News Release Form: TV
Releases for television should be one of two kinds:
- A media advisory to alert a station to a story so it can send its own
film crew. The advisory can include special notes on visuals that may be
available.
- A video news release. Video news releases, usually no more than two
minutes long, should be professionally prepared and distributed on a professional-quality
videotape format, usually 3/4-inch or super beta tape. The video package
should include both a tightly edited version of the story and "B-roll,"
a generous selection of the same scenes that the station can edit as it
sees fit. The tightly edited segment should have narration on one of the
two audio channels and the ambient sound on the other. You should also
include the script of the narration, should the station want to use the
voice of one of its own correspondents.
The B-roll footage, should be accompanied by a list of the scenes, called
a shot list, which includes the time for each scene. The B-roll should
also include interviews with the principals, as well as "establishing
shots" of the surroundings.
Return to "The News Release."
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