Script Writing for Newscasts

February, 25, 2014

Objective•You will learn about the specialized skill of broadcast news script writing.

•Take notes on the following Power Point presentation to file in the “production” section your notebook .

Broadcast stories will…

•Be shorter and simpler than print

stories

•Use present tense, active voice

•Sound more conversationaloUse “don’t” rather than “do not”

•Start with an attention-getting

“hook,”

Broadcast leads…

•5W/1H leads don’t work oToo much info at once

oToo hard to hear

oToo hard for an announcer to read

•Use “soft” leads instead oThrow-away lead

oAngle lead

Throwaway lead

Vacationers driving around the country

this summer are likely to find lots of

detours.

The American Automobile Association

says road repairs and construction are

going on all over the nation.

Angle Lead (hook)

Planning to drive on your vacation

this year? Get ready for lots of

detours.

The American Automobile

Association says road repairs and

construction are going on all over

the nation.

Some Things to Remember

•Keep your sentences short

•Keep subjects and verbs

close together

•Avoid introductory clauses

Quote Attribution

•Broadcast writers should avoid two

common print formats:

oputting the attribution after a quote or

statement

o identifying people by age, job title,

etc.

• It’s usually better to paraphrase quotes

Quote Attribution

•Listeners/viewers can’t see “quote

marks”

•Use direct quotes only when it’s

important to repeat someone’s

exact words.

Quote Attribution

RIGHT:The director of emergency disaster

relief said all victims of the Florida

hurricane are now back in

permanent housing.

Quote Attribution

WRONG:

“Victims of the Florida hurricane

are all back in permanent housing,”

said Scott Smith, director of

emergency disaster relief.

Broadcast Copy Guidelines

•Double-space

•CAPITALIZE EVERYTHING

•Use an easy-to-read

typewriter-style font (like

Courier or Arial)

Broadcast Copy Guideline

•Put a slugline at the top left of

each pageoVacation Detours

o30 seconds

•Scripts are always in a dual

column format

SAMPLE TV Spot Script 30 Apr 06 Name_______________________________

Internet resource Class__________

30 seconds Page 1

Kill Date: 31 Dec 06 Exercise # _______

VIDEO

(LS) STUDENT AT COMPUTER

(01:35)

(MS) COMPUTER MONITOR SCREEN

(02:05)

(CU) STUDENT TYPING ON COMPUTER (LIGHTING

CHANGES TO RED)

(03:00)

(CU) KEYBOARD

(03:43)

(ECU) COMPUTER SCREEN

(04:15)

AUDIO

MUSIC: UP & UNDER ANNOUNCER

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION? CHECK OUT THE INTERNET.

BUT BEWARE ... SOME INTERNET INFORMATION IS OFF LIMITS.

DON’T VENTURE INTO THE DARK SIDE OF THE INTERNET,

ESPECIALLY TO HOME PAGES WITH SEXUALLY EXPLICIT

MATERIAL.

YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THESE SITES, BUT

THE COMMANDANT HAS PLACED THEM OFF LIMITS.

ALL DINFOS COMPUTERS KEEP A LOG OF THE SITES YOU VISIT

... A LOG OFFICIALS COULD USE TO TRACK YOU DOWN.

(MORE)

SAMPLE TV Spot Script 30 Apr 06 Name_______________________________

Internet resource Class__________

30 seconds Page 1

Kill Date: 31 Dec 06 Exercise # _______

VIDEO

(CU) STUDENT’S FACE (STRIP LIGHTING ON FACE) (04:37)

(CU) COMPUTER MONITOR (PICTURE BLURS AND TURNS TO

STATIC)

(05:12)

AUDIO

(MORE)

BE SURE TO PULL THE PLUG ON BAD NET SURFING

HABITS ...

BEFORE SOMEONE PULLS THE PLUG ON YOU. KNOW AND

OBEY DINFOS INTERNET RULES.

MUSIC: FADE UP AND OUT TO TIME

# # #

Broadcast Guidelines • Omit datelines

• Work the location into the lead

• Use an end mark (- 30 -) or (# # #) to clearly

designate the end of the story

o Time = Length

o 20 seconds = 5 lines (45 words)

o 30 seconds = 8 lines (65 words)

o 60 seconds = 16 lines (125 words)

Punctuation

• Avoid complex punctuation

• Listeners/viewers can’t see it!

• Punctuation is only there to help the

announcer read the story

oCommas (,) and periods (.)

oEllipses (…) and dashes (--)

oQuotation marks (“__”)

oQuestion marks (?)

Complex Punctuation

•colons (:)

•semicolons (;)

•percentage signs (%)

•dollar signs ($)

•ampersands (&)

Unconventional punctuation

•Use ellipses (…) to indicate dramatic timing, like a long pause.

Example:

While workers were arriving early this morning … a deafening explosion shook the plant.”

Using Abbreviations

•Eliminate most abbreviations

(even AP Style abbreviations for

states)

•Use only well-known

abbreviations, like C-I-A and

NASA.

•Don't use abbreviations unless

you want them to be read as

abbreviations

Using Numbers

•Numbers can be hard to follow, so try to avoid using them

•If you do need to use numbers in your broadcast copy…oSpell out numbers under 12oUse numerals for 12 to 999oWrite “one thousand” instead of

1,000

Using Numbers

•Simplify complex numbers. oRound numbers offoUse modifiers such as…

approximately, almost, more than, about

Example:

$2,001,859.00 becomes “slightly more than two (m) million-dollars.”

More on numbers

• Spell out the symbols for dollars and cents

• 29-dollars or 60-cents

• Write fractions as words and hyphenate them

• two-thirds

• Use hyphens to link related numbers

• “For more information, call 1-800-5-5-5-1-2-1-2”

Time references

•Use present tense

•Avoid repeating “today” – say “early

this morning,” or “this afternoon”

instead

•Use terms that listeners can relate to

Example: “One lane of the freeway

will be closed during the morning

rush hour.”

Names & Titles

•Use the title before the name

• If the title is long, break it up or

shorten it

•Never begin sentences with a name

• If the person is well-known, like

President Bush, you can omit the first

name