TV JOURNALISM. SCHOOL OF A CONTEMPORARY TV BROADCASTER

COURSE DURATION: 4 WEEKS
LEARNING HOURS: 160
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH WITH SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION INTO YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE
OPTION: MASTER CLASSES CONDUCTED BY HOLLYWOOD STARS ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
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TRAINING COURSE OBJECTIVE

The program ‘School of a contemporary TV broadcaster’ is designed for people who already have a journalism background, students of faculties of journalism, for those wishing to re-train from their existing creative occupation to the profession of a TV broadcaster or obtain additional vocational training. However, basically our course will be useful and interesting to all aspiring journalists without exception. Our course targets three main objectives:

• Training the next generation of TV journalists in the environment of the evolving 21 century world outlook and in view of the challenges of the newest cutting-edge technologies;
• Training students in a successful and efficient career-building in the field of TV journalism, both in Hollywood and in their home countries;
• Upgrading professional skills of independent journalists in accordance with the peculiarities of the contemporary broadcast TV, cable TV and Internet;

COURSE METHODOLOGY

A 4-week training course ‘School of a contemporary TV broadcaster’ is designed for teaching foreign students the contemporary American approach to the profession. Our course has been designed to provide students with conditions for an active immersion into the fundamentals of the profession in the short period of their stay in Hollywood. For this purpose the HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL MOVIE CENTER (HIMC) in collaboration with Columbia College Hollywood (CCH), Emerson College LA (ELA) and Musicians Institute (MI) provides students access to fully equipped classrooms and sets/stages for training, and comfortable dwelling quarters not far from the Academy.

The curriculum is designed so as students can apply the theoretical knowledge obtained in class to practice. For that purpose we provide the opportunity to conduct hands-on training at one of the biggest TV studio, where our students, using cutting-edge digital technologies, will be able to practice their skills in all aspects of the broadcasting profession, and get acquainted with the advanced digital technologies and methods presently used in this professional field. Students will work with digital HDTV and HDCAM cameras that afford them the opportunity to shoot in a variety of formats and styles. Experienced faculty will help students understand the complexities of modern video cameras, which can dramatically enhance the storytelling quality of their broadcasts. Great importance in our course methodology is given to editing, where students use nonlinear editing digital software, which guaranties them the highest level of creative control over the edited material. That in turn allows them to create news stories, which combine a sophisticated contemporary look with dynamic engaging content.

ACQUIRED SKILLS

Journalism is a highly specific discipline, especially TV journalism. Undeniably, the top performance in this profession is the TV broadcaster, for this vocation combines knowledge and the ability to apply all the skills of contemporary journalism. Upon the completion of our training course an aspiring journalist will have acquired the following professional skills:

• effectively research the topic;
• conduct a journalistic investigation;
• write the text (script) for his/her presentation;
• film;
• organize the filming process;
• know studio and ‘field’ work;
• work on-camera;
• work in a team and solo;
• edit material;
• be a part of a collaborative creative team, tight-knit and integral, committed to achieving a shared objective;
• work and conduct him/herself in a professional manner;
• efficiently and consistently work on building his/her career;
• derive maximum profit from his/her profession;

LEARNING PLAN

To teach someone a profession, be it journalism or any other, in 4 weeks is impossible. However it is absolutely realizable to upgrade the already existing qualification, understand and familiarize oneself with allied disciplines, get an insight into contemporary journalism, and even master its main techniques.

It should be understood, that our Program does in no way repeat, duplicate the educational programs of your schools, but is a separate independent course. Our objective is not to show the difference in training strategy in your home country and in the USA, but to teach you something new, inculcate new skills, necessary in the profession of a contemporary video journalist.

The extensive training course ‘The School of a Contemporary TV Broadcaster’ consists of theoretical and hands-on training in TV journalism with a specialization in TV broadcasting.

In addition to the basic course, HIMC organizes master-classes conducted by famous Hollywood actors and directors, and of course TV journalists and showmen.

THEORETICAL CLASSES

Classes, lectures and seminars are conducted daily, 5 days a week. Classes begin at 9.00, 2 double periods 90 min each, with a 15-min break.

• INTRODUCTORY LECTURES
  • Review of the training course ‘The school of a contemporary TV broadcaster’
  • Professional ethics of a journalist
  • Journalism in a democratic society
• TV NEWS IN THE UNITED STATES
  • Origin of TV news
    • History of network news
    • Early days
    • Expansion from 15 to 30 minutes
    • Jennings, Rather, Brokaw era
  • Contemporary TV news
    • Local news
    • National network news
    • Cable news
  • Contemporary development of the news industry
    • Internet
    • Websites
    • High-Definition TV (HDTV)
    • Nonlinear editing system
  • Formats
    • Traditional format
    • Eyewitness news
    • Action news
    • Breaking news
    • Franchise news
    • News during sweeps
• THE AMERICAN TALK SHOW INDUSTRY
  • History
    • First American talk shows
    • Talk shows of other countries
  • Genres and subgenres
    • Tabloid talk show
    • Late night talk show
  • Popular American talk shows
    • The Opra Winfrey Show
    • Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
    • Real Time with Bill Maher
    • Larry King Live
    • Lopez Tonight
    • Late Show with David Letterman
    • Charlie Rose
    • Good Morning America
• PROFESSION OF TV BROADCASTER
  • What is TV journalism (video journalism)
    • History of TV journalism/video journalism
  • Explore the path to the profession
    • What is a TV journalist in general and a TV broadcaster in particular
    • The most celebrated TV journalists/TV broadcasters of America: viewing American TV programs and analyzing the work of stars broadcasters
    • Distinctive images of TV journalists
  • Varying forms of video journalism
    • News feature
    • Profile writing
    • Cultural commentary
    • What is an op-Ed?
    • Narrative journalism
    • Gonzo journalism
  • Fundamental skills
    • Research
    • Interview
    • Fact checking
    • Personal style
  • Objective journalism Vs propaganda
    • Ethical norms for video and audio materials
    • Freedom of information, free press
    • A journalist – is the defendant of citizens’ rights to obtaining true and objective information
    • Accuracy in choice of words, phrases and sound bites is expected
    • Facts authenticity
    • Added sounds and music may have the power of setting the tone and changing the meaning of the piece
    • Editing as a tool of manipulating reality by violating space and time
    • Criminal distortion of truth through manipulation
  • Editing in the camera while shooting
    • Visualizing your concept – is virtual editing and your complete visualization of the concept in your head
    • The importance of wide, medium and tight shots
    • Subjective and objective judgment of the shot distance
    • The 5-shot method of shooting. Learn to shoot using CU-insert shots, i.e.: CU-hands, CU-face shots.
    • Medium shot: hands and face together.
    • Medium shot: over the shoulder/reverse angle.
    • Creative approach to object shooting: shoot high or low angles.
    • Paying attention to sequencing; wide, medium and tight shots, and how they move you through the story.
  • The 10 second rule
    • Learn to shoot so as you are comfortable at the editing stage
    • Hold each shot for at least 10 seconds
    • Do not interrupt the shot and the subject’s monologue, if the subject needs more time to tell the story
    • Always shoot more than you need
    • Shoot longer with clean actions
    • Start points and end points
  • Contemporary film equipment for TV journalism
  • Editing systems and editing Apps
  • Technical problem solving
    • Loading and digitizing
    • System failures
    • Mixing
    • HD file coding
  • Sequencing: the art of moving video clips to tell a story
    • The sequence is the foundation of all video storytelling
    • Sequences compress time in a video story
    • Time compression as a method of holding the viewers’ interest
    • Thinking visual: the ability to anticipate the action, be able to follow your scenario, a blitz reaction
    • Converting a story to images
    • Moving images to create a story
    • Narration track to illustrate a story Vs a visual story first
    • Rhythm
    • Pacing
    • Being creative in a time frame
    • Sound track
    • VFXs
    • Titles
    • Mixing audio
  • The video journalist as a one-person unit
    • Journalist-videographer-editor-producer-distributor
  • How to sell your material
    • ‘raw’ unedited footage
    • A ready story
    • How to make a successful pitch
  • Acting skill of a TV broadcaster
    • Speech training
    • You are on air
    • Work in the given circumstances
    • Action
    • TV makeup

HANDS-ON TRAINING

Hands-on training starts after lunch, at 13:00. Hands-on assignments are planned according to the principle: ‘from simple to complicated’. During their training period students will be given the following hands-on assignments in the form of homework:

• Homework Assignment 1
  • Note: pocket size notebooks will be handed out to each student. Start a professional note book only to be used for journalistic purposes. This book is used for contact information such as names, titles, position, telephone #s, emails. It should also list story leads, fact checks, location and ideas. The purpose of this pocket book is to keep journalistic work and assignments in one place. Walk the city and observe what activities are occurring around you. Be observant, and using your cell phone, compose ten still photographs that tell a story. Attempt to capture an action that has a beginning, middle and an end. Arrange the still photos in a slide show sequence that tells the story you witnessed. Your sequence will be viewed and discussed in class.
• Homework Assignment 2
  • Once again shoot a ten still photo occurrence observed somewhere in the city, but this time record an accompanying VO narration track to explain what is going on. The class will review this sequence with and without the VO narration to see how it affects the story.
• Homework Assignment 3
  • Become aware of the lack of privacy in our modern world. Locate and photograph as many hidden cameras a s you can, that keep an eye on us in our everyday lives. Banks, stores, elevators, alleyways, homes, subways, intersections, and of course our cell phones. The purpose of this exercise is to become aware of these potential sources of documenting a story. These are potential secondary sources a journalist can use to tell his story.
• Homework Assignment 4
  • Roam the city and try to video people and their activities without being seen. Engage them in conversation if you can, and try to covertly capture usable video and audio. Perfect how to disguise the camera without getting caught. This is an exercise to see how not to intimidate subjects by a camera.
• Homework Assignment 5
  • Use a digital video camera supplied by the school to film a story either staged or natural to practice the 10 seconds rule (every shot should be at least ten seconds in length) and the 5 varying size rule consisting of:
    

    А) Insert Close Up Shot ie. face
    B) CU subject Shot ie. hands
    C) Medium Shot ie. hands and face together
    D) Medium Shot ie. reverse angle, over the shoulder
    Е) Come up with either an establishing wide shot, or a creative filler shot like a low or high angle.
    

    After shooting, edit these shots in a sequence to tell a story by visual means only (MOS).
• Homework Assignment 6
  • Search TV or Internet news and find a news clip to modify into a propaganda news piece. By subtle use of re-editing, changing narrative, and the addition of sound effects and music, change an objective truthful story into a subjective lie. We will compare the original clip to the altered one. This assignment is to understand the power of manipulation and its primitivism.
• Homework Assignment 7-9
  • Prepare a news-worthy story to shoot. Study local events and piggyback on a current local news item. It can be a traffic accident, a criminal incident, or a weather related incident to an ongoing occurrence like the California drought. Interview people on camera and get their response. Shoot lively footage to enliven and bolster the story. Show different points of view. The finished result should be no more than two minutes in length.
• Homework Assignment 10-13
  • Do an investigative report on the homeless situation in Los Angeles. Visit various locations like the tent people in down town LA to the Santa Monica beach district and attempt to interview the victims and the people devoted to help them. Visit churches, shelters, soup kitchens and charities to see and cover all sides of the problem. The length should be 5 to 8 minutes. This will be your diploma work.
  • Apart from these hands-on assignments aspiring TV journalists will be offered an opportunity to get an insight into the work of American professionals at CBS Studio – the largest TV studio in the world. You will have a chance to see the actual shooting of a TV show and recording of a news program - to get a first-hand illustrative example of a TV journalist’s work in the USA. After such studio visits our teachers will conduct a thorough analysis of the professional work you had seen.
  • You will also be given an opportunity to do an interview with a public person: actor, director, sportsman, etc.
• Homework Assignment 14-16
  • You will be provided an opportunity to try yourself as an anchorman/anchorwoman. You will have to read several news texts in a studio, working on camera, using a TV prompter, in a modeled live broadcast regime.
• Homework Assignment 17-18
  • Prepare and make two short studio interviews with celebrities. The interview subjects will be provided by the Academy. They may be film celebrities, sportsmen or politicians.

Entertainment program

As an option students are offered an extensive entertainment program for the week-ends: tours of LA, visiting the legendary concert hall ‘Hollywood Bowl’, concerts, exhibitions, museums, film premiers, etc.