Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

NBCU Academy

11K views 3 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you hear “on-air graphics,” what kinds of visuals do you imagine on a news show?
Why do you think a news organization needs graphics, not only video and audio?
What do you want to learn about how NBC News creates its graphics?

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How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

Why graphics matter + who creates them (00:00 – 01:35)

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1. According to the speaker, what is a key purpose of news graphics?

To replace the reporting with entertainment
To slow down how quickly viewers get information
To make every show look exactly the same
To contextualize the news and help tell the story

2. What is ArtWorks described as?

A fact-checking department for NBC News
A camera crew that films interviews
A music team that creates theme songs for news shows
The graphic design and animation arm of NBC News and related platforms

3. How long did the team spend creating a new identity for NBC Nightly News?

About a month
Only a weekend
Exactly five years
Over a year

How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

Branding history + making stories clear without audio (01:35 – 02:59)

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1. Besides being good designers, what else do they say they must be?

Professional actors for on-air segments
Sports commentators
Computer engineers who build cameras
Avid news goers who track what’s happening in the world

2. What is the speaker’s main goal for the work, even if someone has no audio?

The viewer should focus only on the anchor’s clothing
The viewer should be unable to follow the story
The viewer should know generally what the story is about
The viewer should guess the story from the commercials

3. Which type of graphic is mentioned as helping the audience get information quickly and digest it?

Video game overlays
Animated cartoons
Handwritten chalkboards
Full screens (including quote panels and lower thirds)

How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

Concept choices, collaboration, and advice for designers (02:59 – 04:43)

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1. What concept did they say their package played with?

Weather maps only
Comic book sound effects
Redactions and the idea of erasing history
A sports scoreboard style

2. What do they say creates a “gravity” to that day?

Removing all graphics from the screen
Showing celebrity interviews
The contrast (dichotomy) between what happened that day and a normal day in the rotunda
Using only bright colors

3. What advice do they give about failure?

Failure means you should quit design immediately
Failure is how we grow and reach better solutions
Failure should be hidden so nobody notices it
Failure only happens to beginners

How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

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1. What broader role do the speakers give to graphics in news coverage?

They mainly decorate the screen without adding meaning
They are only needed for sports news
They help represent complex topics and support storytelling
They are used only during commercials

2. Which statement best reflects how the speakers describe their work process?

It depends only on copying other networks’ designs
It is fully automated by software with no human decisions
It is primarily a team effort and involves collaboration across groups
Most work is done alone with no outside input

3. What do the speakers suggest is the hardest part of making strong graphics?

Adding gloss and making it look well produced
Making the text as small as possible
Getting to the core concept and breaking it down clearly
Finding any computer to use

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

How NBC News Creates On-Air Graphics

Do you agree that graphics can help viewers understand a story even without audio? Why or why not?
What are the benefits and risks of “branding history” when covering major events?
Which kinds of news stories need graphics the most (elections, conflicts, economics, health)? Give examples.
The speakers say it’s easy to add “gloss,” but hard to get to the core concept. How would you apply that idea to a project you’ve done (in design, school, or work)?