Sophie Poisel | Innovation Leader K – 6

This year we started our first ever Emanuel School News Network. As part of this, we have had experts from the field of Media come to speak to students who are interested in journalism, news presenting and more general media.

Before our first episode of Emanuel News was created, we needed to learn about what was involved. In Term 1, ABC 7:30 Reporter Julia Holman, came to speak to us about what is involved in making television news. She talked to us about the complexities involved in creating television news content. Some of the key take away messages included:

• Use images to help drive the story (called a shooting script), like a story map, what do you want your story to look like.
• Set the scene with a sizzling start. Some ideas Julia gave us for our first episode which involved filming the in-school Climate Rally were: Marching feet, clapping hands, signs, noise. Or start with images that show the impact of Climate Change then cut to .. but here in Sydney students are taking action against about climate inaction. You could also use a view of Sydney from the school.
• Include location shots, long shots, drone footage, footage from Parliament House (politicians arguing different viewpoints), speak to experts and people who are experiencing the problem in their lives.
• Importance of good footage, audible sound in recordings. Use music and voice overs.
• Answer, who, what, when, where and why do we care? Why should your audience care?

• When Interviewing: Have an idea of what you would like your interviewees to say. If they take too long, ask them to do it again more clearly, concisely. Connect with people – be polite and respectful, but keep asking for an interview if the initial response is no. Start the interview by saying “We are doing a story on ….. would you mind if we ask you a few questions.” Ask for permission before filming.

This week, we were excited to welcome Channel 9 News Chief Reporter, Peter Overton.

Mia Chesler, Year 3 and Archie Ernster and Talia Pollack, Year 4, reflect on his visit below:

Peter Overton came to visit us on Tuesday. We were lucky enough to be there to learn about what a day in the life of a news reporter looks like, what skills you need in this job and ask him some questions.

Peter Overton is the Chief Reporter on Channel 9 News. He also reports on 60 Minutes. He said he usually wakes up at 3am and reads news websites and he reads the paper when it is delivered to his house. After he has all the information he needs, he goes to the studio and gets into a suit, has his make-up done and gets ready for filming. He has travelled the world and met lots of different people.

He told us about some of the skills you need to be a news reporter. He said that you need to be a good listener to tell a good story but also to do a good interview. One student said that listening might help to ask follow up questions. He said it is important that you keep the stories real, don’t exaggerate but make sure you keep it interesting. He said it is good to use humour and a tone of voice that matches the scene. For example if it was a really sad story, he wouldn’t speak in a happy tone of voice. Sometimes on the news, when he is presenting, he gets sad when he is talking about something bad that happens, especially when it is about children. This is because it reminds him of his two children. He said you need to keep your emotions in check so the audience is free to feel their own emotions.

We asked him about the most inspiring person he has met and he told us it was a man without arms and legs that he had interviewed 3 times. He found him inspiring because he made his own dreams come true. This included having a family and walking his daughter down the aisle. Most recently he interviewed him and his wife on Malibu beach.

Some students were able to ask questions at the end of the session, and some students were able to high five him. When we asked Peter if he would say he met us on the news, sadly he told us he couldn’t. But he told us that he would wear an Emanuel coloured tie when he read the news that night. And he did! See photo below.

You can watch a preview of a bigger project our Innovation Leaders are working on, which includes them interviewing Peter Overton: https://tinyurl.com/PeterO-INT