How to Pick a Sound Bite for a TV News Story

Picking an effective sound bite for a TV news story requires experience and skill. Since a sound bite is short by definition, a lot needs to be said in very few words. A poorly chosen sound bite will distract from the story. A well-chosen one propels the story forward. Follow these tips to pick well.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Raw TV news footage

1. Understand what makes a good sound bite. An SOT (sound on tape) should convey emotion or opinion. These are things you are not allowed to blatantly say yourself as the reporter; but the people you interview can say whatever they like. When someone is crying, angry or laughing, it effectively communicates the tone of the story. You should strive to find these kinds of sound bites, even if they don't contain many words. Avoid using SOTs to convey information. As the reporter, you should be the one doing that.

2. Know what sound bites you want before you get them. When you are shooting a TV news story, you should already have a vision of what it will look like when it is finished. When interviewing someone, you should know what you want him to convey in his sound bite. It is your job as the reporter to draw out the emotion and opinion. Remember, the interview is all about getting the sound bite. You can get information another time, when the camera isn't rolling.

3. Hear the sound bite when it is spoken. Don't wait until you get back to the station and review the tape to select your sound bites. When you interview someone, you should listen for the perfect SOT for your story. Once you hear it, you can stop the interview. Often, a great sound bite will launch your story in another direction. Don't wait until you get back to the station to hear it. By then, it will be too late to do anything about it.

4. Pit your sound bites against each other. If there are opposing sides in your story, be sure to emphasize the conflict. Have one side face one way on camera. Position the other side facing the other way. They will appear to be facing off when switched back and forth. Also bait them with what the other side is saying. This is a great way to draw out the emotion of a controversial subject.

5. As a general rule, limit your sound bites to 10 seconds or less. If you have a fantastic sound bite with someone ranting or falling apart, you can extend it. Don't let viewers get bored or lose track of what an interviewee is saying. If you let her ramble, everyone will forget what your story was about.

Tips & Warnings

• Affecting TV-news-story writing hinges on great sound bites. Good reporters get great sound bites and write to them effectively. Your writing should weave these wonderful sound bites into the seamless fabric of your story. Don't skimp on the sound bites. No amount of good writing will make up for bad SOTs.