Welcome to SCORES UP!
AYSO 1513 is proud to bring you SCORES UP, a new and adventurous activity to get you involved. In this program, you will learn the skills you need to become a media expert so you can cover the game both on and off the field.
Inside this packet you will find the tips you need to be a great writer, photographer, broadcaster and graphic designer. It’s all up to you to dive right in and start reading and then use your skills to complete the challenges at the end of each section. Inside you will also find examples of great journalism, photography and design.
We also want you to walk away with the knowledge and contacts you will need to become a future media professional. Included in this packet are links to web sites and organizations that can lead you to that media career you’ve always dreamed of.
SCORES UP is about having fun, learning new and exciting things, doing something you’ve never done and making new friends. This is just the beginning. There will be many more SCORES UP events and activities for you in the future. Don’t forget to send us anything you report on for AYSO and make sure we have all your current information so we can contact you for special events.
Thank you for joining us. Now let’s get going!
SCORES UP contact:
GADSDEN AYSO 1513
EMAIL : GADSDENAYSO@YAHOO.COM
Interview Project
Find a new friend at school or tell your parents to pretend they are someone else and interview them as you would for a profile story. Get to know them. What makes them special?
Don’t forget to find out:
Who they are?
What makes them tick?
What drives or motivates them?
Where have they been and where are you going in the future?
Here are some facts you should find out about your subject:
Name
Contact information (including section and region)
Age, grade and school
What they want to be in the future?
Family members
Birthplace
Unusual habits or hobbies
Dream job
A personality trait
Where they work
Do they play AYSO soccer?
FIND OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
Use your imagination and ask them whatever you can think of. After you find out as much as you can, arrange the information from most interesting to least interesting on paper. Then you can introduce your subject to someone at school or share your interesting or funny profile story with your siblings.
NOTE: Profile stories are 50 percent quotes so make sure you get the facts right!
Journalism Tip Sheet
Three important tips
A.
A good journalist should be:
1. Curious
2. Like people and like talking to people
B.
When in doubt…K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly)
C.
The best way to improve your writing is to read!
Interview Tips:
-Rarely ask Yes & No questions
-Show interest in the interviewee
-Always ask the interviewee (while taping) if its okay to tape them
-Always get the correct spelling of the persons name and their title
-Taking a list of questions is okay but don’t number them
-Ask easy questions first, then move on to harder or more intimate questions
-Define what angle you are taking on the story. Are you going to write it about the team’s big win, the coach who took them there or how the energy of the fans encouraged the best player to score 100 goals? Those are only examples of a few ways you could write the story.
Interviewing Steps:
- Define your purpose - what are you writing the story about? What angle are you taking?
- Get Background Research - collect personal information about them, ask around or use the internet
- Request an appointment – Make sure you tell them how long it will take when you set a date and time for the interview
- Get ready – Have at least 10 questions prepared to ask. Start with the easy questions first, then move on the harder or touchy questions.
- Meet the person – Be on time and courteous. Dress appropriately. You can tell how to dress by how you think they will dress
- Break the ice – Comment on something light like the weather. Impress them by sharing a fact you know about them or asking a question about something personal to them. People generally love to be the center of attention and be flattered.
- Ask your questions – Don’t be afraid to ask a question not on your list. Try to construct the interview as more of a conversation. You will get better answers that way. This may take a few interviews to master.
- Draw them out – Sometimes people give short answers and you will need to dig deeper for a good quote
- Listen and Observe – immerse yourself in what the person is saying and don’t be afraid to ask the person to go into more detail about something you don’t understand. If you don’t understand something, how will your readers. Don’t be afraid of looking stupid.
- Drop the bomb – ask the most difficult question or the one you think the person is hesitant about answering at the end, after they open up to you a little.
- Wrap it up – thanks them and ask if you may contact them with any further questions you might have. Remember that asking for autographs is unprofessional.
After the interview:
Immediately organize your notes
Transcribe any part of the tape you might need
Write the lead first
Call the person back to ask follow up questions or to check facts
Remember never to read the quote back to the source. Just ask about the part you aren’t sure of.
Time to start writing…
Writing the story:
1. In a news story you want the lead (first sentence) to tell the reader what they will be reading about. Get to the point fast in as few words as possible. In a feature story you can write an artsy lead to set the mood and then tell people what they will be reading about. Feature stories sometimes require a good lead or hook to keep the reader interested. The lead should include the 5 W’s and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How).
2. Use shorter sentences and paragraphs than an essay. Each paragraph should be about 20 to 40 words in length. Each paragraph should contain only one idea per.
3. Quotes from sources are very important in the beginning of the story. Profile stories should have ½ quotes. You can paraphrase quotes by putting them in your own words but important facts should remain in direct quotes.
4. Make sure you include any background information in the beginning to the reader will understand the story.
5. News stories should to written in order of descending importance. Meaning, you should write the most important news first and the least important or older news last.
6. Use transitions to connect quotes and paragraphs smoothly.
7. Unless the story is an opinion story, don’t give any hints in it on how you feel about the topic.
8. Present both sides of the story. Interview various people to get all sides of the story.
9. Do not write “the end” at the ending of the story. News articles usually end with a direct quote after all the news worthy information has been told. A feature or profile can use a conclusion paragraph like an essay would.
10. You usually want to follow the format INFORMATION-QUOTE-INFORMATION-QUOTE.
11. On first mention, use the sources full name and title, on second mention use only their last name.
12. Do not put the questions you asked in the story.
13. News stories are usually 300-700 words in length while profiles and features are usually 800-1,500 words.
14. The last thing you want to do is fact check. Make sure all the names and important facts are correct. Check all names of people and organizations, government agencies, private foundations, buildings, titles dates, places and proper nouns.
15. If you have time after writing the story, sit it down for a day and then do a re-write.
Writing Challenge
Field Mission #1
Your first project is to do a profile story about your coach (or any coach in your region). Keep the final write-up around 200 words – we’ll print some of the best stuff in a future issue of SCORES UP.
Make sure your subject line states the event you are writing about.
TIPS FOR COMPLETING YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Interviewing the coach:
1. Think about what you already know about the coach, then prepare a list of questions in advance, but if the coach gives an answer that makes you think of another question, go ahead and ask it.
2. Ask questions that will solicit answers that are more than “Yes” or “No”. If the coach answers your questions that way, ask them to explain their answer.
3. If possible, bring a tape recorder with you so you can get all the coach’s quotes correct. If you don’t have one, take careful notes and don’t be afraid to wait until you finish writing the answer to one question before you begin asking another.
4. Interview other people who know your coach like teammates, parents, or other coaches.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask the person to repeat what they said or explain things you don’t understand.
Writing the piece:
1. What’s the number one thing you want people to know about the coach? What’s the most fun or interesting fact? Use that as a “hook”, or something you put at the very start of the article that makes people want to keep reading and find out more.
2. What are the other important facts? The name of the coach? Where the region is located? Anything else that’s really important? Make sure those questions are answered somewhere in your story.
3. Just as you put the most important stuff first, you want the least important stuff to go last, so that if someone had to cut the last sentences from your article, you’d still have the best info left.
4. You don’t have to put everything the people you interviewed said into your article. Pick only the best quotes or the ones that fit the info you’re trying to get out.
5. Be descriptive in your writing. “Show” the reader by using descriptive words rather than just “telling” them.
Digital Photography Tips
There are many advantages to using digital cameras rather than film cameras. Most importantly, they give you the ability to see the shot you just took to ensure you got it right. Unfortunately, they can’t do everything for you. Here are a few tips to prepare you for the game:
It may look easy, but anyone who has brought a camera to a Little League game or a division playoff knows that taking great sports shots isn't so simple. The pros with the photographs we see in the magazine rely on years of experience and bags full of equipment to capture that perfect shot. But you don't need to bring more gear to a game than a football player in order to get a great shot. To get better sports photographs you just need to follow the same rules the pros use.
When it comes right down to it, every sport is about speed. Not all sports are as fast-paced as a basketball game, but they all center on motion, speed, and action. The key to sports photography is to know when and where the action is happening, and taking the picture at the right time.
Know the sport
Before you can take great sports pictures, you have to understand the action involved. You need to know the basic rules of the game so you can figure out when the exciting moments will happen. In a soccer game there's usually a flurry of action in front of the net. In hockey the face-off can be exciting as two teams battle for control. In baseball, nothing beats a last-inning slide to home plate.
Making sure your camera is ready at the right time will go a long way to helping you capture that perfect shot. Many pros spend the whole game looking through their viewfinder. While it's not necessary to watch a whole game with one eye closed, it's a good idea to bring the camera up and look through it when exciting things start to happen.
It's also a great idea to walk around the sidelines, if possible, to get different angles, and remember to take a look at what's happening behind the action, too. Nothing ruins a nice action photo than something really distracting in the background.
Keeping your focus
If you look at any great sports photograph you'll notice that some parts of the action are razor sharp, while other parts are blurry. This helps draw attention to the action, and make the background less noticeable. Photographers do this by changing the depth of field of a photograph. Depth of field is a complicated subject (and it really just means "how much of the photograph is in focus") so it might be easier to think of it in a practical way. Many cameras have a mode called "aperture control" (it's usually a setting with the letter "A"). The aperture is the opening in the camera that light comes through. Aperture numbers (often called f-stops) relate to changes in the depth of field.
When a camera is set to a low-numbered aperture (like 2.8 or 3.5) only the area where you focus will be sharp. Everything else will be blurry. Focus on a football player's head and a teammate right behind him will be out of focus. Set the aperture to a higher number (like 8 or 11) and not only will his teammate be in focus, but so will the crowd of people behind them sitting on the sidelines.
Sometimes you might want to make sure that only the star player is in focus (during his touchdown run for example) but some times you might want to see everything going on (like when the people in the stands are cheering). By changing the aperture you can control how your picture looks. Check out the manual that came with your camera to find out more about changing your aperture.
Making it blurry
Sometimes though you might not want a sharp picture at all. Sometimes if you take a picture of a subject, the camera freezes in the action so well that you cannot see any motion at all. There are two easy ways to use a bit of blurriness to let people know how fast your sports hero is moving.
The first way to add a bit of intentional blur to your photographs is to change the camera's shutter speed. The shutter is a little flap inside the camera that opens and closes to let light get to the film or digital sensor, and that's how a camera takes a picture. Shutters can move very quickly, so a shutter could be open for a really, really short period of time or a really long period of time.
A shutter that's open for 1/1000 of a second (that's one thousand times shorter than a second) freezes motion in place because even the fastest athlete can't move very far in that time. A shutter that's open for 1/8 of a second, though, doesn't freeze the action as well because it is open long enough that when you start to take a picture the subject is in one place, but when you finish taking the picture.
With a slow shutter speed a moving racecar is blurry, a fastball pitcher's arm looks like a cool stream of lines, and surfers look like they are riding a wave made of ice. Varying the shutter speed can yield great results. Check your camera's manual to find out how to control the shutter speed.
Panning for gold
Professional photographers don't just control the blur in their photographs, they also create some blur with a technique called panning. Panning's easy to do and the result can be very cool looking. Start by setting the camera's shutter speed to something slow, something like 1/15 of a second or slower, then start to follow your subject before you are ready to take the picture. Right before the action heats up, press the shutter and then follow the subject until the shutter closes.
For example, if you're photographing a track meet, look through the viewfinder and watch as the racers come toward you. As they get close to the finish, aim the camera at the chest of the lead racer. Push the shutter release and keep the camera pointed at the racer's chest while they keep running by. If you held the camera steady the racer would be blurry, but since you moved the camera at the same pace as the subject, you get a different image. The result will be a picture with a runner who is sharp, but everything else will be a neat motion blur.
Steady yourself
When panning or using a slow shutter speed it's important to have a steady hand: leaving the shutter open for a long time allows the motion of the camera to affect the final picture. That's why sports photographers like to use tripods, or even monopods. A monopod is a like a walking stick that connects to the bottom of a camera, and allows you to steady it while you're shooting. They are a really great investment for anyone shooting sports pictures, and really can help improve the quality of a sports photographer's images.
Getting up close
The final rule of sports photography is that often "closer is better." Some of the greatest sports photographs of all time have been of the faces of athletes, or of just a small part of the action. It's not just that athletes and their expressions are so interesting, it's also because most of us just get to watch a sporting event from the sidelines. By getting in close to the action we can make a photograph seem more interesting than the same event viewed from the bleachers.
Often it's hard to get close to an event (that's why professional photographers use very expensive lenses to take pictures from very far away) but many times it's possible to get right up to the action. Amateur events often allow people to stand up on the sidelines, and even some professional events have good areas where spectators can get up close and personal.
The great sports shot
Getting a great sports photograph is a matter of timing, technique, and equipment. The best way to learn to take a great sports picture is to take lots and lots of photographs, and see how they look. Over time anyone can go from a sideline snapshot taker to a professional photographer. It just takes a little practice.
Some Things To Remember:
- Take plenty of photographs. The more you take, the better chance you have of getting something good.
- Capture the emotion of a great play by photographing faces of players and fans. Also, after some practice you’ll be able to anticipate the action and get better shots.
- Get plenty of sleep before a big event
- The longer the zoom lens the better. The closer you can get to the action, the better photographs you’ll get.
- Know your camera and it’s shutter lag. Most digital cameras have a delay which makes it hard to anticipate the action.
- Bring plenty of batteries.
- Use breaks in action wisely. Half time is a good time to catch up and take notes.
- Prepare for the elements. Watch the news to see if rain is expected.
- Show up early and stay late. This way you can see all the action.
Advanced Photography Tips
Digital Camera Exposure Modes:
- Fully Automatic mode sets the shutter speed and aperture, white balance, and focus without your intervention. This mode allows you to shoot without paying attention to settings so you can concentrate on composition and focus. All you have to do is frame the image and push the shutter-release button.
- Programmed mode lets you select from a variety of situations such as portrait, landscape, or sports. The camera then sets the aperture and shutter speed for these situations.
- Aperture priority (or aperture preferred) mode lets you select the aperture (lens opening) needed to obtain the depth of field you want and the exposure system automatically sets the shutter speed to give you a good exposure. You select this mode whenever depth of field is most important. To be sure everything is sharp, as in a landscape, select a small aperture. The same holds true for close-up photography where depth of field is a major concern. To throw the background out of focus so it's less distracting in a portrait, select a large aperture.
- Shutter priority mode lets you choose the shutter speed you need to freeze or deliberately blur camera or subject movement and the camera automatically sets the aperture to give you a good exposure. You select this mode when the portrayal of motion is most important. For example, when photographing action scenes, such as those encountered by wildlife photographers, sports photographers, and photojournalists, shutter-priority mode might be best. It lets you be sure your shutter speed is fast enough to freeze the action or slow enough to blur it
- Manual mode lets you select both the shutter speed and the aperture.
Compressing Images:
Digital cameras store images in a format called JPEG, named after its developer, the Joint Photographic Experts Group and pronounced "jay-peg”. This format is used to make large image files smaller and more manageable. It not only compresses images, but also allows you to specify how much they are compressed.
- Less compression, sometimes called Fine mode, gives you better images so you can make larger prints, but won’t allow you to store as many images.
- More compression, in modes such as Normal or Basic, lets you store more images and makes the images better for making smaller prints, posting on a Web page, or sending as e-mail attachments. The only problem is that your prints won't be quite as good.
- For the highest resolution, some cameras offer an uncompressed format.
Shutter Speed and Aperture:
One of the things that make photography so enjoyable is the chance you get to interpret a scene in your own way. Shutter speeds and aperture controls are two of the most important ways you have of making a picture uniquely your own. As you become more familiar with their effects on a picture, you will find yourself making choices about them more instinctively: knowing, for example, that you want only the main subject sharp and so turning to a larger aperture.
Both shutter speed and aperture affect the exposure, the total amount of light reaching the image sensor, and so control a picture's lightness or darkness. The shutter speed controls the length of time the image sensor is exposed to light and the aperture controls the brightness of that light.
Shutter Speed – Controls Light and Motion:
The shutter opens to let light strike the image sensor during an exposure. Changing the shutter speed affects the exposure of the image and how motion is portrayed in it.
Slower shutter speeds let more light strike the image sensor making an image lighter. Faster shutter speeds let less light strike it and make the image darker.
The longer the shutter is open, the more a moving subject will be blurred in the picture Also, the longer it's open the more likely you are to cause blur by moving the camera slightly.
Understanding shutter speed settings
Although digital cameras can select any fraction of a second for an exposure, there are a series of settings that have traditionally been used when you set it yourself (which you can't do on many digital cameras). These shutter speed settings are arranged in a sequence so that each setting lets in half as much light as the next slowest setting and twice as much as the next fastest. The traditional shutter speeds (listed from the fastest to the slowest speeds) include 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 second. Although speeds faster than 1 second are fractions of a second most cameras display them without the numerator. For example, 1/2 second is displayed as 2.
Aperture – Controls Light and Depth of Field:
The aperture can be opened up to let in more light or closed (stopped down) to let in less. Like the shutter speed, the aperture is used to control exposure. The larger the aperture opening, the more light reaches the image sensor in a given period of time. The more light, the lighter the image.
Like shutter speed, aperture also affects the sharpness of your picture, but in a different way. Changing the aperture changes the depth of field, the depth in a scene from foreground to background that will be sharp in a photograph. The smaller the aperture you use, the greater the area of a scene that will be sharp. For some pictures-for example, a landscape-you may want a smaller aperture for maximum depth of field so that everything from near foreground to distant background is sharp. But perhaps in a portrait you will want a larger aperture to decrease the depth of field so that your subject's face is sharp but the background is soft and out of focus.
Understanding aperture settings
Aperture settings are called f-stops and indicate the size of the aperture opening inside the lens. Each f-stop lets in half as much light as the next larger opening and twice as much light as the next smaller opening. From the largest possible opening to increasingly smaller ones, the f-stops have traditionally been f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45. No lens has the full range of settings; for example, the standard lens on a digital camera will range from about f/2 to about f/16. Notice that as the f-stop number gets larger (f/8 to f/11, for example), the aperture size gets smaller. This may be easier to remember if you think of the f-number as a fraction: 1/11 is less than 1/8, just as the size of the f/11 lens opening is smaller that the size of the f/8 opening.
How wide you can open the aperture, referred to as its "speed," depends on the len's maximum aperture (its widest opening). The term "fast lens" usually applies to lenses that can be opened to a wide maximum aperture for the focal length. For example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.6 opens wider, and is faster, than a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4. Faster lenses are better when photographing in dim light or photographing fast moving subjects. With zoom lenses the maximum aperture changes as you zoom the lens. It will be larger when zoomed out to a wide angle, and smaller when zoomed in to enlarge a subject.
Combining Shutter Speed & Aperture: You, or the camera's auto exposure system, can pair a fast shutter speed (to let in light for a short time) with a wide aperture (to let in bright light) or a slow shutter speed (long time) with a small aperture (dim light). Speaking of exposure only, it doesn't make any difference which of the combinations is used. But in other ways, it does make a difference, and it is just this difference that gives you some creative opportunities. You're always balancing camera or subject movement against depth of field. This is because a change in one causes a change in the other.
Each setting is 1 "stop" from the next and lets in half or twice the light of the next setting. A shutter speed of 1/60 sec. lets in half the light that 1/30 sec. does, and twice the light of 1/125 sec. An aperture of f/8 lets in half the light that f/5.6 does, and twice the light of f/11. If you make the shutter speed 1 stop slower (letting in 1 stop more light), and an aperture 1 stop smaller (letting in 1 stop less light), the exposure doesn't change. However, you increase the depth of field slightly and also the possibility of blur.
For general shooting you need a medium shutter speed (1/60 sec. or faster) and a medium aperture (f/5.6 or smaller). Slower shutter speeds will show up on the image as overall blur unless you support the camera, perhaps with a tripod.
- For fast-moving subjects you need a fast shutter speed (although the focal length of the lens you are using, the closeness of the subject, and the direction it's moving also affect motion).
- For maximum depth of field, with the entire scene sharp from near to far, you need a small aperture (although the focal length of the lens and the distance to the subject also affects depth of field).
Photo Challenge
Field Mission #2
Take a picture of AYSO players and volunteers is action in a game or at an AYSO event! Snap the shot of the winning moment in a tournament or league game, catch a volunteer at their best at your registration day or even surprise a coach eating spaghetti or pancakes at your next fundraiser. The point is to take a picture that tells a story without using words. Send us as many pictures as you want just make sure YOU took them (and not your parents)! Many of the submissions will be featured in an upcoming issue of SCORES UP magazine.
TIPS:
-Your photographs should visually tell a story by showing emotion on people’s faces.
- Journalistic photographs always have faces in them, not just people. Make sure you don’t photograph the backs of people’s heads.
- If you want an exciting and dramatic shot, try zooming in to capture the persons face or zooming out to show the subject’s environment and surroundings. By getting in close to the action we can make a photograph seem more interesting than the same event viewed from the bleachers.
- The key to sports photography is to anticipate when and where the action is about to happen, and taking the picture at the right time. The photo should center on motion, speed and action. Knowing the game helps but also remember to take a look at what's happening behind the action, too. Nothing ruins a nice action photo than something really distracting in the background.
- If you look at any great sports photograph you'll notice that some parts of the action are razor sharp, while other parts are blurry. This helps draw attention to the action, and make the background less noticeable.
- Professional photographers don't just control the blur in their photographs, they also create some blur with a technique called panning. Panning is easy to do and the results can be very cool looking. All you have to do is move with the action and make sure the subject is in focus when you take the picture. The subject will be in focus and the background will be burry.
Graphic Design Tips
As a designer, it's important to know the rules. That doesn't mean that you can't break the rules, but you gotta know them before you can break them. At the very least, you need to be able to explain to your boss or your customer just why you broke the rules. Lets take a look at some of the basic graphic design rules for typography, page layout, Web design and color.
Typography
Do not use every font you own in one document
If you're a designer, it almost goes without saying that you own fonts. Lotsof fonts. Maybe even thousands of fonts.
When you start using many of those fonts in one document, the message gets lost in the jumble of fonts. That doesn't mean that you have to stick to the tried and true two fonts rule (one for headings and one for text), just make sure there's a reason why you're using the fonts you choose.
Serif type is easier to read than sans serif
The theory goes that serif type is easier to read because the serifs draw your eye from character to character. Therefore, sans serif type is best left to headings and short amounts of text.
The truth is that almost any font can be made readable with the correct design. If you choose sans serif for body text, remember that most sans serif types need more leading than serif type. Sans serif can give your documents a very modern look, and is often used as body text in Europe.
What is a serif you ask? It’s a smaller line used to finish off the main stroke of a letter. (i.e. The little hangy dangly part that is at the start and finish of a letter). Here are some examples:
Example of a Serif Font Example of a Sans Serif Font
Do not put two spaces after a period
In the days of typewriters and monospaced fonts, two spaces after a period were used to indicate the end of a sentence. Today we are blessed with fonts that have characters of different widths, and there is no longer any need to place two spaces after a period.
In fact, I recently read a book whose typesetter did just that: put two spaces after every period. The problem is the space creates a stop, rather than signifying the end of a sentence. I actually did find this book difficult to read because of this design flaw!
Do not use all capital letters
People read by the shapes of words, not letter by letter. When was the last time you sounded out D-O-G while reading? Ascenders and descenders are what makes it easy to quickly identify the shape of a word.
When you use all capitals, you have no ascenders or descenders. The shape of almost every word becomes a rectangle, and it's harder to read.
That doesn't mean you can't ever use all capitals. Short phrases or headings can work well in all caps. Sans serif tends to work better in all caps than serif type; the serifs can actually detract from the readability of the text when set in all caps.
Do not center large amounts of text
This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. When you read, you rapidly scan one line, then your eye has to go from the right side of the page back to the left side of the page. When text is centered, it can be harder to find where the text begins again on the left side of the page, and actually all too easy to skip down lines of text.
Just say no to large amounts of centered text, and save it for headings that don't run more than several lines deep.
Page Layout
Don't box me in
Boxes and rules can often be the mark of a beginning designer. You look at your page. Boring, you think. It needs a little something . . . aha! I've got this box I can throw around the type or a rule I can place between the columns. Before you know it, you've used every type of box and rule your software has.
Boxes and rules can be a good way to show off important information. Just make sure everything isn't in a box, or nothing will stand out from the crowd.
Do not divide the page into halves
You want your documents to be visually exciting, and one of the best ways to do that is to divide the page into thirds, and then place the most important objects (headings, photos, visuals) in the top or bottom third.
Color
Use contrasting colors for readability
Dark text on a light background is easy to read. It goes without saying that dark text on a dark background, or light text on a light background, is difficult to read. You need to make sure that there's enough contrast between your text and background for the text to be readable.
Light text on a dark background is also easy to read, but it should be used sparingly. It's more tiring to the eyes to read large amounts of text on a dark background.
Use color sparingly
You choose to design in more than one color for one reason: for impact. If color is thrown around everywhere, it loses its impact. Make sure that you use color for maximum impact: for headings, or even the most important words in headings..
Do not use complementary colors
Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, such as blue and orange. When these two colors are used side by side, the eye has trouble focusing on both at the same time, and the colors may actually seem to vibrate.
Do not use color screened more than 40% with text
You see them everywhere it seems: sidebars that consist of text on a box of color that is screened. However, if the screen is too dark, it's impossible to read the text. Anything darker than 40% tends to be too dark to read text against, but this can vary somewhat depending on how dark the color is. You can screen green darker than blue, for instance.
Your best bet is to get a Pantone book of tints. This shows screens of the same color from 10 to 90%, with both text and reversed text on the screens, so you can tell at a glance what will or will not be readable.
Here are some more tips keep in mind when designing:
Balance- Keeping the page balanced is very important to the overall look.
Consistency- When things look uniform they are more attractive.
Contrast- Don’t use too many similar colors in a project. Contrasting colors make things stand out more to the viewer and make them more attractive.
White space- You not only have to think about what’s on the page, you have to think about what’s NOT on the page. White spaced can be used in many ways to create a mood of sophistication, emphasis and clarity.
Don’t stretch or distort images or text- Being very careful with how you place images and text is also very important. Most software programs allow you to hold the shift button while you drag the file to a larger/smaller size in order to keep it proportionate. Otherwise the people in the image may end up looking like giants or munchkins.
How they use to do things…
DUMMYING PAGES has become something of a lost art since the advent of desktop publishing. Prudent editors still dummy any freestanding page, that is, one that does not have an established page structure.
Why are dummy pages necessary? Dummies actually serve several purposes. Done early in the publication cycle, they can predict needed coverage, including story length, number of photos, graphic requirements. Dummy pages help the editor or designer ensure that the most basic principles of good design are followed. They later serve as a guide for the individual doing the actual layout.
Are dummy pages necessary with desktop publishing? Too many editors make the mistake of trying to design entirely on the computer screen. That approach spawned the snide observation, "All the news that fits we print." Dummy pages are architectural plans while designing on the screen is simply jockeying elements until they fit, Also called "dump and fill," copy is dumped into the columns and graphic elements are enlarged or reduced in order to fill out the page. When you see extremely large clip art and extremely small photographs, you can be certain the editor did not dummy the pages prior to layout. Dummies force the editor to consider the principles of design rather than simply juggling the different elements until they fit the page.
To help you dummy non-standing pages, the following pre-dummy decisions are helpful:
1. Determine the number and size of the various stories, pictures and pieces of art that will be placed on the page;
2. Decide which elements are related and how to group them;
3. Select the major display element or elements for the page;
4. Select the second major display element or elements for the page;
5. Identify the lead story.
Dummying is also important because it helps you see your mistakes before they get into print. Headlines that lead into unrelated photos, headlines that umbrella unrelated stories, stories that wrap around unrelated photos and filler elements such as Important Quotes and Unusual Facts are symptoms of a newspaper that doesn’t dummy its pages.
Dummying can easily avoid those problems. With a little experience, you will learn to use dummy pages to:
1. Avoid most tombstoning - when one headline leads directly into another.
2. Avoid grouping unrelated elements.
3. Create strong central points of visual impact to avoid cluttered or confusing pages.
4. Avoid situations when copy is wrapped around headlines.
5. Use white space correctly. Many editors forget to allow white space on the page, thereby creating dark, claustrophobic pages. White space can be used to frame elements, create distance between unrelated elements and add balance to the page.
Guidelines for using a dummy sheet
What is a dummy sheet? The dummy sheet is a scale outline of a newspaper page, including columns.
On it, you can show the position of each article, the type of head it will carry, and illustrations that support it.
Because each story turned in to the editor must bear a slugline at the top of the page to indicate what the story is about, it is a simple matter for the editor to draw up a dummy sheet by indicating the slugline with the story’s length, and the headline with the correct depth. The dummy sheet for each page is then sent to the publisher to use as a guide when laying out the newspaper.
Special guidelines apply to dummying inside pages. Clean pages, those without advertising, may be dummied like any front page, except that the nameplate is not used.
Advertising should be lined up to give a squared-off look. The size of an advertisement is normally marked in column and inches (e.g., 3 col. x 2"). On the dummy, the ad is often indicated with a single diagonal line.
In designing a dummy or dummying a page, the editor must work with four elements: display (headline) type, body type, illustrations (photos and artwork), and white space. The editor must consider each element as the page is designed.
In designing a front page, the editor must consider several constants, including the flag or nameplate and the disclaimer required on civilian enterprise newspapers.
In marking items on the dummy, the editor always lists the width first, expressing the dimension in columns and picas. The editor records the depth next, normally in inches. All illustrations are marked with crossing diagonal lines (an X).
Blocks of copy, as well as art, must be indicated on the dummy. Normally, a straight line down the center of the column indicates stories set one column. Wavy or zigzag lines indicate copy blocks that run more than one column. A diagonal line running from the lower center of one column to upper center of the next column on the right indicates that the story is to run in more than one column.
Careful planning is the secret of a well-proportioned paper. Decide on the general layout well in advance of publication time and then, barring last-minute important news, adhere to the layout as closely as possible
Design Challenge
Field Mission #3
Here’s your chance to get started…
This mission will get your creative gears in motion. Design your own cover of SCORES UP magazine! The main story on the cover should be about a player interviewing his/her coach. Any other make-believe stories you wish to mention on the cover are optional.
Many of the submissions will be featured in an upcoming issue of SCORES UP magazine. If the design is REALLY good, yours might just be the actual cover of SCORES UP.
Tips For Completing Your Assignment:
Creating it:
1. Use any means you wish to create the cover. Draw it by hand, use photos and cut out text to paste on or use a computer program to design it. Use your imagination.
2. Elements to include on a magazine cover include:
* A “masthead” or title for the magazine (SCORES UP)
* A cover photograph showing what the main story is about
* An issue number and publish date (example: Winter 2006, Volume 1, Issue 3)
* A “tag-line” or teaser sentence mentioning the main story in the magazine and
(if you wish to) one or more minor teasers to tell readers what’s inside.
Do’s and Don’ts:
Do make sure there is a main focal point to your cover photo.
Do use your imagination to make up funny, serious or inspirational “stories”.
Don’t put too many people on the cover. Keep it simple with only a few people.
Don’t use too many different fonts on the cover. Two or three are plenty.
Web Design Tips
Here are some steps to follow when creating your own web page:
- Build a site map. Brainstorm what the site will be about, what it will look like, what the different pages will have on them and how they will link together.
- Gather images you want to use on your web site, crop and resize them to a manageable size. About 500 pixels x 700 pixels should work.
- Write and gather the information and text you want to appear on the website.
- Purchase software that will allow you to create pages for a web site. Macromedia Dreamweaver is an excellent program which offers a cheaper educational version. Most programs also come with a beginner’s tutorial which will lead you through the creative process. A great book to look for on web page creation is called Macromedia Dreamweaver H.O.T. (Hands On Training) and is available at www.lynda.com/books.
- Open the software and start a new html file. Call this page something like, home, homepage or main page. Design the page based on your site map, placing images, links and text where you wish. Hint: using design mode makes this easy.
- Do the same with your other pages and make sure they all link together. Don’t forget to save everything in the same folder somewhere on the computer. Save often so you don’t lose any work!
Programs you’ll need:
Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Adobe Image Ready, Microsoft word
*Educational versions can be purchased for an extremely reduced rate.*
Web Design Rules
Do not force viewers to scroll horizontally
There is nothing more annoying than having to actually pick up your mouse and move a Web page over to the right. To scroll down all you have to do is hit page down, but there's no shortcut to get your page to scroll horizontally.
Probably the best way to avoid the dreaded scrolling page is to make sure you check out your Web pages at resolutions of 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768. Many people nowadays say that you can forget 640 x 480. It's true that the majority of monitors being sold nowadays come preset to 800 x 600.
Have no more than three screenfuls of information
People don't like to scroll horizontally, but they're not overly fond of paging down forever either. The rule of thumb is that any one Web page shouldn't require a viewer to page down more than three screens. People will scroll if the content is there. You need to balance content and nuisance factor with having to click through on links.
One Web page should weigh in at no more than 50k
It would be a nice world if all you had to do was follow the rules, wouldn't it? It's not quite that cut and dry. Yes, you don't want your Web pages to take so long to download that you lose viewers before the page loads; we've all seen those commercials where people aren't living their lives because they're still waiting for a download. You only have about seven seconds to make a good first impression on the Web.
There are times that you may need those really large graphics. If you're a photographer showing off his photographs, for instance. Just make sure that you're not bloating your Web pages unnecessarily.
Do not force your viewers to download plugins
Flash is fun. Flash can even help your Website's interactivity and give it some "wow!" factor. That "wow!" can turn to groans of annoyance, or even worse lost viewers, if you don't provide alternatives to the Flash plugin. Or the Acrobat plugin. Or the director plugin. You get the idea.
WEB SITE CHECKLIST
Navigation
There is contact information on every page.
There is a way to get back to the Home page on every page.
A warning is given if a link opens a new browser window.
Color
Color has been used consistently on all pages.
The page has been checked at 8 bit, 16 bit and 32 bit.
The background color and the text color have enough contrast to make the text easy to read.
Graphics
HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes are filled in for all graphics.
ALT attribute has been filled in for all graphics.
The file size is given for downloads of large graphics.
Compatibility
Page has been checked in at least both Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
If possible, check in other browsers and older versions of these browsers.
Page has been checked at 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768 monitor resolutions. Page has been checked on both a Mac and PC (if possible).
If you specify a particular font, a generic (sans serif or serif) is specified also.
Design
There is plenty of white space
There is no trapped white space
There is enough — but not too much — balance
Emphasis tools (boxes, rules, bold or italic type, JavaScript, DHTML) have not been overused
Production
Title, META keywords, and META description have been added.
Page has been spell checked.
Page has been proofread.
All internal links work properly.
Load time has been checked and kept to a minimum.
Links
Links have been checked.
There are no links to graphics or pages on your hard drive.
Outside links are identified. [pIf specific software is necessary to view the site (i.e., plugins), links to where the software can be downloaded is provided.
Web Challenge
Field Mission #4
The first step in building a great website that allows users to navigate with ease is to build a site map. A site map shows the main page and what other pages the buttons on that page will lead to. There is an example attached. This may help you with ideas for this web challenge. Here it is…
Design the homepage for a AYSO 1513 Web site! What will the title look like? Is it a picture of something? A drawing? A text logo?
What buttons (links) will there be and what will they look like? Will they change color? Move? Or maybe they have a drop down menu. Maybe there will be a contest to win something cool or a featured AYSO 1513 of the month. It’s all up to you!!
Don’t forget to include the following in your design:
- A title (banner) to show people it’s a web site for AYSO 1513
- A few buttons that will take you somewhere else on the web (or another page)
- A contact area
- A featured item – this can be anything AYSO 1513 related (a story, picture, event). It can even be made up things that never happened or things you want to happen is AYSO 1513.
- Attach a separate paper which describes how the site will work. For example, what the buttons will take you too when you click it and any other information about the site that isn’t written on the actual drawn web site.
Remember: If you know a computer program you can design your web site in, go ahead. If you don’t have access to a computer just draw and color it on paper!
Send submissions to scores_up@yahoo.com:
Working With Sources on Your Beat
What is a beat?
A beat is a topic you cover and report on for the newspaper or publication you are working for. A few examples are the police beat, the crime beat, the basketball beat or the fashion beat. Beats can be defined to a narrow topic like soccer or a broad topic like sports.
Rule Number One: Find out who cooperates and/or influences the agencies and organizations you cover. Make them part of your reporting network.
Rule Number Two : Everyone and anyone is a source. Don’t consider anyone unworthy of your time and attention.
- It should be mentioned that Rule Number Two includes those people who answer the phone for potential sources. Not only are they key to getting your message on someone’s desk or getting on their calendar, a lot of information goes over their desks as well. Trying to bully or bulldoze past someone’s assistant can work against you.
Rule Number Three: Perhaps the most important rule of all. Sources are only as good as you make them. Once you’ve connected with a source, be ready to make the most of the time you have with them:
- Create a biography of your subject with as much detail as possible.
- Create an easy opening question that relates to their biography.
- Whenever possible, plan your interview:
- Write out your questions.
- Rehearse your interview.
- Organize any documents that you might be using.
- Try to anticipate points in the interview where your subject might balk or try to change the subject. Consider reactions and plan a segue to the next topic.
Why do all this?
- It lets you devote your full attention to what your source is saying rather than becoming distracted by finding a document or thinking of your next question.
- It sets the tone for how your source will view you and your knowledge of the subject at hand.
When talking with a source:
- Listen with your eyes. Body language can tell more than words, which is why electronic interviews should be a last resort. The best interviewers live close to the surface of their own skins and can sense face-to-face vibes.
- Don’t jump to conclusions. Discomfort can indicate deception or announce that your questions are approaching territory the subject might not want to discuss. Playing it careful can lead to a disclosure.
- Don’t be afraid to let silence hang. It can lead to fuller disclosure.
- Don’t be dismissive of things your subject wants to talk about. It may well be important later, if only to help you understand your sources interests.
- Never pretend to understand. If you have a question, ask it. If something is unclear, get clarification.
The Big Rule: Rules are only guidelines. They’re made to be revised based on experience and broken based on circumstances.
