Audio-visual Journalism's Techniques  (21326)

Degree/study: Journalism
Year: 2nd
Term: 3rd
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 150 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan
Teaching Staff: Salvador Alsius, Eduard Boet, Joan Catà, Mònica Figueras

1. Presentation of the subject

Audio-visual Journalism's Techniques (AVJT) it is the base of the academic curriculum on the area of audio-visual journalism. It prepares the students to take, on year three, the subject known as Integrated Workshop of Journalism.

This subject's goal is for the students to acquire the knowledge and abilities that are basic in audio-visual journalism, especially in journalism on radio and TV. AVJT introduces the theoretical and practical specificities of the elements that constitute the typical audio-visual language, as well as the techniques and routines of production of informative writings. It is, thus, a theoretical study and a basic experimentation of the audio-visual information's specificities and of the normal work that a news program in a radio or in TV does.

This subject also intends that the students be able to reflect about the professional and social environment where they will work and have a critical view. AVTJ wants to introduce (apart from the contents of the subject) other necessary topics for a good education of a journalist. So, we include an initiation task to the investigation of communication media and we will also present, in the practical sessions, deontological matters.

This subject wants to accomplish a general objective and six specific objectives, which are:

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

- Introduce the knowledge and abilities that are basic in audio-visual journalism

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

- Discover the typical specificities of the way to present audio-visual information

- Introduce the students to the production techniques of news programs on radio and TV

- Knowledge of how audio-visual communication media work, and of the tools that they will work with

- Acquisition of the specific writing techniques of the audio-visual language

- Encourage the critical analysis of audio-visual products

- Think about the social and professional environment where you will work

2. Competences to be attained

General:

- Be able to communicate properly, both speaking an writing, in the two official languages in Catalonia - Catalan and Spanish -, in front of expert and inexpert audiences

- Ability to work with the computer tools and knowledge of their essential applications to regular academic activities

- Ability to work in groups, participating actively in the assigned tasks, making decisions and discussing your opinions with others until you come to an agreement

- Be self-disciplent, self-demanding and rigorous when doing academic tasks, and organise your time correctly

- Develop the sense of curiosity, wanting to know what we don't know, which is an essential competence in all teaching processes and in all professional activities

- Ability to progress in the learning process autonomously and continuously

Specific of the degree:

- Knowledge of the informative and communicative processes, as well as of the theories that support or criticise them

- Knowledge and application of the technologies and systems used to process, produce and transmit information

- Be able to communicate properly, both speaking an writing, in the two official languages in Catalonia

- Knowledge of the the communication media's structure and of their main formats

- Knowledge of the social impact of the informative technologies

- Knowledge of the structure of a communication company, as well as how it works and how it is administered

- Ability to communicate in the language of each communication medium

- Ability to use the informative and communicative technologies and techniques

- Ability to use the computer systems and resources, and knowledge of their interactive applications

- Ability to retrieve, organise, analyse and process information with the purpose of being broadcasted or disseminated

- Ability to identify and analyse all informative products (of any genre, language or medium) in order to study them critically

Specific of the subject:

- Knowledge of the process of journalistic production in TV and radio

- Familiarisation with the main codes that define the typical language of audio-visual media, in relation with journalistic products

- Introduction to the normal technological environment and to the basic tools of journalism in TV and radio

- Ability to write audio-visual texts

- Ability to identify and choose events that may be interesting from a journalistic point of view

- First contact with ethical dilemmas and with the journalistic culture

- Familiarisation with the professional and business situation of the audio-visual media

- Ability to analyse critically the different formats of audio-visual journalism

- Be rigorous in the study of today's audio-visual information

- Initiation to digital edition

- Initiation to the use of a camera

- Initiation to the basic techniques of how to speak and comment properly

- Knowledge of the most important events in the history of radio and TV in order to understand their current situation and how they work

- Flexibility to re-design processes constantly, as journalism obliges to

- Ability to work under time pressure

- Have an adequate attitude in press conferences

3. Contents

LESSON 1. AUDIO-VISUAL JOURNALISM

- The elements of the communicative process applied to radio and TV. How channel and code determine the message.

- The specificities of the audio-visual media compared to the ones of the written press.

- The elements of the audio-visual message: word, music, sound effects, silence, image.  The union of codes.

- Audio-visual communication versus audio-visual journalism.

- Information on radio and TV. Features and limitations of the audio-visual information.

LESSON 2. THE AUDIO-VISUAL TEXT

- Specificities of the journalistic writing for the audio-visual media.

- The text to be listened to: writing for the ears.

- Features of the audio-visual journalistic writing. Microstructures: clarity, simplicity, conciseness, precision, vocabulary. The sentence, its length and its syntactic structure.

- The text's macrostructure: paragraphs, cohesion. Ways to organise information. The structure of radio and TV news. Unity and rhythm.

- How to explain complex information and give numbers in the audio-visual media.

- Quotations or statements: voice inserts and other inserts on TV.

- Writing for TV: how to tell a story using images. The relation between text and image.

LESSON 3. AUDIO-VISUAL INFORMATIVE GENRES

- Origin and evolution of genres on radio and TV.

- Information: live or prerecorded broadcast.

- Piece of news versus report and report article. Elements that constitute each genre. The stand up.

- The main ways to produce a piece of news (edited news, off conductor, linked statements).

- The interview. Choosing the character. Research. The interest of the main character and its environment.

- The debate. Controversy as a way to create informative interest.

- New journalistic genres and formats. The tendency to mixture.

- The barrier between information and entertainment. Reality as a show.

LESSON 4. INTERNAL ORGANISATION OF THE EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

- The structure of radio and TV stations

- Organigramme and functions of all the professionals involved. The polyvalent profile of the expert on information.

- How information services work. The editorial board, the editorial staff.

- Routines and professional tasks of the radio and TV journalist. Information sources. The dependence on institutional sources.

- Selection and assessment criteria on radio and TV. Features of television information.

- Last-minute news, keep in touch with it and its insertion into regular informative programs.

LESSON 5. THE AUDIO-VISUAL COMPANY

- Panorama of the audio-visual media in Catalonia and in Spain. Types of audio-visual companies, regarding its ownership and geographic area. Public and private stations

- Models regarding programs. Specialised, general or conventional stations, hybrids.

- Founder's model and tendencies. European tradition compared to Amercian tradition.

- Informative programs on radio and TV. Other types of informative programmes. Financing sources of the audio-visual communication media.

- The evolution of the investment in publicity. Distribution of the audience among the big stations.

- Types of publicity formats and of informative sections sponsorship.

LESSON 6. PREPRODUCTION & PRODUCTION OF INFORMATIVE PROGRAMS

- The previous phase to the audio-visual text. Preproduction and planning.

- Research.

- What do the ENG do?

- The tools that the radio and TV journalist use.

- The public appearence of the reporter. The press conference.

- Selection of inserts. Criteria: Formal and content aspects

LESSON 7. SHOOTING AND EDITING

- Main functions of the cameraman. Recommendations for the shooting.

- Phases of the recording process: gather material, check its state (camera, batteries, mike, tripod, tape).

- The shooting. Image adjustment and color balance. Focus. Sound adjustment.

- Main functions of the digital editing system.

- Digital editing and post-production. Voice over, ambient sound and statements. Signs and overprinting.

LESSON 8. VOICE AND SOUND RESOURCES

- How to present information on radio and TV.

- Speaking. The consequences of writing audio-visual texts.

- Voice's features. Rhythm, intensity, pace.

- The difference between reading and explaining a piece of news.

- Silence and other sound resources

- Basic improvisation techniques.

- Attitude toward the mike. Practical advice for your behaviour in the studio or in the TV set.

LESSON 9. AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

- Origins and evolution of radio and TV. From the first experimental emissions to digitalistaion.

- Historical moments of the information on radio and TV.

- The stages in radio's history: from radio's appearance in the US to the boom on the 30s, its role on wars and its new role when TV first appeared.

- The stages in TV's history: from Paleo TV to Neo TV and Post TV.

- Radio's and TV's history in Catalonia and in Spain.

- Radio's and TV's challenges in the digital era. Journalistic consequences.

- Digitalised editorial departments in Spain.

LESSON 10. ANALYSIS OF INFORMATIVE PRODUCTS

- Initiation to techniques of communication investigation.

- Inititaion to academic tasks.

- Reflection about professional praxis.

- Critical and comparative analysis of audio-visual journalistic messages: formats, genres, styles...

- From the analysis to the sumamry.

4. Assessment

A/ Continuous

This system is based on doing a series of exercises during the practical sessions. There will be some done individually and some done in groups. The latest will be the complete elaboration of  a radio report (4-5 minutes) and of a TV report (3-4 minutes). All students will have to elaborate a personal memory of the tasks done while producing these reports. On the sessions where it is not necessary to hand in any exercise (for example, the visits to communication media), we will assess the attendance and the participation. Plus, in the final exam you will have to answer some questions about these activities. The percentage of the tasks on the final mark is 60%.

B/ Final

B-1/ An exam that will be done in the period of time established by the University, after classes have ended. These test will include questions about the list of topics of the subject and about the tasks (especially about those that did not have an associated exercise to, but attendance was enough). We might as well ask questions about the current situation of the informative audio-visual media. The percentage of the exam on the final mark is 25%.

B-2/ Individual task. Analysis about informative audio-visual programs or genres (both form and content). This task will be handed in digitally AND in paper, and will be worth 15% of the final mark.

  

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

Bandrés, E.; García Avilés, J.A.; Pérez, G. i Pérez, J. (2000): El periodismo en la televisión digital. Barcelona: Paidós.

Boyd, Andrew (2000): Broadcast Journalism. Techniques of Radio and TV News. Oxford: Focal.

Cebrián Herreros, Mariano (1998): Información audiovisual. Concepto, técnica, expresión y aplicaciones. Madrid: Síntesis.

García Jiménez, Jesús. (2000): Información audiovisual, volumen I. Madrid: Paraninfo.

Oliva, Llúcia i Sitjà, Xavier (2007). Las noticias en radio y televisión: periodismo audiovisual en el siglo XXI Barcelona: Omega (5a. Ed.).

Ortiz, M. A. i Pérez-Ornia, J. R. (2006): Claves para elaborar la información en radio y televisión. Madrid: Instituto Oficial de Radio y Televisión.

5.2. Complementary bibliography

Balsebre, Armand (2004): El lenguaje radiofónico. Madrid: Cátedra.

Block, Mervin (2000): Writing broadcast news. Shorter, sharper, stronger. Chicago: Bonus Books.

González Conde, M. J. (2001): Comunicación radiofónica, de la radio a la universidad. Madrid: Universitas

Marín, Carles (2006): Periodismo audiovisual: información, entretenimiento y tecnologías multimedia. Barcelona: Gedisa.

Martínez Abadía, J.; Vila, P. i otros (2004): Manual básico de tecnología y técnicas de creación, emisión y difusión de contenidos. Barcelona: Paidós.

Martínez-Costa, M. P. (coord.) (2002): Información Radiofónica. Barcelona: Ariel Comunicación.

Peralta, Miquel (2006): Teleinformatius. La transmissió informativa de l'actualitat. Barcelona: Editorial Trípodos.

Pérez, Gabriel (2003): Curso básico de periodismo audiovisual. Pamplona: EUNSA.

Perona, J.J. i Huertas, A. (1999): Redacción y locución en medios audiovisuales. Barcelona: Bosch.

Rodríguez Pastoriza, F. (2003): La mirada en el cristal. La información en televisión. Madrid: Fragua.

Sanabria, Francisco (1994): Información audiovisual. Teoría y técnica de la información radiofónica y televisiva. Barcelona: Bosch.

Soengas, Xosé (2003): Informativos radiofónicos. Madrid: Cátedra.

5.3. Teaching resources

Communication Section in general newspapers.

- News programs on radio and TV.

- Pérez Ornia, José Ramón (ed.) (2005): El Anuario de la televisión, Madrid: GECA Consultores.                                                                                 

- http://www.portalcomunicacion.com

Website of Communication Studies of "Institut de la Comunicació" (InCom), "Universtat Autònoma de Barcelona", that offers specialised information about the different areas of communication, chooses and organises information about communication, website adresses, interviews, articles, bibliographical summaries, etc.

-http://recursos.cnice.mec.és/mitja/

Website of "Centro Nacional de Información y Comunicación Educativa (CNICE) del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia", which is a resource for education in communication media. It has a section for TV and a section for radio, with blogs about history, budgeting, genres, technology... and resources to put the contents learnt into practise.

- http://www.weblandia.com/ràdio/init-i.htm

Salvador Escamilla's website, in honour of the 100 years of radio. Here you will find the main website adresses related to radio (radio's history and radio on the Internet).

6. Metodology

This subject is organised in three weekly sessions:

- A 2-hour lecture on Mondays. All students will attend the same session.

- A 4-hour practical session, to do the tasks related to TV. It will be organised in three groups of 27-28 students each.

- A 2-hour practical session, to do the tasks related to radio. It will be organised in three groups of 27-28 students each.

Audio-visual Journalism's Techniques is based on an inductive methodology, as the Bologna Method requires. The main objective is that the students learn the theory thanks to the practise. However, depending on the topic, we do not exclude the traditional methodological approach, based on deduction, of learning the contents presented in class.

  

7. Planning of activities

WEEK	LECTURE	RADIO SESSION	TV SESSION
1	Lesson 1.(AVJ) Lesson 2.(Text)	Writing	Writing Camera
2	Lesson 1. (AVJ) Lesson 2.(Text)	Writing Edition (Dalet)	Writing Edition
3	Lesson 7.(shooting and editing)	Writing	Shooting (survey)
4	Lesson 7.(shooting and editing) Lesson 9.(voice)	Speaking	Stand up exercise
5	Lesson 4.(organisation) Lesson 6. (preproduction)	Press conference	Report Preproduction
6	Lesson 10. (analysis)	Report Preproduction	Report Preproduction
7	Lesson 3. (genres)	Report Elaboration	Report Shooting
8	Lesson 7. (shooting and editing)	News program	Report Editing
9	Lesson 5. (company)	News program	Prepare news program
10	Lesson 9. (history)	Assessment	Do news program