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Holding the attention of students during a school news show can be challenging. The good news is that there are ways to engage your students while they’re watching your news telecast. One great way to ensure your students pay attention to your telecast is to use green screen technology to draw them into the content.
This article will show you the best ways to get your students' attention and keep throughout your entire news show.
Setup tips for a green screen studio
Many of the newer TV studios built for schools have green screen capabilities embedded into them. Green screen and blue screen technology have been a staple of both video and film production for decades. Realism is the key when choosing content to use for a particular green screen shot. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a green screen shot that is unrealistic and poorly produced. Green screen technology has come so far that it’s really difficult to produce a bad image, but it happens. One of the greatest uses of green screen technology is that it can take your students to places they normally can’t go. This is where the real power of green screen lies.
Look to the Weather Channel
Everyone has seen the local weather person in front of a map delivering the daily forecast. It’s important to remember that the use of green screen doesn’t need to stop with the weather report. Don’t be afraid to put different things behind your presenter. The Weather Channel does a fantastic job doing this in their broadcasts. In particular, during hurricane coverage, they will put the presenter in an “actual” flooding situation to describe the dangers of flash floods. Obviously, this would be impossible to do in real life, but it is a powerful image that’s easy for viewers to understand and pay attention to.
Have your presenter reference the content often
Green screen works best when the presenter interacts with the content behind them. If the content is live video, their interactions can propel the story forward very effectively. If the content is a still picture, then the presenter should point out various areas on the graphic that will help advance the story. In both instances, these interactions draw the viewer into the content and help them better understand the story.
Draw the viewer in with compelling content
One of the best features of using a green screen in a news show is to put up exciting content behind the presenter. Imagine recording an on-location interview and having your anchor interact with it during your news show. Using a green screen can take you and your students to on-location events during important news stories. This will really draw your viewers into your show and make them pay better attention to your content.
Don’t forget Superman
The original Superman TV show of the fifties used green screen technology in great and imaginative ways. Having the Man of Steel flying around was a lot of fun and really added to the series' allure. You can use this technology in the same way during your news shows. Allow yourself to go and have fun with different, unique content that propels your story. The green screen technology of today is so good that viewers often have a hard time telling the difference between reality and fiction.
Go to new places
Most schools don’t have travel budgets for their reporters, but there are times when being in a faraway land is important. For these times, you can use green screen to go to Rome, Paris, Antarctica, the moon or anywhere the story takes you. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a strong visual to advance a story. The goal here is to engage as many senses as possible for better retention. In this example, the viewer will both see and hear the content. This will make a much longer-lasting impression than just reading the words on-camera alone.
Dive into the unknown
For difficult to explain subjects, the solution might be to go somewhere impossible for people to travel to. For example, let’s say you want to walk around the inside of a cell and stand atop Mount Everest. There really are no limits as long as you can get a still picture or a bit of video footage to play behind you on the green screen. Green screen allows you to go anywhere and do anything right inside your news studio.
Use your imagination
Push the boundaries and have fun telling your unique news story to your students. Don’t let the hindrances of time and location keep you from getting creative and showing your students something they have never seen before. Go ahead and dive into green screen to engage your students and see them get excited about your content in new ways.