Cutlines Using words to help photographs tell a story

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CutlinesUsing words to helpphotographs tell a
story
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What cutlines are

• The words under photos.
• In magazines and books, cutlines are known as
  captions.
• Together, cutlines and headlinesmake up the two
  major types ofdisplay type you find in a
  newspaper or magazine.

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Good cutlines tell

• Who is in the photo
• What the person/people is/are doing
• When the photo was taken
• Where the photo was taken
• Why the photo was taken
• Occasionally, how the photo was taken

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Cutline rules

• Never, ever write a cutline without seeing the
  photo.
• In most circumstances, identify all recognizable
  people. Exception crowds

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Cutline rules

• Make sure readers can tell which name goes with
  which face. Use terms such as left, from
  left, right, clockwise from left.Example
  Lisa Brown, left, and Jan Knight walk to class.

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Confusion alert!

• Dukes Rochelle
• Parent is
• surrounded under
• the Duke basket
• by Florida States
• Lakota Springle,
• Levys Torres, April
• Taylor and
• Katelyn Vujas
• during FSUs
• victory over the
• No. 4 Blue Devils.

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Cutline rules

• Avoid overly obvious identifications
• Examples Former PresidentBill Clinton, left,
  and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, right . . . or
  Gina Patterson, left, and her 4-year-old
  daughter, Samantha

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• Former President
• George Bush
• (from left), wife
• Barbara Bush and
• granddaughter
• Jenna Bush share
• a moment while
• singing during the
• National Prayer
• Service on Sunday
• at the National
• Cathedral in
• Washington.

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Cutline rules

• Directional cues can be set off by commas or
  placed in parentheses. Either is OK, but be
  consistent throughout your publication.
• Identify people from left to right unless the
  composition of the photo would make that
  confusing.

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Cutline rules

• Dont begin a cutline with a directional cue,
  such as From left. Weave directional cues into
  a cutline subtly. The most important words in the
  cutline are those explaining whats happening in
  the photo. You want those words, not the
  directional cues, to come first.

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Cutline rules

• Weak From left, ASU students John Smith, Alicia
  Hernandez and Bella Jones won awards.
• Better ASU students, from left, John Smith,
  Alicia Hernandez and Bella Jones won awards.

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Cutline rules

• Another alternative If the people are lined up
  in a straight row, you can sometimes identify the
  position of the first person (usually the person
  on the far left) and assume that readers will
  continue to match names and faces from that
  direction.
• Example ASU students John Smith, left, Alicia
  Hernandez and Bella Jones won awards.

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Cutline rules

• Generally, write in the present tense. Which is
  right? Earthquake survivors line up for a meal
  at a food distribution center inBhuj,
  India.Earthquake survivors lined up for a meal
  at a food distribution center in Bhuj, India.

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Cutline rules

• Having trouble writing in the present tense?
• Try pretending that the words in this photo
  precede the cutline. (In this photo )
  Earthquake survivors line up for a meal at a food
  distribution center in Bhuj, India.

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Cutline rules

• Sometimes its necessary to use the past tense
  in a portion of the cutline, like this
  Earthquake survivors line up fora meal at a
  food distribution center in Bhuj, India. Hundreds
  of thousands were left homeless after an
  earthquake struck the Gujarat state on Jan. 26.

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Cutline rules

• Dont state the obvious. Explain what is
  happening.
• Avoid repeating the headline or using information
  word for word from the story.
• Point out interesting details in the photograph
  that the reader might otherwise overlook.

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Cutline rules

• Look for more interesting, less obvious verb
  phrases than is shown, poses for the camera
  or pictured above. Those are duh phrases.

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Cutline rules

• Match the tone of the cutline to the mood of the
  photograph.
• Give readers enough information so that they will
  know what the story is about and why the photo is
  significant if they read only the cutlines.
• Be specific.

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Cutline rules

• Avoid editorializing in cutlines, just as you
  would in headlines.
• Dont ascribe emotions to people pictured unless
  youre sure youre right.
• Never ascribe emotions or thoughts to animals.

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Spot the mistakes

• Can you identify the amateurerrors in the
  cutlines on the next few slides?
• How would you make the cutlines better?

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Fish on Friday
Mark Nance of Raleigh uses Friday afternoons
partly sunny, partly cloudy weather to fish for
crappie from the elevated walkway at Lake Johnson
Park. The weather was unseasonably warm enough
for early February to bring people out to enjoy
the outdoors, walking, fishing and feeding the
ducks.
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The XFL is the brainchild of World Wrestling
Federation boss Vince McMahon (above). Plans for
the league were announced one year ago today.
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Jeep Grand Cherokees are shown in a holdinglot
at the DaimlerChrysler Jefferson North assembly
plant in Detroit on Friday. Chrysler plans to cut
a fifth of its global workforce over the next
three years.
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The Lamp of learning is on
From left, students Jennifer Snook and Erin
Swails take advantage of Mondays sunny,
temperate weather to log some outdoor reading
time at Duke University.
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You write the cutline!
This is the information from your source I'm
pretty sure that's Lindsay Lohan on the left and
Nicole Richie on the right.
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Just for fun

• With the chihuahua fad so 2004, the latest hot
  trend in celebrity pets is apparently the
  tapeworm.
• Ashlee and Mary Kate Olsen attend a Halloween
  party as Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.
• "Yo quiero Taco Bell"
• It's sad when Mary Kate Olsen is now considered
  the husky one in Hollywood.
• Got milk?