Writing for Visual Media

After reading the E-res chapter entitled “Writing the Package,” one thing that surprised me is how similar writing for a visual medium and writing for a print medium can be. I always assumed that television stories were written entirely after footage had been shot and that pre-planning a story was out of the question due to the unpredictable nature of events. This article assured me that planning a package before shooting is possible and almost necessary for success. Without having a clear idea and clear focus of what you are looking for before heading out into the field, your story will likely turn into a random series of shots with no coherent order. Of course, pre-planning a visual story too extensively can be just as dangerous as not pre-planning at all. If a reporter covers an event with a specific story in mind before even arriving at the scene, he or she will likely limit what is shot and what is covered, consequently decreasing the overall variety and quality of the package.

I think that the formula for writing a clear and coherent story presented in this chapter will definitely help me plan my package before I begin shooting it this weekend. After capturing my footage, I will define my focus, write a lead, focus on the ideas that I want to communicate, and try to write a close before I even begin ordering my shots. Hopefully, this will guide my story formulaically and will make compiling the completed package much easier.