Glossary
Anchor:
The person who is the host for a news show. The anchor reads the news and introduces reporter stories, usually in a studio.
Assignment Desk:
This is where the people who assign stories to reporters and crews sit. Assignment editors not only help think of story ideas, but they also are involved in making sure the stories are completed.
Audio:
The sound that is used in a news report.
Backlight:
The light in back of a subject being videotaped. Often the light is added for effect, but when it occurs naturally, it can make it difficult to see the subject.
B-roll:
The video used for covering a reporter’s narration in a news story.
Character Generator:
This equipment is used to type letters over video, often to clearly identify a person who is speaking on camera.
Dissolve:
An editing effect used to make one segment of video seem to melt into the next so that only the second piece is finally seen.
Editing Bay:
Usually a small room where video editing equipment is assembled for use in editing video. It is usually big enough for 3 or 4 people to work.
Elements: The different things that it takes to make up a package, such as video, music, natural sound (NAT), interviews (SOTs), and voice overs (VOs).
Establishing Shot:
A wide shot used to show where an interview or event is taking place.
Fades:
The editing effect used to make a video picture slowly fade off the screen, usually leaving a black picture to be seen.
Field Producer:
The person who assigns a reporter in the field to gather information and to produce a story. This person often is in charge of the camera crew.
Font:
The written text on screen used to identify a person or location. They accompany SOTs (sound on tape). Fonts are sometimes called “Chirographics” or CG for short, because the name of the machine that creates them is a Chirograph Generator (CG).
FS (Full Screen):
The graphic that fills an entire screen.
GRX (Graphics):
This is anything visual, such as text or still pictures, which isn’t video.
Locator:
A type of “font.” It appears briefly on a TV screen in a broadcast to identify the country, city, or state of the video we’re watching. The locator is usually given at the top of most packages.
Lead-in:
Each script should have a suggested anchor lead-in. These are the words the news anchor reads to introduce the story. It should contain a little background on what the story is about and why the reporter is telling it. Then it should introduce the reporter. The lead-in speaks directly to the audience. Here’s a sample lead-in:
"Since 1923, the Fairhaven and Dartmouth football teams have faced each other on Thanksgiving Day. Since Fairhaven has eaten crow again for the seventh year, this rivalry may be coming to an end. Here’s Reporter Sean Flynn with an in-depth report."
Man-on-the-Street (MOS):
A series of interviews of a cross-section of people generally found in public places. The Street (MOS) goal is to gather a representative sample of opinions on a certain subject.
NAT Sound (natural sound):
Sound, other than a reporter or interview subject’s voice, recorded while video is being shot.
On-Camera:
When a person is seen on camera without video covering him/her.
Over-the-shoulder-shot:
When a camera shoots over a reporter’s shoulder. It may or may not actually show the shoulder.
Package:
A complete edited story from a reporter. It’s usually 2 minutes or less in length. Some features are longer, up to 4 min. Recommended length is 2.5 min. It would likely require a “lead” that is read by an anchor to introduce the package.
Pan:
The video shot created when a camera is moved from one side of a scene to another.
Reporter:
The person who is chiefly responsible for gathering info. for a story and then writing the script. The reporter’s voice is used to narrate the report, and often the reporter will appear on camera.
Runner:
A person who is hired by a news team to deliver tapes and other supplies to and from the scene of a news story.
Script:
This is the written, typed version of a video news report. It tells us everything occurring in the package without looking at the video. In most broadcast operations, the script is split down the middle of the page with the left side giving video instruction and the right side showing the words and sounds you will see in the video. A script consists of an anchor lead-in, VOs (voice overs) and SOTs (sound on tape) as well as FONTS, the names and titles of interviewed people as they should appear on the screen. For interviewees under 18, the age should be included in the fonts. It should include editing instructions along with words read by the reporter.
Shot Sheet:
A list of video pictures selected for possible use in a story. Also called a log sheet, this includes a detailed description of the video along with the time codes.
Slug:
A very short name for the story, usually 1-3 words. Example Locks of Love for a story on two girls who helped to organize an event for girls to cut their hair for a cancer victim. Slugs are used to find stories saved on the computer and for reference purposes in general.
Summary:
Two or three lines describing the story. It is used administratively to help producers see very quickly what a story is about. It can be placed at the top of a story proposal.
SOT (Sound On Tape):
A term used to refer to the portions of a pre-taped interview selected for use in a news report. These are sometimes called sound bites.
Stand-up:
The part of a reporter’s package in which the reporter appears on camera while delivering part of the script. The reporter is usually standing in the foreground of a scene related to the story. Stand-ups are either in the middle of the package or the end. They should never be at the top or as an open. Stand-ups in the middle of a package are called bridges because they serve as the transition between two points in the story. Stand-ups at the end of the packages are called stand-up closes and should end with the reporter stating his or her name, the news station, and the location of the story. This is known as a sign-out. Example: Tim Christ, BD-TV News, Fairhaven.
Story Proposal:
The format by which students submit their story ideas. The proposal contains a summary of the idea, a slug name, and the students’ names in the group. The proposal then tells how the student plans to present the story, who the characters are, what shots are needed, and the experts needed for interviews. It also gives an anticipated completion date.
TRT:
Total Running Time of a video package.
Tape Log:
A transcription of what is on the tape. The tape logger transcribes the interview and indicates the time code for where the speaker says certain things. If the tape has no interviews, the tape log includes time codes and descriptions of the action taking place in the video.
Time Codes:
The numbers encoded into the video which help to keep track of where certain scenes and sound bites are located on a tape. Time codes are usually recorded as hours, minutes, seconds, and frames of video.
Track:
The portion of the news package in which the reporter reads the script. This is also called the narration.
Voice:
When an anchor or reporter reads a script while video relating to the news story is seen Over (VO) on the screen. It is sometimes called a track because in the world of video editing, sound is recorded on different tracks. A SOT can become a VO if you cover the interview with different video than the person speaking. For example, you see a woman sitting talking about cooking, and suddenly you see video of someone cooking at a stove while she’s still talking, that’s called a VO/SOT.
Wipe:
A video effect in which one scene is replaced by another picture starting from one side of the scene to the other.
Zoom:
When a photographer goes from a wide shot of a scene or subject to a closer shot of the same scene or subject in one continuous shot.
###:
Three pound signs indicates the end of a story. It is placed at the end of the package script, usually centered at the bottom of the page.