Welcome to JRN 521!

Length requirements are 2:00 to 3:30.

Feature video of small town event. Please choose either the parade or the bed race.

Interview at least two people. Weave in more B-Roll than you did for the sports video.

Due November 4, 2025.

Directions:

1. Talk with people familiar with either event. Find a unique and interesting story. Think out of the box,
2. Shoot strong footage of the event and reaction of the audience.
3. The interview should not dominate the piece. Weave B-Roll (natural video) in and out of your video. Show us rather than have someone talk about it the whole time.
4. Choose a situation with strong characters.
5. Intro should capture the audience’s attention. Shoot and edit a strong intro to grab your audience’s attention within the first ten seconds.
6. Vary your subject to camera distance for the interview.
7. SHOOT WIDE, MEDIUM AND TIGHT
8. SHOOT A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END.
9. Use a title slide, credits and lower thirds where appropriate.
10. Use voice over if it helps to advance the story.
11. Use cutaways to avoid jump cuts and to show us a visual narrative. NO JUMP CUTS.
12. Shoot lots of B-roll especially detail shots, wide shots and overall shots. -LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS. START EDITING WITH WAY MORE B-ROLL THAN YOU NEED.
13. Make sure you have visuals that compliment the audio.
14. In most cases, your b-roll should have a hint of audio. Around -12 to -15db
15. Your story must show an obvious beginning, middle and end.
16. Go behind the scenes. What is it like during the line-up process?
17. If you use music it must be neutral. In other words it should not alter the emotional message of the story. It must not be commercial. Resources: Bensound.com and Mobygratis

Requirements:

1. Stream your video on your blog before the due date
2. Choose a compelling poster for your video as it will appear on your screen before you press play.
3. Write a 250 word short story and include it under your video on your blog. Take notes for your story while shooting.
4. With a special heading, write about your experience.
5. Include a compelling title both in the video and on the screen where your video resides.

Rubric:

• Compelling video and audio
• Technical quality of video and audio
• Would an online news organization publish your piece?
• Strong beginning, middle and end?
• Strong intro to draw viewers in?