What did you learn from the 3rd section of the Dotson book?
Any thoughts about the book in general? Was it worth your time reading and reflecting? Any suggestions about how to use it in a broadcast journalism class?
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From the third section of the book, I learned that reporting a story is different from storytelling, that the story must be memorable for the viewers in order to tell the story well.
In general, this book was decent and it reinforced a lot of stuff we already learned. But it would be new stuff for broadcast journalism classes, so have them read it or something.
After reading the third and final part of the Dotson book, i learned that the difference between storytelling and telling a story is that when you tell a story, you emotionally touch the viewer and/or reader. If you are simply telling a story, you are missing the emotional aspect of the piece.
Overall, i thought the book did a good job on showing us different strategies and then demonstrating how to apply them. i felt, however, that a lot of the info. in the book was review for us as seniors in the Flash but i do feel like it would be helpful in the broadcast journalism classes. An advantage to making the Dotson book part of the broadcasting classes is that it would help make stories better at a younger age.
In the thrid section, I learned that stories need to be revised. Often, the story may go another drection, and by revising you as the reporter make sure that it is effective. You can also convey emotions and tell more within your writing, which makes stand-ups all the more important.
In retrospect, the book was a good tool. However, I feel that I knew most of the things it was telling us about. Perhaps it would be more benefical in a Broadcast A or B class. I think by the time we're seniors on the flash, we've learned through experience; so the book would be more engaging to younger classes.
From the third part of the book, I learned that you can take one idea or event and come up with a whole bunch of different angles to produce many stories. Like with the murder trial, Dotson showed that if you dig a little bit, you can come up with unique ideas, even using very similar b-roll.
Taken as a whole, I thought the book was pretty useful. Most of the things I think we had already learned, just from our years in broadcast journalism then the 4cast and now the flash. But, I think it was helpful to have the ideas reiterated. It helps us to refocus and remember how to tell a good story. I think it could be very helpful for the younger broadcast kids.
In the third part of the book I learned that writing what to say in your stories is not just hard for us as high schoolers. He says that even the professionals struggle and constantly rewrite. You have to be flexible when you are editing because you may want to change what you wrote after you see how the story looks. This book will help me out when I do my next story.
This book would definitely be good to show the broadcast journalism students. Teach them how to make good stories right away. I would show them the stories before they read it so they can have something to relate to while reading.
in the third section i learned that there is a difference between storytelling and reporting a story. you also have to be always rewriting your stories.
I think it would be a good book to show in the Broadcast classes. It shows a lot of skills that good journalists should use.
I liked when Dotson talked abut how to end a story with a visual that will stick in the viewers head and leave them with that lasting image. also make sure not to get to wordy with you end just try and get a clinching line to use.
I thought that this book was pretty good but would be better used for broadcast and the 4cast because we really are at the point where we should kind of already have an idea about this stuff and be out there trying to get better at his teachings not just learing them.
From the third section of the Bob Dotson book, I learned that even professionals canstantly "tweak" what they have written for a story, and the edit machine is the best place to rewrite. Also, I learned that sound, picture, and information are of equal value while editing your story.
Personally, I thought the book was worth the time reading and reflecting. It not only reenforced what we've learned over the past 3 years, but also gave me many new tips to better my stories in general. I think that it would be best for broadcast kids to read it before they get into the 4cast so they have all that knowledge prior to even making a single story.
From the third section of the book I learned that although reporting and storytelling are two very different things; both are important aspects to be included. With just reporting a story is not very interesting, but with just storytelling a story has no background or facts.
I think that "The Final Thought" really summed up the whole book. It says that it doesn't matter whether you're dealt a good hand, it matters how well you play a bad hand, which is very true. This book would be helpful for students to read before being in the 4cast or Flash because it will give them fresh ideas and start them off on the right foot.
In the third part of the book I learned that writing a story isn't just a one time thing, there is a lot of re-writing and revision and sometimes the story doesn't end up being exactly the direction you thought it was going to be. Also, I learned that it isn't only us that have a hard time writing stories, professionals have slow days too.
I have to say that i agree with Deirdre about the book, I read it and I thought it was a good book, but it was definitely something that would help people just starting to learn about journalism more.
The third section of the Bob Dotson book was the most helpful section in my opinion. In my next story I am trying to find a way to end the story with a lasting image that Bob Dotson talked about, but to make sure to end with a few simple words, not like end with a paragraph of you talking.
It was definitely worth me reading it and all of the Flash and 4cast reading it. I have already seen great improvements with the 4cast's stories. Overall I think it will improve the quality of our telling the story in the future with our journalism students reading it. I would really think it would help us if every Friday we critique our stories and see how we could improve them in the future, or even do that in the journalism classes.
One very important thing I learned from the third section of the Bob Dotson book is difference between reporting and story telling. Stories are suppose to be memorable where as reporting is more informational. You need to incorporate emotion in story telling to connect with your viewers.
Overall, I think that the book was helpful in our class. It reinforced a lot of the basic ideas we already knew but gave us many great tips on how to really be a great story teller. This book would be perfect for broadcast journalism classes because it would give them an idea of what the 4cast and flash are really all about.
The main thing that I got out of the 3rd section was the differences between story telling and reporting. From a book as a whole it was an interesting read and i think it might help us be able to understand even more to help our stories become even better. But i agree with the rest of the class, i think that the 4cast and the broadcast students would benefit even more, because we talk a lot about this during class where in the 4cast and whatnot they dont have the daily chats.
I think having the broadcast students read it and then talk about the flash stories and work on it so that in the future they can look and see what we are already doing and how to improve from there. that will give them a head start if they have to think about that stuff even before they are part of the class.
So I fully forgot to type up my reaction that I had written.
An interesting idea Dotson addresses is the situation that calls for a story with no pictures. No footage interviews, absolutely nothing to work with. In the flash, we have come across this problem before, when we are doing stories on events that haven't happened, or occurred too long in the past that we missed the opportunity to film. Dotson's Susan Smith story on her trial took a unique view since it lacked footage from trial.
It was a bit confusing to follow, but was a follow-up created out of scratch, lacking any new material. A reporter needs to be able to revert back to the basics and tell the story, even while lacking the pictures to make it visually pleasing.
It was also a good point that a story is a group effort. In the Flash it isn't as huge of a group effort but often the flash reporter is not the only individual working on a specific story. While the audience only sees Bob Dotson, he is the writer and the voice heard. But audio is under anothers' control. As well as the pictures being dictated by someone else. The story is a group effort and if each individual is talented and does their job fantastically the story turns out well.
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