Process

Project Schedule

Week 1 - Shoot/Edit a VO and SOT/VO

Select a story to cover. It can be an event on campus, something going on in your neighborhood, or anything that could be considered newsworthy. The subject matter is up to you!
Shoot the necessary video for A and B-Roll purposes using a variety of wide, medium, and tight shots. A good story requires at least five minutes of video to be shot, which gives the editor plenty of material to work with.
Record at least one interview on the scene to use as a SOT and be sure to ask more than one question (as you will see in Week 2).
Write a script for an anchor to read from. The VO script should take the anchor 20-30 seconds to read and the SOT/VO script should be a simple tag wrapping up the story.
Edit your footage into two videos, a VO and a SOT/VO.
- VO: At least one minute of edited footage mixing the wide, medium, and tight shots. The video seen by the viewer should match the script being read by the anchor whenever possible.
- SOT/VO: A sound byte of at least 10 seconds of one or more of your interview subjects followed by 30 seconds of additional video not seen in the previous VO. The SOT/VO usually follows a VO in the story.

Week 2 - Edit a Package

Re-write your script and re-edit your footage from Week 1 into a news package complete with at least one SOT and a reporter stand-up.
In the SOT portion of the package, please use a different sound byte from the SOT/VO project if at all possible. This means that you will have to ask your interview subject more than one question!

Completed projects will be uploaded to YouTube and links to the projects sent to the instructor for review.

To submit projects, please go to Submit.

Main Types of ENG Stories

These are the three main types of ENG stories that run during a newscast. Please read the material below and watch the examples to gain an understanding of the stories and to get ideas for shot composition and delivery to utilize and implement in your projects.

VO

A VO (Voice Over) is a story where the talent (an anchor or reporter) reads his/her script while video is rolling.

VO's should match the script shot-for-shot whenever possible and is usually a minimum of 40 seconds in length to allow plenty of time for the anchor or reporter to read their part of the script.

Effective VO's bring the viewer into the story and use a healthy mix of wide, medium, and tight shots to keep the viewer's attention.

This example of a VO is from KGTV-TV in San Diego, California.

SOT/VO

A SOT (Sound On Tape) is a sound byte from an eyewitness, expert at the scene, or interview subject, usually 10-20 seconds in length.

In most cases, a SOT follows a VO on the rundown, but it does not have to if the script calls for it.

In a SOT/VO, the SOT is followed by an additional 30 seconds of video to create another VO which serves as a tag for the anchor or reporter to briefly wrap up their story.

A SOT does not need to have a VO attached. It can be a stand-alone element in a story if the script calls for it. In this situation, additional padding (with no audio) is required at the end of the SOT to prevent black or a still frame from making it to air.

This example of a SOT/VO is from WROC-TV in Rochester, New York.

Package

A package combines several elements into a self-contained story.

Packages include video, SOT's, and a reporter VO track at minimum. Custom graphics and animation that are not part of the newscast presentation (lower third graphics) can be included at the story writer's discretion.

Most packages in a newscast are 1-2 minutes in length with feature stories going as long as 2-4 minutes during the ratings "sweeps" periods in February, May, July, and November.

Reporters assigned to the story may include a stand-up on location or they may do a stand-up or tag in the studio, live or recorded.

This example of a package is from WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois.

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