1. Codes and Conventions in Factual Programming
By Eoin Kenny

2. What are codes and conventions
These are rules that media organisations must follow when making factual programmes.
Visual codes, for example, how the presenter looks, this will include that they must have a suit, shaved and neat haircut. They must have good communications skills, knowledge of the topic being reported and have a string sense of professional ethics.
News and other factual programme should not be biased towards one side or another and they should not be morally judgemental.
Factual programmes must not use their position to cause offence to individual or groups and they must not cause disadvantage or discrimination.
Research must be ethical and accurate.

3. The difference between factual programming and drama.
In factual programmes, everything must be based on fact or on real events factually reported.
In drama, stories told are fictional and do not pretend to be about real life, even if they are inspired by real events.
Drama makers are allowed to tell a story in any way they think appropriate so long as they do not go against the codes and conventions of the broadcaster. for example, outright racism would not normally be allowed in a BBC drama.

4. How do codes and conventions work?
The codes and conventions provide clear guidance about how a factual programme should be made.

5. How they work
Codes and conventions are used together, but each is separate.
Codes are spilt into two kinds
Technical, which has to do with the type of equipment used, and
Symbolic, which has to do with how a scene might be shot.
Conventions are the way thing are generally done. For example it is a convention in factual programmes to use back lighting to protect eh identity of a person who might be at risk because of telling their story for example, BBC’s Spotlight programme. Another convention might be to use an actor instead of the real person, especially if their life might be in danger.

6. Field Reporter
Whenever a crime has happened in UK, a field reporter will go to where it happened. The news reporter in the studio will ask the field reporter a verity different questions about what has happened. In this news report told the viewer about the incident. The programme used cutaways so that the viewer could see what had happened.

7. The Link

8. Links to the studio
Sometimes a news organisation would often interview about a topic using a live link to the studio, with people about a topic This is where the viewer will see the interviewer and the interviewee on the screen at the same time. The can be anywhere in the world, such as in UK and interviewer can be in USA.
In this example the host asking Bernie Sanders a verity about different questions about Hillary Clinton. When they where talking about Hillary Clinton, they used cutaway footage to the viewer.

9. News Reader
A news reader is someone who in the studio and they are responsible for telling the viewer about the news.

10. You will also notice that the news reader (Huw) was dressed very formally in the news programme. The BBC has a rule called Visual codes, which I talked about earlier. Here is a link to the news report.

11. Actual footage
In this example of accident at a power station in the UK, the producers used actual footage with the news reader providing a voice over to explain to the viewer what had happened.

12. Mode Of Address to Viewer
As you seen form the news report that Huw Edwards was very formal whenever he was telling the viewer about what happened to the power station. The BBC have a rule called “address to the viewer” When a news reader tells the viewer about what has happened, they must use formal language.

13. Interviewing
Both the BBC and other news programmes would often do interviews where they would bring people into the studio for an interview. This allows the viewer to watch the interview and they have a clear understanding about the topic.
The news programme can also bring in experts and witness into the studio as well.

14. What is an Expert What is a Witness
If the BBC wanted to do an interview about North Korea’s missiles, they would bring in an expert into the studio. This allows the viewer to have a clear understanding about the topic and what's happing in North Korea. The BBC might also use footage to show the viewer about what is happing in North Korea.
What is a Witness
If a natural disaster had happened some where in the world, news programmes would often do an interview with a witness who was there at the time. The interviewer will ask the witness about the disaster. This allows the viewer to have a clear understanding about what happened.

15. Documentaries

16. A documentary is a factual prgroamme.
Documentaries are prgrammes that inform people about events that are taking place in the world.
Sometimes film makers would often do an interview with people where the interviewee can tell the viewer about the topic as well.
Its also important that film makers are accurate about the topic.

17. Realism in a Documentary
This is when the film maker is making a documentary about things that have happened in the world, they mostly show people in the documentary and what happened to them. These documentaries are based on fact, and they are accurate and truthful. Sometimes film makers would also use emotional realism and Surface Realism, which I will talk about in this report.

18. Winter on Fire (Emotional Realism)
Netflix made a documentary called “Winter on Fire” The documentary shows the viewer what life was like in Ukraine crisis which started on 12th November This allows the viewer have a first-hand look at what happened there during the crisis. The producers also put text on screen and there was also a voice over where a person told the viewer what’s happing in the documentary. There is also emotional realism in the documentary, were the film makers used a specific type of music so that would encourage viewers to feel sorry for the people in Ukraine.

19. Winter on Fire (emotional realism) viewer discretion is advised

20. What is Surface Realism
Surface realism is about getting the details right for example a documentary set in Medieval times would need locations, props and customs for that timeline

21. U2 Crisis (Surface Realism)
The documentary “U2 Crisis” shows the viewer what life was like during the Cold War.
At that this time there was great amount of tension between USSR and USA.
In the documentary the viewer sees actual footage of a Russian airplane from that timeline
They also had an actor who played captured American pilot.
He is dressed in a uniform form that timeline so as to provide realism for the viewer.

22. Interactive in a documentary
The film maker Louis Theroux would often make documentary’s about issues that are happening in the world. He made a documentary about Los Vegas gambling machines. He would also interactive with the gambling machines. He would often be in front of the camera where he would interview people about the topic. He asked the interviewee a variety of different questions about the gambling machines. He also highlighted that someone lost a lot of money . The crew will often hold the cameras.

24. Performative documentary
These documentaries would often involve wildlife. David Attenborough makes wildlife documentary's. Whenever the viewer sees animals on screen he would do a voice over where he would explain to the viewer what the animals is doing. This allows the audience to have a clear understanding what the documentary’s is about.

25. Observational documentary
If the producer was making a documentary about real life people, the crew would often follow the person around and see what things they like to do. These documentaries can be informal and the crews would often hold their cameras. There is hardily any interviews or voice over in the documentary. An example of observational documentary would be “16 and pregnant”. This documentary is a reality documentary where it follows girls who are pregnant, this is when they are in school and how they deal with it. In this documentary there is no interviews, but the people in the documentary talk to the audience directly.

26. Expository
This is when a film maker seeks to expose a topic to the viewer in order to increase awareness about the issue.
The presenter addresses the audience directly in order to ensure that the audience gains a good understanding of the topic, for example, Global Warming.
These documentaries are in part educational or informative and use Voice Over and footage.

27. Dramatisaton in a Documentary
If a film maker wanted to create a documentary about medieval times they can use drama and reconstruction to portray what life was like in the time.
Drama is often used to tell a story that is more interesting to the viewer and provides a fuller picture of life in that time for example the documentary Night Mail made in in the UK.
But there are known disadvantages to using drama especially when it risks becoming fictionalised.

28. Narravtvisation Documentary
Narrativisation in documentaries relies on the presenter speaking to the audience.
This allows the presenter to fully explain in his own words what the key issues are or what is actually happening.
It relies on the voice talent of the presenter who can sway audience opinion in one direction or another.

29. Reflexive in a Documentary
In reflexive documentaries, the audience will often see the film crew and the film maker as they take part in the very activities thay are making the film about.
This approach often makes the film seem more real because it is shot “live”.
The film maker Louis Theroux uses this style of film making.