catwalk reporting - online, newspaper
daily: will report on most shows
weekly: more likely to give a roundup of the shows
glossy: may give a roundup of the shows but are more likely to explore the shows into trend pieces
elle, vogue for example wont catwalk report however they will do a seasonal roundup where they extract the trends
Tim Blanks - often makes references to pop culture
it helps to explain a visual with a comparison however don't rely too heavily on references for one story/piece, if you keep explaining something as being like something else, your never actually explaining what it is.
when your writing about a show, the piece of writing should only make sense for that show
John Galliano winter 2003
Joan Crawford
carnival?
40s, post war hollywood [ you would then ask why ]
big puffy fur and broaches
bold but refined
emphasised traditional
girly cutesy sophisticated
exaggerated
war time
roy Lichtenstein
snooty
cruella deville
flirty
french trans/drag
burlesque
old disney film (music)
old school remixed
crazy granny
dressed in a rush
exaggerated wearable
aim for 300-500 words
get your notes down during, and add layers afterwards [give yourself up to 30 minutes after watching the show to finalise and re-structure your notes]
no ME in NEWS - does not include your personal taste or opinion
fashion news: new collection
celeb wearing a particular outfit
structure of a news story - begin with the facts and then explain
the opening that grabs the reader is the angle
the angle: this is the magazine/newspaper angle not yours
what makes something news worthy
'Fuck me! Doris' story
fashion monitor
trend piece
introducing, reporting, explaining a trend
catwalk, streets or shops
what, who, when, where, why
images are extremely important with fashion trends, as people need 'evidence' and ay ywant to replicate it for themselves
trend pieces will often link themselves
commercial trend piece
make something seem new and exciting and must have
find a great title
why is this a must right now
who else is wearing it
why is it so fabulous
catwalk references
high street knock offs
how does it look on the street [people that look most like your reader]
give options - to dip your toe in or full emersion
can everybody take part?
often a commercial trend piece will explain to a reader how thy can enjoy a trend even if they feel too old/fat/poor
shopping page
these are normally image led
with short blurb
not particularly easy to complie
have to use the high res image
properly credited
research products
glossies and some weeklies call in clothing to shoot for their shopping pages, and may even create a still life with the pieces (or model shots) however many shopping pages are put together with high res images
price point is essential
profile
lengthy interview
'jury' pieces
judgemental pieces that criticise celebs
features
columns
talking to your reader
which specialist language will be appropriate for your reader
is your tone suitable
colloquialisms? or formal
interview technique and feature writing
you may conduct interviews as part of your primary research. could be to add colour, opinion, tension to your piece. it could be to give your feature some human interest or to give evidence to your trend piece... or an exclusive angle to you news piece.
email interview:
email is only really to fact check. giving the person far too long to think about their answers. even if you are just after a piece of information from a PR; it really is best to pick up the phone.
with email you cant understand the tone
telephone
if you are after a snappy quote or some official information from a PR to add into your wider feature
make sure it is recorded
don't be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves
follow up on interviews
also that you are in a quite space
face to face
nothing compares to face to face
remember the interview doesn't start when you begin the questions but when you first walk into the room. where is it taking place, what are they wearing, are they late
be friendly to everybody and confident and make eye contact be direct and open
make them feel relaxed and ease them into the interview
building an instant bond with someone
if you yourself are very very open the interviewee will feel very comfortable and they will want to be more open
don't think that an interview always has to be formal - you could go to a bar / restaurant / gallery
research
MUST read as much as you can about your subject - most importantly the interviews they have given in the past.
be smart about this research
what do they seem to enjoy talking about
try not to ask the same questions as everyone
cannot be a shy journalist
band - listen to their latest music
author - read their latest novel
between 10 and 20 questions in your notebook and have them in front of you. as the interview is rapping up consult your notebook to check you haven't missed anything
write down observation notes as well as recording spoken word
be responsive to what they are saying
make sure its still an interview and not a conversation
keep the interviewee interested but not interrupt just nod your head to make sure they know to keep talking
ask why
ask clear direct questions
ask dangerous questions but be careful
you could approach the difficult question as a comrade/ with empathy
does their body language give different answers than what they are saying
off the record means you cant quote or do anything with them
celebrity endorsement
nightmare
often given 20 mins
the PR is sat right next to you
normally only allowed up to 2 of your own questions
you have to make them unique to your publication
when using quotes use sparingly but powerfully, strong emotive
always attribute quotes
don't be afraid of putting he says, she says/said
if your quoting from a different feature 'as she said to the times in June 2016...'
avoid broken quotes
you might break a quote however for dramatic effect
don't start news stories with quotes - but they are a useful device in features
don't use quotes to repeat what has already been said
don't run quotes together as this can give a false impression
avoid missing out words where possible
double quotations to start and finish and if the interviewee quotes something then single quotations within the double
Lynn Barber - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
puss puss magazine
Hadley Freeman
Hannah Hanra
feature writing
features are the meat of a publication
they don't need to be tied to news but are usually topical
it can be first person if it ties in with the publication your writing for
if your writing features your normally pretty high up, you don't start out writing a feature
what is the point
what is the angle, reason, question, message, argument
making sure that everything adds to the point - something might be really interesting however its not relevant to the piece - but don't throw it away as it may be really interesting for another piece
what is the treatment
impersonal?
research... primary and secondary, anecdotes, interviews [not just one]
what is the story
what is the structure
Tim Walker
Good structure for a feature:
Lead:illustrate your point. show, don't tell. make the lead concrete, creative and provocative. think anecdote, human interest and juicy details
Nut graph:explain your point. now you can tell. here's where you summarise your story into a nutshell, or deliver the key point.
Background section: fill in the blanks. do you have a term that needs explaining? does your story require an understanding of context or history? include that background information here.
Body: develop your story. avoid the 'muddle in the middle' by arranging the body of your story into discrete sections, organised thematically, sequentially
Wrap-up:
Kicker:
transition/quote formula
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