the reporter never says whether the state senator returned to finish the interview. That's important. Second, the ending of the piece becomes pure advocacy. It would have been better to just say where people could call to protest – not advocate that people call. When your program is being cut, it’s hard to stay neutral. That would have taken this story to the next level.This is still a powerful piece.  Is your school going through big budget cuts? Show this story in your class in the first day of school next year.  Could your staff do this story or one like it?  What kind of training would the staff need to produce this level of work?  What kind of training would you need to lead your students to this level?  These are important summer reflections for all media teachers. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=56 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=56 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT   Our boys and girls basketball teams made it to the state playoffs. Each step of the way, we had decisions to make about coverage on our school website.During the sectionals, which were played at a university site about 30 minutes away, we provided regular updates on the home page. This meant following our model from the football season last fall. An assistant principal, Darrell Johnson, sent scores via text message every three or four minutes, and I sat at home on my trusty laptop updating the lead story. I wasn’t sure it was a really big deal that we did this until the next day, when I heard from my colleagues, the ones who did not make the trip to the game. Here is a sample from my e-mail inbox:“It was awesome... I just kept refreshing.”“Dave, I really appreciated Darrell's updates. Thanks!!!”“I checked the score at least twice on my lap top, and Gary and I checked the score on his I-phone!”“That's where I went to check the score last night. Thanks.”There were a total of 16 notes of thanks from a faculty of 75. Not bad. The girls lost in the sectionals, but the boys won, so their next game was two hours away on Saturday afternoon. Darrell once again provided text updates, and an HTVer e-mailed a photo I posted alongside the updates. The team won again, so now our boys were headed to the state final four in a week. I met briefly with the students on the Web staff, and we decided that we would devote the home page articles to the team all week, and really focus on what was a huge event for our school. We have only been to the basketball final four one other time, in 1984, and we won state that year.In addition to print pieces, we added video clips and photo galleries. The pep rally was one of our busiest days, but one of my favorite videos was a simple sit-down interview with Karen Fielding, a veteran HHS teacher who recalled attending the championship game as a fan in ’84. She was a Hillcrest graduate who still lived in our district back then, and it was a wonderful conversation about what it had meant to our community when the team won the state championship. The interview segment is also a pretty good example of how you can incorporate very simple video pieces into your website coverage to provide background and context. The interview took 10 minutes to shoot, 20 minutes to edit, and within about 60 minutes of shooting it, we had it online.See the interview with Karen Fielding.You can see some of our archived coverage. As it turned out, our team won the state championship. So the staff of “HTV Magazine” shot and produced a trilogy about the fans, the team, and the celebration that followed back home. We will be uploading those pieces to the school website the day the TV show airs for the first time. It turns out my staff was pretty protective of the segments produced for television, and I can tell you that it was pretty unanimous. As one student put it, “The stories were done for our TV show, and we want people to watch them there first.”I have a feeling in the weeks and months ahead, we will return to this discussion. It is one I never really anticipated until the state tournament coverage happened. Is it better to air stories first on TV, then share them later online?  Or does it matter?Wow. This convergence thing is getting complicated. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=55 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=55 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST Want to know where magazines are going? What we should be teaching our students? Check out Wired’s new iPad App. http://mashable.com/2010/02/16/wired-magazine-ipad-demo/.  This is a sophisticated approach to magazine/print layout and interactivity. I believe this is the future of print journalism – newspaper, magazine and yes, eventually yearbook. Our video newscasts will have to be more graphically pleasing and offer a companion website with more depth. It just proves that all students need to know the new storytelling techniques: how to interview, how to write, how to shoot and edit video, how to put together Web packages – and how the layout must make it easy for readers and viewers to get the whole story. Doing quick, unedited videos on websites is not going to cut it. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=54 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=54 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST As the first semester of classes winds down at Hillcrest, so does our first semester of producing the school’s new website. This seems like a good time to take stock and share what seems to be working, and what we still need to figure out in the second half of the school year. The Daily Deadline It has been our mission from the beginning to update the lead story, at the top of the home page, each weekday. I am happy to share our success, thanks mainly to our site Editor-In-Chief Chelsea Peebles. She oversees the production of that story and even takes the photos now and then. Other members of our HTV staff are now taking over production of the lead story each Wednesday, giving Chelsea a much-deserved break. One thing we did not do that we should have is set up the page to archive the lead stories, short as they are, so the public could re-visit them. We are working with to make that happen. The rest of the site is archived. The Weekly Deadline The story at the bottom of the home page, our “Spotlight” feature, is more in-depth and only changes each week, usually on Tuesday. It has been popular, especially for the photo galleries that go with it. Never underestimate the value of posting lots of photos with each piece. We plan to step that up even more in the weeks ahead. We have also decided to start posting more video clips with the “Spotlight” story in the future. More art, more video. That message comes through loud and clear in the feedback we receive from students and staff. The Scoreboard I did not want to get eaten alive by sports coverage in the early stages of our Web development. Sports news can take over a website like ours if you let it. First, we made it clear to the staff we would only post scores of varsity events. On our “Sports” beat page we do run longer features and video clips. That seems to be working, but we need to provide more features, more photos, and more videos in the weeks ahead. The Beats Our beat coverage has been lighter than I had hoped. First, we do produce a TV show as well as the website, and to be honest, beat stories get pushed aside when other deadlines are bearing down on us. Also, some of the beats are challenging our reporters because there is not as much “news” to cover as we had originally hoped. So in the second semester, we plan to consolidate a few of the beats. For example, instead of the band and choir having their own separate beat pages, we are creating a new “Music” beat for all of the instrumental and vocal music groups. If you go with beat coverage on your page, my advice is to consolidate as many as you can instead of having pages that will not be very active. The Buzz Our short little sidebar column called “The Buzz” (we are the Hillcrest HORNETS, after all) has been a big hit. It’s a place to get the very latest items of interest, including reminders about games, plays, schedule changes, and other activities. It is also a great place to recognize Students of the Month and other award winners. We also link from there to our principal’s monthly newsletter. He likes that a lot. Final Grade I give my kids a strong “B” for their first semester of website management and production. Feedback has been positive, and we know people hit the site every single day. As we go along in the second semester, I will let you know how readers react when we start tweaking things. Part of any successful website, I think, is consistency. People want to know what they will find when the arrive at “hillcresthornets.org.”  So while some changes are coming, nothing too earth shattering will take place. We like our format, and the flexibility of WordPress has been wonderful. After the initial learning curve, I have found it to be very intuitive and user-friendly. http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=53 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=53 Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST OK, it’s a given that high schools are moving their school newspapers and TV news shows to the Internet.   Want to know where it’s going next?  Start with the new tablet readers – the next generation of Kindle-like devises. Add news and video in a magazine format, and you have the next generation of news delivery. To see how it will work, check out this Sports Illustrated video.     http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=51 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=51 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST A couple of weeks ago our football team made the playoffs for only the third time in school history, and the day of the game, which was being played 170 miles away on a school night, one of our cooks asked if we would have updates anywhere on the new school website.  A few dedicated fans and parents were making the trip to Pacific, MO for the game, but most of our students and staff would not be able to go, and the game was not being carried live on radio or television.  The question the cook asked prompted a lot of fast planning. How could we cover the game online and provide yet another service to our community on our new website? I decided all I really needed was a reliable “stringer” on site, someone willing to send regular, dependable updates during the game. Darrell Johnson, one of our assistant principals with a coaching background, was making the trek to Pacific, so I approached him about sending me the news every time a team scored.  I would then post it on our home page.  Darrell was enthusiastic, and we decided he would simply text message the updates. That way I’d have the information in “print form” on my cell, and we wouldn’t have to mess with numerous phone calls where I’d have to take notes. Having someone like Darrell, who has an understanding of football, helped immensely as he sent texts with the appropriate, pertinent details I could easily relay to our web audience via my trusty laptop. By the last block of the day, we had announced to everyone on the P.A. that they could get game updates on our website. I also e-mailed the faculty reminding them to follow the game online.   A handful of my HTV kids were going to the game, and for “art” I asked a couple of them to take photos with their phones and email them to me.  They did, and I waded through some pretty blurry shots until I found two or three that I posted during the game. One I liked the most was the first one, a shot of our fan section from the bleachers at the Pacific High stadium. As the scoring began, Darrell send the information within seconds.  I would say we had game information updated online within two minutes of someone crossing the goal line 170 miles down I-44.  We posted the names of the HHS kids who scored, and always included the game time with each update.  By the end of the night, we had posted more than 30 updates, averaging probably seven per half-hour.  Darrell sent along some “extras” like interceptions, fumbles, and a couple of fourth down “holds” that kept things interesting between scoring updates. The next morning, feedback came fast and was all extremely positive.  Several teachers, students, and yes, the cook, all said how much they appreciated the effort, and joked about how often they were hitting the “refresh” button the night before.  It was great to provide the updates, and it was one more way we made the new website a vital part of our school.  Note:   "Hillcrest defeated Pacific 42-17."                   http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=52 http://www.hsbj.org/blog.php?entity_id=52 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST Broadcast journalism veteran Dave Davis of Hillcrest High School in Springfield, MO, is keeping us up on his new daily multimedia coverage on the school's official website. A couple of weeks ago our football team made the playoffs for only the third time in school history, and the day of the game, which was being played 170 miles away on a school night, one of our cooks asked if we would have updates anywhere on the new school website.  A few dedicated fans and parents were making the trip to Pacific, MO for the game, but most of our students and staff would not be able to go, and the game was not being carried live on radio or television.  The question the cook asked prompted a lot of fast planning. How could we cover the game online and provide yet another service to our community on our new website? I decided all I really needed was a reliable “stringer” on site, someone willing to send regular, dependable updates during the game. Darrell Johnson, one of our assistant principals with a coaching background, was making the trek to Pacific, so I approached him about sending me the news every time a team scored.  I would then post it on our home page.  Darrell was enthusiastic, and we decided he would simply text message the updates. That way I’d have the information in “print form” on my cell, and we wouldn’t have to mess with numerous phone calls where I’d have to take notes. Having someone like Darrell, who has an understanding of football, helped immensely as he sent texts with the appropriate, pertinent details I could easily relay to our web audience via my trusty laptop. By the last block of the day, we had announced to everyone on the P.A. that they could get game updates on our website. I also e-mailed the faculty reminding them to follow the game online.   A handful of my HTV kids were going to the game, and for “art” I asked a couple of them to take photos with their phones and email them to me.  They did, and I waded through some pretty blurry shots until I found two or three that I posted during the game. One I liked the most was the first one, a shot of our fan section from the bleachers at the Pacific High stadium. As the scoring began, Darrell send the information within seconds.  I would say we had game information updated online within two minutes of someone crossing the goal line 170 miles down I-44.  We posted the names of the HHS kids who scored, and always included the game time with each update.  By the end of the night, we had posted more than 30 updates, averaging probably seven per half-hour.  Darrell sent along some “extras” like interceptions, fumbles, and a couple of fourth down “holds” that kept things interesting between scoring updates. The next morning, feedback came fast and was all extremely positive.  Several teachers, students, and yes, the cook, all said how much they appreciated the effort, and joked about how often they were hitting the “refresh” button the night before.  It was great to provide the updates, and it was one more way we made the new website a vital part of our school.  Note: Hillcrest defeated Pacific 42-17.