Here are three possible structures.
Package with one actuality.
Anchor intro – angle of the report :
-
Reporter’s voice20”
Interview extract 30”
Reporter’s voice 10”
With more than one actuality.
-
Script 1
Audio 1
Script 2
Audio 2
Script 3
With ambient sound (nat).
-
Script 1
Audio 1
Script 2
Audio 2
Script 3
ambient sound (nat)
ambient sound (nat)
ambient sound (nat)
There are many possibilities to choose from. The reporter is free to be as creative as he wants, so long as he doesn’t edit an overly long package.
Pieces of advice :
When people are talking, lower the ambi, so that the voice is properly understandable. Start and end with a slight fade in/fade out: it’s nicer and will help avoid a cut effect. The engineer mixes the anchor’s voice on the last ambient sound, it’s even nicer.
Duration of a package :
In a bulletin : between 1 and 2 minutes outside of a newscast it may be longer.
This depends on the choices made in your newsroom. Just be aware of the fact that beyond 3 minutes, the human ear needs some change. In a bulletin, this is when the anchor moves on to a new subject.
How to edit a package?
- The same way you’d edit an actuality (see 20).
- First, isolate and edit the actualities – they have to be short, 20 to 30” or less.
- Separate ambient sound (nat) without editing yet. It will be easy to shorten them on the timeline.
- Then calculate how much time your actualities summed up take and write your script so that you don’t speak longer than how much time you have left.
- RECORD your script after having whispered it thoroughly.
- Put ACTUALITIES and SCRIPTS together on one track or on two.
- If it’s still too long, cut your sounds or remove some your script.