Broadcast News I (3 Credits)

C&J 360 Sec. 001 -- Fall 2006

Instructor: Dr. Richard Schaefer, Associate Professor

Office Hours: Wed. from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Irysh Macs Coffee House (near Yale & Central)

Phone: 277-9556

Email: schaefer@unm.edu

Classes: Tues. & Thurs. 12:30 to 2:20 p.m. (Class will run the full time.)

Johnson Gym Mac Lab (JCP), Room 1114, with selected classes held at the KNME Studio, which can be entered through the front door of KNME on University Ave NE.

Catalog Description: Emphasis is on broadcast news. Students learn how to make reports for television. They will use ENG cameras, and video editing equipment. They will also be introduced to the various studio jobs in television news.

Prerequisites: Completion of C&J 171 and C&J 259/269 with a grade of “C” or better. Students must also either have completed C&J 267 with a “C” or better or they must be enrolled in that course.

Fees: There is also a special $125.00 equipment fee for this course. The fees are used to partially defray the cost of course equipment and materials.

Readings: Two copies of Jim Stinson’s Video: Communication & Production [(2002), Goodheart Wilcox] have been put on reserve in Zimmerman Library. The books can be checked out for two hours at a time. Only a few segments of the book will be assigned to provide students with a refresher on video production terms and techniques.

Handouts are also occasionally given out in class.

Materials: Students will be issued two Sony MiniDV tapes. If you want more tapes, do not purchase cheap tapes because they do not hold up well in the editing process. Do not purchase MiniDV tapes that are longer than 63 minutes because they will not work with the C&J equipment. .

Course Objectives:

• To provide a laboratory type setting for students to hone their newsgathering, writing and news structuring skills. To acquaint students with the reporting, writing, shooting and editing techniques and production skills of broadcast news.

• To give students an introductory opportunity to organize contents for reports in television. To learn some of the jobs and routines of broadcast journalism, including on-camera work.

• To enable students to better understand and use broadcast journalism, both as producers and consumers.

• To expand students’ repertoire of skills, including editing and studio production skills, to make them more competent information packagers and presenters. These skills should also be applicable to a variety of organizational and electronic media applications.

• To demonstrate an understanding of how to shape media reports that will be presented to audience members from different subcultures and backgrounds.

Assignments and Requirements:

Students will rotate through various editorial exercises, including producing, anchoring, doing interviews, and recording/editing packaged news reports. They will also rotate through various positions in the studio during tapings. Students' work may be broadcast on KUNM-FM, aired on TalNet, or used by KNME or the Albuquerque Public Schools. Stories and programs may also be made available for Web streaming. Every story should be available for steaming or airing, as well as for sharing with other members of the class. In each of these tasks, students will be required to learn some basic competencies in the use of electronic news gathering (ENG) conventions and equipment.

Students in this class also grant the Department of Communication and Journalism the right to enter any report done as part of this course in student journalism or student TV production competitions, and to re-edit and re-air any portion of the work done for this class. It is important to remember this when arranging interviews or constructing your reports. As part of this class, you also are required, upon request, to make your work available for broadcast on other student-produced newscasts outside the Albuquerque market.

Students will also be required to participate in at least one production shift during the KNME fund-drive in late November or early December. Students will have to sign-up for a specific shift. Missing a shift will result in a 5% reduction in your grade. In the past, students have found this to be an excellent learning experience.

This class will require a great deal of out-of-class work. Expect to spend many hours working on assignments.

Assignments generally should be made available to the instructor on the appropriate tapes. Hard copies of scripts should be handed to the instructor in class on the day they are due.

Everyone, including the instructor, will face embarrassing situations at some point during the semester. Students who move beyond those situations will succeed in this class.

Equipment Policies

Starting on Sept. 5, 2006, field equipment can be checked out and checked in by the C&J broadcast staff. Students should first try the C&J broadcast engineer’s office (Marron Hall, Room 221, phone: 277-2819, email: solowiej@unm.edu). Students should reserve equipment in advance and even try to set up a time to pick up the gear. Recording equipment must be returned within 24 hours or on the next working day, and firewire drives should be kept no more than a week. Students should set up cameras and recording equipment and roll some tape before leaving campus. This makes certain that the student has functioning equipment and knows how to use it before going out on a shoot.

Each student who wants to use C&J equipment must sign the equipment check out form at the start of the semester. (See the last page of the syllabus.) It clearly indicates that students are responsible for equipment they check out. If equipment is lost or negligently damaged, the student who has signed for the equipment will be responsible for its replacement or repair. Particularly as deadlines approach, access to equipment becomes more difficult. Fill out reservation forms in advance to reserve equipment. Students, who do not pick up reserved equipment or who turn equipment in late will be penalized. Not returning equipment on time will result in a 3% reduction in your grade, as well as loss of the ability to reserve equipment in the future. You can only reserve an editing room for 2 or 3 hours at a time.

As a student enrolled in this class, you have priority access on the editing work stations in the Johnson Gym Pod (JCP) whenever there is not a class in the Pod.

Class attendance, expectations, and withdrawals:

Broadcast journalism is a collaborative endeavor. Students are expected to be dependable and cooperative. Attendance problems or difficulties working with others will certainly detract from a student’s final grade. After the third missed class session, each additional session missed will result in a 3% reduction in the student’s overall grade.

If a student needs accommodations in this class related to a documented disability, please make an appointment to talk with Dr. Schaefer early in the semester. Whenever possible, the instructor will attempt to meet the educational needs of students with documented disabilities.

Duties and Grading: The course will likely be graded on a curve. However, the relative importance of each test or assignment is indicated by the points below. Students should recognize that the following grading scheme is tentative and may be adjusted to meet the pedagogical needs of the class.

Assignments

Video PKG 1 30 points

Midterm exam (only exam) 20 points

Video Reporter Pkg 2 50 points

Video Reporter Pkg 3 75 points

Final Report/Producing Exercise 50 points

or work on group project

(at instructor’s discretion)

Total Points: 225 points

TV Production Positions (Students will rotate through the following production positions. A poor effort in any one of these assignments can result in an overall reduction of your grade.)

Director Technical director

Character generator TelePrompTer

Audio VTR playback

Floor director Camera 1

producer Camera 2

DSS Camera 3

C&J 360 Video Packages: All video packages should be interesting to the UNM campus community or to the people of northern and central New Mexico. You should first turn in your log, then your script before editing your package. After the instructor has edited your script and returned it to you, then you can begin editing your package. Video packages can run between 1 min. (1:00) and 2 min. 30 sec. (2:30) in length, unless otherwise cleared by the instructor.

Final Reports: These reports are likely to be group projects and they may be performed anytime during the semester – at the instructor’s discretion. The reports might be a sports broadcast for the Web or some other activity that increases students’ skills and serves UNM purposes.

Midterm test but no final in C&J 360

C&J 360 Fall 2006 Course Schedule (Tentative)

Aug 22: Meet in JCP: Go over syllabus -- News packaging, delivery & writing

--Read Stinson: pp. 87-93, 205-218 (Sound Recording, Mics & Equipment)

Aug 24: Meet in JCP: Audio techniques

--Read Stinson: pp. 67-86 (Shots, esp. p. 73), pp. 17-30, 37-42, 55-66 (Rule of Thirds and Composition) and pp. 167-177, 187-204 (lighting)

Aug. 29: Meet in JCP: Lighting, shooting and framing & delivery

Aug. 31: Meet in JCP: Lighting, shooting and framing

--Read Stinson: pp. 143-168 (Camera Operation)

Sept 5: Site TBD: Learn EFP gear in C&J Rm. 125 or editing in Johnson Gym

--Read Stinson: pp. 227-234, 243-261 (creating scenes) and pp. 269-271, 285-312 (editing)

Sept 7: Site TBD: Learn EFP gear in C&J Rm. 125 or editing in Johnson Gym

Sept 12: at KNME: Studio introduction, at KNME Studio

Sept 14: at KNME: Studio camera techniques, at KNME Studio

--Read Stinson: pp. 329-350 (non-linear editing)

Sept 19 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Sept 21 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Sept 26 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Sept 28 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 3 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 5 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 10 Test on readings and materials learned in class

Oct 12 (no classes- fall break)

Oct 17 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 19 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 24 Studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 26 Studio production at KNME Studio

Oct 31 Studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 2 Studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 7 Studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 9 Studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 14 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 16 Editing in Johnson Gym or studio production at KNME Studio

Nov 21 Class site TBD

Nov 23 (no classes – Thanksgiving Holiday)

Nov 28 TBD -- possible show prep and taping

Nov 30 TBD -- show taping (students perform fund drive shift outside of class)

Dec 6 TBA (students perform fund drive shift outside of class)

Dec 8 TBA (students perform fund drive shift outside of class)

UNM Communication and Journalism Department

EQUIPMENT USAGE RELEASE

I understand that I am solely responsible for any equipment that I check out from the C&J Department. I am legally and financially responsible for this equipment and for any damage or loss that it may incur while it is in my charge. I understand that borrowed equipment is due back on weekdays no later than 24 hours after it is checked out. If the equipment is checked out on a Friday, it is due no later than 9:00 am on the following Monday.

Furthermore, I understand that if I return equipment late, damaged or missing any accessories, my borrowing privileges may be suspended and I may suffer a grade penalty at the discretion of the instructor. If I allow anyone else to use this equipment while it is checked out to me, I will continue to accept full personal responsibility for it until it is returned. If I do not accept any part of this statement, I will not borrow or use any of C&J's equipment.

Name:_______________________________________ Student ID #:___________________

Signature:____________________________________ Date:_________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________ Instructor: Richard Schaefer

Class Title: C&J 360, Broadcast News I Class Term: Fall 2006

Equipment available (1 day): 300 camera kit, tripod, field lights, mics, firewire drive (1 week)

(Fill out the form below, cut on the line below, and turn in the filled out form to Richard Schaefer. Keep the above copy of the form for your records.)