Original 60-Second Public Service Announcement Writing Assignment Name: ______
This is an INDIVIDUAL, not a group project. Scripts turned in late will receive no higher than a 50%.
Write a script for an original public service announcement. The topic and dialogue MUST adhere to the course project content standards. Remember, obscenity is a violation of FCC laws.
1. You must choose an EXISTING non-profit organization for which you will write a public service announcement.
The non-profit sponsor is: ______.
What is its purpose? ______.
2. Make sure the MESSAGE of your PSA can be boiled down to a short statement, six words or less (i.e. “It takes a man to be a dad,” “Give a hoot, don’t pollute,” “Take a bite out of crime,”
The message of my PSA is: ______.
3. PSA’s are more effective if they elicit an emotion from the listener (humor, fear, nostalgia, excitement, etc.)
The emotion of my PSA is: ______.
4. Determine who the target audience is for your PSA. Circle only ONE in each category.
Sex
/Age
/Where do they live?
/Income
/Education
Male / Under 10 / Country/Rural / Blue Collar / Grade schoolFemale / Teens / Suburbs / White Collar / High School
20-30 / City / Upper Class / Some College
40-60 / Inner city / College
Retired / Doesn’t matter / Adv. Degree
5. You may choose music for your PSA. The music should be appropriate for the target audience. (Don’t use Ludacris if your target audience is senior citizens. Children tend not to listen to Barbara Streisand.) The music should fit with the message and emotion, also.
The music I will use is (be specific) ______
6. Your PSA must include at least two sound effects, but no more than four.
1. ______2. ______3. ______4. ______
7. You must have 2 speaking roles (+ announcer) in your script. Your characters must be at a location of some sort (park, bowling alley, fair, cafeteria, basketball game, etc.)
Name / Gender / Age / Locations where your project takes place.Character 1
Character 2 / 1.
2.
Synopsis: (Briefly describe the plot or story)
____________
8. Remember a script is a description of what takes place (see attached example) This must include details about who is speaking, and HOW they are to deliver the lines (sarcastically, mournfully, nostalgically, excitedly, sternly, etc. Put those adverbs to work!) Describe what your characters do in the script, even though we can’t see what they are doing. Your characters must DO something, not just talk. Grammar and punctuation DOES count!
Script:______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
This is an example of an A-quality script. It is informative, professional, is not too short or long, has a clear message, is visual (has a setting and actions) and is well-written.
Bat Conservation International
Public Service Announcement Script
Synopsis: Rob and Sarah are exploring a cave and stumble upon some bats. Reverb is heard throughout the announcement.
Sound Effect: Bat squeaks.
Rob: (excitedly) “Hey Sarah, it’s a dirty bat! Let’s go throw rocks at it!”
Sarah: (enthusiastically) “Okay!”
Sound Effect: Rocks bouncing off a wall.
Music: Batman theme song fades in.
Sarah: (confused) “Where’s that music coming from?”
Bat Dude: (matter-of-factly) “From me, Bat Dude!”
Rob: (annoyed) “What do YOU want?”
Bat Dude: “I’ve come to find out why you’re treating this bat so meanly.”
Rob: (arrogantly) “’Cause they’re stupid!”
Sarah: (agreeing) “and ugly.”
Bat Dude: (enthusiastically) “I can assure you that if you knew the truth, you’d feel differently! I’ll use the internet to teach you the value of bats. Let’s go to BatCon.org…”
Bat Dude whips out a laptop and starts typing.
Sound Effect: Keyboard typing.
Rob: (amazed) “Wow! Look at all the cool stuff bats do!”
Sarah: “I didn’t know they ate insects.”
Bat Dude: “That right. In fact a single little brown bat can eat 1,200 insects in an hour.”
Sarah: “Cool!”
Bat Dude: (informatively) “That’s not all. Bats also help pollinate plants that make products for humans.”
Rob: (ashamed) “I’ll never throw rocks at bats again.”
Bat Dude: (enthusiastically) “So remember…bats are beautiful!”
Music: Fade in Batman theme song.
Announcer: (no reverb) A message brought to you by Bat Conservation International and the Ad Council.
Music: Fade out Batman Theme Song
Sound Effect: Bat chirping
Script Checklist- Does your script adhere to the following criteria?
ö Choose one message that is simple and easy to understand.
ö Choose a slogan that is less than six words.
ö Keep it short. No longer than 60 seconds.
ö Your script should be a conversation.
ö Elicit an emotion. People respond to emotions better than being talked at.
ö Give your actors names and mention the names in the script.
ö Your script must take place in an interesting location (on a train, in a park, at a circus, etc.)
ö Make sure your language and message are appropriate for your audience.
ö Be specific. Give the phone number, hours, location, web site, etc., but not all of them, or listeners will get confused by too many numbers.
PSA Script Rubric
Category / Total / Your Score / CommentsFront Page / 6
Mechanics (punctuation, spelling.) / 3
Synopsis / 2
Descriptors / 2
Professionalism / 2
Plot / 2
Audience / 2
Contact Information / 2
Message / 2
Sound Effects/Music / 2
Total / 25
1. 20/20 Vision Education Fund
2. 4-H: National 4-H Council
3. Abraham Fund
4. Access Fund
5. Adoptable Children (North American Council)
6. Adoption Center
7. Adoption Exchange
8. Adoption Links Worldwide
9. Adoption Resources of Maine / International
10. Adoption Service Information Agency
11. Adventist Development & Relief Agency International
12. Advocates for Fair Family Support
13. Africa AIDS Watch
14. African American Opportunity Centers (OIC International)
15. AFS–USA, Inc.
16. Aid to Southeast Asia
17. AIDS Orphan Adoption Project
18. Air Serv International
19. Alley Cat Allies
20. Alliance for Children & Families
21. Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
22. Allied Medical Ministries
23. Amazon Alliance for Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the Amazon Basin
24. American Anti-Slavery Group
25. American Association for State and Local History
26. American Canoe Association
27. American Discovery Trail Society
28. American Eagle Foundation
29. American Fisheries Society
30. American Foreign Service Association Scholarship Fund
31. American Friends of Alyn Hospital
32. American Friends Service Committee
33. American Hiking Society
34. American Historical Association
35. American Humane Association
36. American Indian Children's Hunger Fund
37. American Intercultural Student Exchange
38. American Oceans Campaign
39. American Solar Energy Society
40. American Whitewater Affiliation
41. American Wildlands
42. American Youth Hostels
43. Americans for Indian Opportunity
44. Amity Institute
45. Animal Care Committee
46. Animal Legal Defense Fund
47. Animal Protection Institute
48. Animal Welfare Institute
49. Anti-Defamation League
50. Appalachian Trail Conference
51. Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
52. Asian Children's Assistance Limited
53. Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
54. ASPCA: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
55. Assistance Dog Institute
56. Assistance Dog United Campaign
57. Association for Union Democracy
58. Association of Child Advocates
59. Astraea Lesbian Action Foundation
60. Autism Society of America
61. Bat Conservation International
62. Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc.
63. Blind Children's Fund
64. Blind Federation of America
65. BOOKS for the BARRIOS, Inc.
66. Boys Hope Girls Hope
67. Bread for the World Institute
68. Brother's Brother Foundation
69. Camp Courageous
70. Campaign to End Genocide
71. Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
72. Canine Companions for Independence
73. Canines for Disabled Kids
74. Carrying Capacity Network
75. CASA - Court Appointed Advocates for Abused Children
76. Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
77. Catholic Medical Mission Board
78. Center for Communications, Health and the Environment
79. Center for Constitutional Rights
80. Center for International Environmental Law
81. Center for Law and Social Policy
82. Center for Resource Economics
83. Center for Watershed Protection
84. Center of Concern
85. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
86. Challenger Center for Space Science Education
87. Chesapeake Bay Foundation
88. Child Art Foundation, International
89. Child Care Law Center
90. Child Family Health International
91. Child Find of America
92. Child Health Foundation
93. Child Rescue International
94. ChildAid: Children's Literacy and Hearing Projects
95. Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation
96. ChildHope
97. Children - Surgical Aid International
98. Children Awaiting Parents
99. Children Now
100. Children of Alcoholics (NACoA)
101. Children of the Night
102. Children's Advocacy Center, National
103. Children's AIDS Fund
104. Children's Angel Flight
105. Children's Corrective Surgery Society
106. Children's Cross Connection International
107. Children's Disability Service Association
108. Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of America
109. Children's Emergency Relief International
110. Children's Feeding Network
111. Children's Food and Care Fund
112. Children's Hopes & Dreams - Wish Fulfillment Foundation
113. Children's Hospice International
114. Children's Hospital Medical Center Foundation
115. Children's Hunger Fund
116. Children's Medical Ministries
117. Children's Mercy Fund
118. Children's Miracle Network
119. Children's Relief Mission
120. Children's Rights Council
121. Children's Shelter of Cebu
122. Children's Violence Prevention Videos
123. Christian World Adoption
124. Civil War Preservation Trust
125. Compassionate Friends
126. Concern America
127. Concerned Parents for AIDS Research
128. Coptic Orphans Support Association
129. Cornelia De Lange Syndrome Foundation
130. COTA Children's Organ Transplant Association
131. Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services
132. Dacor Bacon House Foundation
133. Deaf Children's Literacy Project
134. Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals
135. Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, Inc.
136. Dillon International
137. Direct Relief International
138. Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc.
139. Dogs for Disabled Americans (NEADS)
140. Dollars for Scholars
141. Down Syndrome Congress, National
142. Earth Force
143. EarthRights International
144. Educate the Children
145. Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence
146. Entomological Foundation
147. Equality Now
148. Ethics Resource Center
149. FACES: The National Craniofacial Association
150. Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
151. Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM)
152. Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
153. Feed My People Children's Charity
154. Feed My Starving Children
155. Floresta Tropical Reforestation Fund
156. Food First - Institute for Food and Development Policy
157. Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger
158. Food Research and Action Center
159. For Kids Sake
160. Foster Care Children and Family Fund
161. Foster Parent Association, National
162. Freedom to Read Foundation
163. Friends of Libraries USA
164. Fund for Animals
165. Fund for Peace
166. Futures for Children
167. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
168. Gettysburg, Friends of the National Parks at
169. Giving Children Hope
170. Global Action International
171. Global Hunger Project
172. Golden Cradle Adoption Services
173. Greater Yellowstone Coalition
174. Green Empowerment
175. Green Seal
176. Guide Dogs for the Blind
177. Guide Dogs of America
178. HALT – Help Abolish Legal Tyranny An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform
179. Hancock Shaker Village
180. HawkWatch International
181. Healing the Children California
182. Healing the Children Northeast
183. Heart To Heart International
184. Hearts United for Animals
185. Help The Children
186. Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled
187. Henry M. Jackson Foundation
188. Holt International Children's Services
189. HOMEBUILDERS Family Counseling
190. Hong Bang
191. Human Rights for All Now
192. Human Rights in China
193. Human Rights Watch
194. Humane Farming Association
195. In Defense of Animals
196. Indian Law Resource Center
197. Indian Youth of America
198. Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc
199. International Campaign for Tibet
200. International Crane Foundation, Inc.
201. International Development Exchange
202. International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
203. International Fund for Animal Welfare
204. International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission
205. International Indian Treaty Council
206. International Labor Rights Fund
207. International Medical Corps
208. International Partnership for Service Learning
209. International Voluntary Services
210. International Wilderness Leadership (WILD) Foundation
211. James Madison Education Fund, Inc.
212. Japan-America Student Conference
213. Jesuit Volunteers International
214. Jewish Fund for Justice
215. Jobs! (The ICA Group Incorporated)
216. John Tracy Clinic
217. Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
218. Junior Achievement
219. Laogai Research Foundation
220. Laubach Literacy International
221. Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
222. Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
223. Leadership Conference Education Fund
224. Leave No Trace
225. Libraries for the Future
226. Life Link
227. Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc.
228. Love the Children
229. MADRE, Inc.
230. MAGIC Foundation
231. Make-A-Wish Foundation International
232. MAP International
233. Marine Mammal Center
234. Masonic Foundation for Children
235. MATHCOUNTS Foundation
236. Medical Education for South African Blacks
237. Medisend/International
238. Mercy-USA for Aid and Development, Inc.
239. Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
240. Mote Marine Laboratory
241. National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped
242. National Aquarium in Baltimore
243. National Association of Conservation Districts
244. National Association of Housing Cooperatives
245. National Association of Service and Conservation Corps
246. National Center for Family Literacy
247. National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.
248. National Center for Lesbian Rights
249. National Center for Youth Law
250. National Childhood Cancer Foundation
251. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
252. National Environmental Education & Training Foundation
253. National FFA Foundation, Inc.
254. National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
255. National Housing Law Project
256. National Immigration Forum
257. National Indian Child Welfare Association, Inc.
258. National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
259. National Latino/a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization
260. National Medical Fellowships, Inc.
261. National Mentoring Partnership