We gatecrashed the Year 2 Feature Writing lecture yesterday and found out some stuff:
News is event led, and cannot be planned in advace to a certain degree. Obviously sport is scheduled and so are court proceedings etc. but unlike features, they cannot be planned or written months in advance as this mean the news was no longer contemporaneous, which can lead to legal issues.
Unlike news, features are are also formatted. For example; a magazine will always have a certain amount of pages despite its' content. It may always feature a recipe section or an agony aunt page. Whereas, a newspaper, if it wants can cover a story over any amount of pages according to how 'big' the story is at that time.
Radio 4 has it's morning feature, in the form of a 'feature interview', this will be with the most important person in the country to do with the topic of the day. (E.g If it is about the Budget, it will be with the Chancellor of the Exchequer - Alistair Darling)
"The audience comes for the news and stays for the features."
'Featurisation' - with many newspapers increasingly aiming toward specific markets by acting more like daily magazines.
"Features set the tone of the publication."
Chris has a table* in his notes that outlines the basic differences between News and Features.
- Pictures
Pictures (graphs, statistics etc.) are not always needed in a news story whereas they are vital in most features.
When considering topics to write a feature on, don't simpy 'do a feature on lamps'...instead do a feature interview with the top lamp designer...
Feature formats:
- Confessional interviews
'My true story' OR 'What it's like to be...'
Victim support groups
Triumph Over Tragedy 'TOT'
- Consumer review
1) What is it? What does it do? 2) Is it any good?
- Comment/analysis
(A handy defence for defamation)
Usually controversion otherwise not much point
- Feature Interview
Interview someone about their life BUT it is NOT a profile.
Form of Gonzo Journalism
Like you are on your very own chat show...
- News Features
'Wrap up'
The News: Actress has wardobe malfunction
News feature: Top ten worst wardrobe malfunctions of 2009
- Profiles
Like a living obituary
You DO NOT interview the person but people that know them.
- Investigations
The story is initiated by the journalist.
An overlap with Gonzo journalism
Watergate scandal...
- Observational
Gonzo
Hunter S Thompson
You observe and you tell the story
- Reader Response
Competition entry
Agony aunts
Letters (star letter)
Before yesterday I hadn't considered how may different formats of feature there actually are, not forgetting TV and Radio.
Now that I understand about what each format requires for each feature 'style' I look forward to having a go myself.
*http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=299
Jeremy Webb - Editor in Chief New Scientist
13 years ago
Thanks Maxine - this is really useful - and much crisper version of my notes, very useful for me to see how what I have to say can be summed up. It works like a filter/focus which I am sure other students will find useful. There's a certain style or lightness of touch to this blog which I can't entirely put my finger on which makes it both useful and strangely pleasant to read... By the way I thought your PTC on the post office story today was really excellent, it was lightyears ahead of where the third years were at this time last year... it was basically at a professional broadcast standard. If you can figure out a way of rendering it into a quicktime file and then sending it to me I can put it on the site as a near-perfect example of where a student would be at. That's more useful than showing a clip from 'professional' telly because they have various advantages we don't have. In terms of student work I have rarely seen better work than that, especially at this early stage of a production run - well above expectations. I am amazed that you have had no specialist performance training or practice previously.
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