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Source:
The Practical Community Video Handbook by Clare Segal, 1988, p.62-63.
USE OF GRAMMER
The main aim of narration is to be clear and
concise.
Conjunctions:
e.g. AND, BUT
Although not encouraged in formal English writing, conjunctions do add
to a conversational style.
Another example is the use of THAT & WHICH
In conversation people tend to use THAT instead of which. Although WHICH
may be grammatically correct, it is a non-conversational word and should
be used sparingly. If possible eliminate both words. Often this will improve
the material, although it is occasionally necessary to use THAT in order
to make a sentence clearer e.g.
"The managing director made it clear to everyone that things are
going to change".
Prepositions: e.g. AT, IN, ON, FOR,
BY
Often helpful in breaking up phrases and making it easier to read and
listen to. It is easier to use the preposition FOR and say,
"The chief negotiator for the construction industry says another
round of talks will begin tomorrow"
Rather than..
"The construction industry's chief negotiator says another round
of talks will begin tomorrow''.
Pronouns: e.g. THIS, THAT, I, WE, YOU,
WHO, WHAT
Use pronouns only when there can be no possible doubt as to the name you
are referring to. Watch out for confusing uses of HE & SHE.
"John says he will go to the party. He revealed this to Jim during
lunch break. He said he will see him there".
Verbs: e.g. BRING, CAME, EXISTS
When writing people tend not to like repeating verbs e.g. replacing the
word SAID with declared, announced or proclaimed. However in video the
repetition of the verb SAID should not bother the listeners. There are
a few words that can be used to reduce the use of said. When appropriate
you could use added or told.
Use active verbs because they are more forceful. Passive verbs slow things
down e.g. it is more effective to say..
"Anne called for the resignation of Mary".
Rather than..
"The resignation of Mary was called for by Anne".
NARRATIVE STYLE - SOME TIPS
Talk into the mike - don't read into it.
Pronounce every word carefully, concentrate on pronouncing the last letter
in every word.
Get your breathing even (practice).
Pronounce some words with added force and pause for an instant to dramatize
others.
Alter pitch through the course of the sentence 'higher' at the end e.g.
where a thought is incomplete or a question is about to be answered.
Stories should end with the voice dropping ..a falling inflection.
When writing a script use commas to indicate a pause, dashes and dots
for longer pauses. Capitalize words for effect e.g. "NOT".
ENDING A PROGRAMME
You can do this by the inflexions in a commentator's voice during the
concluding words, or by the way a musical background winds up. You want
your audience to be left with a feeling of completeness, that the video
in now concluded, not petered out.
Here a few suggestions:
* Gradually wind down to a quiet conclusion.
* With a climax, with a logical ending to a statement.
* With an open question, for the audience to answer.
* With a summary of earlier facts.
* With the words 'finally' or even (depending on circumstances) 'The End'.
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Material for Concepts Section
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