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?

CAMERA 3

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

CAMERA 3

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.

Week 4 articles

Local woman charged with murdering her mother-in-law

A Southampton woman appeared in Winchester Crown Court today, charged with murdering her mother- in- law.
A post-mortem examination found that Baljit Kaur Buttar had died from repeated blows to the head. Paramedics were called to Broadland's Road , Swaythling, on Friday, around 11.30 am.
Despite paramedic's efforts, the 56 year old woman, who was due to fly home on Sunday, died before reaching the hospital.
Police arrested three people on suspicion of the murder, two of them were released without charged on Saturday.
Daughter-in-law Raj Binder Kaur was remanded in custody. She will reappear in court of May 6th 2011.

By Natasha Spencer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59397468@N08/5491818634/

Hampshire policeman struck in hit and run

A local policeman was mowned down in Southampton City centre as he signalled for the car to pull over.

The incident occured at 2.25am on Sunday morning. The dark coloured hatchback, believing to be carrying four people, drove into the PC, throwing him onto the bonnet. The car then left Park Walk, situated behind Flares nightclub and made its way onto New Road at speed. The officer, who was wearing florescent clothing, remained on the bonnet for a short distance.

The officer was taken to Southampton General Hospital with minor injuries.

The car was later abandoned near Charlotte's Place roundabout, close to St Andrew's Road.

Police are appealing for witnesses and have asked if anyone knows any information to contact Shirley CID on 101 or the Crimestoppers charity line anonymously on 0800 555 111.

By Natasha Spencer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59397468@N08/5491219413/in/photostream/

WINOL week 4

This week, Tom Hepworth was our guest editor. He helped produce the script, watched in on the show from the gallery, visited the studio and also gave us his thoughts on how the show went and how the team performed.

I constructed two OOVs this week. The first was about the murder of a mother-in-law, by her daughter-in-law in Southampton. I took various shots of the house, police van, policeman, police tape and flowers to try and transform a 'dull' story into one that looked more interesting, as a result of the pictures.
The second story was about a hit and run. It involved a policeman, who was hit in the early hours, behind Southampton nightclub Flares. I used shots of the location, where the car travelled to and also where it was abandoned.
I also wrote the script for the OOVs. Unfortunately, due to timings on vision mixing, one of the OOVs was not played.
Angus said that the OOVs were visually good and so I feel I have improved my technical skills and understanding of what shots are needed to tell a story.
This week I also helped out in the studio. My role was to work on autocue, up in the gallery. This involved writing up the script on the autocue, checking the speed levels with the presenters and playing this to the presenters whilst the bulletin is being recorded.

In general this week;
News were very prepared and created enthusiastic links.
Sport this week was successful in the areas of scripting, voicing and interviews. However, levels need to be consistent on microphones and shots need to be visually striking.
The headline clips in production this week were very good, although they need to fade to music. New taglines, logos and background need to be produced for both news and sportsweek, in order to give WINOL a brand new look.

Tom Hepworth's de-brief

Tom's main tip was to keep things simple! News is about people doing things/actions and this is where the focus needs to be when reporters are going out to find their stories. It is also crucial to know the link first, as this will help structure the story. Scripts also need to be complete in advance, to give production enough time to type them up on the autocue.

• Good, strong stories.
• Directing was excellent and calm.  It was an ordered gallery.
• Headline clips need actuality.
• Presenter was calm and assured (hands need to be on the desk).
• Sports need to be more clear. I.e. zoom in, larger font. Technically, very good.

Overall, once again, a successful WINOL.

Week 4 script

This week's script was put together with this week's guest editor, Tom Hepworth, from BBC South Today.

(Headline 1) Winchester University's 2012 tuition fee leaked to national newspaper.
(Headline 2) Arab journalist calls on Britain to intervene in Bahrain protest turmoil.
(Headline 3) A former resident of Winchester wins an Oscar.

Good Afternoon, Welcome to Winchester News Online, I'm Andrew Giddings

Winchester students could pay seven and a half thousand pounds a year in tuition fees from 2012. The University has refused to confirm or deny the report in The Times on Monday. Keiran Brannigan has been gauging the reaction on campus.

Now we have all been watching the dramatic events unfolding in the Arab world. A Winchester student is increasingly concerned for his father, who has been caught up in the political unrest in Bahrain.

ROLL VT OF DEMO FOOTAGE

OOV. These are pictures of the unprecedented protests that took place in the Gulf Kingdom.

ANDY BACK ON SCREEN: Back in Winchester, Ali Al-Jamri has been watching developments closely.

OOV. A Southampton woman appeared in Winchester Crown Court today, charged with the murder of her mother-in-law.

35-year-old Raj Binder Kaur was remanded in custody. A post-mortem examination found Baljit Kaur Buttar had died from repeated blows to the head. Paramedics were called to the house on Broadlands Road, but she died before she arrived at hospital. Police arrested three other people on suspicion of the murder, two of them were released without charge on Saturday. She will reappear in court on the 6th of May.

OOV. In other news, a local policeman was mowed down by a driver in the middle of the night outside the back of Southampton nightclub, Flares, on Sunday.
The officer was thrown into the air before landing on the bonnet of the dark coloured hatchback, which then drove away at speed.
The car was later found dumped near a roundabout in the city centre. Police are appealing for witnesses.

Pubs are often the heart of the community, but defiant residents of Stanmore in Winchester have been fighting to keep their last local open. Sam Homewood reports.

Hampshire County Hospital says more lives could be saved by a new piece of equipment. As David Champion reports, it was donated by a former patient.

Thanks Andrew.

After winning the BUCS cup last year, Winchester University Mens Football went into this year's quarter final on the brink of setting a new league record. Mikey Smith saw the action.

Basingstoke Town were threatened with falling into the relegation places after a poor run of form. Gareth Messenger went to see if they could stop the rot away to Staines Town.

And in another result from last night, Basingstoke Town failed to build on their promising point away to Staines as they went down 1-0 away to midtable Dartford.
And here is how it has affected the Blue Square South Table.

Basingstoke move down two places with that defeat, they are still 10 points off the relegation places. But sides below them have games in hand.

Eastleigh fell further behind the play-off pack as their game was called off on Monday night. The Spitfires lay four points off fifth place Welling, but they have two games in hand.

That's all the sport from me, back to Andrew.

Hampshire born actor Colin Firth celebrated his first Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday. He received the gong for his performance as the stuttering monarch King George the Sixth in 'the King's Speech'.

The former Barton Peveril College student thanked his mum in his acceptance speech.

Well that's all for this week but for more award winning news and sport don't forget to log on to our website at http://www.winol.co.uk/.

But from all of us here goodbye.

Week 3 article

The welfare reform bill is intending to remove various different benefits and replace it with one single universal benefit. Many households are therefore going to be losing hundreds, even thousands of pounds.

Despite the government taking a u-turn on their idea of scrapping housing benefits, they are intending to close many domestic violence charities; in some cases the cuts are intending to affect 100% of services.

A well-known statistic is that the majority of domestic violence victims are female and often young. With the 41% gender pay gap for part- time workers, the economical climate and childcare costs; it is thought there is not enough room or finances to accommodate them.

Tony Hall, from Eastleigh Borough Council, emphasises how the housing demand is already stretched:

"There are 5,500 people on waiting lists…it is often very hard to accommodate people who have been the victims of domestic abuse."

Michele Price, the Manager of Winchester’s Night shelter, explains how the high demand for beds is forcing her to extend the shelter:

 "We are always full and offer a hot bed system. Last year we turned away 300 people. At the moment we have the builders round to extend the shelter and I am losing my main office."

By Natasha Spencer

WINOL week 3

Brian Thornton's de-brief

This week news was very weak and there were far too many vox pops.

Overall, the technical standard has improved alot. The camera shots and sound quality were good; however it is now the editorial content that needs work. The script, links and the balance between interviewees need focus next week.
Production this week was exceptional and more advanced than previous weeks.

Angus Scott's de-brief

Angus agreed with Brian that production was exceptional. The sports team are dominating news and so the aim for next week is to strike more of a balance between the two.
Grammar needs to be double checked. 'Off of' should of been 'off'.
The headlines were dull. To entice and capture the attention of the audience, they need to be more exciting.
The links are too short; they do not sufficiently explain the story.
The OOV and the UPSOT were very good and professional looking. The aim is to produce two or three of these for each week's bulletin. They need to be between 20-30 seconds each.
The order of the bulletin needs to be looked at. For example, the piece about the fire station should have been before the sports package. However, the balance of this week's bulletin was an improvement from last week.
Another aim for next week's bulletin is to remember to geographically locate stories.

On a personal note, I was very disappointed with my package this week. I wanted to do a piece about the government's proposed funding cuts to victims of domestic violence. I managed to get shots and two interviews. One of the interviewees was Michele Price, the manager of Winchester's night shelter. The other was Tony Hall, a housing officer from Eastleigh Borough Council. My editor felt that this was not balanced and so I managed to get a quote from MP Steve Brine to rectify this. However, Brian felt that my idea was too vague and that I hadn't tackled the issue very well.
Although I was very disappointed and frustrated, I learnt a valuable lesson and now know that I need a definite story and not just a vague concept.

WINOL week 5: The last 1500 years of smoking

The 9^th March 2011 is Non-Smoking Day. With many undoubtedly trying to ditch the fags, I take a look back at the history of smoking and how it has transformed over the last 1500 years. 

• It all started way back in 6000 BC when tobacco was grown in America by native Americans.
• Then, in 1000 BC they found that they could smoke and chew tobacco, for their own curiosity and enjoyment.
• Historians have cited Rodrigo de Jerez as the first European smoker, back in 1493 AD. An explorer, he had his first taste of tobacco in Cuba, where he smoked a cigar. The unknown hobby, landed him in prison for three years, as lighting up in public led the Spaniards to take action. Little did they know that they were to become the first enforcers of the anti-smoking campaign.
• There are various famous candidates for who was the first to deliver tobacco into England:

• History seems to indicate that Sir John Hawkins was the first individual to bring tobacco to the UK. The first slave trader took various visits to Africa and the Caribbean and so is likely to of transported the tobacco between 1532 and 1595.
• It may have been Sir Francis Drake between 1541 and 1596. Being the first person to sail around the world, could have brought him into contact with tobacco.
• Or it might have been Richard Grenville, a mariner between 1542 and 1591.
• Although he did not discover it, Sir Walter Raleigh popularised it between 1552 and 1618, when Elizabeth 1 was Monarch.
•  In 1604, King James 1 published ‘A Counterblast to Tobacco’, describing the plant as an ‘invention of Satan’ and banned the use of tobacco in all London pubs. He later contradicted himself, reducing taxes on tobacco and ‘nationalising’ the diminishing industry.
• In 1595, an eponymous book on tobacco was published.
• In certain eastern countries, including Turkey, Persia and India, the death penalty was prescribed in an attempt to deter individuals from smoking. Slitting of wrists and flogging was also a common measure in Russia, where a tobacco court was set up to deal with breaches of law during the period between 1596 and 1645.
• When the 17^th century arrived, smoking was becoming increasingly popular among Europeans, despite Pope Clement V111, threatening to excommunicate anyone who smoked in a holy place.
• In 1830, the first Cuban ‘seegars’ were sold in St James’ Street, by Robert Lewis.
• The first rolled up cigarette was made in 1832. Today, this is commonly referred to as a ‘rollie’.
• Walworth, England, 1856, saw the arrival of the first cigarette factory. It was owned by Robert Golag, a veteran of the Crimean war.
• The mid 19^th century saw the first fears concerning smoking raised, in an issue of The Lancet.
• With the turn of the 20^th century, came the realisation that smoking had become a way of life; a normality. It was common for men to own a smoking jacket and it became  the custom to have a cigar after dinner.
• At the start of WW1, cigarette rations were introduced and smoking visibly increased among soldiers.
• The mid 20^th century saw the first piece of leading research indicating a link between lung cancer and smoking. Then, Professor Richard Doll and Bradford Hill had their research published in the British Medical Journal and sparked a turning point in professional’s attitudes towards smoking.
• The UK government bans the use of cigarette advertisements on television in 1965.
• The UK government bans cigarette advertisements on the radio in 1971 and an agreement is made voluntarily between tobacco companies to print health warnings on packs of cigarettes, throughout the UK.
• In 1992, the first nicotine patches were introduced.
• In 1994, Macdonalds decided to ban smoking in all its restaurents. Diana Castano, the widow of a lung cancer sufferer filed a case against the tobacco industry in general. From this, millions of individuals came forward and a team of 60 lawyers were needed for the plaintiffs.
• In 1999, the Voluntary Charter on Smoking in Public Places was launched by the hospitality industry. Restaurants and pubs agree to put more signs up, explaining to customers their smoking policy and also introducing further non-smoking areas. Secondly, the UK Health and Safety Commission first expressed its concerns about smoking at work. 
• In 2000, Gary Cullen went to court and was given back 5,000 cigarettes, seized by customs at Dover, who initially rejected his claim that they were for personal use.
• In 2002, the British Medical association claimed that ‘there is no safe level of environmental tobacco smoke’. The UK government is forced to change the amount of cigarettes that can be channel-crossed from 800 to 3,200 per person.
• In 2003, the UK bans all advertising and promotion of tobacco.
• In 2004, Ireland bans smoking in all enclosed public places including bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs.
• 2006 sees Scotland also introducing a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places. These include, pubs, clubs and even some outdoor areas. A ban on smoking in outdoor parks had also been given the go-ahead subject to certain guidelines given to local councils.
• In 2007, Members of Parliament voted in favour of a total ban on smoking in all public places, in England and Wales.
• In the UK, in 2007, the minimum age to buy cigarettes in the UK rose from the age of 16 to 18. Also, as a result of the Health Act 2006, smoking is banned in mostly all enclosed public spaces. Outdoor smoking shelters are required to have at least half the area open to avoid being defined as enclosed. A fine of up to £2,500 is the punishment for businesses failing to comply. The smoking ban gets under way in both Northern Ireland and Wales. England’s NHS adopts the term ‘smoke free.’

So there you have it, 1500 years of a smoking Britain. What will the next 1500 deliver? Will we take a u-turn like King James 1 or continue to fight against the effects of tobacco?


By Natasha Spencer


Attribution
1st photograph by SuperFantastic
2nd photograph by incurable_hippie

Week 2 article

Marwell Wildlife

Marwell Wildlife, near Winchester, is running its Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 competition for its second year.

Last year’s competition saw 2,500 entries from around the UK. The aim of the competition is to entice amateur and professional photographers to go out into the great outdoors and capture nature in its most natural form.

It is open to both adults and juniors. Entries are split into three categories:

· Marwell Wildlife residents – images taken at Marwell Wildlife Park

· Native Wildlife – flora and fauna taken from around the UK.

· Funnies – amusing photographs of nature. This category is only open to adult entrants.

The winner will be granted the prestige of being named the Marwell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011. They will also receive a wide range of prizes, including: A Canon Powershot SX200Is camera, The Flash Centre and Wild Arena gift tokens, your photograph taken in Marwell’s 2012 calendar and an annual subscription to BBC Wildlife magazine, plus lots more.

The judging panel is made up of personalities from professional photography and the Wildlife Park itself.

Among the competition’s judges are:

· Paul Simmons , Head of Marketing Communications at Marwell Wildlife

· Sophie Stafford, BBC Wildlife Magazine Editor

· Guy Edwardes, Professional Photographer

The winner of last year’s competition, Paul Cook, 42, from Glasgow, produced a beautiful portrait of a swallow flying after a damselfly; ‘A swallow’s tale – the chase.’ To submit an entry, visit www.marwell.org.uk/photocomp. Each entrant can submit a maximum of five images, costing just £5. Junior entries are free. The deadline is the 4th June 2011 and more information regarding the competition can be found on the website.



By Natasha Spencer

WINOL week 2

Week 2

Please find the news bulletin and sport section via the following the link:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ACK3umyM0GU

Please find the 'what's on' section via the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/kYwVTwgWxLo


This week I had a number of difficulties. I decided to do a story on a joint initiative thought up by Network rail and the British Transport Police, in an attempt to reduce the number of near misses at level crossings. The initiative was to intall mobile surveillance units around Hampshire, to monitor level crossings. Any misuse and officers onboard trains would issue fines and individuals may even be prosecuted.

Despite already getting my footage and organising two statements from both Network Rail and the British Transport Police, the only way ot get an on camera interview would be travelling to London. As time was against us and it only being my secod week of WINOL, my teacher, Angus Scott, believed that this was asking too much and encouraged me to find a new story.

This was my first taste of just how frustrating and incredibly disappointing the industry can be. I had been working hard for days and in the end, I just had to cut my losses and start again.     

I then started ringing round to find a new story. I discovered a photography competition that Marwell Zoological Wildlife Park had just opened for its second year. I managed to secure an interview with Paul Simmons, the Marketing manager of the park and produced a 1'20 package of examples of wildlife in the park, information about the competition itself and the interview with Paul.
I feel that I have improved technically this week, in terms of the range and quality of shots taken. I also found feel that the editing process is starting to become second nature now and so this was completed alot quicker than last week.

Angus' feedback

The Barton farm piece had good content and the interviews were well balanced. A relaxed and piece to camera which is left long at the end are signs of professionality.

The piece on Winchester's rural crime had good sequences and general views. Managing to provoke emotion from an interviewee is a skill that transforms a good piece into a great piece.

The piece on Barack Obama had some good shots, although the sound was slightly distorted.

The news piece on council cuts included a very good case study, piece to camera and nat sot. It is important to try to always look at the camera to appear confident and focused on getting the story accross to the audience.

On the 'What's on' feature package, cross fades between sound and shots need to be clearer and speach slightly slower. The images were interesting.

This week however, the main criticism was that there was too much heavy news and so next week our main aim is to soften the tone and content of the bulletin.

In terms of the script, it was very well produced and the bulletin went out on time, live at 3pm. All sources need to be covered, so that there is assurance and confirmation of what everyone in the team is doing on a Wednesday.

The production team were very well organised. VTs need to be watched all the way through and black holes need to be avoided. Cues also need to be more precise. When vision mixing, try not to pre-empt, wait for the necessary signal.

The template for straplines need to be consistent and so they are to scroll on, then off - not pop up.

Generally this week, the bulletin was very good. The aim for next week is for the production team to be slightly more ambitious and for the news teams to gather more stories, so they have more to fall back on and the edit needs to be alot more tougher.