Storyboard and script

I spent yesterday afternoon talking to a producer from RTE, the national broadcaster, about putting together a short documentary-style report – what they’re calling an ‘author report’ – for the programme Prime Time to tie-in with our soon to be published report on the housing crash in Ireland.  I guess the equivalent of Prime Time in the UK would be Panorama or Newsnight.  It’s a current affairs programme that deals with selected news items in depth.  We’ve initially been given 8 minutes for our film report and 7 minutes for an in-studio debate afterwards.  I’ve spent most of today putting together a storyboard and writing a first draft script, thinking of sites for filming, and expert witnesses to either support or challenge our take on things.  Trying to reduce a 20,000 word report into suitable bite-size chunks and to think about how best to try and present the material in an informative and engaging way is an interesting exercise!  8 minutes of straight-talk boils down to about 4 pages of double-spaced material.  I need also need to cater for pauses, gaps, interview snippets, etc.  A nice challenge.  Filming is 21-23 July, airing scheduled for July 29th.