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Media Writing for
Business & Educational Markets
With Bill Van Nostran
Current
Openings: Yes
Learn a systematic writing process
designed to develop skills needed to write video and multimedia scripts.
As author of The Media Writer’s Guide, Writing for Business and
Educational Programs, Bill Van Nostran will guide you through each phase
of the process.
Course Type:
Online readings and workbook
exercises preparing students to work on their sample project. Instructor
provides individual critique and feedback of your writing at the
conclusion of each lesson.
Duration: 7
Weeks
Objective: This
seven-week (or longer, if you need the extra time) Media Writing course
offers mini-lessons, writing activities and individualized feedback
covering each phase of the media writing process. Even if you’ve never
written a video, film or multimedia presentation, this course takes you
through every step, using proven techniques and methods. If you’ve
written media scripts before, but want to improve your craft, the
instructor’s individualized feedback will help take you to the next
level.
At the conclusion of the course, you’ll
have a polished media script ready for production. Participants should
be prepared to generate writing products throughout the course,
receiving feedback and suggestions from the instructor.
Start Date:
Open enrollment
Learner
Prerequisites:
None
Limit:
N/A
Class
Materials: Instructor
will provide reading and workbook activities on-line. Optional purchase
of The Media Writer’s Guide and The Media Writer’s Workbook,
both by Bill Van Nostran, can be used to supplement on-line material if
desired.
Cost:
$140.00
Course Outline:
Lesson
One: The Medium Is the Message
Characteristics
of sight and sound media. Learn the unique strengths and weakness of
audiovisual media such as television, film and interactive digital
media. Contrast and compare each medium to print. Focus on the purpose
of a media production script.
Lesson
Two: Assimilation
More than
just research techniques, this initial building block of the process
focuses on assimilating research findings so they become part of your
subconscious. This allows you to tap into your existing pool of
experiences and knowledge base—a critical component in arriving at a
unique creative solution. The writing products you will create to
express research findings include:
- Target
Audience Profile
- Program
Goals and Objectives
- Content
Outline
Lesson
Three: Rehearsal
Your time
for creative play to arrive at a concept for how best to use the medium
to achieve program goals with the target audience. By learning about
program formats, structural models and the concept development matrix,
you explore alternatives for presenting content. You’ll write a short
media treatment expressing your creative intent in terms of the
program’s flow and use of sight and sound material. You’ll write a
media treatment to express your emerging creative concept.
Lesson
Four: Drafting
Learn the
standard two-column format for a linear video or film script. Practice
techniques and guidelines for writing audio and video descriptions.
Narrative types and techniques for creating conversational narration
suited to the subject and target audience. Begin drafting your shooting
script. Your goal is to create the initial flow within the confines of
your creative concept. Techniques for keeping the critical thinking
“judge” at bay during this “passion hot” phase of the writing
process. At the end of this lesson, you’ll generate a first draft
shooting script for review by the instructor.
Lesson
Five: Revision
Literally,
“to see again,” you now begin responding to your script as others
will. Techniques for analyzing what needs fixing and how to go about
rewriting. Once you are satisfied with the work, it’s time to solicit
feedback from clients, subject matter experts, producers and directors.
Suggested methods for analyzing the nature of their feedback and how to
incorporate it into the next revision. This will lead to a revised
shooting script.
Lesson
Six: Editing
After
receiving feedback on a second draft, you should be at the stage where
you are polishing the script, readying it for the production process. Go
through a final checklist as you do this work and, equally important,
realize when it’s time to “let go.”
Lesson
Seven: Interactivity
Covers
how writing for digital interactive media such as the Internet differ
from linear scriptwriting. Learn techniques for creating flow charts and
basic types of interactions to actively engage users in the content.
(Note: if your sample script is interactive, the instructor may
integrate this material into previous lessons as you work on your
project.)
Instructor
Bio
Bill
Van Nostran’s award-winning corporate communication career has spanned
two major trends: growth and maturation of corporate video in the 70s
and 80s, followed by the explosive adoption of digital interactive media
in the 90s.
Currently
he is an independent media writer serving Fortune 500 clients such as
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Pharmacia, DaimlerChrysler, Michelin, National City
Corporation, and others.
Executive
Producer
Between
1997 and 2000, Bill was an executive producer at VuCom newMedia’s Cleveland,
Ohio production facility. This Michigan-based interactive consulting and
production company offers digital communication and training solutions to
corporate clients.
East
Coast Connections
Before
joining VuCom’s Cleveland office, Bill spent many years as a freelance writer
in the New York City market where his client list included Fortune 500
companies such as Johnson & Johnson, International Paper, Kraft
General Foods, Warner-Lambert, Prudential and many others. Bill also did
projects for several health care advertising agencies as well as
organizations such as the Epilepsy Foundation of America and National Cancer
Institute.
His
resume includes stints in the corporate communication and media departments of
Owens-Corning Fiberglas and Crum & Forster Insurance Companies.
Writing
& Teaching
Bill
is author of The Media Writer's Guide, an introduction to writing for corporate
media published by Focal Press. Bill conducts workshops on writing for the
Internet, informational media writing, and the creative process. He taught
for several years as an adjunct instructor in the MBA in Corporate
Communications program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
As
a playwright, Bill received a 1992/93 fellowship from the New Jersey State
Council on the Arts for his play, "Dream Machines." His screenplay, "Rachel’s
Song," was a finalist in the 2003 Moondance International Film Festival. He is
also a weekly columnist for Hollywoodlitsales.com’s website dedicated to
the craft of screenwriting.
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