Give four examples of a semi-scripted programme for TV

Examples of semi-scripted programmes for television are:

A news programme: Here, the programme consists of a scripted part, such as news read by the anchor from the teleprompter, and an unscripted part, when the anchor asks invited panellists for their views, or asks ‘live’ questions to the reporter on the field. Example: Any news show on Hindi or English news channel (name them)

A chat show : Here, stock opening shots and camera movements are scripted. The host may read out the introduction and backgrounds of the guests from a teleprompter, but after that the show is unscripted. The guests interact with the host without a script. The ending of the show may be again according to the script. Example “Coffee with Karan’

Reality shows: Reality shows on TV are not unscripted but ‘manufactured reality’. A good portion of the hosts interaction and the judges’ interaction are scripted. Some portions are spontaneous, but the shows must fulfil the objectives of the production. Example: Big Brother, Big Boss

Quiz shows and contests: The presenters follow a script, and so does the camera and production crew. It is the contestants and their performance that is not scripted and is largely spontaneous. Example: American Idol, Who wants to be a Millionaire?

What is chronological writing?

Report writing can be classified into two main bodies: chronological and logical.

 ‘Chronos’ is the Greek word for ‘time’. Therefore a chronological report follows the clock.

The events taking place are written down in the same order that they have occurred.

Chronological writing may be seen in the minutes of meetings, proceedings of the State Assembly or Parliament, scientific reports, cook books and so on.

What is logical writing?

Report writing can be classified into two main bodies: logical and chronological.

Logical reporting or writing is usually followed by news agencies and news papers. Here, the writer sorts out those parts of information, which according to his logic, are the most relevant or important aspects.

These relevant details are given prominence and placed in a manner that the reader gets to see them first. Logical writing starts with a 'lead sentence' or 'focus sentence'. Other less important details are placed afterwards.

What is the advantage of inverted triangle style of reporting?

The ‘inverted triangle’ is a format used when reporting hard news for a newspaper.

The advantage of this style is that the most important portions of the report appear in the lead sentence and in the lead paragraph. The following paragraphs contain details of lesser importance.

A reader in a hurry can get the gist of the report by scanning the lead paragraph.

Since newspapers are often pressed for space, the story in ‘inverted pyramid’ style can be trimmed from the bottom without losing its essence.

What do you understand by ‘lead sentence’ in a newspaper report?

The ‘lead sentence’ is the first sentence in a hard news story, which is written in the ‘inverted pyramid style. The ‘lead sentence’ contains the main points of the story. It is usually a long sentence which answers the questions: Who did what, where, when, and why? And sometimes it also answers the question ‘how?’

Example: Superstar Amitabh Bachhan donated Rs 25 lakh to Children’s Cancer hospital in Patna at a ceremony held on Monday in order to motivate other movie stars to take up the cause of helping poor kids fight cancer.

Give four examples of scripted programmes for the electronic media.

Examples of fully scripted programmes for electronic media are

Radio talk: The entire talk must be written down before it is broadcast. All India Radio often broadcasts talks. BBC 2 (radio) broadcasts a two minute inspirational talk every day.

Radio drama: the entire script is followed including music , sound effects, and dialogue. Example ‘Hawa Mahal’ on All India Radio

News bulletins on Radio and TV: the entire news bulletin is prepared from various news sources, edited and then read out on radio or presented on TV. ALL India Radio, BBC, and Radio Sri Lanka broadcast news bulletins daily.

Advertisements or commercials on Radio and TV: Advertisements have to strictly follow the prepared script, even the jingles are composed and lyrics are written.

TV drama serials: TV drama  series can be of many kinds : situation comedies, crime drama, and science fiction series are some examples. (Stories by Rabindranath Tagore and Dariba Diaries on Epic channel)

Name four weaknesses of the Radio medium that the script writer has to address

Radio is a non-visual medium. It has no images and pictures, so the script writer will have to use colourful words and descriptive words to engage the listeners.

Action on Radio cannot be seen, so the script writer has to put in several sound effects, or snatches of music while writing an action scene or a radio drama.

Radio messages are easily forgotten. So the scriptwriter has to coin catchy slogans to make the messages stick in the minds of the listeners. the scriptwriter also has to repeat the message within the programme.

Listeners have low attention spans for radio programmes, so in order to keep the listeners interested, the scriptwriter has to ensure that the scripts are lively and interesting from beginning to end.

Give four examples of chronological writing

Chronological writing occurs in many forms. Some examples are:

Journal or Diary: People and organisations maintain diaries or records about what they do or what events occur on a daily basis. This sort of writing is chronological.

Minutes of a meeting or proceedings of a formal event: Whenever an organisation has a formal meeting, the secretary or other designated officer writes down whatever issues are discussed on the agenda in the same order that they are discussed by members. This is chronological reporting.

Recipes and instructions: people who love to cook write down the process of cooking and the ingredients they use for further reference. Cookbooks are examples of chronological writing.

History: historians record events according to how they occurred in time. History is always written according to a time line.

List four features of a message

The four features or qualities of a message are:

Clarity: the message must be clear and unambiguous for both script writer and audience.

Simplicity: Apart from the message being clear, it must be easily understood by the audience. So simple language should be used.

Arguments: For a message to be effective, it has to be built on arguments. In other words it has to be built on building blocks of logic.

Unified/ Unity: The message must be unified. The arguments must have unity and cohesion, so that the audience is not confused.

What are the ‘4Cs’in the writing process?

The writing process to be followed for different media products is similar. It can be called the four stages of the writing process.

The stages begin with idea generation also called conception; the next stage is gathering information that can be called collection , this is followed by planning an outline and then filling it out, known as construction; and finally, editing and polishing the written work or correction.