Unit 27: Understanding Codes and Conventions for Factual Programing By Connor McCallion

Codes and Convections of TV News Programmes

Studio Newsreaders A news presenter also known as newsreader or anchorman is who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, radio. Newsreaders provide the latest news to the public, they also talk with field correspondents and interview people. An example here would be ITV’s Rageh Omaar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUrZplEwqRU

Field Reporters A correspondent or on the scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper or radio or television news from a remote often distant location. They are stationed in a foreign company, the benefit of this that viewers can get a clear of image of what’s happening at the time and that place. They capture more-in depth news as it’s taking place, but essentially they don’t have to be formally dressed but have to look professional on the job. An example on a Field reporter would be John Ray who presents field reports for ITV News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krZW6IvdKOc

Links to Studio This is where televised news show links with another studio by satellite connection. This can often be found on mainstream news channels such as the BBC and ITV and also on some American news channels. It’s important other TV studios link to each other as it can give more curtail information/detail needed to a story and that the news-presenter can interview another news-presenter without leaving their TV studio/location. An Example – alex jones studio link interview with Donald Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJqLAleEnKw

Mode of Address to Viewer This is how the reporter delivers the news to the viewers of listeners. It can be done in first person, this is when you speak about yourself, and 3rd person is when you can use narrative. News reporters will usually open the show by saying “good morning” or “good evening” depending on time of day. Also by using different words such as “you” can be a direct mode of address involving the viewers and also keeping a good eye contact into the camera. Example: the BBC and ITV are a serious informative news channel, targeted to an older target audience. To make this clear the presenters will be serious and dressed in a suit to show that this is serious and factual.

Experts and Witnesses Experts are people who discuss the factual side of a certain topic. Witnesses are people who saw the event that the reporters are discussing and they can give a first-hand report. Both of these are useful because they can help the viewer understand what actually happened. Eye witnesses also be interviewed on what they’ve seen and give their side of the story. Whilst Experts are used often to balance the story so it does not appear bias and back up certain cases with professional observations that were taken into account.Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTsSU3UiwcA

Report Structure A report structure are simply steps that the programme follows whilst putting it across to the audience. It will often begin with the news-reader announcing the main headlines and refers back to the top story again with more in-depth information. This will start of with the headline name and then an introduction explaining the story to the audience. Then the reporter will usually cross over to a correspondent or an eye witness/ expert. Factual Programmes will go into cutaways and visual effects with a correspondents voice-over playing. The main body of the report, provides the main information and is clear and precise with a narrative along side. Then the conclusion wraps the report up, it gives the audience a final sum of the subject the presenter has discussed.

Actuality Footage Actuality Footage is footage that is live from a scene that the news channel broadcasts, It will show the effects of what happened after the event also. Actuality Footage is very common on most news broadcasting channels, as it gives the viewer a better knowledge of the story that has occurred. An example of this is when the 9/11 twin tower crash occurred as there is real footage of the plane crashing into the second tower. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u9kieqGppE

Codes and Conventions of Documentaries

Different Types of Documentary Formats There are 5 different types of documentary formats: Expository Observational Participatory/ Interactive Reflexive Performative

Expository Expository documentaries expose someone’s life, and often has a narrator speaking directly to the audience. This type of documentary can include interviews, facts, narrators and footage. This type of Documentary often will expose a subject that not many people know properly about. The technique known as “Voice of God” is the commentator talking over any images/footage that is being viewed by the audience. These are usually biographical or historical events that they will speak about. They have more of an impact on audience as it gives mystery of the unknown of exposing a person/subject that is unknown to many people/public eye. An example of this is the famous documentary film March of the penguins. Which is all about the life of penguins narrated by Morgan Freeman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7tWNwhSocE

Observational An observational documentary is based around a certain person/people, that follows them constantly with a camera crew on what occurs in their every day lives. The most common film technique in these documentaries is hand held cameras are the cameramen can move around with person/subject. Commentators aren’t used as much in these types of documentaries as they would distract the audience from the footage in front of them. Observational documentaries gives the audience the true feelings and eye witness of the person/ subject that is being documented up close and personal. Also, no interviews are present and the subject pretends that they were not being filmed by a camera crew. An example of this would be the comedy documentary An Idiot Abroad

Interactive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqqipytDeuM An interactive documentary is when the film-maker tends to become the subject of the documentary. They actively engage with the situation they are documenting asking questions and sharing experiences. “The voice of God” is sometimes used in interactive documentaries by the documentary maker. Participatory documentaries engage the viewer more deeper into the subject as the documentarian is witnessing it first hand. And also give a good explanations/reasons of why a certain subject is being filmed. An example of an interactive documentary would be Living with Michael Jackson, where he is followed in everyday life while getting interviewed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqqipytDeuM

Reflexive Reflexive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd5VFclAN2E This type of Documentary Format focuses entirely on the realism and quality of the product being made. The documentary makers show the content being filmed, and allowing the viewer to see the problems and issues that film makers have to address on a daily basis. Most documentaries of this type are barely edited and this is to keep the realism and truth of the documentary. An example of reflexive would be ‘Biggie and Tupac’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd5VFclAN2E

Performative A performative documentary acknowledges the emotional and subjective aspects of documentary and presents ideas as a part of context having different meanings for different people and are often autobiographical in nature. An Example of performative is “Tongues Untied”. Tongues Untied was made to speak out for gay black men, showing their perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and social exclusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWuPLxMBjM8

Realism Realism is where real action takes place, with no staged scenes or scripts, everything is natural. Real life documentaries often use the ‘realism’ of people and events because of the natural flow and behavior; of the events that have took place in the documentary or in a persons life. Often scripts are made once the filming has already taken place, by watching over the interviews etc and then deciding which is relevant and which isn’t. This is what makes Realism documentaries different from dramatic Realism.

Dramatization Dramatization is where a script has been edited in order to make something more dramatic, i.e. the news, by them using more dramatic words like Breaking News, Abomination, Mass Murder etc. all of which make something more dramatic and will make the viewer listen harder. It builds up tension throughout the making of the documentary and can be over exaggerated.

Narrativisation Narrativisation is used commonly in documentaries as it’s a successful way of getting a story across to a certain target audience. Taking something complicated and unstructured and giving it narrative and structure; an understandable meaning for everyone to make sense of. The narrator makes the events and situations easier to understand and describe what is going on in depth to the audience. The downfall of this is that it can easily become boring depending how it is used through the production of the documentary.