Wolf TV mission statement

Wolf TV will provide a variety of high-quality programming primarily by and for the students at North Carolina State University and will supplement the newspaper with instantaneous, broadcast coverage. Wolf TV will give students interested in broadcast media hands-on experience in creating new, informative and entertaining programming online and through a campus cable outlet. Students will have the final say over content and will uphold the highest standards of journalistic ethics.

The assignment

There are three ways you can get assignments.

• Actively taking a written assignment from an editor, writer, reporter or other staff member
• Verbally (or otherwise) agreeing to shoot video
• Finding good people or events to capture without being “told”

Your best video will probably come from just being in the right place at the right time with a camera ready to go. That’s how you get video full of action and emotion.

Shoot the Video
Regardless of how you get the assignment, it is then your responsibility to get quality video – action photos full of emotion that is good in technical quality, that well-composed and that has some meaning. Accepting an assignment is a contract between the publication and the person shooting the video.

When you shoot an assignment, it is your responsibility to have the camera and all necessary equipment (film, batteries, note pad, etc.). It is not acceptable to say that you couldn’t complete an assignment because your camera didn’t work. Plan ahead. Have a backup plan.

Capture video files
When you first get a video tape rewind it. Start new assignments from the beginning of the tape. If you are shooting on a Compact Flash or SD digital video card, format it in the camera before each assignment. When you get back from an assignment, dump ALL the video the slush drive. Do your editing from there.

Edit
At this point, the editing process is the same regardless of whether you shot video tapes or digital.

• PLAN. After you get back from shooting the video, get together with the station manager, reporter, director or lead person on the project to review what you were able to shoot and what you couldn’t shoot. This will help you expedite the editing process and ensure that the finished product is what both the person shooting the video and the person responsible for the project expect. Specifically agree on the length of the final project, especially if longer than 90 seconds.
• EDIT. After consulting with the station manager or other editors involved in the earlier planning of the project, edit the raw video to produce a viewable project. Save the final project as a Final Cut project and then export as a .MP4 file for uploading to Vimeo, YouTube, the campus cable channel or other Student Media websites.
  • Typical one-time projects: 30-90 seconds
  • Projects: ≤3 minutes
  • In-depth projects (very rare): ≤15 minutes
• CREDITS. All videos should contain appropriate credits including a copyright notice (©2011 NCSU Student Media), the names of all videographers, reporters and editors, the Wolf TV logo, other media logos as necessary and names of any on-camera talent.
• COPY TO SERVER. Save the exported .MP4 files to the video server. The slush drive is NOT backed up. The server is. Save finished projects in the Finished Projects folder.
• UPLOAD. The station manager or designee will upload the final project in a timely fashion as appropriate. The station manager is responsible for all video projects produced for WolfTV and the NCSU Student Media.

Pool Equipment

Student Media equipment is state property. Student Media equipment shall NOT be used for personal assignments or assignments for other entities. The pool equipment has to be shared by all of the staff photographers. You are responsible for it when you are using it, including, potentially, the costs of any damages beyond any normal wear and tear.

Details

• All digital cameras are in the locked cabinets along with all accessories. Because this equipment are extremely valuable and easily marketed if stolen, security is a high priority.
• You can check out equipment by contacting one of the photo editors or, (only) in a breaking news situation, one of the full-time professional staff members. Be sure to print your name legibly for each piece of equipment you check out. And make sure your e-mail and telephone number are current on the roster in case the photo editors need to contact you regarding the equipment. People who are not trained on equipment should not be checked out equipment.
• Return equipment when the assignment is complete or within 24 hours. Equipment should be check out for no more than 24 hours except under special circumstances when all of the photo editors are notified.
• Return equipment to a locker and lock it. Photo editors need not be present to return equipment.
• You are all responsible for all equipment and can be held personally libel for damaged or missing equipment.