How to Edit a TV News Voice-Over

Voice-overs are the shorter stories that news anchors tend to read. They give the viewers the nuts and bolts of a story without getting into too much detail. Because they are shorter, they can be written and edited rather quickly. Read on to learn how to edit a TV news voice-over.

Instructions

1. Load your video into the editing system. If it's non-linear like Edius, you may need to ingest it in real time. Create and save the project. If it's tape-to-tape, you're all set to go.

2. Scroll through b-roll to remind yourself of what shots were gathered. If someone else shot it, this is your chance to familiarize yourself with the content.

3. Tell the producer if there's something you shot or didn't shoot that could affect the script. For example, if you got there late and missed the induction, make sure they know that.

4. Get a voice-over (VO) script from the reporter or producer. Look it over, to make sure you have video to match most of what is said.

5. Cut the video. If you're working on non-linear, drag some clips from your bin and drop them on the timeliness. If you're working tape-to-tape, set your in-point on the recording deck.

6. Start with an establishing shot. This is a wide shot of the event, accident or the like. It helps give the viewers a broad idea of what the story is about. Trim it to be about five seconds long. If you're editing tape to tape, set your in and out points on the play deck and hit "Take."

7. Lay down the rest of the video, to correlate with the script. For non-linear editing, bud up each piece of video after the other, adding dissolves if desired. With tape-to-tape, keep setting new in and out points to lay down the video.

8. Make the voice-over 40 seconds long. That's the standard. If the script looks longer, though, add more so video so it doesn't go to black.

Tips & Warnings

• If you shot a lot of good natural sound like at a concert, tell the producer they should have the anchor pause and bring the nats up to full audio during the newscast. This will give the viewers a chance to really hear it.

• Always add extra video to the end of a VO for padding.

• Read aloud with the story to make sure it matches the video or ask the anchor to do so.

• Avoid really short edits. Two second shots tend to be jarring to the viewers, unless there's a purpose for it.

• Avoid really long edits. Don't keep a boring shot up there for eight seconds if you have other video.

Resources

• Editing Equipment Website
• A Tutorial on Editing