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Media
Writing
An Introduction To
Ngim Mei Yee
Block C Level 9
Housekeeping
Attendance and other expectations
Module Introduction
Assessments
In-class Tutorials and Blended Learning
Tutorials
Textbook
Other matters
Assessments: 100% Coursework (%)
ASSESSMENTS
1. Quiz 1 (Individual)
In-tutorial Quiz: Week 6
10
2. Assignment 1 (Individual):
Feature Package (FINAL PIECE)
Due date: Week 8
30
3. Quiz 2 (Individual)
Online TIMeS Quiz: Week 13
20
4. Assignment 2 (Group):
Media Writing for Organisation
Website
Due date: Week 14
(Note: Those going on the Student Mobility Programme to UK would be doing this assignment as part of the programme)
40
100
What does FINAL PIECE mean?
Your FINAL PIECE assignment is that piece
of individual assignment that you MUST
submit.
What happens if you don’t?
You will then automatically FAIL the entire
module, with no opportunity to resit.
You would need to then re-take the entire
module in the following semester.
Important Information
You MUST have access to TIMeS at all times (hey,
a pun!)
You MUST check your TIMeS before each tutorial
class.
Tutorials sessions can include:
normal in-class tutorial activities (most often),
quiz day (Quiz 1, week 6)
self-directed blended learning activity (this means no
physical tutorial class for that week). Attendance?
consultations for assignments
You are ENCOURAGED to BYOD for each tutorial.
Many weeks of tutorial work involve online
research and postings.
Media Writing BMC 1154 Course Objective:
This course prepares students to write for various media, each of which requires distinct styles and approaches. It takes students through a survey of different styles, understanding the nuances, and appreciating the underpinning theories that influence the crafting of written communication. Ample practice is given to developing writing skills for efficient and effective writing for the media.
Media Writing as Mass
Communication
Writing for the mass media involves
Radio
TV
Newspapers
Magazines
Film
PR
Advertising
Blogs
The Internet
Purpose of Communication
3 Basic Functions of Mass Media (Harold Lasswell, communication researcher)
Surveillance of the environment (report what
is happening around us)
Interpretation (explaining to various publics what the news and information being transmitted means to them)
Transmission of culture (from one generation to the next)
Challenges in Communication
Perceptual Distortion - misinterpretation of information
The tendency to introduce inaccuracies in perceiving
what the writer/announcer said.
Why?
Too many competing sources of information.
People read superficially or listen “with one ear”.
Challenges in Communication
Denotative & Connotative Meanings of Words & Symbols – same information, different meanings
People attach denotative labels(standard,
descriptive names) but also add in their connotative
meanings.
Why? Different experiences, attitudes, opinions &
beliefs
How differently can a smoker and non-smoker
interpret a “NO SMOKING” sign?
Challenges in Communication
Noise – leading to communication interference
Physical noise
Things that distort the reception of the message.
Semantic noise
Confusion caused by using words or phrases
that the audience cannot understand or might
misinterpret.
Which is which?
STATIC, LOUD BACKGROUND MUSIC, SMALL FONT, POOR
COLOUR CHOICE, JARGON, TECHNICAL DETAILS, POOR
GRAMMAR, MISPELLINGS
Cardinal rule of newswriting:
“… what the communicator sends by way
of a message is less important than what
the audience receives and perceives.”
Media Research & Theories
Media research (1) reveals audience
behaviour and (2) helps explain differences
and similarities in media habits.
Media writers can use these theories to better
understand how people receive and distort
media messages, which in turn helps them
better craft and target messages with clearer
intentions.
Media Research & Theories
Individual Differences
Social Categories
Stereotypes
Opinion Leaders
Acculturation
Individual Differences & Social
Categories
According to the Individual Differences theory:
People are unique in the way they approach
media messages.
Their demographics, psychographics and
experiences shape their perceptions of
communicators and their transmissions.
According to the Social Categories theory:
People who share similar demographic
characteristics will respond similarly to a given message.
Continued... Therefore: media writers need to note
audience background as well as credibility of their sources and information when transmitting their messages.
According to the above theories, do you think women interpret a news report differently from that of men?
If yes, how?
Continued...
Women tend to remember feature news
and pay attention to visual background
detail.
How should a media writer respond to
that?
Media theory: Stereotypes A filtering process takes place as readers, listeners
and viewers interpret facts and events.
Stereotypes: mental images people use as simplified representation of reality.
These mental pictures seem true to us and we respond to them as though it were true.
Stereotypes can impede the flow of information because they are not a true representation of the actual reality or environment.
E.g. of stereotypes = race, gender, age, politics, international relations.
Media theory: Opinion
Leaders
Also known as the two-step flow of
communication
Media messages travel to influential
community members = opinion leaders
Opinion leaders explain the significance
of the messages to those who look to
them for guidance.
Examples of opinion leaders = ??
Continued…
Expanded theory = multi-step flow of
mediated communication, with multiple
opinion leaders at various levels of influence
QUESTION: Can individual audience bypass
opinion leaders altogether and create own
interpretation of events and ideas relayed by
the media?
QUESTION: So are opinion leaders still
important in the media today?
Media theory: Acculturation
Media writers can be influenced by what they do.
These writers become socialised into adopting the mindset of their environment – often without conscious knowledge.
E.g. news reporters adopt the attitudes and behaviours of those they cover.
Political reporters may take on the views of the people about whom they report
Media writers must be very cautious about this effect. Why?
Roles within the Media
Gatekeeper
Decisions made on what an audience sees, hears and reads as well as access to sources.
Who are the gatekeepers in the media industry?
Agenda Setting
What sells?
What is important?
All about perceived newsworthiness.
Influence audience on what to think about.
Continued… Framing
More often seen in coverage of political or social
issues.
Focuses on the presentation (frame) of the story via
the use of context, metaphor, myths, word choice
and “spin”.
Influence how the audience think about an issue.
“Police incompetence”, “up and coming young
activist”, “lenient judges”
Status Conferral Confers status and legitimacy
Media writers need to choose sources to quote carefully to ensure that source is legitimate and representative.
Theories of the Press
Libertarianism Anyone with an opinion has the right to
publish it without government approval. Primary responsibility of the press is to be a watchdog for society
Social Responsibility All voices could not be represented in
marketplace, the media must ensure all viewpoints are expressed. The government’s role is to ensure the media fulfills that responsibility.
So,
what
makes news
news?
That’s for next
week!
Announcements:
1. Tutorials for Week 2 = Self-directed e-learning activity
2. This means: No physical tutorials
3. Download Tutorial Brief from TIMeS and follow instructions 4. We meet up next for Lecture next week. 5. Email me: [email protected] if in doubt.
1. Determining What is News
2. Basic News Stories
BMC 1154
Media Writing
Ms Ngim Mei Yee
Block C Level 9
So,
what
makes news
news?
What makes news news?
• Who determines what is news?
• How do they know when a news story will be
worthwhile to their readers, viewers and
listeners?
• How do media professionals select the most
significant and satisfying stories from the many
possible stories available on any given day?
Continued...
• News is an outstanding deviation from the norm,
something that doesn’t ordinarily happen.
• News is a combination of what audiences need to
know and want to know.
• News can be what the media feel responsible to
inform citizens of e.g. public events, public
policies etc.
“News-making” criteria
• Events or item of information can be judged newsworthy
if they meet the (some or all) of the following criteria:
• Timeliness/currency
• Is it happening now?
• News is about change. Something that has JUST occurred.
• Few events of major significance can be defined as news if they
fail to meet the standard of timeliness.
• When in doubt on which story to take the lead, go for
timeliness.
• Proximity
• Is it taking place near and dear to the audience?
• Give a local angle and make it relevant
• Explain how it touches their lives
Continued…
• Prominence
• Is it about a famous person or place?
• “Names make news”
• Consequence
• Does it have a strong impact on people’s lives?
• The more people are affected, the greater is the news value.
• Media writers need to know their audience thoroughly in order
to produce newsworthy articles for them.
• Conflict & Suspense
• Is it related to conflict and its resolution?
• Conflict is a universal news value.
• Team vs team; nation vs nation; man vs nature.
• Suspense is a news peg related to conflict.
Continued…
• Human interest / Emotions
• Does it appeal to human emotions?
• Stories that emphasise human nature create emotional
responses – happiness, sadness, anger, elation, hate, humour,
envy, love, the “aww” factor
• Novelty
• Does it concern the unusual or strange?
• The “firsts”, the “lasts”, the “onlys”, the “specials”
• An unusual or strange slant to a story lifts it out of the ordinary
and catches audience interest.
• Progress
• Does it give positive or negative information about people and
communities achieving or failing to achieve their goals?
• Is it about some new developments of local business and
industry?
Can you think of news examples?
• Timeliness/currency
• Proximity
• Prominence
• Consequence
• Conflict/Suspense
• Human interest / Emotions
• Novelty
• Progress
Why does news value matter?
• Media writers make judgment on:
• What to write
• How to write
• What information to include
• Where to include what information
Basic News Stories – Hard news
• What are news stories?
• Stories suitable for print or online journalism in
newspapers.
• Generally, traditionally – “Hard News”
• “Hard” news is coverage of an event while it is actually
occurring aka “up to the minute”
• E.g. a press conference, a plane crash, a natural disaster.
• Generally – economics, politics, war and crime (domestic
and international) = hard news.
Serious. Urgent. Happening Now.
Hard news
• Demands immediate reporting – due to its importance and
short lifespan.
• Appears as front page news on newspapers or news
stories that get first attention in broadcast news.
• Loss of human life > human injury > property loss
• Inclusion of information should be in the above order.
• Question: Should hard news be writing long or short?
The Inverted Pyramid
Editors can cut
unnecessary info from the
bottom up.
Continued…
• Using the inverted pyramid structure allows you to:
• Exercise news judgment – construct the story in an order reflecting the newsworthiness of the material
• What do readers most need/want to know? That information goes first.
• What do they secondarily need/want to know? That info goes next. And so on.
• If a reader scans through your first paragraph (also known as Lead paragraph) and is able to understand the nature of the news and grasp what they most need to know, then the writer has passed a key test.
• In other words, using the inverted pyramid structure allows you to deliver all the necessary information in the quickest and most efficient manner.
The lead paragraph
• The 4 W’s & an 1 H
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• How
• Leads are usually limited to about 35 words, although lengths
may vary according to different newspaper’s house styles.
• A lead should be a single sentence. And this single sentence
should typically comprise the first paragraph of the news
article.
• Written in a straightforward, direct manner. “Tell it as it is”.
• The first words of the lead are the most important words in the entire story.
• Someone important did something in the news = use the person’s name
• What happened is more important than who did something = begin with
what happen
Flow of the text
• As your text flows down from the inverted pyramid in the lead,
as well as from the lead into the next paragraphs, transition
words become especially important for both the writer and the
reader.
• Transition words represent the relationship between the ideas
in your story and helps the readers understand the flow of the
story.
• Use the precise transition word to meaningfully link your
facts together.
• Also, in addition, furthermore (links)
• In the same way, likewise, similarly (compare)
• Although, but, however, on the contrary (contrast)
• Clearly, indeed, surely, certainly (emphasis)
• Afterward, later, next, before, since (shows relationship in time)
Breaking up the text
• New stories should be broken into separate paragraphs
when:
• The topic changes slightly
• The emphasis or meaning shifts
• The use of frequent paragraph breaks:
• creates more white space in the column
• makes text less “gray”
• and thus less formidable and more approachable to readers
Remember: It’s all about catching and maintaining the readers’
attention.
Continued…
• Use subheads (minor headlines between paragraph units of the story)
• Within the framework of the inverted pyramid, construct information as chunks of text
• Keep similar ideas together and write clear transitions from one chunk to the next
• Think of opportunities for graphic insertion to:
• enhance your story through colour and line interest
• take the place of long units of explanatory text
• provide additional information or explains a complicated subject
Do’s and Don’ts
Chronological narrative?
• Some writers believe a story written in straightforward chronology
is clearer and more “satisfying” to read.
• In hard news stories, this is rarely used though it MAY be used at
times.
• More often, it is “soft news” or feature writing that employs such a
chronological structure.
• News written in this format is usually termed as being given the
“feature treatment” and is labeled a “news feature” or “soft news”.
• You could still employ the narrative writing within a news article
AFTER the inverted pyramid lead (e.g. when recounting a chain of
events or how an accident happened etc.)
• Use narrative in a news story only when it makes a reader grasp the
information more thoroughly, and not because it is easier to construct
the story.
What about “Soft News”?
• When "hard" news breaks, the news and a reporter's agenda are
decided by the events. Deadlines are imperative when it comes
to hard news as the news needs to be covered immediately
upon occurrence.
• “Soft” news may be considered of “lesser highlight” than the
other major hard news featured in the same newspaper.
• Soft news usually cover background information or human
interest stories.
• The deadline for a soft news to be covered by a reporter is
more flexible than hard news. Soft news is also generally the
type of news that impacts a minority group rather than society
at large (hard news).
'I love you': MH370 flight steward's last words to wife
China group arrives seeking answers
Volvo Cars CEO on sick leave after mild stroke
Two ships pick up objects but none confirmed to be related to
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 yet
19 hurt after bus lands on its side
One night only: Catch Swedish House Mafia on the big screen
Faulty traffic lights cause gridlock leading to Sunway area
Disney's 'Frozen' becomes top-grossing animated film ever
Continued…
• Soft news:
• May not need to use factual 5W and 1H in the lead.
• Need not use inverted pyramid format.
• But still requires accurate factual reporting based on
sources.
• Not opinion pieces.
Hard vs soft news
• Hard news vs soft news is generally judged based on:
• Topic/events (immediate or delayed)
• News production (deadlines)
• News focus (hard facts only or human interest slant)
• News style (writing style – 5W, 1H, lead style)
• News reception (impacts who?)
Avoiding libel
• Usage of the right words:
• Allegedly (legal),
• Reportedly (speculation)
• Apparently (without
witness)
• In connection with (a crime)
• Make sure sources agree to
be quoted
Announcements
• Tutorials next week: Download tutorial brief from TIMeS
and make sure you come to tutorial class prepared.
• We meet for in-class tutorial activities next week.
• Please ensure you have TIMeS access as your Quiz 1
(10%) would be on Week 6.
BASICS OF WRITING AND EDITING
BMC 1154
Media Writing
GOOD WRITING IS ALL ABOUT GOOD EDITING
• Media writers are not novelists or poets who have
greater freedom in their writing style.
• Media writers write without a conspicuous
personality and deliver professional writing
according to the following principles:
• Principles of inclusive language
• Principles of meaningful langue
• Principles of simple language
• Principles of standard usage
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
• Language choice that applies to everyone in your audience, without alienating or excluding anyone.
• It‟s not merely about being politically correct – use of inclusive language actually makes writing more effective.
• If any in your audience feels excluded because of the words used, the writer has failed to communicate effective.
• This is a barrier in communication.
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: USE GENDER / RACIAL / MINORITY
INCLUSIVE WORDS
• News often is defined in terms of an event that differs
from norms and expectations – hence media writers
may find young, female surgeons or a minority Prime
Minister or a handicapped CEO of newsworthiness.
• Good media writers present these details in the course of
their story/writing without drawing inordinate attention to
these factors.
• How?
• By not implying that gender, race, sexual orientation,
physical disability as the person‟s major defining
characteristic.
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: USE PROPER PRONOUNS WITH FIXED GROUPS
• “He” is not a generic pronoun that could refer to both genders. Not anymore.
• Options to avoid using the masculine pronouns when referring to a mixed group: 1. Use plural (“Artists should take care of their brushes.”)
2. Use 1st or 2nd person (“As an artist, you should take care…”)
3. Use the passive voice (“For artists, great care should be taken with…”)
4. Use double pronouns (“The professional artist should take care of his or her brushes…”)
5. Use “one” (“As a professional artist, one should take care of one’s brushes.”)
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: USE NEUTRAL TERMS
• Foreman = ?
• Supervisor
• Housewife = ?
• Homemaker
• Statesman = ?
• Diplomat
• Spokesman = ?
• Spokesperson
• Fireman = ?
• Firefighter
• Newsman = ????
• Newspaper person??
• Journalist / Reporter
Members of xx
xx representatives
xx personnel
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: AVOID GENDER STEREOTYPES
• Avoid using pronouns solely linked with one gender
or another with certain words
• Secretaries, nurses, ballerina need not be women.
• Astronauts, surgeons, football players are not always men.
• Avoid using feminine labels if you do not similarly
use masculine labels.
• Female attorney (do you say male attorney??)
• Woman doctor (do you say man doctor??)
OTHER CAUTIONS
• Be careful when referring to race, religion and
ethnicity and even politics
• People attach great emotional significance to such
affiliations
• Mention race only if it is relevant
• Do not confuse ethnicity with religion
• Research religious terminologies and do not assume one
term is the same as another (e.g. priest vs minister)
CONTINUED…
• Be sensitive in describing age
• It used to be routine in listing age in news as part of the basic
identification.
• However increasingly this is no longer routine in an age of
growing personal privacy and security concerns.
• Terminologies like “students” are more inclusive than
“schoolchildren”.
• Fuzzy words like “middle-age”, “senior citizen” and “young
adult” need extra caution when used.
• Describe physical characteristics with care
• “people with handicaps” vs “handicapped people”
• “a man with AIDS” vs “AIDS victim”
• Avoid using offensive quotes
• Exercise judgment even on words that may not come from you
USE MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE
• Writers share meaning and communicate so that
readers accurately understand what the writers
wish to convey.
• Shared meaning and accurate understanding
require that the writer and the reader apply the
same meanings to the words being used.
MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE & USING THE RIGHT WORDS
• Have a good command of your vocabulary
• “imply” vs “infer”
• “disinterested” vs “uninterested”
• “John drowned” vs “John was drowned”
• “their” vs “there” vs “they‟re”
• “your” vs “you‟re”
• Know the difference above?
MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE & PRECISE DESCRIPTIONS
• Write concretely and specifically.
• Choose the word or phrase that provides the most accurate nuance for the situation.
• “The company lost a lot of money last year” vs
“The company lost $1.5million USD last year”
• “As soon as possible” vs “In the next hour”
• “decline” vs “failed to” vs “neglected to” vs “refused to”
MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE & AVOIDING JOURNALESE
• Generalities, clichés, jargon and overwriting =
journalese
• Journalese can become weary, stale and trite
• E.g.
• Temperatures soar
• Costs skyrocket
• Fires rage
• Projects get a green light
• Few and far between
• Just a drop in the ocean
• In a nutshell
MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE & PRETENTIOUS LANGUAGE
• Words are sometimes inflated to sound more
impressive than the facts warrant.
• There may be no real harm but serious writers need to
approach this kind of language carefully.
• Can obscure the real meaning
• Readers can take a longer time to decipher the meaning
• Readers can become cynical with your writing
• E.g.
• “experienced vehicles”, “follically impaired”, “genuine
synthetic leather”, “vacation specialists”
SIMPLE LANGUAGE
• Good writing is simple writing.
• Your readers read your writing not because they
have to but because they want to.
• Readers will want to read only when they are able
to understand what you are writing.
SIMPLE LANGUAGE
1. Think before you write and then write logically.
2. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases, and avoid redundancies (more on this in the next segment).
3. Choose simple words. If technical words cannot be avoided, use a simpler paraphrase to explain the concept.
4. Avoid contractions in most formal print media writing (however, broadcast is more conversational in style).
5. Avoid creating new words or foreign constructions.
6. Avoid rhyme and alliteration (unless in feature and copywriting)
7. Use short sentences to encourage readability.
8. BUT. Vary sentence lengths and sentence structures – this is one of the standards of effective writing.
9. Choose the active voice whenever possible.
STANDARD USAGE
• Use standard English
• Parallel structure
• Word choices – avoid wordiness, clichés and slang
• Grammatically correct sentence structure
• Other grammar rules
• It is extremely important that writers are also their
own editors – know how to spot your own grammar,
spelling, punctuation and word choice mistakes.
PARALLELISM/PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Two or more equal ideas should be expressed in
parallel form.
What does “parallel” mean?
• Balanced
• Similar
• Matching
EXAMPLES
Non Parallel
1. The bowl is filled with
crisp apples, juicy
oranges and bananas
that are ripe.
2. Alice likes to read
mystery novels, do
puzzles and browsing
the internet.
Parallel
1. The bowl is filled with
crisp apples, juicy
oranges and ripe
bananas.
2. Alice likes to read
mystery novels, do
puzzles and browse
the internet.
EXAMPLES
Non Parallel
• Would you prefer to
spend the morning
playing basketball,
watching TV or at the
mall?
• The moviegoers talked
and were rattling
popcorn boxes during
the film.
Parallel
• Would you prefer to
spend the morning
playing basketball,
watching TV or
shopping at the mall?
• The moviegoers talked
and rattled popcorn
boxes during the film.
Paralleled sentences read
BETTER, SMOOTHER and MORE NATURALLY.
WHEN TO USE PARALLELISM
Parallel structure always applies to two or more
equal ideas – usually within the same sentence.
Some examples where it is appropriate:
1. When presenting a series of items
E.g. Popular holiday activities include visiting
relatives, lazing around the pool and travelling to a
new country.
2. When offering choices
E.g. Students could either opt to write a 10-page
report or take the final exam.
3. When making a list
E.g. Job responsibilities
1. producing scripts
2. supervising a team of 5
3. generating reports
WHICH ONE IS NOT PARALLEL?
1. to gather information
2. to generate ideas
3. writing several drafts
1. couple argued
2. crying baby
3. neighbours eavesdropped
1. selfish
2. lacking kindness
3. impatient
WORD CHOICES
• Not all writing problems involve grammar. A
sentence may be grammatically correct yet fail
to communicate effectively because of words
that the writer has chosen.
• Wordiness, slang and clichés are three „enemies‟
of effective communication.
BE CONCISE
Nobody wants to read a “wordy” news article with
lots of unnecessary words.
Making your writing direct and concise:
1. helps bring your point straight across
2. prevents ambiguity or confusion
3. decreases the chances of grammar or spelling
errors
WORDY
1. In this article, I am planning to describe the hobby that I enjoy of collecting old comic books.
2. In Ben‟s opinion, he thinks cable television will change and alter our lives in the future.
3. At this point in time, we have not yet scheduled the date of the inquiry.
Can you find a more direct way to write the above sentences?
CLEAR & DIRECT
1. I enjoy collecting comic books due to many
reasons.
2. Ben thinks cable television will change our lives.
3. We have yet to schedule the inquiry.
Wordy Expressions
• At this point in time
• In the event that
• Few in number
• Made the decision to
• Postponed until later
• Small/big in size
• Blue in colour
• During the time that
• Due to the fact that
• Each and every day
• Return back
• Etc.
Shorter Versions
• Now
• If
• Few
• Decided
• Postponed
• Small/big
• Blue
• While
• Because
• Daily
• Return
• Etc.
AVOID SLANG
• Slang expressions are part of our everyday
language. They may be lively and fun to use in a
casual conversation but does not generally belong
in formal writing.
• What‟s more, not everyone understands the
meaning of certain slang words as, by nature, slang
is frequently used by limited social groups and
changes with time.
E.G. OF SLANG PHRASES TO AVOID
1. losing his marbles
2. dude
3. far out
4. wicked
5. ripped off
6. lucked out
7. etc.
Can you think of any more?
AVOID CLICHÉS
• Clichés are commonplace expressions that might
have sounded clever or even funny – once.
• But over time, too many people have used them
and it becomes boring to read.
• Don‟t be lazy – if you wish to write creatively, find
original ways to say what you mean, not use other
people‟s worn-out sayings.
E.G. OF CLICHÉS TO AVOID
1. Avoid like the plague (so passé – we don’t have plague anymore)
2. Busy as a bee (cutesy!)
3. Dog-tired (only dogs can be tired??)
4. It goes without saying (if so, then why are you saying it?)
5. Pretty as a picture (have you seen some of the abstract art out there?!)
Can you think of any more??
UNGRAMMATICAL SENTENCES
KEY TERMS
Clause: a group of words with subject and verb
Subject = The do-er of the action in a sentence
Verb = The action word in a sentence
He / She / It / John / The monster / The mansion (subject)
eats / thinks / throws up / manipulates/ chomps
(verb)
CONTINUED…
Independent clause: a clause that expresses a complete thought and is able to stand alone and be a grammatical sentence on its own.
E.g.
1. The monster chomps on a sandwich.
2. The truck ran over a cherry blossom petal.
CONTINUED…
Dependent clause: A clause that does not express a complete thought and is not able to stand alone (ungrammatical as a sentence of its own).
E.g.
1. X As the town burned down.
2. X Because he was uneducated.
Compare with:
1. Citizens of Doomsville continued to sleep soundly, as the town burned down.
2. Because he was uneducated, John‟s success was the result of much toil.
CONTINUED…
Fragment: a group of words without a subject or a verb (e.g. phrase) or a dependent clause.
E.g.
1. For example, my mother, my father and my great-grandmother.
2. Such as Jasmine.
3. When she left.
4. After the fact.
A. FUSED SENTENCES
A fused sentence is a sentence made up of two independent clauses with no punctuation separating them.
E.g. Exam anxiety is a very real condition some symptoms are
stomach cramps and headaches.
Solution:
1) Break it up into two standalone sentences (independent clauses)
2) Add punctuation and/or linking words.
3) Add punctuation and change one part into a dependent clause.
Fused sentence
Computer skills are useful in university they will help you in the job market as well.
Corrected sentence 1. Computer skills are useful
in university. They will help you in the job market as well.
2. In addition to being useful in university, computer skills will help you in the job market as well.
3. Computer skills are useful in university, and they will help you in the job market as well.
B. COMMA SPLICES
When a comma separates two independent clauses, the result is called a „comma splice‟.
E.g. Kandy was always nervous about tests, her grades were usually the highest.
Solution:
1.Use a full stop or a semi-colon, depending on context
2.Place a joining word after the comma
3.Introduce a dependent clause by adding a „dependent word‟ to one part of the sentence
Comma splice
My alarm clock rang like a fire bell, I slowly rolled out of bed.
Corrected sentence
1. My alarm clock rang like a fire bell; I slowly rolled out of bed.
2. I slowly rolled out of bed when my alarm clock rang like a fire bell.
3. My alarm clock rang like a fire bell, so I slowly rolled out of bed.
C. FRAGMENTS
Fragments are a group of words that is LESS than a
sentence.
It either:
1. lacks a verb
2. lacks a subject ,or
3. does not express a complete thought
(dependent clause)
EXAMPLES OF FRAGMENTS
• The manager always wears a tie to work. Then takes it off by 10am.
• I like to eat seafood. For example prawns, crabs and oysters.
• She refuses to lend me the money. Unless I told her why I needed it.
• I could not finish my assignment. For I was really ill last night.
• Almost everyone loves ice-cream. Especially vanilla.
CORRECTING FRAGMENTS
• Add the fragment to the sentence before or after it – you may need to include a comma, dash or
other appropriate punctuation.
• Add a subject to the fragment to create an
independent clause.
Fragment
Many university
students
experience a
great deal of
stress. For
instance, about
money, grades
and personal
relationships.
Corrected sentence
1. Many university students
experience a great deal
of stress – for instance,
about money, grades
and personal
relationships.
2. Many university students
experience a great deal
of stress. For instance,
they worry about money,
grades and personal
relationships.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
• He (subject) IS (verb)
• They (subject) ARE (verb)
• Neither the copyeditors nor the editor IS correct.
• The parents and their child ARE in agreement.
• The management IS pleased.
• Ethics IS important.
• The media IS allowed to attend.
• Anybody, everyone, everybody, nobody IS.
• Some of the book WAS destroyed.
• Some of the workers WERE late for work.
MODIFIER PLACEMENT
1. The only editor of the magazine recently
complained about the photographer.
2. The editor of the only magazine recently
complained about the photographer.
3. The editor of the magazine only recently
complained about the photographer.
4. The editor of the magazine recently complained
only about the photographer.
5. The editor of the magazine recently complained
about the only photographer.
OTHER POSSIBLE ERRORS
1. Use verb forms correctly e.g. tenses – past, present,
future.
2. Check spelling
3. Check capitalisation
4. Check use of correct punctuation
5. Check other careless errors (spacing between
letters and punctuation)
BMC 1154
MEDIA WRITING Interviewing
Sources of Information
Reporting What Others Say
Interviewing & Sources of Information
What is an interview?
• An extraction of information from a source
• Anytime, anywhere – not limited to formal face-to-face interview
• No standard form – each interview differs depending on the subject and the circumstances of the story
• Print, broadcast and PR interviews may differ slightly – different objectives, different needs • Print – need longer, more detailed quotations that are
useful in substantial stories
• Broadcast – prefer brief, emotionally rich sound bites suitable for newscasts. For broadcasts, some interviews are important only in that they show the viewers that they are on the scene, keeping up with what’s happening.
• PR – want positive, encouraging explanations appropriate for company news releases etc.
Why interview?
• For facts and information directly from the source
• For details and background
• For quotes and sound bites
• For information we do not have
• For information we already have but cannot say it
ourselves
• For verification / confirmation that information we already
have is correct
• For being “up-to-the-moment” in terms of news-gathering
Kinds of interviews and subjects
• Factual interviews
• Relatively neutral atmosphere
• Interviewer primarily seeks impartial information
• Interviews that only seek factual information could often been done on the phone or via emails, text messages or social networking sites.
• Positive interviews
• Interviewer tries to establish a warm, comfortable atmosphere
• Why? So that subject could talk candidly and expansively – about feelings, experiences, beliefs etc.
• Often done in person (face-to-face)
• Negative interviews
• Interviewer must struggle in an adversarial way
• To obtain admissions, confirmations from unwilling/hostile subject
• Often done in person or in an “ambush” situation
Preparing for an interview
• A great interview rarely just happens without preparation, and…
• …an interview does not begin only upon the asking of questions.
• Much forethought, homework and legwork are needed before the actual task.
1. Choosing sources and subjects 2. Persuading reluctant interview subjects 3. Requesting the interview & choosing the method 4. Background research – on subject and subject matter 5. Formulating the interview questions 6. Asking the questions 7. Writing up the story
Choosing sources and subjects
• Who are you interviewing?
• How many people do you need to interview to find out all you need to know?
• What do you want to find out from each of your subject?
• How many interviews would you need altogether?
• Not all subjects are equal: • Higher name recognition
• Greater credibility
• Highly knowledgeable about specialised topics
• Effusive in sharing that may lead you to other people you should interview next
• Witty, blunt, elusive, reticent
Are your subjects familiar with being interviewed?
• There is a difference between interviewing people used to facing the media and those who are not.
• Think celebrities vs. your neighbour
• Interviewing people unfamiliar with media:
• May choose time and place to put subject at ease
• Focus on relaxing subject to get answers to questions – being interviewed by journalist can be intimidating
• May spend more time on preliminary chat before asking questions
Continued…
• Identify valuable subjects by asking:
• “Who is the person or people I most need to talk to in order to tell
this story in an accurate, balanced and comprehensive way?”
Story: Rabbit just won “Best Rodent” at a local pet event.
Who should you interview??
1. Rabbit owner
2. Rabbit owner’s family
3. Sponsor of the show
4. Judge who selected the winner
5. Breeder of the rabbit species
Continued…
Story: Investigative story on rising crime rate in the city
Who should you interview??
Persuading reluctant interview subjects
• In most neutral reporting situations, obtaining information is relatively straightforward. Typically, most public officials, employees, spokespeople etc. are willing to oblige.
• Less willing interviewees - need to establish some kind of trust level between you and the subject. May need to visit multiple times or employ certain techniques:
1. Request for only a few minutes of their time – interviewee is usually agreeable to extending the interview from then.
2. Foster rapport with the “gatekeeper” – the secretary / receptionist – that stands between you and the subject.
3. Catch your potential subject in a more conducive environment – away from work or during lunch hour.
4. Convince the subject that telling “his side of the story” will benefit him.
5. Convince the subject that you are the best person to “tell his story”.
Handling hostile/uncommunicative sources
• Do not “prosecute” (sound adversarial or accusatory)
• Be sympathetic
• Reason with the source
• Try to understand source’s position
• “Opportunity to respond”
• Avoid no comment”
• Keep asking questions
• Ease up on tough questions temporarily
Interviewing PR people
Do let them:
• Give you background information
• Arrange access for interview
• Let you know where the source can be found for comment
• Provide one perspective on the news
Don’t let them:
• Dictate the terms and conditions of an interview
• Spin the angles in your news story
• Deny you legitimate access to an interviewee
Interview methods
• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• Tele-conferencing
• Social networking – Skype, Whatsapp etc.
Face-to-face, Phone or Email?
Face-to-face
• Best for information gathering, but also most time-consuming
• Often requires forward planning
• Generally used where no other way of getting information (e.g. at scene of disaster), or when personal element is required (e.g. profile story)
• Generally preferred by reporters – chance to establish greater rapport with subject
Phone
• Most widely used
• Quick, easy, often doesn’t need prior organisation
• Don’t have to leave office – but lose benefit of body language etc
• Generally a last resort, or if no other means of contact available – little spontaneity or direct contact
• Can be useful for factual information, but not so much for opinion as people tend to be much more guarded in writing
Where?
• Put subject at ease and choose a comfortable environment (their home, their office, your office, neutral place)
• Good place to take notes
• Good place for photos if needed
• Comfortable seating
• Not too much background noise
• Privacy
Preparation
• Do sufficient background research – do not ask subjects things that you can already find out on your own
• Organise a place and time – to suit you or interview subject
• Proposed direction – think about what you are trying to achieve / objective of your interview
• Prepare questions – think about what you want to ask
• Prepare your equipment – recorder, notepad, pen, camera/cameraman
Why research?
• Feel confident about the interview
• Know what questions to ask
• Sound well-informed
• Find out what has been asked and published before
• Find out the type of person you would be interviewing and tailor your interview accordingly
• Obtain meaningful answers
• Have an idea of the story angle – although this may change
• Know the jargon of the topic involved
Research on topic
• What is the background of the issue?
• How has the issue arisen?
• Who are the key players?
• What are the key aspects of issue?
• How has it developed over time?
• What has happened most recently?
Research on the subject/interviewee
• What is their background?
• Date & place of birth
• Career path
• Personal information
• What have others said about them?
• Career/personal highlights/lowlights
Sources of background information
• News archives • Pictorial archives • Government reports • Media releases • Specialist reference books • The internet • Company annual reports • Other people – friends, competitors,
associates, family, ex-bosses • Reference books (eg Who’s Who)
Key points for interviews
• Be prepared
• Arrive early – or at least on time
• Leave enough time to get lost/held up at traffic lights/deal with any last minute preparation
• Identify yourself
• Dress and act appropriately
• Be polite and show respect
• Concentrate and listen
• Maintain eye contact
Note-taking
• Audio recorder or hand written notes – short hand?
• Which is more intrusive? Note-taking needs to unobstrusive
• Which requires more time post-interview?
• Which allows for more accurate record of the interview?
• Not every word needs to be taken down
• Not unprofessional to ask interviewee to “hold on a second, I want to be sure I’ve gotten what you said down accurately”
• Ok to read back some wording for verification
• Ok to restate in your own words to clarify the information if you don’t understand what the interviewer said
Interview & questioning styles
• Types of interview
• Funnel
• Inverted funnel
• Questions
• Closed-ended
• Open-ended
• Loaded
• Follow-up
• Questions for different forms of media
• Broadcast questions
• Print questions
• PR questions
• Electronic questions
Funnel interview style
• Background questions first
• Followed by open-ended questions
• Followed by closed questions/adversarial ones
• Ask the toughest and most threatening
questions towards the end – why??
• Time factor is less important in this case
• Suitable for people unfamiliar with media
interviews
Inverted funnel interview style
• Tough questions first
• Then fill in details later if time allows
• Time crucial quick answers
Close-ended questions
• Invite yes/no response
• Good for confirmation/denial
• Can also be used to answer with one word or phrase
• Good for pinning down a subject for a specific confirmation
• Drawback - Could produce incomplete/superficial answers
• Drawback - Could let the subject get away with monosyllabic responses
Open-ended questions
• Invite subjects to expand on his or her responses
• To be answered in more than one word
• Allows subjects to explore something the reporter may not have anticipated
• Crucial principle is to avoid using a close-ended question when you want to obtain an open-ended answer.
• Drawback – subject may go off tangent or choose to say only what they wish to dwell on and not what you (the reporter) wishes to find out.
Loaded & follow up questions
• Loaded questions
• Sometimes called biased or leading questions
• Imply that the questioner has already made up his/her mind about what the “right” answer is
• Usually avoided unless used for certain kinds of investigative interviews
• Follow-up questions
• In respond to a previous answer given by subject
• Allows exploration of a tangential topic
Examples
Do you agree to the statement made by the PM today?
What was the most embarrassing moment in your theatre career?
Describe your strategy for the winning the marathon.
What did you do with the money you took from the charity’s fund?
How old are you?
You believe the president liked the intern, don’t you?
Questioning for broadcast
• Broadcast interviews typically brief news or spot interviews inserted into a radio story or newscast
• Sound bites – “quotable quotes” for TV
• Hence broad cast interviews – not only for information gathering but presenting as well
• Simpler, more straightforward and more conversational
• Often times, could be leading
• Usually use an open-ended approach
“You must read a lot of good things about yourself in the papers. What’s that like?”
“How did you react to learning that you were the No. 1 ranked squash player in the world?”
Questioning for print
• In print, readers seldom see and never hear the questions that
originally produced what is quoted in the story
• Hence, vocabulary level of the interview questions are targeted at the
level of the subject and not the reader
• A common language with the subject also puts him/her more at
ease, create a semblance of similarity that suggests the reporter
has a sympathetic ear
• Print stories – more in-depth, longer stories (c.f. broadcast)
• Hence, more open-ended questions because print journalists are
searching for full-sentence, quotable responses.
• Print journalists could afford to listen to subject ramble as this could
lead to other lines of inquiry that can make interesting spin-offs or
links (online newspaper) to their stories.
Questioning for PR use
• PR practitioner doing the interviewing may not be able to
afford offending the subject – a client, a boss, a supplier.
• Difficult questions may be rebuffed.
• Nevertheless, questions could not just be all positive-spin
and full.
• Still require substance and newsworthiness especially
if one wishes the media to use and print the resulting
news releases quoting the interview materials.
• PR news releases are still serious media writing.
Questioning for electronic media
• If a subject is reticent and prefers to think over their responses carefully before answering, an email or other form of asynchronous interview may work better.
• However, not all sources have time to write full responses even if it is an electronic interview
• Plus there is a lack of opportunity for immediate follow up questions
• Body language and environmental details are also key aspects that’re missing
• Advantage: electronic responses to questions are permanently in writing no need to worry about note-taking, indicates exact date and time of questioning and can service as evidence of when and how a given question is answered.
Working with interview subjects
• Dress appropriately to complement your demeanour
• Begin with “small talk” / warm up
• Start with straightforward questions
• Know where you want to start – be in control of the interview
• Be precise in what you are asking / keep questions simple to understand
• Ask one thing at a time
• Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions
• Be cordial - you can be firm but not abrasive when subject digresses
• Know what you’re asking – do not umm, ahh or fumble with your questions
Continued…
• Be prepared to back off if subject becomes emotional or argumentative
• Respond / Use vocal cues – yeah, yes, uh huh, hmm
• Be a good listener / Don’t interrupt
• Use silence effectively – do not rush your subject or hasten to fill in a pause
• If you don’t get an answer the first time – ask again
• Your views aren’t important
• Observe – surroundings, body language, facial expression, tone of voice
Checklist
• Correct spelling and title
• Age, address
• Anything you are not sure of
• Exchange telephone numbers for further contact or clarification
What can go wrong?
• Interviewee / subject
• Intentional falsehood
• Faulty memory
• Lack of information
• Misunderstanding the question
• Interviewer / writer
• Questions that confuse
• Personal bias that misinterprets answers
• Failure to be persistent in questioning
• Closing the interview before it’s finished
Finding the angle to your story
• Concentrating and listening
• What’s different or new about the information?
• What details distinguish this story from others of its kind?
• What will grab the attention of readers, listeners or viewers?
On and off the record
• On the record – reporter allowed to use anything the source says and to quote the speaker, identifying him or her by name.
• Off the record – information cannot be quoted and cannot be used in any other way.
• Information for background but not for attribution – can be published but the source must not be identified.
Checklist for interviewing
Do background research
Timing of interview
Write down questions or topics
Record/note interview inconspicuously
Ask for clarification
Observe
Be tough but fair
Relax
INTERVIEWING Reporting what others say
Weaving interviews into news stories
1. Make decisions about the worth and usefulness of statements people make:
• Are they valid?
• Valuable?
• Necessary to include in your story?
2. Any information obtained from a personal interview or document must be attributed, or identified as coming from someone or something.
3. Always identify the source of information when the information is not common knowledge.
Why use quotes?
• There are three main reasons why you should use quotes in print journalism:
1. If you repeat the exact words which people themselves used, you will reduce the risk of misreporting what they said.
2. When we give a person's exact words, our readers can see both the person’s ideas and the way they were presented (by the person).
3. It gives readers the flavor of someone else’s speech and lets them listen to more colourful language than the reporter’s (remember: reporter has no leeway to write “colourfully” especially in hard news reporting).
Types of quotations
• Direct quotes
“American women still work longer hours than men and are paid less for doing so,” the president of a leading women’s rights group said today.
• Indirect quotes – paraphrasing
What the police said:
Police: “The…man…he was beaten up. And then… they… the robbers… they let him die on the floor.”
What the writer paraphrased into:
Police said the victim had been assaulted and left for dead.
• Partial quotes Jones described the proposal as “mind-boggling.”
Why and why not quotes
• A story without the use of direct or indirect quotes lacks immediacy, credibility, colour and emotion.
• A story with too many quotes resembles a transcription, with the writer only functioning as a “human recorder”.
• A story with ONLY indirect or partial quotes may appear to the reader as being written by someone who was not “at the scene” or is rewriting from another source of information.
• Use of partial quotes is useful when the speaker of the quotes use words/phrases that are clearer, catchier or more expressive than what the reporter could hope to achieve in a paraphrase.
More on quotes
• Direct quotes must be accurate. Do not omit or edit words
without explicitly indication (e.g. use of elipsis “…”).
• But. Brackets and ellipses – use sparingly.
• Don’t make your story only a list of direct quotes.
• Use quotes that add something to the story.
• Introduce a new speaker before you quote him/her.
• Retain present tense in direct quotes, change to past
when paraphrasing.
Attribution
• Attribution tells an audience who gave information to a reporter.
• Adds authenticity and authority to story; makes it clear it’s not the reporter expressing opinion.
• Attribution not required when relating a fact – something that has happened or is obviously true.
• Attribution is required when a reporter is repeating the opinion/ideas/thoughts of a source.
• Particularly important when opinion is potentially controversial, revelatory, speculative.
• Attributing potentially defamatory information does not absolve the reporter of responsibility.
Stories that use plenty of quotations
• Speech stories (e.g. covering a press conference or an
event)
• Interview Stories (personal profile, one-on-one interviews)
• Question-and-Answer stories (e.g. interview stories
presented in a Q&A, chronological manner)
• Survey stories (e.g. a news stories covering statistics or
other facts revealed)
END
BMC 1154 Media Writing
Feature Writing – Part 1 • What are Feature Articles
• Generating Feature Ideas
• Structuring Feature Articles
HOUSEKEEPING
• Assignment #1
• Will be introduced to you in tutorial this week
• Please download assignment brief from TIMeS
• This is a compulsory-submission assignment
• Due date – Week 8 (Friday 16 May 2014,
12PM)
Definitions of a “feature” story
• ―A feature story is somewhat like the taste of an apple or the sound of a breeze rustling through the trees. It is rather easy to recognise but hard to define precisely in words………‖ (Izard, 1971)
• It is one which presents human emotions through the use of a characteristically relaxed style of writing.
Features often…
• Profile people who make the news
• Explain events that move or shape the news
• Analyse what is happening in the world, nation or
community
• Teach an audience how to do something
• Suggest better ways to live
• Examine trends
• Entertain
What exactly is Feature Writing?
• Think of the feature story as a news story written like a piece of short fiction.
• You must combine the rigors of factual reporting with the creative freedom of short-story writing.
• The feature story‘s form must be more fluid than that of a news story
• the inverted pyramid style won‘t work here
• because the story needs a definite beginning, middle and end.
• The readers won‘t be able to scan a few paragraphs
• they will have to read the whole story to understand it.
• A feature story is usually not always related to a
current event, but it could be.
• Feature stories place a greater emphasis on facts that
have human interest.
• Features put people in the story
• they make the reader think and care.
• You can write a feature story about anyone if you find
an unusual angle that captures the interest of your
readers.
Features Stories
• Appeal to the emotional side of the readers.
• Do not need to be timely or concise. Story unfolds as it is written.
• Can be written less formally than a hard news story.
• Might include an interesting, odd or heart-warming story.
• Are presented in a variety of journalistic styles.
• Flowery language.
News Stories
• Current affairs that affect
the readers.
• Are timely and concise.
• Include all key
information (5Ws & 1H)
in the first paragraph.
• Present the most
important information
first and the less
important details towards
the end.
• Headlines or first few
pages of the publication.
Two kinds of Features
• Generally feature stories are of two kinds:
• News features, which are usually written as a
follow-up or as a sidebar story that is linked to a
breaking news event.
• Timeless story, which does not have to be used
immediately. The information in this story will be
just as relevant if saved for a future issue.
Continued
• In either type of feature story, good reporting is
essential.
• You collect as many (accurate, attributed and credible)
details as possible.
• You describe people, settings and feelings, the
elements of storytelling.
• When all the details are added together, the reader is
placed in the scene you are describing.
Sidebars & News Pegs
• A sidebar is:
• An article that accompanies and appears beside the main
news story. E.g. additional information related to the
main article (main bar) lay out in a side box next to the
main article (or sometimes it can even appear elsewhere
in the publication).
• A news peg is:
• the slant what makes your feature timely or newsworthy
to your readers. E.g. your feature is a timeless piece on
fashion mistakes made by Hollywood stars but the news
peg of this article is the ―Yays‖ and ―Nays‖ of the fashion
choices by stars who attended a recent awards ceremony.
Generating feature ideas
―Naturally, interesting material results
from many factors, most of which can
be lumped under two main
characteristics: human interest and
incongruity.‖
Continued
• ―Human interest‖ is any event or idea that appeals to
people more or less naturally and not necessarily
because it has significance to their everyday
activities.
• Sex, children and animals command people‘s
interest.
• And then there are: Self-interest, sympathy,
corruption, progress, conflict, disaster, hero-worship,
adventure, spirituality and success. And more.
Continued
• ―Incongruity‖ or the unexpected or novelty is another
element common in a feature story.
• Incongruity ―involves a set of circumstances in a
story in which the result our experience would lead
us to expect does not occur.‖ (Izard)
Continued
• There are no restrictions on your choice of subject
matter when it comes to features. You are limited
only by your imagination.
• Often a feature story is a simple story about a
common person in an uncommon circumstance.
• The feature‘s job is to find a fresh angle—to find the
story behind the person.
Generating Feature Ideas
• Ideas generated from observation
• Ideas generated from reading
• Ideas generated from experience
• Observing the environment
• Observing people and their behaviour
Ideas generated from observation
Observing the environment
• What is meant by the term ‗environment‘?
• What are some of the interesting things about your environment?
• What effects do such environments have on you or your readers?
• Look around you and observe:
• What your friends wear to college = article about current fashion trends among Generation Y
• Trees and flowers = article about how a non-descript Malaysian town can exude “European charm” with the right landscaping
• Questions aroused by curiosity can often be developed into article ideas.
Observing people & their behaviour
• Ideas for articles can emerge from our observations of people and their behaviour.
• E.g. at home, you may choose to observe how members of your family interact with one another.
• Perhaps you observed how loving your mother was to your younger sibling and how impatient she was with you.
• What kind of article can arise from this observation?
• Could you come up with some questions which could then be developed into ideas for feature articles?
Continued
• You observe on campus that certain types of students like to congregate in certain types of places.
• What questions could you pose about this behaviour?
• You observe the traffic to and from Uni is very bad at certain times.
• What story ideas could you produce after observing the situation?
• You observe certain behaviours among your friends that made you curious to find out more.
• Could you imagine some ideas that might lead to feature articles?
• Reading newspapers
• Reading other printed materials
Ideas generated from reading
What’s in a newspaper?
• News: International & Local
• Letters to the Editor
• Cartoons/Comic Strips
• Editorials
• Sports
• Family/Lifestyle
• Arts/Culture
• Economic/Business
• Columns
• Classified
• Advertisements
• Movie Schedules
• Education
• Horoscope
• Health
• Obituaries
• Youth
• TV Schedule
• Religion
• Information Technology
• Weather Report / Tide Schedule
• Muslim Prayer Schedule
• Crossword Puzzles
Developing ideas from within the
newspaper
• Feature writers can develop story ideas from various
parts of the newspaper.
• E.g. whilst reading a hard news story, a writer could
develop an idea and propose to write a story from a
human interest angle based on the news article.
• Let‘s look at a hard news story and see what type of
feature ideas we can develop.
What can we make of this?
Sex predator gets 40 years’ jail, 24 strokes
17 Jan 2007 A. Hafiz Yatim and Teresa Yong
KUALA LUMPUR: Ismail Shah Abdul Wahab is a sex predator who asked his victims for directions before abducting and raping them. He would drive around in his car pretending to ask for directions to the nearest mosque or a religious school. His victims were young women and schoolgirls. He would persuade his victims to enter the car to show him the way before taking them to his apartment and raping them. Yesterday, the Sessions Court made sure the 23-year-old paid for his
crimes when he was sentenced to 40 years and 10 months jail. Judge Nursinah Adzmi also ordered that he be whipped 24 times in the proceedings which lasted more than two hours at the Sessions Court yesterday. Nursinah, in passing sentence, said Ismail‘s actions were disgusting and shameful. "He took advantage of young women and schoolgirls. Despite being married, he used his victims to fulfil his lust and desire. "The victims and their families are now faced with long-term trauma as a result of the ordeal," she said.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/National/20070117085659/Article/local1_html
Ideas from other print materials
- Books
- Vehicle Number Plates
- Journals
- Notices
- Magazines
- Bills
- Comics
- Instructions on do-it-yourself
- Billboards
- Road Signs
- Labels on products & consumer items
- Banners
- Names of shops/businesses
- Various brochures
- T-shirt messages
Ideas generated from experiences
• Your own experience
• Other people‘s experiences
Your own experiences
• Your own personal experiences are like a bottomless vessel from which you can draw and develop feature story ideas.
• Some of these experiences include:
- Happy moments - Exciting escapades
- Sad experiences - Amazing incidents
- Humorous episodes - Unbelievable
- Frightening times coincidences
Other people’s experiences
• You can also develop feature ideas from listening to other people‘s experiences.
• These can be sad or happy, humorous or serious, exciting or boring and unusual or mundane.
• E.g. you are listening to your friend telling you about how she suffers from acne. What type of feature article ideas could you generate from this information?
Continued
• E.g. You overhear someone on the LRT narrate their
frustrating experience at the local passport renewal
office. What type of ideas does this revelation
provide you with?
• People‘s experiences on how they survived
calamities or disasters could also generate ideas for
feature articles. These would be ―my most
unforgettable experience‖ type of article or narrative.
Key characteristics of feature writing
• Feature writing is often marked out by:
• Colour: small details adding life to writing
• Observation: description of people/events
• Context: scene setting
• Opinion/slant: writer or publication‘s worldview
• Quotes: most features draw on original material/sources
• Narrative/motion: storytelling/keeping the piece moving forward
• Debate: discussion/argument
• Activity: showing people doing things (action)
• Talk: let the subjects speak at length (direct
quotes/dialogue)
Planning a feature
• Organising interviews: Features benefit greatly from
original, interesting quotes from related
sources/people of interest.
• Accessing background material: press cuttings, other
interviews, listening to music, watching films /
programmes, other kinds of research etc.
• Deciding on the tone/angle of piece: what aspect pf
the topic are you going to go for? Positive, negative,
unusual, cause, effect, impact, humorous, tragic,
sarcastic. Sometimes, this can be dictated by the
publication.
Continued
• Before you begin writing:
• focus on the main idea you want to get across
• organize your information
• eliminate that which does not go along with your
focus
• Focusing is narrowing your topic – reducing a large
amount of information to a usable amount.
Continued
5 questions which might help get a feature started:
1.What is the most interesting fact?
2.What is the best anecdote?
3.What is the most sensational quote?
4.What is the most surprising event?
5.What is the ―did you know that…‖ factor?
Organising a feature article
The lead
The body
The conclusion
The lead
• The lead is the ‗introduction‘ in a feature story & the
beginning of the story.
• Must intrigue the reader, set the tone of the story and
move the reader to the body of the story in a logical
manner.
• Need not be in an inverted pyramid format, unlike
news stories.
Continued
• The beginning of the story must pull the reader in.
• The first sentence must make the reader want to read
the second sentence.
• The lead should contain a hook, a detail that draws
in the reader‘s attention.
Types of feature leads
There are many types of leads that can be used to begin a feature. The following are examples of the more commonly used ones:
1. Chronological Lead – relates the beginning of the action
2. Delayed Lead – does not reveal the identity of the person, group, place or event that is central to the story until a few paragraphs into the story
Continued
3. Descriptive Lead – paints a word portrait of a person, group, place or event
A descriptive lead is also sometimes called a situation lead ―if a scene is set or an atmosphere is created.‖
4. Quotation Lead – the choice of quote is usually tied to some sort of description of the person speaking or the setting in which the quotation occurs.
Continued
• Whatever style of lead you choose for your article,
remember:
• An effective lead makes a promise to the reader,
that the writer has something important and
interesting to tell them.
• A good lead beckons, invites, informs, attracts and
entices
• The best kind of leads are anecdotal (based on
personal account) in nature.
The body
The body of the feature should exhibit the following
principles:
i. ―Unity/Cohesiveness‖ means that the main theme
is threaded through the article and anything not
relevant to the theme is removed.
ii. ―Coherence‖ means that what is written flows
naturally from one idea to the next, from one
paragraph to the next. Transitions which link the
different segments of the feature, make its
arrangement logical and orderly.
Continued
• The main body of the feature article should consist of
several blocks, each representing a different aspect of
the main story. (William E. Blundell)
• It's always a good idea to pepper your blocks with
quotes and examples to make it more interesting
and credible.
The conclusion
• The ending should make you feel that the writer has
achieved his or her purpose, whatever that was.
• Sums up or reinforces the central message of the
article.
• In other words, your article should be able to provide
answers to questions and solutions to problems.
Continued
• Various types of endings / conclusions used in a feature:
- Summary ending: sums up the major theme of the article.
- Quotation ending: ends with a choice quote.
- Climatic ending: ends on a high note (e.g. of an event)
- Circle technique or ―cut-back‖ ending: – a restatement of the lead phrased in somewhat different language but serving to emphasise the important statements made at the beginning and to ‗round up‘ the whole article
The Blundell Technique
Outline of the Blundell Technique:
1. The Lead (Intro – up to 3 paragraphs)
2. Nut Graph (Angle – thesis statement )
3. Main Body (Blocks – structured in)
4. Conclusion (Ending – reinforcement of message)
What is the Nut Graph
• The Nut Graph is a paragraph that explains your
entire article in a nutshell. (―Nutshell paragraph‖)
• Many writers find the Nut Graph to be the hardest
aspect of feature writing.
• Once they‘ve figured out their Nut Graph, everything
else falls into place easily.
(Three paragraph intro)
For five days, Alice's husband, high on drugs, threatened to kill her. He hit her and abused her.
Terrified, Alice fled the house when she finally got the chance and ran to a local business to call the police.
“He would kill me. He's very scary,” Alice said. “He would walk through walls if he had to.”
(Nut Graph)
The police advised her to contact the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Hillsboro, and Alice found her way there, turning around her life.
• The anecdotal lead above uses one specific example to illustrate a larger topic. In this case, Alice's story is a gateway to a larger story on the Domestic Violence Resource Center.
•
The nut graph
• The relationship between the lead and the Nut Graph
can be thought of in this way:
• The intro highlights an individual case. The Nut
Graph, meanwhile, illustrates how that individual
case is actually representative of a bigger trend or
how it fits into a bigger overall picture.
• Central to this approach is the Nut Graph. Without it,
you really don‘t have a story.
• Blundell calls it ―the main theme statement, the
single most important bit of writing I do on any
story.‖
Continued
• Nut Graph is “a paragraph that says what this whole
story is about and why you should read it. It's a flag to
the reader, high up in the story: You can decide to
proceed or not, but if you read no farther, you know what
that story's about.”
• Remember, in the Blundell Technique, up to three
paragraphs can be used for the introduction (but never
more than three).
• Another e.g. of the Blundell Technique used in a story in the
Financial Times:
(Three paragraph intro)
Physicists are just like the rest of us in at least one respect. When they go
online to search for information, they expect the earth.
Bebo White, who runs the website for the Stanford Linear Accelerator
Center, a high-energy physics laboratory in California, knows this all
too well. "They get very frustrated if we don't return good results, and
quickly,” says Mr White.
(Nut Graph)
Call it the Google Effect. Expectations of search engines have
skyrocketed. Whether it involves complex specialist knowledge or the
completely trivial, there is a general belief that everything should be
available instantly, at the click of a mouse.
How to write the nut graph
• To identify the Nut Graph, ask yourself the following question:
• ―What is this story really about?‖ in one word/phrase.
• Greed, politics, sacrifice, loss, redemption, family, hope, freedom? It could be any of these things. But once you know what your story is about, you will have focus.
• A good story should leave a single, dominant impression. This is called your ―angle‖.
• Now all you have to do is to express your angle in two or three sentences.
• That is your Nut Graph.
Main Blocks (The body)
• Another aspect of the Blundell technique is called the
‗Block‘s which is used to organise materials for
feature stories.
• The body of the story should comprise a series of
information blocks.
• However, these blocks are not about time (i.e. not in
a chronological order) – they‘re organised by topic.
• E.g. In a story about egg production, one block might be
about foreign competition. Another might be about the
environmental effects of an egg farm. Another might be
about daily work on the farm.
Continued
• The blocks are arranged in the way that seems to best support the focus of the story.
• The block structure pares down a big, overwhelming writing job into manageable chunks for writer and reader alike.
• Each block should make its point with three facts, examples, proofs or quotes. (Two are too few; four are overkill).
• Blundell has six key blocks that he would use in his feature articles:
History: What‘s the background to this situation?
Scope: What is the extent of the problem?
Cause: Why is this happening?
Impact: Who and what is affected by this?
Action of contrary forces: Who is doing what about this?
The future: How is it going to be in the coming days, weeks, months and years?
Not all these blocks need to be included in your final story. Nor must they appear in the order presented above. But if you have the material to answer all six questions above, you've got the ingredients for a very good feature.
Structure
-After you have written the lead, you need a structure
in which to place the information.
- A structure is an organisational pattern the writer
uses to synthesise (or establish relationships
between) relevant pieces of information.
Finding the right voice
• You have many voices. E.g. you speak to your friends
differently when compared to your parents or your
teachers. If you have a job, you have a voice for your
boss.
• When you write a story, you take on a persona, or
character. Choose a voice that best imparts the
information in that story – serious, professional,
sarcastic, humorous, maternal etc.
• The choice you make becomes the tone or mood of the
story, and it should always match the content or the
slant. Common sense: you would not use humor to
write about a tragic auto accident.
Checking your article
• Flow
• Fairness – how those involved are portrayed
• Facts – making sure these are accurate
End
Media Writing Feature Writing Part 2 Descriptives
Profiles
Narratives
How-to-do-its
Reviews
Analyses
Recap
• A feature story is an article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news website that is not meant to report breaking news, but to take an in-depth look at issues behind a news story, often concentrating on background events, persons or circumstances.
• While there are no clear guidelines on what exactly consists a feature story, they often add a more human touch to reporting, while the time elapsed between an event and breaking the story is less critical than in traditional news reports.
Recap
• The features themselves are written in a less urgent fashion than news stories, sometimes taking several paragraphs to arrive at the main story while trying to engage the reader and keep them reading by employing narrative hooks*.
• Feature stories often delve deeper into their subjects, expanding on the details rather than trying to concentrate on a few important key points.
• The writing style of the articles can be more colourful and employ a more complex narrative structure*, sometimes resembling the style of a nonfiction book more than a news report.
Recap
• As the print media faces ever stiffer competition from other sources of news, feature stories are becoming more common because they can be more engaging to read.
• At many newspapers, news stories are sometimes written in “feature style”, adopting some of the conventions of feature writing while still covering breaking events.
• Wire services such as the Associated Press which previously made a point of distributing only news, now also include feature stories.
*Narrative Hook
• A narrative hook (or hook) is a literary technique in the opening of a story that "hooks“ the reader's attention so that he will read on. The "opening" may consist of several paragraphs for a short story, or several pages for a novel, but ideally, it is the opening sentence.
• One of the most common forms is dramatic action, which engages the reader into wondering what the consequences of the action will be.
• But action is not, in itself, a hook, without the reader's wondering what will happen next, or what caused the actions to occur.
*Narrative Structure
• Narrative structure is generally described as the structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which a narrative is presented to a reader, listener, or viewer.
• Theorists describing a text's narrative structure might refer to structural elements such as an introduction, in which the story's founding characters and circumstances are described; a chorus, which uses the voice of an onlooker to describe events or indicate the proper emotional response to what has just happened; or a coda, which falls at the end of a narrative and makes concluding remarks.
Descriptive Feature Articles (Descriptives)
• Descriptives are features which depict a picture of a scene in the reader’s mind: “a scene which he might never be able to visit in his lifetime. Or it made him want to go there.”
• Descriptives can also be used to present a “seamy (squalid, unpleasant) picture” which functions as “an effective way of exposing a wrong, such as a degrading slum or the threatened destruction of a wilderness”.
Elements of Descriptives
1) A focus on distinctive characteristics
• A place may have certain features that are not shared by others.
• E.g. The famous gym of Taylor’s University is set in a Balinese environment.
• E.g. A model may have chiseled cheekbones whilst an elderly individual may have a wrinkled face and a child may have a toothless grin.
• Always focus on the uniqueness of the subject (positive and negative).
Continued…
2) Careful phrasing
• One element of the descriptive is the way words are put together to evoke the picture in the reader’s mind.
• Through the phrasing of words the writer paints colour and adds flavour to the picture.
• Unlike a photographer, a writer can only depend on his skill at stringing evocative words together.
• E.g. Although her big blue eyes were filled with sorrow and her frail hands trembled, she spoke with so much conviction that I immediately realised that this was a woman whose spirit could not be broken.
Continued…
3) A reading and viewing experience
• It’s all about evoking human emotions and satisfaction.
• When the reader completes his reading of a descriptive, he/she should come away with “the feeling that (he/she) has been through a valuable reading experience.”
• The vivid descriptions used by the writer gives the reader a viewing experience as well.
E.g.
“Gloria Stevens is lying on her back, sedated but alert, staring at an image of her own beating heart. Metaphorically, Gloria's heart is the very core of her emotional self—not to be worn on the sleeve, much less displayed on an overhead monitor. More literally, it is a blood-filled pump about the size of a clenched fist whose rhythmic contractions have kept Gloria alive for 62 years, and with a little tinkering will keep her going for an indeterminate number more. At this moment, her doctor is threading a thin catheter up through her femoral artery from an incision in her groin, on into the aorta, and from there into one of the arteries encircling Gloria's heart. At the tip of the catheter is a small balloon. The doctor gently navigates the tip to a spot where plaque has narrowed the artery's channel by 90 percent. With a quick, practised movement he inflates the balloon to push back the artery wall, deflates the balloon, then inserts an expandable stent—it looks like a tiny tube of chicken wire—that will keep the passage open. As Gloria watches on the monitor, the crimp in her artery disappears, and a wide laminar flow gushes through the vessel, like a river in flood. …”
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature1
Profile Feature Articles
Profiles are features which focus on “interesting characters, their hopes, their problems, foibles and adversities, and how they finally go around problems or over hurdles in their paths.”
Profiles are about people – interesting, tragic, famous people; people undergoing unique procedures, experiencing unusual circumstances; people under the spotlight, under scrutiny, under suspicion.
Elements of Profiles
There are different elements which should be present in any profile article:
1) What the subject says
2) What the subject does
3) Description of the subject
4) History of the subject
5) What others think and say about the subject
Continued…
• What the subject says:
• Quote or paraphrase comments made by the subject.
• Choose the comments that illuminate your focus of the subject.
• What the subject does:
• Describe the subject’s actions and anecdotes, that which throw additional light on his character.
Continued…
• Description of the subject: This means details of the subject’s physical make-up • Weight • Height • Facial appearance • The way the subject moves • The way the subject speaks/gestures • The way the subject dresses • The way the subject wears his/her hair
• The more details you can provide in your article, the more vivid the picture you paint for your readers.
Continued…
• History of the subject:
• The subject’s historical background could help show how he or she has evolved and developed as a person.
• It could provide an insight into the subject’s way of thinking and acting.
• What others think and say about the subject:
• Evaluations, comments and anecdotes (stories/accounts) from friends and foes could shed light on the subject’s character.
E.g.
"I don't think of myself as a businesswoman," said Oprah Winfrey in 2002. Well, Forbes magazine certainly does. She's made their rich list every year since 1995. An abuse survivor born to a teenage mum and raised in poverty, the woman now known simply by her first name is today the head of a billion dollar media empire.
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born at home in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954, her existence the result of what she called "a one-day fling under an oak tree". Her mum, a part-time maid, was 18; her father, 20. After spending her first years on her grandmother's Mississippi farm, the bright six-year-old went to live with her single mother, who struggled on welfare in a poor Milwaukee, Wisconsin, neighbourhood. She was just nine years old when her life was changed forever when she was raped by a teenage cousin. Over the next five years, she was molested by three other men, all friends of the family…
http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/oprahwinfrey/
Narrative Features (Narratives)
• Narratives are “stories”. It is an account of (a sequence of) events or happenings, written in an evocative, descriptive manner.
• It contains accurate, well-researched information, and is also interesting to read.
• It looks at intriguing people, human emotions and real situations.
• It provides the private story behind the public story.
• It reaches past the ordinary by blending the reportage of facts with the writing style of fiction.
Elements of a narrative
• Narrative features can also be defined as writing that contains the following elements:
1.Set scenes
2.Characters
3.Action that unfolds over time
4.Voice that has personality
5.A relationship with the audience
6.Destination – a theme, a purpose and a reason (for the story)
Continued…
• In Narrative Features, the 5W’s and 1H are extended significantly:
• Who becomes a character
• What becomes an action
• Where becomes a setting
• When becomes a chronology (timeline)
• Why / How becomes a process
E.g. “Relaxed maternity nurses lean against the
counter chatting. Babies cry in homey birthing rooms. The scent of flowers, recently delivered to new mothers, floats in the air.
But down a long hall, over the blue and pink squares of the maternity ward's buffed linoleum, through two locked doors, past scrub sinks and a security camera, pulses a different world.
Life-support monitors, their screens a palette of blues, greens and reds, glow in dim light. Motorized Plexiglass covers glide down tracks and seal artificial wombs that look like compartments for science fiction travellers. Respirators hiss, staving off the collapse of tiny lungs."
How-to-do-it Features
• How-to-do-its are features which contain information on how to accomplish certain tasks such as:
• building a house
• decorating a home
• changing your tires
• keeping in shape
• cooking for a party etc.
Elements of how-to-do-its
1) Information and Advice
The objective of how-to-do-its is to offer advice, give instructions, extend suggestions, give tutorials etc.
2) Clarity
Write in a straightforward and clear-cut manner. Makes sure that instructions are easily followed and leave out technical words or jargon.
The writer has to keep to the subject matter, and not go off on tangents.
E.g. HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE
“Whether you’re rich or wanting to marry someone rich – there are online dating services which target the wealthy and provide a personal service to their clients. So, are they for real, or just a con to make you get your credit card out?
Here’re some of the top online dating websites that may well open the (virtual) door to your future happiness. Berkeley-Sweetingham.com This is truly exclusive dating with a service and price tag to match. …If you’re not in that category, it’s worth a visit to the site just to find out how the “other half” lives. Would you fly to Nice (in the south of France) for a date for the day – well, you get the idea! Marry-an-ugly-millionaire-online-dating-agency.com If you need a good laugh and want to enjoy a very amusing, completely spoof online dating site – you’ll want to check this out. Someone with a good sense of humour set this site up and it’s clearly popular – and rightly so. If you’re fed up with the online dating scene – this is the ONLY site for you to visit. And finally... There are plenty of genuine sites out there that offer free trials for men and women simply looking for love. Take advantage of these to find out which sites and forums you enjoy and best of luck!”
How-to-do-its continued… • Not all how-to-do-it articles are as shallow or
simplistically written like this.
• Good how-to-do-its should incorporate solid research and genuine facts and information, clear instructions etc. that readers may otherwise not be able to find all in one place (within one article).
• How-to-do-its should also be based on topics genuinely relevant and of meaning to your target readers.
• To maintain reader interest, how-to-do-its need to be written in a lively, attention-getting manner as well, complete with graphics and pictures if necessary.
Analyses Articles • Analyses are background articles aimed at answering the
question ‘what’s it all about?’
• E.g. when a new war, social explosion, a political upheaval or any other momentous events make the headlines.
• Analyses are also sometimes called backgrounders.
• These stories add meaning to current issues in the news by explaining them further.
• These articles bring an audience up-to-date, explaining how this country, this organisation, this person happens to be where it is now.
Elements of Analyses
Following are the elements that should be present in an analysis story:
• Dissection of the topic/subject matter
• Anticipation of arguments and questions
• Prioritisation of clarity and unity
Continued…
1. Dissection • The analysis seeks to examine an important matter. • I.e. “Shining a fierce light on an important matter
and dissecting it with words that reveal its components and values”.
2. Anticipation of arguments and questions • The writer attempts to give a balanced account of
the important matter that he or she is examining. • In the process, writer must keep in mind the
arguments and questions that may/will come from the readers.
• Writer needs to demonstrate expertise in the topic from all angles/points of view.
Continued…
3) Prioritisation of clarity and unity
• The writer must present his/her analysis in a clear manner.
• The writer’s ideas must flow in a smooth and coherent way, complete with well-researched, credible support to his/her points.
• The writer must be careful not to distract or confuse the reader by going off on a tangent.
• In summary: Stick to the argument and present information in a clear, logical manner.
E.g. of analyses story ideas • What are some examples of analyses feature stories that
could be brainstormed from news stories?
• Ask questions that arouse interest when you read news stories. If you are curious, your readers would be curious too.
• Then develop an analysis story from the questions that arose.
• Did a culture of hierarchy cause the South Korea ferry tragedy?
• Who’s really making the money out of the toll increases?
• Malaysia: multicultural heaven or racism capital?
• Selangor’s water woes: what went wrong?
• The MH370 incident: lessons for Malaysia and the world
Review Articles
• A review is an evaluation of a publication, such as a movie, video game, musical composition, book, or a piece of hardware like a car, appliance, or computer.
• Reviews could incorporate:
• an overview of features,
• a tried and tested account,
• a critical statement, and
• a rating (for instance, one to five stars) to indicate its relative merit
Film reviews
• Film critics working for newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, and online publications, mainly review new releases.
• Normally they only see any given film once and have only a day or two to formulate opinions.
• Despite this, critics have an important impact on films, especially those of certain genres.
• The popularity of mass-marketed action, horror, and comedy films tend not to be greatly affected by a critic's overall judgment of a film.
Film reviews: continued…
• The plot summary and description of a film that makes up the majority of any film review can have an important impact on whether people decide to see a film.
• For prestige films with a limited release, such as independent dramas, the influence of reviews is extremely important.
• Poor reviews will often doom a film to obscurity and financial loss.
Elements of a Review
• The elements of a review are:
• Dissection
• Anticipation of arguments and questions
• Prioritisation of clarity and unity
• The additional element that a review has is:
• The opinion of the writer
Continued…
1) Dissection • Examine the movie/restaurant/gadget and dissect its
features, advantages and disadvantages to your readers.
2) Anticipation of arguments and questions • Support your arguments with credible facts, examples,
illustrations and other information. • Write a balanced review but bringing in counter
arguments and rebutting them with evidence.
3) Clarity and Unity • Present your views in a logical, well-argued manner. • Make sure that your reader is able to discern clearly
your final opinion (yes, no, maybe) – it is a review afterall.
How to write a review
1) Get familiar
2) Formulate an opinion
3) Create a good lead
4) Recap
5) Support opinion
6) Be interesting
7) Be honest
E.g. of planning a movie review
1) GET FAMILIAR – this means research • After you have selected your movie, get familiar with its context. • Before you even see the movie, get to know a little about it. • What have the actors and director worked on before? Maybe
check out some of their past work. Are they Oscar winners? Are they known for a certain style?
• Is the movie based on a book or an historical event? Is it a remake or a sequel?
• All of this information will help you understand the movie better. You'll pick up on details, allusions, trademarks of the actor or director, and probably have more insight into important story elements.
• You'll be able to tell readers how it lived up to the original, say, or the book. These are the things that help a critic offer a solid opinion that is of interest to the fan
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
2) FORMULATE AN OPINION – this is the gist of your review
After you see the movie, formulate a specific opinion in one sentence.
Your job is to give an opinion of the movie. Ultimately, this may come down to a "thumbs up" or
"three stars out of five." You want to have a specific thesis with credible support
to drive your critique. For example, "I didn't like this comedy" becomes "The story
had funny moments but it went on too long." "This horror movie is good" becomes "This horror movie
works because it builds suspense right up until the end." So, try to find that very specific opinion that will be the
foundation of your review.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
3) CREATE A GOOD LEAD – attract attention from the start You want your reader to be interested in what you have
to say. Grab the reader in that first or "lead" paragraph in one of
several ways: • Start with a great quote from the movie, and explain
how it reflects the movie • Refer to the reputation of the actor or director and
compare it to how he or she did in this movie; compare this movie to another well-known film in a few sentences or two
• Explain what your expectation was, and then if it was fulfilled or not. Then end that first paragraph with your opinion statement.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
4) RECAP
Recap briefly, but don't give away anything big.
If you've read professional reviews, you know they always include a little bit of recap.
Some readers like to know what they're getting into before they lay down their money for a ticket.
You can tell people the basic premise of the movie. In fact, you should give them the basic premise, and tell them how the story builds, but don't give away key moments, especially not the ending!
Keep it brief. Then get to reviewing.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
5) SUPPORT OPINION Back up your main opinion with specifics.
The readers now know you think "This comedy had funny moments but went on too long." It's time for you to prove it.
Talk about how the teen actors had good timing like they did in that other movie.
Talk about how the writers did a great parody of that famous film. But then add that there were too many scenes involving the family or the boyfriend.
Talk about the fact that there were multiple endings and all of them were long.
Use specifics to make your readers understand your opinion.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
6) BE INTERESTING
Just because this is a review doesn't mean it's got to be dull.
From lead to ending paragraph, make the review engaging, using metaphors, analogy, specific adjectives and adverbs to create the images you're looking for.
But also be concise. A review isn't a place for long diatribes or flowery prose.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
Continued…
7) BE OBJECTIVE
Your reader and the work you're critiquing both deserve an objective opinion.
So even if you HATE that actor or LOVE that actress, be sure to look at the actual quality of the film.
Have some standards in mind. A comedy should be funny, a horror movie should be scary, etc.; judge the movie against those standards, not against any pre-existing opinions you may have.
It will make the review more valuable to the reader and objective writing is always best.
Adapted from http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a2206-how-to-write-a-movie-review.html
END
