Tuesday, 10 May 2011

WINOL week 9

This week was the debut of Win FM's radio show 'The week'. I wrote the script for the 'what's on' section and presented this on the radio show. I also was in charge of the VTs during this week's bulletin and have been preparing several video features, which I filmed over the Easter break.

Brian Thornton's debrief
Unfortunately, following the Easter break, the stories were in this week's winol were weak. The VTs were also far too complicated and so the aim for next week is too remember that the most important thing is simplicity. One of the packages was almost trying to be a hybird of a two-way and a VT. It cannot be a two-way unless the report in live. In this instance, the reporter really needed to be in the studio. Other problems included shaky shots, weak images and poor sound quality.
Sport this week was not as good as previous weeks. There was no sport in the headline clips as the images were weak i.e. long shot of the stadium.
The gallery made it happen this week, as VTs were far too complicated. We need to obsess over headlines, they should be number one priority, not an afterthought.
After 1pm, there needs to be less panic. This was a major point raised by Rob Kirk. We need to be less chaotic.
We also need to strive for balance in our packages regarding interviewees.
 
Chris Horrie's debrief
Alexa.com measures the relative popularity of websites in the world. Amazon owns it and so looks whereabouts to place its adverts. Winol has climbed to under 500,000th from 1,000,000th in the world. Winol is the 21,000th (approx) most popular website in the country. We have overtaken the Hampshire Chronicle, which is 29,000 (approx). This shows that we are in a different league compared to other student work. Although this equates to about 600 regular viewers a week, our search engine optimisation needs to be increased. If we create the largest amount of traffic and keep within the code of conduct, then we have a winning formula.
Our aim for the coming weeks is to increase the amount of marketing we do, as this is our weakest area.
In terms of images, they need to be either action or identification pictures, not buildings.
This week was the debut of Win FM's radio show 'The week'. The news was too long. Radio is linear, whereas magazines are modular. This means that with radio, if the listener gets bored, they will turn off. Next week we need to either add a bed under the news or/and use stings, to tease the audience. This counters the problem of being linear.

Tuesday, 3 May 2011

WINOL week 8

Due to the bank holiday weekend, we missed out on Monday as our preparation day, so this week there is no WINOL. Instead we are preparing pieces for the royal wedding and an AV debate.
The WINOL team have pitched to Sky and so are going to be making a package about the atmosphere and events that that take place on the 29th April.

I have also produced a 'Big Interview' feature with Chris Mayo, an up and coming comedian in London.
This will take the style of an opening paragraph introducing who Chris is and what he does. Following this, the interview will take the format of Q and A (similar to the format that appears in celebrity magazines such as Heat). Additionally there will be three promotional pictures to go alongside the written article.

Week 7 feature

Southampton events in April

Dates to put in your diary:

Mother’s Day

The 3rd of April is Mother’s Day and to celebrate the one day a year that gives Mums the chance to put their feet up, why not treat yours to a three course lunch at Marwell Hall. All mums love flowers, don’t they? Hawthorn’s centre are holding an open event to officially launch the Southampton in Bloom competition, where guided walks would complete this Mother’s day perfectly.

Anniversary of the sinking of Titanic


The famous Titanic sank to the bottom of the ocean’s bed, ninety-nine years ago on the 15th April. To commemorate the anniversary, two walks will be taking place from the 15th to 17th April. You can either choose to take the Titanic Graves Walk; starting at the Old Cemetery located at Southampton Common (just off Hill Lane) or the Titanic Trail Guided walk; which begins at the ‘Stars at the Bargate‘, located in the city centre. Both these events are free, although bookings will need to be made in advance.

Easter


Although Easter is held this year between the 22nd- 25th April, there are plenty of activities running throughout this period and in the Easter school holidays to keep both young and old amused. Southampton Common is holding the Easter Fair; the south coast’s biggest travelling fun fair between the 21st April and the 2nd May. There is also a well-established Bank Holiday Monday market on the 25th, which the parents can enjoy, while the kids check out the rides. Marwell Wildlife are holding exciting Easter events on the 22 and 23 April. On the 22nd you can visit the crafts activities area and experience the opening of their new cheetah enclosure. The Wild Egg Hunt takes place on the 23rd, where you can discover lots of chocolate in all different shapes and sizes.

The Royal Wedding


The wedding of the year takes place on the 29th April, between Prince William and Kate Middleton. So, following the mood of the day, why not treat a loved one to a night at the theatre. Love, love, love is playing at the Nuffield Theatre from the 27th to the 30th April. The play is set in 1967 and follows the love story of Kenneth and Sandra. Their forty-year journey sees them experience their ambitious and paranoid lives, in the baby-boom era. Tickets range from £10.50 to £19.00.

Theatre

Avenue Q


From the West End to the Mayflower Theatre, Avenue Q is the hilarious and outstandingly clever musical, which combines the efforts of incredibly talented performers and personified puppets. The recommended age for viewing is 12+. The show runs from Tuesday 12th - Friday the 16th April. Ticket prices vary from £10 -£31.50.

Music


Bitterne Park United Reformed Church on Cobden Avenue, Bitterne Park will play host to the Spring Concert. , For one night only, on the 2nd of April, Southampton’s newest brass band will play both contemporary and traditional music. Ticket prices are £6.00 for adults and £5.00 for concessions. Tickets will be available on the door.

Ultimate Eagles


On the 30th April, The Brook are presenting the Ultimate Eagles; believed to be ‘the finest Tribute to The Eagles Featuring 4 members of Illegal Eagles.’
The boys believed the band needed something else. Something "bigger, better, faster, more". Doors open at 8pm. Tickets bought in advance are £16 and £18 if purchased on the door.

Other events

Menagerie


An exhibition featuring both artists and illustrators from in and around Southampton, will be held all month at the Soul Cellar.

P.A.Y Attention charity event


The event is to raise money for ‘children under 18 that are near or below the poverty line or people that are not living at home and are looking for employment. Our name is P.A.Y Attention, this means poverty and youth and how we need to pay attention to them and not just the children that can achieve because they have enough money to do so.’
Palmerston Park, on Palmerston Road, Southampton will hold the charity event on the 1st April. Enjoy the live music and see just how money much is raised!
 
 


 

WINOL week 7

This week we had Maria Milano, from Instyle magazine visit. Maria observed and gave us feedback on our WINOL bulletin and gave us advice about what to expect from a career in journalism.

This week I produced a written feature titled 'Southampton events in April'. The subtitle 'dates to put in your diary' includes information regarding events on Mother's Day, the anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, Easter and the royal wedding. Smaller sections outline what theatrical, musical and other events the city has to offer.

Maria Milano's feedback

  • 'capable and did a fabulous job'
  • The gallery and studio were calm and organised.
  • There was a good mix of hard and soft news.
  • The presenter's posture needs to be smart and open, without looking too rigid,
  • Presenters need to be grammatically correct.
Angus Scott's feedback
  • WINOL is now stepping up its game.
  • There is a maturity to packages.
  • There was a calm, relaxed attitude in the gallery and the studio (both before and after the fire alarm).
  • The headline straps need to be in capitals and in larger font.
  • In terms of sport, if there is a failure and it is in the audience's interest, then that must be shown (not just celebratory moments).
  • Timings of packages need to be exact (out cues and out words).
  • Always feel the atmosphere.
  • Tenses in links cannot be mixed.
  • Countdown from ten to one and give guidance in the gallery seconds before action is needed.
  • We need to make sure we have one full rehearsal with VTs and then shorter rehearsals (going into and out of VTs).

Friday, 1 April 2011

WINOL week 6

This week, I was in charge of vision mixing for both the entertainment show and WINOL. Angus commented that the vision mixing went well.

Angus Scott's de-brief

General points to note regarding this week's WINOL bulletin:
  • Circulation is good (400 views), due to promotion but a lack of planning and organisation prevented us getting more views.
  • The Director is always in charge over the Editor, when in the gallery.
  • It is vital to have a controlled environment in the studio and the gallery.
  • The bulletin this week was once again good - but unfortunately not as good as last week. This was suggested to be down to the problems experienced in the gallery and studio.
  • Interviews are good, they are becoming more ambitious.
  • There are sound issues on certain packages. I.e. slight wind.
  • Work needs to be delegated from the News Editor to other members of the team.
  • WINOL now has a music composer.
  • Routine needs to be present between news, production and features. The content needs to be consistently good across all areas of WINOL.
  • On the website, the panel on the right, needs to contain only features.
  • All features must have headlines, in order to be put up on the website.
  • Think clever, use weaknesses as strengths. I.e. First day fashion at Uni. Any piece needs the wow factor. It needs to be technically and thematically outstanding.
Production
  • Very good teamwork and atmosphere in the studio and gallery.
  • Fixed strap lines were used this week. This helps to produce consistency and continuity throughout the bulletin.
  • Pulling the graphic, which had a spelling mistake, was the right decision to make.
  • The handover this week caused confusion and so needs to be made simpler for next week.
  • Apology made for technical difficulty showed professionalism.
  • Old taglines need to be updated.
  • Live stream needs to be up and running successfully.
News
  • The headlines were successful this week.
  • Say 'hello', as this is easier than 'good afternoon'.
  • There was a general problem with links; with the Japan story, do not allude to content, say. For example, 'events in homeland', should use the word 'earthquake'. Good emotion techniques were used. For example, the photographs of the earthquake was not shown straight away, enticing and capturing the audience.
  • Any links with Winchester need to be mentioned.
  • A clear angle needs to be set before creating the piece. The story needs to be made local.
  • Make sure language is chose carefully. For example, the word 'chaos' used to describe the demolition of a wall by a joy rider, appears insensitive when the bulletin includes stories concerning the Japanese earthquake and the Libyan revolt.
  • Links need to include both exposition and conversational elements.
  • Check to see if archive footage is available.
  • Even if a party have refused to comment, this can still be put into a package.
Sport
  • Sports levels need to be altered.  Voiceovers need to be lowered and the sports action heightened.
  • In studio, if presenting, do not use SOQ in your own package.
  • Spelling needs to be double checked, as a graphic had to be pulled due to a spelling mistake.

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

WINOL week 5

After spending a month as a News reporter, I have decided to move onto the Production and Features team, to ensure I get experience in a variety of areas.

In my first week on production, my role was to work on the soundboards, up in the gallery and to mic up the presenters. This involved checking the sound and voice levels with the presenters and those in the gallery. I also had to sort out any technical difficulties that presenters were having with their mic packs and talkback. The production team also began the entertainment show, 'Good Morning Winchester'. I was also placed on soundboard for this, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, we fell foul of violating OFCOM by creating a piece related to cocktails, which was seen as encouraging alcoholism in the morning. This is of course is a very valuable lesson to of learnt early on in our journalism careers and an issue that we will be sure to scrutinise in the future. I also produced my first feature on smoking. The 9th March 2011 was non-smoking day and so I did a 1500 word piece on the history of smoking.

General points this week:
  • Check the spelling of everything - on one of the sport's graphic a word was misspelt.
  • New backgrounds needed
  • Production straps for both sports presenters and news presenters.
  • Skype and phone interviews produce a much more successful and ambitious bulletin.
  • Shira's New Zealand story shows how a story can be made even though there is a lack of pictures.
  • The sports this week was very good, but must double check that rights to footage is granted. I.e. the streaker footage was checked and fortunately it had been granted.
  • When editing the bulletin, just re-touch certain parts where the vision jolted.
  • Both production and promotion issues need to be resolved by four o'clock.
  • Headline clips need text.
  • Dig in to find the story and analyse interviewees.
A phone line system has now been set up so that when people ring up this particular telephone number, they will automatically be recorded. The WAV file can then be collected from Andy Couston to input directly into Final Cut Pro. Make sure you inform the speaker that they are being recorded for the whole duration of the conversation.

Week 5 script

(Headline 1) Fees exclusive: Student leader says Winchester's future is now in doubt.
(Headline 2) Winchester Firefighters tell of New Zealand devastation.
(Headline 3) Mums march in battle to save children centres.
(Headline 4) And in sport, Winchester outclassed in cup semi-final by local rivals.

Good Afternoon, Welcome to Winchester News Online, I'm Katie Rowles.

In a WINOL exclusive early today, outgoing student President Aaron Porter set out his fears for the future of newer universities like Winchester in the light of the proposed tuition fee increase. He told WINOL he thinks applicants for more modern universities will fall.

Colin Boag spoke to Aaron Porter, via Skype this morning.

140 jobs may be lost in Wincheter as plans have been announced to move Bendicks of Mayfair abroad. Although the chocolate factory has operated in Britain since 1931, the owners of the company have said that the chocolates, which have gained the Queens seal of approval, could soon be made in Germany.
Andrew Giddings spoke to Winchester MP Steve Brine about the controversial plans.

And Steve Brine will be appealing for David Cameron's support on this issue.

Helping around the world Hampshire firefighters come back home from the devastation that hit New Zealand after an earthquake destroyed the lives of many.
Shira Pinczhuk visited Hampshire Fire and Rescue service to speak to the firefighters.

Young mums and their children marched through Winchester high street to present Hampshire County Council leaders with over one thousand signatures. They were there to fight the proposals to close the County's sure start centres.

Sam Homewood was at the demonstration.

OOV

Vice Chancellorof Winchester University has called on the Home Secretary to drop plans to restrict VISAs for foreign students. Winchester's Joy Carter was part of an open letter the government signed by the heads of 16 Universities. They say that plans will have a negative effect on the finances of universities and could cause some courses to close.

The Universty of Winchester's teaching students have been helping the Soma Primary School in Africa by teaching the pupils anad helping to improve the school's facilities and infrastructure. The trip was part of the Hampshire-wide Diamond Jubilee Gambia project.

David Champion has this.

And now for your sports - Keiran what do you have for us?

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Thanks Katie

CAMERA 2

Last night saw Winchester City host AFC Totton in the semi-final of the Hampshire Senior Cup. With Totton a league above The Citizens, it was always going to be a hard task for Guy Butters' side.
Jake Gable was at the Denplan.

OOV

Now for a moment of bare faced cheek from the Blue Square South.

Monday's match between Havant and Waterlooville and Dorchester Town was interrupted by a streaker, wearing only a bright green mankini and comedy wig. The culprit managed to escape the attention of stewards, before being tackled to the ground by Dorchester's player-manager Ashley Vickers.

Vicker's decision to take the incident into his own hands led to him being controversially sent off for violent conduct, despte protests from his teammates.

Havant and Waterlooville went on to win the game 3-1 but will now face an FA charge of spectator misconduct.

And Monday night's result keeps Havant and Waterlooville in touching distance of the play-offs. Steve Devlin's goal for the away side gave Dorchester an early lead, but goals from Mustafa Tiryaki, Wes Fogden and Steve Ramsey gave the Hawks all three points.

Eastleigh consolidated their play-off place with a 1-0 win at home to Bromley last night. Mark Nwokeji with the winner.

And Basingstoke ended their 7-match winless streak with a 3-0 win away to Thurrock. Strikers Greg Draper and Delano Sam-Yorke were amongst the scorers.

Well thats all from me this week, back to Katie

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Thanks Keiran

CAMERA 2

OOV

A Spitfire has roared through its home skies on the 75th anniversary of the iconic maiden flight. Carolyn Grace, the world's only female Spitfire pilot, gave the public a view of her plane over Southampton waterfront, the place of the potential new Spitfire memorial.

That's all for this week, for more award winning news and sports don't forget to log onto our website at http://www.winol.co.uk/. But make sure you click on our features page to catch a behind the scenes glimpse of the Theatre Royale's High School Musical cast in What's On with Rebecca Gray.

But from all of us here goodbye.