Unit Reflection

Blog Post: Unit Reflection

One of the most memorable things I have learnt throughout this unit is a wide range of skills in News Reporting. From writing basic hard news stories through to council and court reporting, press releases and even feature writing, I feel very confident in producing all types of news stories. The two visits to both a Magistrates court and a Crown court also gave me fantastic experience in live journalism.

My experiences in print and online were also very enjoyable. I was given the opportunity to create a blog, which helped motivate me to continue writing in my own time. Producing a full sized tabloid news spread during our print classes also gave me a great insight into what print would be like in my second semester if I were to choose it as one of my two options, and also valuable experience in using Adobe InDesign.

As for the broadcast units, radio was thoroughly enjoyable in both writing radio news stories to getting to spend time in the radio studio. Unfortunately, though, 10 minutes just didn’t seem enough to get a real taste of radio journalism. The same can be said for my two lessons of T.V. I got no time in the studio what so ever, and we were doing mostly the same practical work as in radio: recording and editing Vox Pops. This makes my decision as to what units I want to do in my second semester more difficult.

If I could go back and do the unit again I would have spent more time on my blog and wrote more regularly than I have done. I would also have liked to widen my content to not just reviews, but profiles and features. I also would have spent more time in the radio and T.V studio’s to help inform my unit choices for next semester.  

TV Voxpop

Today I finally had the time to spend in the editing studio and I finished my first TV package!

Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights

A review of Frankie Boyle's new comedy: Tramadol Nights. Showing on Channel 4 at 10PM on Tuesdays.



"I don't mean it to sound horrible but.."



When I think of Frankie Boyle, borderline unacceptable and proud of it immediately spring to mind. And that’s exactly what Tramadol Nights is: the darkest of dark comedies created in the most hellish recesses of an unconscionable glaswegian brain.  

Strictly ‘adult only’, this new show is unique in that it blends hilariously distasteful sketches with Frankie’s notoriously harsh stand-up. Think Russell Howards good news but instead of a happy good news story at the end you get told to go fuck your selves until next week.

Back and bearded, Frankie opens the show with very off the cuff banter with the audience, and in true Boyle fashion he gives the front row a heavy grilling. Topics for discussion about funny news stories have become commonplace in other T.V comedies, and Frankie has followed suite. But not in a ‘Have I Got News for You’ way, more like turning human interest into complete filth, a notable example being a child birth story into having sex with pensioners. If you’re not offended in some way after the first five minutes you must be insane.

What one would assume not fit for broadcast is the exact essence of Tramadol Nights’ humour. How many other comedians could get away with references to fingering Susan Boyle on a Scottish field trip and developing a theory on stage that Michael Jackson created the moonwalk so that he could “move towards children while it looked like he was moving away.” Oh yes, celebrities are ripe pickings for this fearless comedian. Moving swiftly onto the death of Jade Goody, he exclaimed that Jack Tweed (her widowed husband) was the luckiest guy in the world because as she had cervical cancer she got “thinner and better looking and her pussy got tighter.” With lines that make the audience look ashamed to laugh it’s no wonder that he’s no longer featured in Mock the Week.

As for the sketches, they are if anything even more funny than the jokes. Hilarity ranging from cartoon mice being slaughtered by traps to a professor who has the ability to time travel by wanking with his students are just some of the clips shown. Mockery of the disabled and the Scottish as well as casual racism and plays on religion are, of course, all included. Frankie even mocks himself, opening with describing the show and his shaggy appearance as “like a children’s T.V channel, looking like a fucking tramp.”

Overall, though, I found the show to be hilarious yet inappropriate… to say the least. If you don’t mind incredibly crude jokes and, frankly, worrying comedy sketches, then this is not one to miss! I warn you though, it’s not for the faint hearted.

Radio News Writing

This week in our most enjoyable radio sessions with Martin Fletcher we were taught how to write news stories suitable for radio broadcast.

In particular, they had to be very brief, simple and to the point. No more than 4 sentences is a suitable length, with each sentence being 2-3 lines long. As with most writing in journalism, the opening line had to attract the reader’s attention and include no unnecessary details.

Martin also stressed the point of each story having to be in a Times New Roman font and at 16pt in size, with the date, title and the writer’s initials at the top of the page. I found the lecture to be very informative, giving us some great feedback, and most importantly, it was fun!

Here are the stories I constructed:

Crime

07/12/2010 - SM

Surrey police are urging residents to help locate criminals from their online most wanted list.

By visiting the Rogues Gallery online, people will have access to pictures and CCTV footage of offenders wanted across the county.

The website includes those involved in crimes such as attempted murder, burglary and drug importation.

Members of the public can then submit information anonymously to both Surrey Police and Crimestoppers.

Source:

http://www.surrey.police.uk/media/news_item.asp?area=12&itemID=13472

Pigs as Presents

07/12/2010 – SM

Surrey County Council and the RSPCA are warning people of the consequences of buying micro pigs as presents this Christmas.

The miniature animals may be small at birth but they soon grow and can often be too big to keep as house pets.

Animal health inspectors say that there are strict rules about where pigs can be kept and what they can be fed, to prevent diseases such as Foot & Mouth from spreading.

Celebrity purchases such as Paris Hilton’s have fuelled their popularity this year, despite costing around £700 each.

Source:

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Council+warning+over+micro+pigs?opendocument