News Program Project

For this project students will create a news program as part of our unit on political participation. As a class you will create a 10+ min long news program detailing current events occurring in our world today. Students will need to brainstorm a list of news topics to discuss in their program detailing local, national, and international current events. Students will also create a few ads to display in-between news segments. Students will film and edit their news program then submit their program video as class for completion of this assignment.

Each student will receive their own grade for this assignment based on the work that they contributed to this group assignment. Each student will have a different role that will contribute to this assignment and will be graded based upon their participation, effort, involvement, and contribution of their unique role to the class project.

Grading Criteria:

Participation & Involvement:         20%

Effort & Performance:                30%

Role Completion:                       30%

Team Skills & Collaboration:         20%

1.     Students will need to sit, brainstorm, and discuss how they want to approach this project. Each student will need a role to help with the overall production of this news program.

a.     Student Roles:

                                               i. Executive Producer: The Executive Producer runs the show. Their main responsibility is to keep the news team running. They will meet with Scriptwriters and discuss important news stories. They will assign out stories and segments to script writers, news anchors, reporters, and other staff. They will make decisions on the order of news segments, ad placement, and work with film designers and the Associate Producer on ensuring the news program is prepared, filmed, edited, and produced in time.

                                             ii. Associate Producer: The Associate Producer’s key responsibility is to assist the Executive Producer in ensuring delivery of the final news program. One key aspect of this role will be to help turn the scriptwriters’ stories into news segments. They will tie scripts together to help develop dialogue between news anchors and reporters, and work with Film Editors to tie in key graphics, videos, or audio needs for each individual news story/ segment.

                                           iii. Researcher, Script Writer: Script Writers will identify key news stories along with the Associate and Execute Producers. They will then research the key components of these news stories, fact check the stories, and then draft scripts for news anchors for each news segment. It is the scriptwriter’s responsibility to ensure that stories are reported accurately.

                                            iv. Researcher, Script Writer: Script Writers will identify key news stories along with the Associate and Execute Producers. They will then research the key components of these news stories, fact check the stories, and then draft scripts for news anchors for each news segment. It is the scriptwriter’s responsibility to ensure that stories are reported accurately.

                                             v. Researcher, Script Writer: Script Writers will identify key news stories along with the Associate and Execute Producers. They will then research the key components of these news stories, fact check the stories, and then draft scripts for news anchors for each news segment. It is the scriptwriter’s responsibility to ensure that stories are reported accurately.

                                            vi. News Anchor: This position is for the key on air personality. Your job is to share the news. You will work with your co anchor to creatively share the news, give your insights on the news and report on the stories and scripts given to you by the Producers and Writers.

                                          vii. News Anchor: This position is for the key on air personality. Your job is to share the news. You will work with your co-anchor to creatively share the news, give your insights on the news and report on the stories and scripts given to you by the Producers and Writers.

                                        viii.     Reporter: This position is a secondary on air personality. Reporters will share the news on air along with the news anchors. They will report on stories from on the scene locations or from their own news desks. They many also run their own short news segments on the news program to aid in news reporting operations.

                                            ix. Reporter/ Weatherman: This position will operate as both a reporter and as a weather forecaster. They will primarily report on the weather as their own segment on the news program. They may also act as a on the scene reporter as needed.

                                             x. Camera Engineer & Film Design Editor: Their job is to film news segments, interviews, and programs. Film Design Editors will be responsible for maintaining video files in an organized, shared folder. They will edit videos and will be the key person in charge of editing videos, developing graphics, and preparing the final video for production. This job will require a lot of work in post-production (video editing, and creative design especially). Film Editors will work with the Execute and Associate Producers to ensure final delivery of the program.

                                            xi. Camera Engineer & Film Design Editor: Their job is to film news segments, interviews, and programs. Film Design Editors will be responsible for maintaining video files in an organized, shared folder. They will edit videos and will be the key person in charge of editing videos, developing graphics, and preparing the final video for production. This job will require a lot of work in post-production (video editing, and creative design especially). Film Editors will work with the Execute and Associate Producers to ensure final delivery of the program.

                                          xii. Ad Producer: Their Job is to design, edit and film ads for the commercial break during the news program.

                                        xiii.     Ad Producer: Their Job is to design, edit and film ads for the commercial break during the news program.

Below is an example outline of a potential news program:

A.    News Anchor Introduction and Program Overview

B.    News Story Segment 1

a.     Video or Graphical Example

C.    News Story Segment 2

a.     Reporter Interview

D.    Weather Report

E.    Commercial Break- 3 ads

F.     News Story Segment 3

a.     Reporter Interview

G.    Sports Report

H.    Local News Report

I.      Fun/ Heartfelt Appeal Segment

J.      Closing Segment