Video

The aim for my 30 second news bulletin was to practice in front of the camera. The aim of SDC (South Downs College) news, the programmes I was presenting for, is to bring short snappy news to the staff and students. The target audience for this would mainly be college students aged 16-20 as that is the most common age of college students.

In terms of visual techniques I have anchored myself to a seat so I am not moving around nervously. I am also sat by a desk and am casually dressed to match the audience and connect with them. As i was having to read it from a sheet i am not always looking directly at the camera. Some of my facial expressions are not relevant to the story as I occasional smile however it is a story about Madeline McCann which is very serious. So in the future I would make sure that I learn my script off by heart so I can look directly at the camera and deliver it.

In terms of verbal techniques you can understand what I am saying quite clearly throughout. However the pace is slow at firsts and then gets faster throughout so it is unbalanced. The tone of voice is very different at the start compared to the finish as I was put on a voice and then it faded out. My use of language is quite standard English with no use of slang. I used quite a basic vocabulary to appeal to the audience as they would not want a presenter using loads of big, complicated words. The way I structured my sentences were very short and snappy giving small bits of information. In the future I would make sure that i keep the same tone of voice throughout as well as keeping the pace the same.

The visual techniques of the broadcast was suitable for the institution and the audience as it was very casual and informal. The speaking techniques however were not as suitable as I didn't speak confidently enough and was not always directly addressing the audience. If i were to do it again the future i would make sure i was addressing the camera the whole time and spoke more fluently.

Presentation Task

DJ

Describe the purpose of this type of presenter?

The purpose of a DJ is to play songs that meet the target audience’s needs. The DJ also will speak to the audience in-between songs to humor them with interesting facts and jokes. A DJ may have some guests during their show so my conduct some interviews. 

What types of skills and qualities are required for this type of presenter?

• Knowledge of the latest music that the target audience are listening too
• The skill of mixing songs
• confidence
• personality
• clear voice for radio
• likeable 
• friendly
• interest in music

What are audience’s expectations of this type of presenter?

 The audience expect a DJ to play songs that they want to hear, as well as adding information that is relevant to the songs. The audience expects the presenter to be interactive with them so that they can requests songs etc. This could be in the form of phone calls, social networking and competitions. 

How doe this type of presenter differ from other types?

A DJ differs from other types of presenters because you can not see them, you can only see them. So this means that what they say and the songs they play are really important because they will be judged souly on that. This is why it is important that they are likeable. 

Identify examples of this role – use images/ audio clips/ video clips to illustrate. Describe/Discuss the style of presentation for each example. 

• Pete Tong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gtPJYb_MLY 

• Zane Lowe

• Chris Moyles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx-_iQSWfSk

Game Show Host

Describe the purpose of this type of presenter?
A game show host's main purpose is to ask questions and run the game show. They will usually update the audience with the scores and run the show.

What types of skills and qualities are required for this type of presenter?

• confidence
• good personality
• interact with the audience
• interact with the contestants
• knowledge of the subjects
• funny (in some game shows) 

What are audience’s expectations of this type of presenter?
The audience expect a game show host to be funny and have a good personality. They expect the presenter to keep them interested and entertained otherwise they will change the channel. 

How does this type of presenter differ from other types?
A game show host differs from other types of presenters as they are not only presenting something to a wide audience, they are also presenting it to the contestants in the game. Unlike most presenters who have a script to read from, a game show host will have to improvise some of what he says based on what the contestants say to them.

  Identify examples of this role - use images/audio clips/ video clips to illustrate. Describe/Discuss the style of presenter for each example.

• Ant & Dec 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL6wFR6GnsA\

• Jimmy Carr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OujezLeoUVU

• Chris Tarrant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5YPCL56Sto

Alex Zane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvtUsrelDZM

Alex Zane follows some of the usual codes and conventions of a presenter in the sense that he is smartly dressed wearing trousers, shirt and a blazer. However he breaks the rules of the usual appearance of a presenter as he is not wearing a tie and is open collared. His hair is also messy and big unlike a typical TV news presenter. His dress style is similar to Jimmy Carr as they both dress smartly however they are somewhat mocking the codes and conventions as they are presenting comedy shows. Alex Zane uses props and other actors when presenting rude tube to add substance to his jokes.

Zane's style of jokes is very sarcastic, again similar to Jimmy Carr. Throughout the show he gives a voice over, sarcastically commenting on the clips that they are showing. He also tells jokes in between clips where he may use some props to set up the next lot of clips.

The language he uses is very standard English with a small use of slang words. His accent is somewhat posh and generic however his tone of voice is very sarcastic so they contradict each other. His pace when presenting is very quick, he is constantly speaking about different stories and subjects.

The visual and verbal techniques that he uses really contradict the codes and conventions of a standard News presenter. He dressed very smart and sounds well spoken however what he talks about is usually rude topics. This goes very well with the whole show and the target audience as it is mocking how news and the media. 

A2 - Essay

Codes and Conventions of Factual Programming

There are a lot of different forms of factual programmes. Magazine shows, talk shows for example The Jeremy Kyle Show, chat shows such as the Jonathan Ross show, reality TV like Big Brother, documentaries e.g. Frozen Planet and TV News bulletins like Sky News.

These types of factual programmes are consumed and broadcast in many different ways, on TV, cinema release, DVD and the Internet. The focus of this essay will be on film and TV documentaries and on TV News programmes and the conventions of each of these different sub-genres.

For example TV News programmes need to have, a main reporter that runs the programme in a formal unbiased manor, field reporters that are on location adding information, interviews with contributors and experts, images and raw footage, studio based with the presenter sat behind a desk and giving factual information.

Whereas documentaries are slightly different, they all use facts to persuade the audience of the filmmaker’s opinion. They are also split into different types of documentary. Expository has a main subject and uses images combined with voice-overs to give information, for example, they have a variety of footage and the main opinion portrayed is of logic. Observational is based purely on a subject with no voice-overs or interviews, just footage, for example Blue Planet. An interactive documentary is where the subject is interactive with the crew and is made up mainly of interviews combined with footage and voice-overs, for example Louis Theroux.

These types all present the facts to audiences differently, they do of course, all aim to present a ‘realistic’ film/programme, but also like fictional programmes/films create a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end, to tell a story to the audience.

There are a number of issues we need to consider when watching and making factual programmes these are accuracy, objectivity and subjectivity.

Factual programmes should be accurate and truthful because it is important that they are not misleading the audience with false information and accusations. For example in Morgan Spurlock’s super size me he made sure he was being accurate, by constantly using statistics as well as having his health tracked by 3 different doctors to prove that McDonalds is unhealthy. The reason for this was so that McDonalds couldn’t take action against him, as they couldn’t argue with the statistics he used, as well as the weight he gained. When comparing accuracy between TV news programmes and documentaries there is quite a difference. News programmes have to be completely accurate as they are passing on stories to the public; there is no opinion involved. Whereas documentaries are not always completely accurate as the filmmaker can use elliptical editing to twist statistics to work in their favor. For example in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911 he uses selective editing with a clip of George Bush on Bin Laden saying, “I didn’t spend much time on him.” Which most likely is not the whole clip as Bush probably said more on the subject.

The audience expect factual programmes to be objective, impartial and balanced because they want to hear unbiased, factual information which shows both sides of the story so that they can make there own opinion on the subject. TV news bulletins especially need to be objective as it is about informing the audience about news. The presenters need to be trustworthy and unbiased to allow the audience to decide their own opinion.  For example Norman Smith, who is the chief political reporter for BBC News, always has to be objective when reporting. Even if he were reporting on a really shocking scandal in parliament he would not give his opinion on the subject. This is because his job is to pass on the information, not to make judgement. Most documentaries will try portraying an objective point of view however the majority will be biased, as it will be the filmmaker’s opinion. In Michael Moore’s ‘Bowling for Columbine’ he tries to show a balanced view using elliptical editing. He does this by intercutting between two scenes, Charlton Heston giving a pro gun speech at an NRA rally and the father of one of the victims of the columbine disaster giving an anti-guns speech. Moore does this to show both sides of the story and give the audience a balanced perception of what is going on. TV news programmes and documentaries differ when being objective as news must be un-biased so the audience can decide their own opinion, Whereas documentaries are always going to be somewhat biased because the main opinion is of the filmmaker.

All factual programmes are subjective as they are expressing the opinion of the filmmaker. Documentaries try to show that they are being accurate to get the audience on their side. In Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911 he uses elliptical editing again to show his opinion. He does this buy selectively editing together clips of George Bush on holiday. Whilst showing clips of Bush playing golf and relaxing Moore is giving a voice over saying how Bush was on holiday when he should have been doing something about 911. This is supporting his opinion of Bush not knowing what he is doing. However we know that this wasn’t necessarily this case, as he would have been working hard most of the time. In Comparison TV news programmes and documentaries differ in subjectivity, as documentaries will often portray the filmmaker’s opinion.

The news that we receive is represented differently depending on what news station you are watching. They are represented differently as each station will have a different target audience. For example CBBC Newsround is aimed at a very young audience. The types of stories covered show this as they are mainly about sports and other topics focused on children. The presenter is also very casually dressed and uses a soft voice. However, BBC Three 60 seconds is aimed at an older audience of about 16-25. The types of stories covered are very much celebrity orientated with a few big stories from around the world. The presenter is dressed informal which will draw in the desired audience. Whereas News at 10 is aimed at an older audience so the stories differ. The news stories covered in this are mainly related to war and political and economical issues. The presenter and field reporters are smartly dressed, speak formally and look professional.

The three case studies I used were Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize me, and Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine. Spurlock is an expository filmmaker whereas Moore is more interactive. In supersize me Spurlock is constantly using statistics whilst having his health tracked by 3 different doctors to show accuracy. Moore also used loads of statistics to show accuracy. In bowling for columbine he shows the audience just how easy it is to get a gun, by doing it himself. Spurlock tried portraying himself as objective by speaking to public as well as fast food reps to show both sides. However he was being subjective throughout as the main opinion portrayed was his and he was selectively choosing statistics that supported his opinion. Moore is similar in this way as he was showing both sides in Bowling for Columbine, the pro guns and the anti guns, to try and be objective, however throughout Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine it is his opinion that is portrayed. Moore mainly uses elliptical editing to back up his points.

TV News is generally objective whereas documentaries are generally subjective. News needs to be true, accurate and impartial as their job is to relay information to the audience without giving their opinion on the story, so that the audience can decide their own opinion. Documentaries on the other hand do not have to be impartial as they are also going to be subjective because of the opinions of the filmmaker. The styles of the case studies are very different in some ways very similar. Moore is very much about using loads of statistics and facts to prove he is right whereas Spurlock tries to prove that he is right through visual aids. I think the target audience for these documentaries are the mainstream audience that don’t have their own opinions on the topics covered so these filmmakers try push their opinions on to them. 

A1 - Improved

1) What is a film/television documentary?

A documentary is a factual programme that is based on a subject, either something that has happened in the past or about a current topic. Documentaries involve footage of the subject with a presenter/narrator giving factual information alongside. They are usually filmed out and about on location with one single camera.

2) What is the purpose of a documentary? How might the audience react to documentaries? Give examples from documentaries you have seen.

The purpose of a documentary is to document an event and give factual information alongside visual footage to give knowledge about the subject to the audience. Documentaries provide particular views and understandings of the subject. Audiences might react to documentaries in different ways depending on the topic. Documentaries want the audience to connect emotional and get involved with the subject. Documentaries cause many different reactions, for example some can be shocking and eye-opening, for example Louis Theroux ‘The most hated family in America’ where as others can be happy and light-hearted for example David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet.

3) What do you expect to see in a documentary?

There are a number of elements that you would expect to see in a documentary. Almost every documentary has a presenter or narrator that introduces the subject and provides voice-overs and conducts interviews. Documentaries are factual and will have either on screen or audio facts based on the subject. They often include interviews and witness accounts with real life people depending on the topic. The main thing you would expect to see in a documentary is footage, both raw and real footage and also reconstructions and interpretations of past events.

4) Are there particular subjects that work well for documentaries?

The particular subjects that work well for documentaries are those that are interesting and can be interpreted and explored in many different ways. Subjects that also make interesting documentaries are controversial ones that can cause the audience to debate and get involved emotionally. For example some subjects that work well are nature, war, crime, ethics and human conditions.

5) List some of the codes and conventions of documentaries. Give examples from documentaries you have seen

·         Presenter – giving factual information on the subject

·         Narrator – voice over

·         Interviews

·         Out and about – filmed on location – single camera

·         Footage – real and reconstructions – montages

·         Facts and statistics

6) List the 5 ‘modes’ of documentary, explain the codes and conventions of each and provide examples to illustrate your points.

Expository: An expository documentary has a main subject and uses images combined with voice overs to give information.

·         Voice overs – addresses audience directly

·         Images used to illustrate or contradict voice over

·         Editing used for continuity

·         Variety of footage

·         Main opinion portrayed is of logic – nothing to controversial

·         Example -

Observational: An observational documentary is based purely on a subject with no voice overs or interviews, just footage.  

·         Location shooting

·         Direct sound recording

·         No voice over

·         No interviews

·         Documentary makers presence is hidden

·         Subject appear to be unaware of camera

·         Examples – Frozen Planet, Planet Earth

Participatory: A participatory documentary is where the subject is interactive with the crew and is made up mainly of interviews combined with footage and voice overs.

·         Interactive

·         Crew interact with subject

·         Interviews dominate – formal

·         Use of archive material – news, stills, old footage, letters, headlines

·         Location shooting – hand held camera

·         Voice over – by the film maker

·         Film maker visible to camera

·         Example – Louis Theroux

Reflexive: A reflexive documentary is when the footage is the main point and voice overs are sometimes used but are not uncertain.

·         Borrows features from fiction films – for emotional response

·         Incorporates anti – realist techniques

·         Voiceover (when present) questioning and uncertain

·         Example - crime watch

Performative: A performative documentary is when the filmmaker is directly involved and discusses their views and opinions on the topic.  

·         Documentary maker in a performance – performing for the camera

·         Maker interacts or is sometimes the subject

·         Filmmaker – comments frequently on fact that they are making a documentary

·         Narrative of investigation / mystery

·         Addresses audience in emotional and direct way

·         Subject often to do with identity (gender or sexuality)

·         Example – Grizzly Man

Louis Theroux’s ‘The Most Hated Family in America’

This essay is going to analyse the codes and conventions that are used in TV/film documentary filmmaking using Louis Theroux’s ‘The Most Hated Family in America’ as a case study

1)    Louis Theroux is an interactive documentary filmmaker. This is made clear in this particular case study by the way that he interacts with the subject and gets directly involved. An example of his interactive documentary techniques is the unrehearsed face to face interviews, with the family. For example when he is interviewing the Pastor of the church, Theroux asks very direct questions that angers the Pastor. Theroux’s interactive style is clear in the way he attends and gets involved in what the church do. For example he takes part in the church services and interacts with them on a human level. He does this by asking the members of the church more personal questions about relationships and love interest, unrelated to the church, to get a feel of what their day to day life is like.  It is also clear that Theroux is an interactive documentary filmmaker as he gets his own real footage of the family and the reactions of the American public, for example he attends the pickets, arranged by the family, of the dead soldiers’ funerals and films a first had experience of what they are like and how other people feel about them.

2)    The main subjects of the documentary are the members of the church as well as Theroux himself. The documentary mainly focused on a few certain members of the church. One member that was heavily focused on was Shirley, the Pastor’s daughter, who was a very passionate member of the church that had enforced her strong beliefs on her children and would not accept any alternative. Another main subject of the documentary was Pastor Phelps (Gramps) who is the founder of the church. A few of the Shirley’s children were also featured quite a lot as well as a member called Steve who was a journalist himself and went to make a film about the church but was converted in the process.

3)    There are many controversial themes and issues featured in the documentary. The main one being religion. Homosexuality is an ongoing theme throughout as the family target homosexuals and is heavily against homosexuality. War is also an ongoing topic as the family believe the troops are all dyeing for nothing and are being punished by god, which is why they picket the funerals of the dead soldiers.

4)    In terms of the size of Theroux’s crew I assume that it is fairly small with one maybe two camera men and a sound man. This tells you that they wanted to show the family in the most natural way and didn’t want them to be performing for a large camera crew and putting on an act.

5)    Theroux is an interactive documentary filmmaker and uses a participatory mode of documentary. The main codes and conventions that are involved in participatory filmmaking are that they are interview dominated and the filmmaker is always visible and on camera. The crew tend to interact directly with the subject. Voice-overs are used as well as archive material. It is filmed on location with a hand held camera.

6)    The style of interviewing that Theroux uses is very interactive. He asks a lot of questions to try and draw out as much information from the subject as he can and also is trying to catch them out in a way and try and prove them wrong. I would describe his interview style as humorous and persistent as it is almost as if he is trying to wind up the subject with constant questions to trick them into bursting out with an answer Theroux wants to hear.   

7)    It is clear what Theroux wanted to achieve when making the documentary. He wants to cause a debate amongst the audience and wants them to connect emotionally with the subject as well as have opinions on the topics raised. I believe that he achieved this as I felt a similar reaction when watching this

8)    I think that the audience would react to this in a similar way as I did myself. I believe most people would be very shocked at the way the family communicate their beliefs and the way they go about their business. The audience might also be shocked at some of the opinions of the family.

9)    I would personally describe the documentary as interesting as it shows how different some people are and how strongly they can believe in something that is clearly wrong in the eyes of most people. I would say the documentary is very controversial because of some of the themes raised are very shocking and somewhat disgusting, which caused debate within the audience. 

Codes and conventions are the 'ingredients' that make up a news broadcast. They are what you expect to see and hear on a broadcast.

A TV news broadcast is an informative video that gives you information on what is happening around the world. They cover all topics ranging from sport to war. They will have both video footage and people talking about these different topics.

Codes and Conventions of a TV News Broadcast:

Studio news presenters are essentially the face of the broadcast and the channel they are presenting for. They are used by News Outlets to present the news to the audience. They are there to inform the audience by relaying information that they have researched. News presenters conduct their own research on stories around the world and they write and read their own scripts as well as editing copy and conducting interviews. News presenter must be well presented and un-biased and also know the laws that go with journalism. They must know the laws of journalism because if they were to break them they could end up in a lot of trouble. For example if they were to say something that was untrue and damaged the reputation of someone then they could be sued for libel which would lead to court proceedings and potentially cost them a lot of money. 

Field Reporters

Field reporters are like studio news presenters however they are usually out-and-about ‘on location’ reporting a story from a scene, outside of the studio. There reports are sometimes pre-recorded. News outlets use Field reporters to report on stories such as breaking news stories, live events, sporting matches, war zones, ongoing news stories and interviews. News outlets send reporters to ‘the field’ so they can experience the situation themselves and give a firsthand view.  They are used as filler to break up stories so that the audience is not just watching the same news presenter in the studio reading the whole thing.

Contributors

Contributors are used by News Outlets in News Broadcasts to add information to a story. These contributors can be experts, which add information to a story based on a certain topic. Experts are used because they are trustworthy and authoritative so the audience believes what they are saying. Witnesses are also contributors. Witnesses are people that give first hand accounts of something they have seen happen, for example a murder or a car crash. They give a realist response that adds colour to news broadcasts. Vox pops are also a form of contributors as they are the voice of the public. They are often used as filler but they also portray the public opinion.

Example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEsYrJ34GY

Links to Studio

A link to studio is when one live news studio will cut to another live studio to give more information on a topic. This other studio could be anywhere around the world. Links to studio are used in news broadcast as filler so that the audience is not getting bored of the same presenter. They also add colour to a story as well as more info from different sources. 

Actuality Footage

Actuality footage is real, raw footage that the new teams have either recorded themselves or have sourced it from somewhere else. This footage is real and will relate to the story that the presenters and field reporters are talking about. Actual footage is used by news outlets to support a story and give a visual aid to better explain what is being spoken about.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XCs0Od-wxk

Report Structure

All TV news broadcasts will have a structure they follow. Usually it is the pyramid structure, which means they start with the most important news story first and then go down in order of importance. They do this because the audience is going to want to find out about the biggest headline first as it will usually be the most shocking or interesting. The codes and conventions that go into report structure are piece to camera, cutaways, voice-overs, interviews, vox pops, graphics, charts and final summary.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB7MnW7GEwE

Mode of Address

Mode of Address is the style of delivery. It is how the presenter addresses the audience. There are certain rules that the presenter and the news team have to follow in a TV news broadcast. They have to address the camera directly by looking straight at the camera talking to the audience. The presenter needs to be clear and fluent when speaking. The presenters don't usually have a distinct accent. The top stories are always announced first. The news bulletin should begin with a high angle or a long shot of the studio to emphasise the size. When an interview is taking place the interviewee looks off camera and at the reporter.

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