Week: 1        18. 9. 2023

Topic:
Introduction - topics, objectives and rules of the class; practical exercises in each lesson, homework and feedback at the beginning of each next lesson, discussions; equipment to use; notes in IS

50 shades of news - what do news shows look like in your country? What do you like and what do you dislike?

Homework:
Find a visually great video news story and a visually horrible one.  Explain why, send links, so we can watch them and discuss. Language doesn't matter.

Week: 2        25. 9. 2023

Topic:
Let the pictures tell the story - rules for filming and editing; what is visually interesting; essential first and last shot; graphics; chicken or egg? (pictures or words?)

Homework:
1) Find a story that you simply don't understand. It's too complicated. The words make it too complicated. The pictures don't make any sense. You need to watch it multiple times to get the point.

2) Also, sit (stand, lay...) somewhere busy and listen for 15 minutes. List all the sounds that you can hear. Even the ones that you ignored at first. Whose list will be longest and who will bring the most unusual sounds?

Week: 3        2. 10. 2023

Topic:
Let the sounds tell the story - interviews and listening for your sound bite; setting up your equipment; setting up your respondent; natural sound; speaking for the news - only one chance to make your point

Homework:
What would you ask if you had just one question? Find ten people who make the news, someone interesting, your favorite politician, athlete, singer... who has a story to tell. If you could ask them only one question, what would it be? And why?

Week: 4        9. 10. 2023

Topic:
What is news? - researching information; topics for the news; respondents; what makes good video

Homework:
Have your eyes and ears open this week. List all the potential topics that you find newsworthy from your surroundings, your conversations, things you overheard on the tram or saw from the window. Not those things that you actually see or read in the news...

Week: 5        16. 10. 2023

Topic:
I am out of the country on a business trip. There will be no class, but there is a ton of interesting literature for you to study instead. Dive into it.

Homework:
There is no homework...

Week: 6        23. 10. 2023

Topic:
A) MoJo - the basic course for mobile journalists; use your phone as a camera
B) The perfect lead - rules and ideas for writing a lead to your story; headlines and teases; teleprompter - let's try it!

Homework:
Film something. Interview someone. Try some not-so-basic shots, do trick shots, interesting angles. Edit it together. Don't do voiceovers, music, standups... Just stitch some shots together with someone speaking. Make it a story. 30 sec - 1 min. Have fun with it...

Week: 7        30. 10. 2023

Topic:
Fit the story into 25 sec., write a V/O - rules and ideas for V/Os; what information to use, what to discard; let's give it a try

Homework:
Find three topics/events in your personal lives (a party or movie you go to, a trip, going shopping for groceries... anything) and treat them as a news story. Write leads or teases for them. Remember two sentences are enough. Don't say everything, leave room for curiosity.

Week: 8        6. 11 2023

Topic:
Stand-up - how and what; why and where; let's give it a try!

Homework:
Three events or topics from your personal lives again. This time, you film a stand-up for them.

Week: 9        13. 11. 2023

Topic:
Nothing beats the package - building the package; time in the news

Homework:
1) Make your package. Edit the comic, add voiceovers, natural sounds and sound bites. (Don't actually edit it, just put the pictures in the correct order and write down the sounds.) Just like in real life, you don't have to use all your footage, just the relevant bits.
Pick a story you want to work on (available in IS), unleash your creativity and have fun!

2) Research and describe story ideas for your final project.

Week: 10        20. 11. 2023

Topic:
Going live - rules and ideas for live broadcast; let's give it a try!

Homework:
Start filming your final project.

Week: 11        27. 11. 2023

Topic:
Going online - social networks - the future of news?; visual explosion; different networks, different audiences, different stories; what works and what does not

Homework:
Filming and editing the final project.

Week: 12        4. 12. 2023

Final class:
Screening and feedback
Q's & A's: anything about this course

Week: 13        11. 12. 2023

Spare class:
Whatever we didn't have time for during the semester
Free topics - discussion of whatever may interest you
If any of our Erasmus students are interested, possibly a trip to the Czech TV studio (not in the center of Brno)