Course Outline

Broadcasting I is an introduction to creating and producing news through film. You will learn the basics of storytelling and news production with technology. Dates and projects are flexible and subject to change.

Week One: Introduction and Equipment Training

  • Expectations
  • Supplies
  • Mac overview
  • Website tour
  • Production team roles
  • Journalism Etiquette

Script Writing and Storyboarding: This project emphasizing the planning phases of production such as script writing and storyboarding.

  • Day 1: Script Writing
  • Day 2: Storyboarding

Week Two: Scavenger Hunt Project
This project will train students on camera operation and basic video editing in iMovie. Students will hunt from a list of scenes and edit footage into a montage.

  • Day 1 – Introduction and Camera Training
  • Day 2 – Shooting Continued
  • Day 3 – Editing Overview
  • Day 4 – 5: Finish editing

Week Three: Garage Band Music Project
The project introduces Garage Band for creating original music to match three different video clips.

  • Day 1 – Introduction to Garage Band
  • Day 2-4/5 – Create Music

Week Four: Highlight Reel Voiceover Project
This project emphasizes script writing, voice and narration. Students will write a script for a piece of stock video and record a voiceover in GarageBand.

  • Day 1 – Project Intro
  • Day 2 – Script Writing
  • Day 3-5: Record Voiceover and Import into iMovie

Week Five: Camera Shots Project
This project focuses on learning different camera shots and movements. Students will identify different shots in video clips, shoot different shots with cameras and edit footage into a montage.

  • Day 1: Learn shot types
  • Day 2-5: Camera Shots Scavenger Hunt

Week Six-Nine: Interview/Advertising Rotations

Advertising Project: This project introduces advertising concepts such as persuasion and audience. Students will create an original 30-second commercial for a school event or activity. Students will meet with the event sponsor to gather information, develop a concept, shoot footage and edit the final product. Final products may be shown on Skyview News broadcasts.

  • Day 1: Advertising Concepts and Persuasion Techniques
  • Day 2: Brainstorming and Client Meetings
  • Day 3: Script and Storyboard
  • Day 4: Shooting
  • Day 5-10: Edit and Finalize

Interview Project: This project focuses on developing interview skills such as etiquette and questioning. Students will find a school-related subject and set up an interview with them. They will conduct research and write questions before shooting the interview, editing the footage and producing a final version that may be shown on Skyview News.

  • Day 1: Interview Skills
  • Day 2: Examples
  • Day 3: Planning Your Interview
  • Day 4: Write Questions
  • Day 5: Conduct the Interview
  • Day 6-10: Edit and Finalize

Week Ten: Public Service Announcement Project
Students will create an original PSA from start to finish. They will brainstorm ideas, script and storyboard, shoot footage, and edit a final version.

Week Eleven-Fourteen: Event Spotlight/Person of the Week Rotations

Event Spotlight Project: This project will require students to create a 2-minute segment highlighting a recent school event. Students are expected to shoot footage at an after school event, gather research about the event, and interview a person associated with it. Some final products will be shown on Skyview News.

  • Step 1: Introduction and Brainstorming
  • Step 2: Planning and Research
  • Step 3: Storyboard
  • Step 4: Edit
  • Step 5: Voiceover
  • Step 6: Finalize

Person of the Week Project: This project will expand on interview skills and include a brief biographical introduction of the interviewee. Emphasis will be placed on better questioning techniques and generating follow-up questions. Some final interviews will be broadcast on Skyview News.

  • Day 1: Interview Skills Review
  • Day 2: Planning Your Interview
  • Day 3: Write Questions
  • Day 4: Conduct the Interview
  • Day 5- 10: Edit and Finalize

Week Fifteen-Sixteen: News Production Practice

During this time, students will be learning the process of creating a complete news broadcast from start to finish. Emphasis will be placed on production roles, working under deadlines and functioning as a team.

Week Seventeen: Make-ups/Showcase Week