Storytelling
This is a Journalism Toolbox. We can add to it as we go. Maybe at some point we’ll add a table of contents.
Gist of a story
- Protagonist, with attribute and challenge
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Erzählsatz
- SLAT: Shit look at that
- Clear Focus
- Story not topic
- BME: Beginning Middle End
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Heroines’ journey
- Build a house: Strong Beginning/End,
Pitch
- What’s the story
- Why now?
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For whom?
- Less is more
- Kino im Kopf
- Consider background of people you pitch to
- Cliffhanger
Golden Rules of Storytelling
- Shit look at that
- Erzählsatz
- Show don’t tell
- Heroines‘ Journey
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How to translate to one of other 32 language departments?
- Research-Cross: How was it before? How will it be in the future? How is it somewhere else?
- W-Fragen answered? Who, What, How, Where, When, Why, Source
- Target-Audience: 14-40 yrs old urban decision-makers
- Get out and off the phone: Analogue makes the difference
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Avoid clichés and empty phrases: Floskelfreie Sprache
- Try and Fail: Because why not
- What does the user say? How can I create dialogue with my audience?
- Only the best – and not the first person: Find people who are affected, experts, people responsible
- Don’t be afraid of feedback
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Gather: Ideas for future projects and your old stories/projects/stuff
- Media-Routine: Change it up and reflect how/what media you consume?
- I am responsible for the interview
- Find ideas: Beware yes-but paradox – Every idea is worth to be brought into life
Interview
- No questions? No story!
- W-Fragen: Who? What? Where? How? When? Why? Source
- There are no right or wrong questions – there’s just the right question in the right moment
MOST important is…
- know what you want to know
- really listen in
- be flexible
- Don’t lose your focus
- Don’t be afraid of simple questions
- Be persistent but not aggressive
Preparation for the interview
Find the focus:
- Who are you asking for?
- How much time do you have?
- What do you want to know?
KINDS OF INTERVIEWS
- Research interview: gaining knowledge, understanding contexts OPEN, DETAILED YET: scrutinize
- Opinion interview: extremely focused on comments PERSISTENT & confronting views ready
- Expert interview: focused with gained general knowledge OPEN & Facts ready to confront
- Portrait: focused or wide depending on person
- Mix
*NEVER sent the questions, but it is possible to agree on the direction of the interview *
**Stay professional! **
AVOID
- OR questions (or they’ll choose)
- 2 in 1 questions (or they’ll choose)
- loosing track and if you do, say: WHY? WHAT does that mean? WHAT makes you certain?
What makes a journalistic text interesting and exciting
- Organisation and dramaturgy –> build a house
- Precise and varied language (dynamic between long and short sentences; active verbs, description, change of perpective, quotation, insertions)
- Free of set phrases / flowers of speech
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Strong beginning AND strog end
- NOT just describe stuff! Let me expirience it
Teaser = story in a nutshell –> PUB talk
- Surprise, create interest –> SLAT
- Why do you need to know this? –> Wanna tell others
- Context. Conflict. –> Happening! Problem!
- Cliffhanger –> I gotta stay tuned!
Headline
- Inform as short as possible about what is going on
- Create reading impulse
- Clear message
- Central message og the whole text: essence
- DW: include all important research keywords
But: Differenciate between news and not news
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by the author.