Media, like any industry, has its own phrases, terminology and acronyms which mean little in the outside world.
This can be daunting for the interviewee, no matter how much media training they have had, especially if they are hearing things they are not familiar with either before or during their interview.
So Media First has worked with some industry insiders to put together a guide to help your spokesperson know their OOV from their PTCs:
Disco: Not what you might think – this is an abbreviation for discussion in the studio.
ENG: Strictly speaking this stands for Electronic News Gathering, but these days is used to refer to an outside broadcast.
Gallery: A room where the technical team work to put a programme on air, located next to the studio.
OOV: Out Of Vision. This is the name for a shot when a presenter is talking but the viewer can’t see them on the screen.
Package: Your interview could be part of a wider news package which includes other interviewees, on camera appearance from the reporter, some footage taken outside your organisation’s building or at the scene of an incident. Ask the reporter what package he is putting together for your interview.
Prospects: Stories which could be included in a news programme.
PTC: This stands for piece to camera and is when the reporter talks directly to the audience, bringing a sense of authority to a report.
RANT: This does not refer to an unhappy reporter. It is a term used to refer to when a reporter appears on screen and talks to the viewers for a long period of time ( 60 – 90 seconds) – longer than a standard piece to carmera. This can often be seen in court reporting where the reporter will talk to the camera with the court in the background.
Set-up: This is a fairly standard television request when they are out on location. To help build their story they will also look for some sequencing shots. This could be an organisation’s spokesperson flicking through the pages of their annual report, a police officer walking up a street or maybe someone working on a computer. It will generally include close ups of eyes and hands and an over the shoulder shot.
Stock footage: Video of common events which can be used to illustrate a story. For example, a retail story could include pictures of people shopping in a town centre.
Trail: A short clip used to promote a story which will be coming up later in the programme.
Vox pops: A series of short interviews with members of the public on a specific issue. They are used to gauge public opinion.
VT: This simply means video tape. Although the technology has moved on, the term continues to be used for all video.
Wires: News filed by journalists working for different news agencies, such as the Press Association and Reuters. These initial reports are often mentioned on the 24 hour news channels and are then covered in more depth once the broadcasters own reporters have begun working on the story.
Get in touch if you think there are any we missed.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers. To find out more about our highly practical Media Skills courses, contact us here.
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