How to Shoot a News Package
If you've ever dreamed of being a reporter or an anchor for a network news campaign, then mastering the news package is key. At first it can seem tricky and nearly impossible to get all of the necessary interviews, shoot your b-roll (secondary footage), record your voice-overs, edit and write your script all on a very tight time schedule. But after a lot practice, it's just tricky, not impossible.
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Instructions
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Preproduction
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1
Research the topic you've been assigned to cover. You need to understand the issue inside and out, and if it's an issue that has varying interests, you must know all sides of the issue.
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2
Decide on the angle to use to cover the story. Think outside of the box when looking for an angle, particularly if you're covering a very common story.
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3
Set up the interviews you need for your story. The first questions you should ask are: "What is your name?" and "How do you spell it?"
Production
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4
Write and shoot your stand-up on location where you're shooting your b-roll. Choose a location that best relates to the story you're trying to tell.
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5
Shoot plenty of b-roll. B-roll footage is the clips of film you use to connect the dots between your main story. How much b-roll you shoot will depend on the length of your story. If the allotted time for your story is a minute and a half, then try and shoot 30 minutes of b-roll footage.
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6
Create your voice-overs based on the video you've shot and the interviews you've conducted.
Post-production
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7
Record your voice-overs. Be careful of microphone levels when you're recording your vocals. Too low or too high will ruin your news package.
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8
Edit the news package and splice in your b-roll footage to compliment your story.
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9
Write an AP style script for your news package.
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