Writing...and the closing shot

Sarah Steffen

Writing for a visual medium is so different. Coming from a newspaper/magazine perspective, writing for TV is really another type of style. Now, with video shooting, I have to force myself not only go get the good quotes and tell my story in a compelling way, but also to care for good audio and video footage. I have to keep in mind that - for writing a good package - all has to go well together.
It's rather trivial that every story has to have a beginning, a middle and an ending - but I thought it was really important to point out that one needs a good closing shot. Of course it's important to have a good start that makes people want to watch the report, but it's equally important to write the story (and bolster it with the right footage) to let the audience know that this is the end of the story. It should give them a feeling of closure. If the report left them wondering what that was about, the writer didn't succeed in his endeavors. Which leaves the beginner with the question: What is a good closing shot? For our first assignment I just tried to get as many different shots as possible to have a variety to pick from during my editing process. I think the more experienced you get, the easier you can determine a good closing shot during your actual video shooting.