Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 11: Editing Audio and Video
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. What is the most common usage of audio recorders by journalists?
A. confirming what was said during an interview
B. sending audio greetings to sources
C. capturing story ideas on the go
D. dictating story drafts
2.. Which of the following is most likely to annoy audience members as they listen to a soundbite?
A. emotional content
B. multiple speakers
C. poor audio quality
D. concise editing
3. Audio bites are particularly useful for adding ______ to a story.
A. historical context
B. emotional context
C. the journalist’s opinion
D. overviews of difficult concepts
4. The primary purpose of including audio bites in your work is to ______.
A. fill out time
B. use multiple mediums
C. open up new advertising possibilities
D. tell a story
5. Audio bites help audiences understand ______.
A. who your sources are
B. your reporting background
C. the perspective of your publication
D. what actions they should take next
6. Which of the following is the most effective format for presenting quotes from eyewitnesses at the
scene of a disaster?
A. heavily edited text excerpts
B. unedited text of everything the witnesses said
C. audio bites cut from raw footage
D. links to the witnesses’ social media posts
7. Quality audio bites can do more work than text-based quotes because they ______.
A. are easier for journalists to manipulate
B. require less audience attention
C. contain less important information
D. can be longer than text-based quotes
8. Which of the following audio bites should a reporter cut as being of little value to a story?
A. a person tearfully recounting what he or she lost in a fire
B. a meandering attempt by a politician to avoid answering a question
C. a sports star’s joyous celebration speech after a major win
D. a city council member’s angry argument against budget cuts
9. What factors must the journalist weigh against each other when deciding whether to include an audio
bite in a story?
A. size versus value
B. source versus opinion
C. audience needs versus advertiser preferences
D. platform versus follower count
10. Audio bites should be presented as ______.
A. a teaser for an upcoming story
B. a standalone piece of information
C. part of an overall story
D. follow up to a previous story
11. The visual appeal of a video bite should match the ______.
A. reporter’s energy level
B. audience’s knowledge of editing techniques
C. appeal of the story itself
D. quality of the attached advertisement
12. In which type of video would quality not be a concern?
A. coverage of a speech at a news conference
B. eyewitness footage of a breaking news event
C. a report from a record-breaking sports performance
D. a story on a local fundraising effort
13. What is the primary determinant of video quality?
A. editing
B. stability
C. framing
D. transitions
14. Disorientation and motion sickness are symptoms of which type of video problem?
A. awkward framing
B. poor focus
C. bad editing
D. unstable images
15. Which type of video problem does a tripod help you to avoid?
A. awkward framing
B. poor focus
C. irrelevant footage
D. unstable images
16. Video shots should be framed so that they mimic ______.
A. the human eye’s natural framing of events
B. the perspective of a bird or other flying creature
C. the shots used in a blockbuster action film
D. a passive security camera
17. What should be eliminated from the frame of video shots?
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
A. distracting background elements
B. everything but the immediate subject
C. participants or bystanders at an event
D. any signs of the journalist and his or her team
18. Cropping an image to improve framing will typically require you to trade size for ______.
A. playback speed
B. image quality
C. stability
D. viewership
19. Which of the following is most likely to make your video feel cheap or amateurish?
A. awkward framing
B. out–of-focus shots
C. excessive length
D. emotional subject matter
20. What is the best way to avoid blurry video?
A. use autofocus
B. ask subjects to remain still
C. use manual focus
D. limit footage to three seconds or less
21. Which of the following soundbites would be best to include in a segment on the negative impact of a
manufacturing plant closure on the local economy?
A. the plant owners talking about exciting new opportunities for the company overseas
B. the governor describing long-term economic growth in the region
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. an engineer outlining the benefits of automation
D. a plant worker discussing the difficulty of finding another high-paying job in the area
22. What is the ideal course of action when your video bites do not match with the script of an online
story?
A. rewrite the script to match the video
B. publish the story with text only
C. abandon the story
D. upload the video without the accompanying text
23. Avid, Final Cut, and Adobe Premier are examples of prominent ______.
A. web browsers
B. video editing programs
C. social media platforms
D. broadcasting companies
24. Moving raw footage from a recording device to an editing device is called ______.
A. migrating
B. transposing
C. wiping
D. importing
25. Of the following, which is the best way to provide a broad visual overview of a subject?
A. use only medium shots
B. alternate between medium shots and close-ups
C. sequence several long shots in a row
D. sequence multiple close-ups in a row
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
26. A story that is made up of mostly medium shots is likely to be _____.
A. plain but easily consumable
B. scattered and incoherent
C. intimate and detailed
D. a broad overview of a subject
27. A series of close-up shots is ideal for ______.
A. providing a strong sense of detail
B. setting the scene
C. focusing on a speech from a single subject
D. highlighting an interaction between two or more people
28. What is required when including many different types of shots in a web story?
A. a total running length of three minutes or more
B. at least two different interview subjects
C. a cohesive idea of the story
D. entertaining transitions such as spirals or long fades
29. Which of the following shot sequences is most likely to be disorienting for viewers?
A. long, long, medium
B. long, close-up, long
C. close-up, medium, long
D. long, medium, close-up
30. In most cases, how long should the typical b-roll shot run?
A. 1–2 s
B. 4–6 s
C. 10–20 s
D. 30 s–1 min
31. In a typical broadcast piece, audio bites usually run for ______ seconds.
A. 4–6
B. 8–12
C. 15–20
D. 30–45
32. Which type of shot would best show the devastation caused by a major flood?
A. extreme close-up
B. close-up
C. medium shot
D. long shot
33. Which type of image should be used to transition from one setting to another?
A. medium shot
B. close-up
C. long shot
D. extreme close-up
34. Long shots should be avoided when ______.
A. you need to establish the scene
B. the story calls for detailed footage
C. you have used many close-ups and medium shots
D. it leaves the frame full of important action
35. Which of the following would most likely require a medium shot?
A. an angry exchange between two people
B. a passing play during a football game
C. a wildfire on public lands
D. a crowd shot at a public protest
36. An interview that you plan to use for soundbites should use a(n) ______ shot.
A. long
B. close-up
C. aerial
D. medium
37. A medium shot is best applied to ______.
A. a very small piece of detail
B. a large group engaging in a number of different actions
C. an action/reaction sequence between two people
D. a scene lacking value
38. What should a close-up shot reveal to the audience?
A. the interactions of two or more people
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. a small detail that would otherwise be overlooked
C. the entire scope of a crowd or scene
D. the inner thoughts of a subject
39. Which type of shot should precede a close-up shot in a sequence?
A. medium shot
B. long shot
C. wide shot
D. jump cut
40. Which type of graphic will most reliably add value to a package?
A. pie chart
B. superimposed text
C. map
D. bar graph
41. What should a video reporter evaluate on the first pass of the review process?
A. symmetry of audio and visual elements
B. cohesion of sequences
C. appropriateness of graphics
D. quality and pace of speech
1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which types of quotes should be presented in audio bite format?
A. emotional stories
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. one-word responses
C. text excerpts
D. long anecdotes
2. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following factors affect the value of a soundbite?
A. audio quality
B. importance of the message
C. platform of publication
D. surrounding content
3. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following factors will determine the effect of camera
movement on image stability?
A. quality of the camera
B. environment of the shoot
C. publication platform
D. type of story being covered
4. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are problems associated with using the autofocus
option?
A. continual refocusing
B. focusing on a background element
C. poor framing of subjects
D. unstable images
5. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. What are the ideal devices for editing video?
A. laptop computers
B. digital cameras
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. mobile phones
D. desktop computers
6. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. What types of information do digital editing programs allow you to gather
at a quick glance?
A. which shots are most in focus
B. the content of the shots
C. how many shots you took
D. the best way to sequence shots
7. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. What is the best way to monitor the reception of a video package
published on the web?
A. keep an eye on comment sections
B. track the number of social media shares
C. hire a company to tally the number of viewers
D. survey your friends and family
1. Most journalists rely on some sort of audio recorder to cover meetings, capture interviews and gather
various other audio elements.
2. A reporter should weigh the importance of the material against the quality of the visuals.
3. Reporters use a standardized rubric to decide if a video is usable or not.
4. A story with a blurry video calls into question the professionalism of the story’s reporter.
5. In a broadcast-style package, the reporter will be a passive participant in the story.
6. One of the best things about digital editing programs is that you can easily see the chunks of video.
7. Medium shots are used to establish a scene.
8. A close-up shot should be used to provide an intimate look at something.
9. Long shots provide viewers with a small piece of action within a scene.
10. Digital technology allows journalists to do wipes, fades and spirals.
11. Graphics can help audience members better consume specific content elements in a video.
12. Errors found in videos include jump cuts, truncated soundbites and poor sequencing.
1. Explain why symmetry is important when pairing the script and video. Give an example.
2. Describe the process by which video journalists should select the video for their package.
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
3. Explain the ideal method of transitioning between shots and what makes it preferable over other
methods.
4. Explain when a video journalist should avoid using long shots, medium shots and close-ups.
5. When is video quality unimportant in a video story? Give an example.
1. Describe the three ways that audio bites can add value to a story. Give an example for each way.
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. Identify the three problems that occur when using video, and analyze how each of these problems can
be avoided.
3. Summarize the steps involved in building a story using video and audio from start to finish.
4. Explain the three types of shots and give an example for each.
5. Describe an idea for a short, journalistic video that includes the message or point–of-view you want to
get across. Then write a shot sheet, which lists the types of shots you want to record. This list should
include whether a shot is a long shot, medium shot or close-up and the subject of each shot. The shots
do not have to be in the order of the final video.
