Principles of Good Writing as told by Allan Little -
- Have something to say
- Read books to give you a greater grasp of language
- Manipulate the language
- Use plain English
- Single Syllables work well
- Understand the Medium you use
- Aim for Story telling
- Be Direct
- Write Short Sentences
- Clarity & Precision
- Conversational
- Use Adjectives Sparingly
- Simplify the Language
- Think - What is the burden I want the script to carry?
What language devices to use?
- Alliteration -
- Avoid Repetition
- Word Play
- Rule of Three - Hung, Drawn and Quartered
- Similies and Metaphors - "The Judges decision like the voice of god" "In the courtroom the tension could be cut with a knife"
- Personification - "The Trial which laughs in the face of justice"
- Exaggeration
- Relatable Comparisons - "The film crew walked the length of five football pitches before remembering they left the batteries in the car"
- Avoid Repetition
The Page-F Test
- Precise - Spelling and Grammar what you say needs to be clear
- Accurate - Present the Facts reliably and Verifiably using UP TO DATE information
- Germane - Is it relevant? Do not waste time on unnecessary elements know the story, distill it into a topline.
- Equitable - Balance give both sides of the story equal priority, tackle subjects with sensitivity and fairness
- Flow - Logic, Walk the viewer through the story, tie writing linking from one point to the next.
- Attention Grabbing
- Concise
- Should sound fresh and new
- Written in an Active voice - Finding an active voice enhances and drives your narrative
- Be Creative
- Conversational
- Use Narrative to Tell the Story
- Dont weigh down with facts
- Keep to relecant points in terms of impact
Writing a Good Topline
- Distill the idea into a clear topline
- Clarify and communicate the purpose
- Keep it relevant to the viewer
- Avoid "So What?"
- Tease the Story
- Video, Audio,Production, Program
- Give them enough but not the whole story
Writing the Script
- Look at the pictures
- listen to the sound "let the pictures breath"
- Talk to the picture editor
- Write with flair and enthusiasm
- Deliver what you have written
- polish
- Use Segue words - Meanwhile, And, Well, Back home, now to...
- Engage the audience and allow them to see the relevance
- End on the presenter
- End on a shot which can hold for a few seconds incase of issues when finishing the package
Scripting A News Package
- Work out key elements before filming
- Work out a shot list and scripted elements such as PTCs
- Scripting will allow you to be sure you know what you need to shoot
- Give your reporter a purpose - Make them active within the package
- Who is involved?
- What are they doing?
- What happens next?
Decide how to tell your story
- Access
- Time
- Duration
- Angle
- Essentials
- Narrative
- Story Arcs
- Visuals
- Style
Headlines
- Like a menu
- Top story - Heavy/Importance
- Consider the Audience Sexualised
- Sell your story
Notes
- Write the Lead in first
- Then the package
- The the Tag
- DONT repeat the Lead in the package
- DONT be too wordy
- DONT overkill facts and figures
- Be brief and to the point
- Keep facts and figures simple and use good graphics
- Identify Key Questions
- What we hear and what we see have to connect
- What your saying should have a synergy with what your watching
- If writing for someone else get them to read through it
- Dont be too little
- Dont have images or sounds fight with each other
- Work out story in advance
- Chronology - Dont mess with timelines it gets too confusing for the viewer
- Latest/most up to date info first
- Strong Central Character
- Who, what, When, Where and Why
- Meaning, Context, Perspective
- When Editing, View it, Log it, Transcribe it.
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