Book Description
"Wonderfully practical....just what every media writer needs."
Christopher H. Sterling
George Washington University
* Learn what it takes to write for commercials, news, documentaries, corporate, educational, animation, games, the internet, and dramatic film & video productions
* Outlines the key skills needed for a successful media writing career
The demand for quality and knowledgeable multi-platform writing is always in high demand. An Introduction to Writing for Electronic Media presents a survey of the many types of electronic media you can write for, and explains how to do it.
Musburger focuses on the skills you need to write for animation versus radio or television news versus corporate training. Sample scripts help you learn by example while modeling your own scripts. Production files illustrate the integral role writers' play in the production process, and individual movie frames allow you compare these to the real scripts.
Armed with the skills developed in this book, a media writer can apply for a variety of positions in newsrooms, advertising firms, motion pictures or animation studios, as well as local and national cable operations.
Robert B. Musburger, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the School of Communication, University of Houston, USA. He has worked for 20 years in professional broadcasting, serving as camera operator, director, producer, and writer. Musburger has received numerous awards for his video work and teaching and he continues to work in electronic media with his Seattle, WA,. consulting firm, Musburger Media Services.
"[An] authoritative and clearly written description of the processes involved in writing for film, radio and television production."
Raymond Fielding, Dean Emeritus
Florida State University
Table of Contents
- Cover
- Halftitle
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Getting Started: Loading the Application and Sharpening the Pencil
- Introduction
- Background
- Script Variations
- Media Differences
- Basic Writing Skills
- Language of Discrimination
- The Law and Censorship
- The Audience and Distribution
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 2 Media Production for Writers
- Introduction
- Writer’s Relationship with Production
- What Is Production?
- Why Production for Writers?
- The Language of Production
- Video Production Techniques
- Audio Production Techniques
- Digital and Web Production Techniques
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 3 Spots: Public Service Announcements, Program Promotions, and Commercials
- Introduction
- Background
- Public Service Announcements
- Promotional Announcements
- Commercial Announcements
- Audience Analysis
- Ethics
- The Law
- Writing Spot Copy
- Copywriting
- Copy Formatting
- Instructions for Dual-Column Format Using Microsoft Word
- Instructions for Single-Column Format Using Microsoft Word
- Production Values
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 4 News
- Introduction
- The Fourth Estate
- Print Newswriting Basics
- Electronic Newswriting Basics
- Newswriting Guidelines
- Interviewing
- Know Your Stylebook—Objectivity and Fairness
- Radio Newswriting
- Television Newswriting
- Internet Newswriting
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 5 Documentaries
- Introduction
- Background
- Types of Documentaries
- Script and Production Patterns
- Sponsored Documentaries, Biographies, and Docudramas
- Docudramas
- Documentary Preproduction Process
- Documentary Formats
- Writing a Documentary
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 6 Informational Productions
- Introduction
- Background
- Writing Corporate Media Scripts
- Writing Educational Media Scripts
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 7 Animation
- Introduction
- Background
- The Production Process
- The Writing Process
- Writing Techniques
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 8 Games
- Introduction
- Background
- Types of Games
- Writing Game Scripts
- Script Formats
- Developing Plot and Action Lines
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 9 Drama
- Introduction
- Background
- Stages of Scriptwriting
- Dramatic Script Formats
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 10 The Internet
- Introduction
- Background
- Types of Internet Messages
- E-Mail
- World Wide Web
- Types of Web Sites
- E-Commerce
- Streaming Media
- Audio Streaming
- Video Streaming
- Writing for the Internet
- E-Mail, Chat Lines, and Instant Messaging
- Newsgroups and Blogs
- Interactive Producing
- Interactive Writing
- Electronic Commerce
- Internet Problems
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- 11 Future
- Introduction
- The Search
- Networking
- Internship
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- Portfolio
- Interviewing
- Freelancing
- Representation
- Summary
- Be Sure To…
- Exercises
- Additional Sources
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appeddix C
- Glossary
- Index