BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This group has the skills to do almost everything needed to create our Newsmagazine. Hard part is organizing the magazine, figuring out what the content will be and creating it!

OPENING TITLES AND MUSIC: First, all programs need a opening, complete with title, logo and music. The first unit came up with an introduction for their newsmagazine, you will be coming up with your own. The title of the program is "HIGHLANDER NEWS."

Somebody with some graphics skills, work on creating a logo for the show. Find some music that you might like for the intro. Do you want to just have a simple graphic to start your show or do you want a panorama of the school or of students, etc.? Work on putting this little opening segment together in Vegas and saving it as a movie so that we can use it over and over again.

SHOW SEGMENTS: We will need to come up with some ideas for the three segments that are required for the shown in the newsmagazine. The required segments are as follows:

• HEADLINE NEWS: 20-30 seconds of the news of the previous two weeks at Highland High School, read by an anchorperson. These news pieces should be NON-SPORTS related (those stories will be covered in the next segment.) Consider the following for inclusion:
  • Any "news" story that hits HHS: Snow Days, Tornado Drills, Flu epidemics, Club competitions at state, CSAP testing, Prom, Drama and music productions, etc.
  • An "over the shoulder" GRAPHIC that fits with the news item being discussed at the time. They do it with real news broadcasts, we need to include them in ours.
  • The anchor will also need to include a "Transition", where the send the program over to the next segment, which will be sports.
• SPORTS: 1-2 minute segment that has a "sports anchor" telling the scores of all games and matches and meets over the previous two weeks, as well as containing a brief story or spot that outlines something having to do with Sports at Highland. This can be any of the following:
  • Highlights and commentary regarding a big game.
  • Interviews with star performers in recent games (complete with highlights or pictures of the athlete.)
  • Interviews with coaches regarding upcoming games or star players.
  • "Over the shoulder" GRAPHICS that fit with the sports item being discussed at the time. They do it with real sports highlight shows, we need to include them in ours.
  • The sports anchor will "transition" to the next segment, which is the Interview.
• THE COMMERCIAL: There are lots of clubs, groups and organizations that would like to get the word out about their event. We will start helping them! Each unit, we will get together with a group or club and help them make a commercial to promote their cause.
  • This commercial will be 15 seconds long, no more!
  • We will meet with the members of the advertising club and help them figure out what they would like to say and how they would like to say it.
  • We will offer a full production service, complete with scripts/storyboards, acting talent, editing, etc.
• THE FUNNY: I would like to start including an "Investigative" piece that "exposes" something unknown about Highland High School. In all cases, this "unknown" thing will be something funny. This will be a brief skit, in the form of a news segment, that shows something funny. There are tons of ideas, come up with one and make it happen!
• THE INTERVIEW: This will be a 1 minute interview in which we talk to a person at HHS regarding an area of interest. In general, this should NOT BE sports related. I would like to interview Mr. Ward or Mr. Yaussi on a regular basis. Consider the following as interview candidates:
  • Mr. Ward and Mr. Yaussi: To discuss "the happenings" at HHS.
  • Mr. Ring to discuss the need to CSAP testing.
  • Ms. Rolfe: Discuss course enrollment for next fall or scholarship opportunities.
  • Ms. Axelson: To talk about FFA activities, etc.
  • New Teachers: To discuss their backgrounds and their impressions of HHS.

Closing Credits: Each broadcast should close with a credit roll that mentions everyone involved in the production. Traditionally, closing credit rolls at HHS News have included another "funny," a humorous, but school appropriate, clip or series of clips that make people laugh. These might be outtakes from other projects, etc.

Filming and Covering Other Peoples Material: You are responsible for YOUR unit, however, you should make yourself available for anyone else in the group that needs help, whether with acting, filming, etc. If someone is out for a particular day, it DOES NOT mean that their unit is no longer needed, it means that YOU need to do their work for them.