Issues Relating to Factual Programming (LO1)

Factual programming uses a range of issues in order to produce an effective programme. Factual programmes base their idea on providing facts and statistics on certain subjects. With factual programming, the audience are aware of what they are watching. The audience know that they will be given facts and statistics within factual programing. This is known as the ‘contract with the viewer’.

Accuracy: This is when something is near to the true value. It’s when the quality of something is as precise as it could possibly be. Factual programmes have to be accurate as the audience should not be misled. The audience would like to know what they are being told are facts and not personal opinions. Factual programmes are meant to be fair, it is important that they are accurate, if not they may lose the trust of their audience and this can possibly lead to lowering their viewing ratings. Accuracy of information is a vital aspect. A programme has to be accurate so that it can be broadcasted on television otherwise it will be rejected from being aired. The correct definition of accuracy is the condition or quality of being correct and free from errors. In factual programmes, like the news it is very important that the reporters give correct and accurate information otherwise people will lose faith in them and they would lose credibility.

EXAMPLE: A good example of this issue being successfully presented is the BBC News. The reason for this is because it portrays real events and provides support in facts rather than viewpoints and personal opinions. These facts are supported and backed up by the field reporters who give better understanding of the circumstance in addition to achieve footage that is presented. Being accurate applies to a wide range of programming available this including programmes that present entertainment to viewers with the elements of factual information. Actuality is important as programmes will need to insure that they are honest, especially in the news and it is providing the individuals with information. Therefore being fair and accurate will allow restriction in misleading viewers.

Balance: Balance is when something is equal within factual programming. An argument is meant to be kept balanced, both sides of an argument must be presented, however, they should not be presented one side better than the other. A story should be told from both sides and try not to be biased. In order to maintain balance within factual programming you need to be impartial. Balance can be defined as the equilibrium of a product, how much truth it contains and how fair and neutral it is. Balance is required so that the audience can see both sides of a story and then in the end can make their own decision and decides what they want to believe in and what they don’t want to. Unbalanced programmes are unlikely to be broadcasted on television as they can be quite misleading.

EXAMPLE: A good example of a balance is in the series Worlds Strictest Parents, this being that we are presented with the lifestyle of individuals before being taken off to strict persons. In addition to this we are also presented with the child and parents therefore establishing what takes place in both sides. If you’re biased within your report by only taking one side into account then viewers may lose interest and also when reporting a story you have to ensure you are not subjective so that you are able to be impartial providing more support in the balance you want to have.

Impartiality: Impartiality is when the producers do not take either side of a particular story. Instead they stay neutral. In factual programming you cannot be biased neither prejudice. You have to show the best of both sides. It is important that a produce is impartial as you could cause controversy among your audience. Many people watch factual programmes just to gain the facts; essentially they do not want to be pulled in to an argument where they have to produce their own opinions.

EXAMPLE: An example of a factual TV programme that views both sides of an argument equally is ‘Supersize vs Super Skinny’. During this show the presenter discusses how bad both guests’ diets are, one who overeats massively and one who undereats massively. The show then progresses to switch the diets of the guests for a week in order to show that they don’t need to live on their current diet and that it can be changed for their benefit. Even though the show does mention how bad takeaways and fatty foods are, it also shows how bad undereating or just eating a certain food type can be. I think the show is quite balanced and realises that even though takeaways aren’t the best food available, the programme still agrees that they can be enjoyed responsibly and also speaks about how people should ensure they get all the correct nutrients needed to make their body function properly, balancing the show and making the impartial to both sides of the argument.

Objectivity: This is where you make a judgement based on what you have seen. It doesn’t include any emotions of prejudices. The information you present in factual programming are important as the audience will make their judgement based on the footage the producer has shown. Being objective is essentially being able to put an argument across and presenting all the research gathered without being either biased or impartial. However, the producer gives the audience a chance to make up their own mind of own opinion on the subject being discussed. This means that the production team has not put their mind, interests and opinions towards or within the product and hence it is an overall view which is not affected by the individuals thought of mind.

EXAMPLE: A good example of this issue being addressed properly is from a documentary called ‘Cannabis, What’s the Harm?’ The presenter admits to smoking when he was younger instantly letting the viewers know he won’t be biased towards his points. He then proceeds to talk directly about the positive effects of cannabis and just how common it is to be grown and smoked illegally. The presenter shows impressive facts, statistics and interviews with daily smokers who have successful lives, basically suggesting that there is nothing wrong with cannabis. However, the presenter then goes onto to talking about the darker side of smoking cannabis, he looks into the negative facts and the lives ruined by cannabis. Towards the end of the show after stalling his judgement he speaks about how he thinks that, if enjoyed responsibility there’s nothing wrong with smoking cannabis and believes the laws should be revised, so telling all the negative effects and story’s may have seemed a bit unfair to him and his opinion, but he was persistent and fair which makes him a good presenter.

Subjectivity: Subjectivity is when you make a judgement based on your own personal feelings and opinions. It doesn’t depend on external facts for example footage you have seen or facts in which you have heard. In factual programming if you want the audience to have a particular view on someone or something, you would have to present them/it in a bad way so that the audience can build up their own opinion. The news actually avoid being subjective in order to avoid causing controversy. By being subjective, you would put across a more one sided view. Subjectivity is defined as the belonging to the thinking subject, rather than the object of thought. Things that can be regarded as subjective are people’s own opinions, moods and attitudes. Programmes can be subjective if they portray only the individual’s thoughts about an event rather than looking at the wider context with an open mind.

EXAMPLE: An example of this could be the documentary Catfish. They start out with wanting to make a documentary about a little girl who is very talented, then it is exposed to a lie of someone lying about who they are online, but they do not go and confront them right away, they allow them the opportunity of revealing themselves for who they really are, and through this they do not force their opinion but also do at the same time. When they finally stop lying and tell the audience and producer

the person online was not real. The group who made the documentary learnt why they did it and it changed their opinions of the people. It is quite difficult to decide whether this is subjective or objective but in my personal opinion after the meet the people face to face they stop voicing their personal opinion and let them tell the story, therefor making it more of a subjective piece.

Opinion: Opinions are judgements based on your own view. They are not always based on facts or knowledge but are literally just based on your own personal view. An opinion can be supported by an argument, although others may not have the same opinion on the same argument. As passive audience is an audience who take the facts presented to them and has their own opinion on them. Reporters are unable to make a subjective opinion in a story. Including both impartiality and balance will allow the audience to have their own opinion on what they have seen. Opinions may not always be based on facts, knowledge or research but will be based on a personal view. Opinions will be supported by arguments; however some people may not have the same opinions within arguments. A passive audience will listen to facts and will produce their own opinion on them. Reporters shouldn’t give their opinion on stories because they need to allow the audience to have their own.

EXAMPLE: An example of this is seen in the documentary ‘The Big Questions’, this includes opinions and perspectives and these are not based on facts and statistics. My example of this programme is the topic ‘Hell Does Exist’. Looking at this I am able to see that opinions are more from beliefs. I am able to see that there is a wide range of opinions and viewpoints from a diverse group of people allowing the information and responses to not be biased. If a producer is to inset their own opinion into a documentary then it could cause a huge amount of feedback. For example Werner Herzog’s documentary about Death Row, at the start of the first episode of the three part serious he says to the audience that he is doing a documentary not about capital punishment but about what it is like for a human knowing they are weeks away from being executed. He says because of the history of the country he is from and the fact he is a guest in the USA he doesn’t want to be protesting about capital punishment even though he is against it. Herzog may have received feedback such as audience who are supporters of capital punishment may claim that Herzog is wrong in everything he says even though he may not be. However, if a producer is to put in their own opinion it is quite unlikely that it will change anybody’s opinion considering they already have one.

Bias: Bias is when you are on one side and show prejudice against something or someone unfairly. Sometimes you find documentaries that are biased over an argument. They particularly support one side and try to promote the audience to follow the side that they agree with. Being bias can also include ignoring evidence shown by the other side. A bias factual programme is a one-sided decision, whereas impartiality is the complete opposite of bias. Showing impartiality within factual programming for television is considered to be fair and just from an unbalanced objective viewpoint. Being bias is unfairly siding with one particular side of an argument without evidential backing. It is essential to avoid including bias in your piece. Your goal should be to provide your audience with the right amount of arguments either side in order for them to fairly determine how they feel about a certain topic or issue; it is your job to try and influence people to feel a certain way.

EXAMPLE: For example, if you were making a documentary on the effects illegal drugs have on the human body it would make sense to inform the audience about the good and bad effects they can give. Even if you feel very strongly against drugs it would be a mistake to make the show bias as any attempts at trying to scare people off using drugs would be unsuccessful as people do not like to be made to feel bad about what they do. They show would be a lot more successful if it contained relevant facts and advice which showed audience points for and against taking illegal drugs.

Representation: Representation is when someone or something is being portrayed in a certain kind of way. In factual programming if you wanted the audience to have a particular view on someone, you would have to represent that person in a particular way, whether that is good or bad. Sometimes you will see positive representation; this can be done to cause the audience to have sympathy towards someone or something. However, you can also see negative representation; this can include victimising individuals or groups. Representation is a re-presentation of something or someone; it can sometimes be a re-presentation of recognisable stereotypes. The media can either challenge the stereotypes or can show them in a different new light. Representation is action or speech on behalf of a person, group, business and community. In other words this can also be described as how an individual or group is presented to us. Some examples of media representation are: class, gender, age and sexuality. However, stereotypes and labelling comes under the influence of media upon us. For example, the media represents youths as thugs in hoodies. Representation is how something is portrayed or stereotyped within the media. It is unwise to stereotype as many people believe everything the media reports so if you stereotype someone the public may actually believe they are like how you have described them.

EXAMPLE: A prime example of this is the documentary ‘Gun Control’. In the documentary several groups of small production teams travel around America, mainly in the South, and get the people’s opinions about gun control. The production teams went in their expecting to have all the southerners saying that gun control was idiotic and took away their right to bare arms. They did get a few people like this but about 3 out of every 5 people got to answer a questionnaire about the subject said they did think it was good thing and in some areas people replied ‘with all the local shootings lately it will help to keep people safe by taking away their guns’. In their research of gun control they discovered an article about a man who placed his fully loaded shotgun in front of his house for 6 hours and didn’t shoot anyone. He then joked that he strangled to death the kid of tried to steal it. When editing this documentary they could have had all the ‘Gun Nuts’ response to the questions asked used, but they chose to show the more rational minded people to allow the United States to keep some of its dignity. But just so people knew about those opposed to the subject they added a few of their responses too.

Access: Access is when you have the freedom to be able to use something or someone. It is essentially when you have been given the permission to use of take something. Within factual programming sometimes you see footage of people being interviewed. Therefor the camera crew would have been given permission to be able to record that footage and to be able to use it. Access is the means of approaching or entering a place to observe. This has to be granted from the gatekeeper with their consent; however the observation and participant can be overt or covert.

Privacy: Privacy is when you’re able to keep something to yourself without it being observed by other people. Everyone is given the freedom to privacy; nobody has to share something to someone if they don’t want to. It is part of somebody’s human rights. In some factual programmes you see the people’s faces being blurred out when they are talking. A person is able to say that they want the image of themselves to be kept private. Privacy is the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people and away from public attention. Access allows individuals to observe peoples private, professional and social life. Privacy is being free away from the attention of the public. Privacy is becoming increasingly difficult for high profile people to obtain as peoples obsession with celebrities and the celebrity lifestyle continue to grow. In recent times there has been some shocking cases of celebrities struggling under the pressure of constantly being observed.

EXAMPLE: Referring back to my point about celebrities struggling under the pressure of constantly being observed, in particular Pop Singer Britney Spears who had a very public breakdown. The

wishes of celebrities for privacy are currently falling on death ears as journalists hungrily hunt down a story. Although, huge celebrities have to accept that they are going to spend a lot of time in the public eye and it is not the fault of journalists that the public are so interested in their lives but there has to be a limit on how far people can go. However, it is not always celebrities who fall foul at the hands of the media. A well-publicised incident occurred when a 13 year old girl Milly Dowler went missing, several News of the World employees hacked into her phone. When her message folder had completely filled News of the World even deleted one of her messages in order to hear the latest message, this plunged false hope into her parents who believed she had deleted the message by herself. The truth was eventually discovered and the guilty people were rightfully punished. I believe that this is one of the best examples as to how far people will go for a story. You must always try to respect other people’s wishes as many celebrities are forced to suffer horrible times at the hand s of the press.

Contract with Viewer: Contract with the viewer is when you have an agreement with your audience. It is when you present something that the audience is expecting. For example, if you were to watch a documentary about penguins, you would expect the documentary to be focused particularly on everything about penguins. Contract with the viewer refers to an agreement with the audience. Programmes usually have to be able to show great persuasion, in order to attract a large audience. However this can only be done if the impact of the opening of the programme has a great impact. The level of impact caused is referred to as, the contract with the viewer.

Codes and Conventions of News (LO2)

Studio Based News: When news is being reported by anchors in a studio, green screens are frequently used to add visuals to the story we are listening too. Usually, the background of the studio will have images and videos also using a green screen. The news anchors themselves dress very professional, usually a suit for a male anchor and something just as smart for a woman anchor. The way the anchors speak is also formal; they can change their pitch/tone according to the headlines. For example, if they were reporting a death of someone important (such as a British Solider), they would speak in a much more serious tone.

News Reader: News readers use language that makes them both sound professional but also allows the audience to understand what they are talking about without confusion. The news readers have to be accurately correct in what they are saying; they cannot be biased in any way.

Field Reporter: A field reporter is an analyst, also known as 'side-line' reporter. They provide the audience with extra information on a story and often give the finer detail of what has already been said on the main news. For example, if they were doing a story on floods in England, they would have the field reporter in the location reporting the finer detail of the story. In fact, half of the time, field reporters don't actually have a clue what is going on. Even a few minutes before they go live on television, they will be being fed information in which they are to report. The problem with that is we as an audience can usually see a lot of mistakes. For example, previously a field reporter was informing us that the play writer Harold Pinter had died. In fact, what she was meant to say is that he won a Noble Prize for Literature.  

Interviews (Experts & Witnesses): There are two main different interviews. Those with particular experts in certain areas, these kinds of interviews are usually done when discussing a subject which is fairly specialist in the first place. Here, the interviewers will be able to ask experts detailed questions and probe for a particular answer. It often helps to explain something which is quite complicated in a much simpler way. Or it can explain something in much more detail. The other type of interview is

with a witness. These kinds of interviews are often carried out when something strange or shocking has happened. The reporters will find people who may have seen the story happen and will ask questions in order to get more of the story. The only problem with interviewing witnesses is that 100's of people can see the same thing happen but it’s guaranteed that each person will tell the story in a different way. If this is the case, witnesses are live on television telling the public a story which isn't actually true.

Report Structure: When stories are being reported on the news, they usually have a fairly straightforward structure. It will usually start by the anchors reading the main headline; they will then read out a few more headlines but then will go back to the first headline and give a lot more detail (and so on). They will then ether cross over to another reporter in the studio, a field reporter who is at the scene or they will cross over to an expert in the field. These experts will often usually join them in the studio or they can join them over a video call. Another structure which the news usually use is that they often use a cross over to a bunch or relevant cutaways and a visual documentation of the story where another reporter will give a voice over explaining what is going on. However, sometimes they will cross over to a bunch or irrelevant cutaways and visual documentation of something completely different to what the reporter is talking about.  

Bias: Bias is when somebody will pick one side of an argument. Being biased is a very unfair way to document, especially to a passive audience because they will take in what they are being told and will not think to give it a second thought. Biased also means not giving any information of evidence of the other side of the argument and only providing information of the side in which they support. The bias of a factual programme is the way in which a certain topic/event has been discussed. For example, when a programme is focusing on one point of a topic and trying to make it look bad towards the audience, this is being bias. Essentially being bias is when you would lean towards one side of the topic/event and will focus on those points to try and make the audience chose a certain side of the argument.

Impartiality: Being impartial means to not take any sides of a topic/event, but instead to be neutral. Having this feature in a factual programme will allow for an unbiased opinion. It is important to be impartial as if not you can cause controversy among your audience. Many media services will maintain to be neutral; this is to please the audience. When watching a factual programme, many people would like to watch just to gain facts rather than being pulled into an argument where they feel they will have to produce their opinion. For example, programmes dealing with matters of political controversy relating to current public policy must be impartial. The news is a good example of impartial reporting. Millions of people watch the news and all of them take different views and opinions on life.

Bias or impartial news is news which includes an opinion within it, news should not be broadcasted in this way but it often is. There are many reasons for news to be this way; one could be that it is accidental. Whenever somebody hears something they usually have an opinion on it and this is a natural thing for anybody to do. However when delivering news it should be completely un-biased, this is because as soon as a reporter will give a bias view it is no longer news. Instead it is a news story which is being explained from one point of view. Telling news in a biased manner can be a dangerous tool as people can be highly influenced by what they see on news or a programme they believe is 100% truthful and impartial.

Actuality Footage: Actuality footage is when the news will show raw footage of an event, for example, the London Riots. Actuality footage usually happens when an event is happening live and the news reporters will narrate over with updates on the situation.

Links to Studio: Links to the studio are made when the news anchor will pass on a story to a reporter. The audience will be able to see the reporters in the studio and another screen will show the other news anchor passing on a story.

Modes of Address to viewer: The mode of address is how the reporter will deliver the news on the TV to the audience. For example, a field reporter when giving news will often be centred and the eye line of the reporter is just above the middle. This will give the viewers a notion that the field reporter is not looking down on them. News anchors will be centred but unlike news readers they will be slightly higher than the camera, this makes them look more authoritative which gives the viewer a more respectable notion of the anchor. If a news reporter isn’t looking directly towards the camera or talking to another person then the report is an indirect mode of address report. However, if the news reporter is looking directly at the camera and directly talking to the viewer ten it is a direct mode of address report.

Codes and Conventions of Documentary’s (LO2)

Expository: The expository mode is looked at as the truth. Its main aspect is to display a firm sense of truth with all it is based upon. This type of mode often uses a narrative and shows the different conventions of voice overs, footage which was filmed as stage and talks directly to the audience. Essentially this type of documentary only looks at the truth and displays facts. This type of mode may have the convention of realism too as it wants to display a truth about the topic and realism looks simply at the facts and using actuality footage as a source of proof.

Observational: In this mode of documentary the filmmaker does not appear on camera and also tries to limit their involvement and interaction with the subject of the documentary so as not to influence them in any way. Traditionally in the observational mode, none of the footage is staged and so the camera movements are that of a handheld camera which makes it possible to capture as much as the action as possible. This also allows the individual being filmed to forget about the presence of the camera and the others to act normally which will allow the audience a more naturalistic view of the subject. This mode mainly looks at being very truthful and objective which is meant by giving the facts. This type of documentary is seen to have the filmmaker always behind the camera which means they will not influence the actions/events of the viewer’s point of view it is almost like the other wants to just portray the facts. As this mode is not a staged documentary the camera techniques will be shakey and not very clear because as the filmmaker they do not influence what they are about to film. This mode can most definitely be linked with realism as it is not re-enacted and it uses actuality footage

Reflexive: The reflective mode openly reveals the opinion of the documentarian which may not necessarily be truthful but is put across to the audience as reconstructions. This means that they may not be telling the truth but it is a heavily manipulated and subsided version of real events. It may include parts of the post production stage as the addition of music and other aspects like cutting, which makes the audience aware of the editing used. This mode is not necessarily the truth but is ‘a truth’. As the viewer’s we see the putting together of the document and as they re-create stuff that has happened. So in documentary’s you would see the nature of equipment being setup and filmed things that may not be relevant but all these conventions help make the documentary real and making the

audience believe that what they are watching is the truth. This type of documentary also does not have a particular side, making it impartial.

An example of a documentary which uses the reflexive mode is ‘Biggie & Tupac’ documentary. This is about two murdered rappers. It showcases the investigation of the two deaths trying to understand who did it and why. This documentary shows the mode of reflexive as we see the setting up of camera before the filming, it shows that they have nothing to hide and going back to the definition this links to it being ‘a truth’. This documentary example is mostly towards the conventions of being ‘realism’ as it is trying to portray the truth and that’s it. It doesn’t try to have cliff hangers or attempts to build a story. This documentary cannot narrate a story as they are investigating and this can change throughout the documentary if they do not achieve the information needed. Conventions include: handheld camera, actuality footage, interviews and statistics.

Performative: In this mode the filmmaker is an active participant in the documentary. Using this mode shows that they wish to evoke an emotional response from the audience through the use of the filmmaker giving a direct address at times and giving their own subjective view on the situation. This mode can be used to make the audience think about a specific subject and can produce their own opinion as the film will not present an impartial view. This mode is meant by how deeply the filmmaker is involved in the documentary and how performative it is. It is most seen to be a very

subject based as it only shows the side of the subject person. This mode is not a balanced documentary; it can also be used to generate emotions in the audience.

An example of a performative mode documentary is the programme ‘Catfish’; this is a clear example of a performative mode as the main guy making the video is the subject of the story. We see his views throughout the documentary and is entirely based on him and an experience. Catfish is about a young man who is being filmed and documented by his brother and friend

whilst building a relationship with a female through a social networking site ‘Facebook’, as the story develops we see that he was being played and was not talking to a young girl but in fact was talking to the mother. Relating to different techniques I see that Catfish can fall under dramatization and narrativsation. We see the use of dramatization as the documentary uses cliff hangers to keep the viewer hooked and this automatically makes it more interesting as the viewers want to see what happens when he meets her. Some techniques of dramatization used are voice overs and music.

Interactive: This format focuses on the engagement of each individual without using classic interview styles. Past events are able to be discussed by witnesses and experts. The viewers are also able to be aware of who was involved in an event and their own views on the event instead of showing archive footage. The filmmaker will also be featured within their own documentary.

Realism: Realism shows actuality footage, techniques that would be seen would be things like: handheld cameras, interviews with people who are involved in the topic, statistics and graphs to

support the facts. Realism is an approach to life which means dealing with the way things are. If you see the world through the lens of realism, you will accept what is in front of you and will not pretend it is otherwise. The term realism when used in film making means that the following information contained within the production is both accurate, detailed and is being displayed in a way which reflects real life as closely as possible. Realism is the relation of film to reality. Techniques include things such as accuracy, unmediated and authentic. In the film documentary Murderball, realism is used. Examples of this include the events and emotions portrayed through the program were not constructed and were real and the background story’s such as how the players ended up in wheelchairs.

Dramatization: Dramatization mainly creates drama out of a real life situation so it may include techniques such as cliff hangers, voice overs, music and graphics. This is usually all done through a re-enactment of the situation. Essentially dramatization is construction of representation in a dramatic response. It is a method which exaggerates the seriousness of a story in order to get the audience’s attention through entertainment and exaggeration. An example of dramatization is a documentary called Murderball (2005). Techniques include things such as: extreme focus on background story of characters, reality of a handicapped life, dramatic scenes and some uplifting moments. Filmmakers of Murderball have made the audience pick the USA as a side, so we as an audience feel devastation and anger when team Canada beat them in the Paralympics. We as an audience have been thrown into the men’s lives, their dreams and the amazing recoveries from the accidents and conditions that left them in wheelchairs.

Narrativsation: Narrativsation is an important convention of documentary style film. It means that the film flows in the way of a story, with a beginning, middle and end. Narrativsation allows the audience of the film to connect with the characters more as it usually shows them through a period of time and often shows how they get about their daily lives. An example of narrativsation within Murderball, the film begins with background stories of the wheelchair teams, showing training and team information which eventually flow to show the audience the lead up to and participation in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Types of Factual Programming (Genre LO3)

Chat Show/Talk Show: A chat show is a programme where real life people talk and discuss their life with a presenter. It will usually have a live studio audience or an audience to provide better connection form the reaction they provide. An example of this is ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’, this show looks at the problems that ordinary people are going through and the aspect of chat shows looks at the persons problems. Also like Jeremy Kyle, Jerry Springer is another great example of this as Jerry Spinger tries to resolve people’s problems with a main issue of relation problems that arise. It will include interviews between Jerry and the guest; it also tends to have some input from the audience.

Documentary: A documentary is a television programme of film that looks and real people and real events. For example ‘Bowling for Columbine’ which looks at the violence of guns and the affect it has in the area. In addition another example of a documentary is ‘Crime Pays’, this looks at how individuals in the society and been able to fulfil the living lifestyle they desire without the interference of law restricting them on the crime committed.

Docudrama: This is a television programme or film based on events that really happened which features very dramatized. Docudrama can also be a type of infotainment as they entertain individuals at the same time as informing them about a particular issue.

Docusoap: A docusoap is a series that looks into the lives of real people. A docusoap will not have professional actors but tends to have ordinary people that live out their daily lifestyle. We are presented with problems that take place and events such as their relationships, friendships, business problems and many other factors. An example of a docusoap is ‘Made in Chelsea’. Within each episode it takes a look at the events that take place such as relationship problems and the bonds of friendship they have from the party’s that are presented. Another example is ‘The only way is Essex’, this has a similar presentation to Made in Chelsea as it looks at their glamorous day-to-day lifestyles.

Infotainment: Infotainment is a programme about real events and facts that are produced in a way to entertain people. They are produced in order to entertain and inform at the same time, they tend to use the same presenters in order to enhance the popularity and includes elements such as reviews and interviews. An example of this is ‘Top Gear’; it consists of the three main presenters that provide information about cars with entert8ianment as they take them on journeys. ‘Crime Watch’ also being an example as it provides information to present crime within a neighbourhood and the entertainment with the recreation of the crime taking place.

Magazine: A magazine show consists of various reports, stories and news. It will also include a wide range of different genres to allow the shows and brings them together to make it more interesting. It will tend to have special guests, a live studio, and audience and may sometimes even have performances. Some examples of this are ‘Big Brother bit on the side’ and ‘Loose Women’. A magazine show is almost like other talk shows as it is studio based and usually consists of a presenter. Unlike the other sub-genres that use the same set up, this sub-genre is based upon facts and about giving news to the viewers, sometimes they will bring on an expert who will know more about the topic. A magazine show also consists of interviews, maybe with celebrities. These shows have a tricky job of making sure it keeps the viewer’s up to date with the latest news and updates. Some magazine shows may stick to one topic per day or airing and some may just tell you all the important information at that time.

Reality TV: Reality TV is a television programme that does not use professional actors but presents real situations and circumstances which involve ordinary people. Typical conventions of reality TV include factors such as presenting the relationships the people have and business aspects in their lives. An example of this is ‘Jersey Shore’; this is an American reality TV series that look and follows the lives of eight housemates that spend the summer in Jersey Shore.

Educational TV: Educational TV is where the programme is education to the viewer. Educational TV can have different age audiences, for example there are many different types of educational programmes which are aimed at young children to help them learn about simple things, whereas there are also educational programmes which has made for an older audience, these are mainly seen as very formal. There are so many educational programmes for children who are presented in a different way due to the age difference and this can be seen through a specific moral behind the episode and character that learned the lesson normally would speak about it at the end. There are two ways educational TV can be presented; these are either being very factual and driven towards the straight topic that the audience will be learning about or more for the older generation than those with morals and characters learning something through the story.

Wildlife: A wildlife documentary is when there is a natural history film of programme about wildlife, for example animals and plants. This type of factual programming is mainly filmed footage from the animals or plants natural habit; most of these types of documentaries are made as programmes. This programme focuses on teaching the viewers, essentially it is very emotional which leads to the mode

of address being very series as the programme wants to not only teach the viewer’s something but wants them to believe what is being said is true. Wildlife documentaries also try to show you things you may not have known or seen before. As a stereotype of presenter or voice over, these types of programmes are mostly presented by white males who are in the middle class. They may also use some form of graphics to support their facts and make the viewer’s believe them more.

Special Interest: A special interest documentary is another sub-genre of factual programmes; however it is not very popular anymore as this type of programme often has a smaller target audience as it will appeal to only those who have an interest in the programme. The programme demonstrates and guides the viewers through a complete topic and focuses its attention on it. These types of programmes are more traditional as they use the traditional conventions like focusing each episode on a different storyline but still keeping in that same context about the interest, for example cars. This type of documentary may also only be presented by one presenter who often knows a lot about the specific interest. As the programme will have a very small target audience it will address just one thing so again cars, this will only have an audience base viewers that like cars which is why programmes like these do not hit the mainstream channels like BBC and ITV.

Makeover Show: A makeover show is a development of the reality TV genre but even in these shows it targets the transformation of people’s lives for the better whether it’s their physical appearance or their house. These shows are real as the people chosen are real and want change. These programmes focus on issues of an individual’s life of family and it does this in each episode so every week there will be a different person or family they will be undertaking to make it look better. It often takes a light hearted and very positive tone towards the specific issues raised by the individual or family. For example, this show will not see a presenter like Ross Kemp presenting as he is not really light hearted and will tell the person straight what is wrong with them or their home rather than giving them the confidence. An example of a makeover show is ’60 Minute Makeover’.

Discussion: A discussion show is where a studio panel discuss things, these types of programmes often see experts on them so they know exactly what they are talking about and everything is specific to the topic. A discussion show does not necessarily use a live audience; it is not an interview based show. These shows are primarily to discuss the big topics of today and are not to find out information from people like you would if being in an interview, for example when seen on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories. Seeing as this is a discussion show, the mode of address is thought to be very serious at times when discussing important/serious topics but does have its time of a little joke to keep the audience engaged. Discussion shows are often live or if not live the filming would have been live and the cuts will be made after this is so that the topics being discussed are still up to date with reality. The show is filmed like a studio set up with 3 cameras as they need to catch everything as its being said. Discussion shows are also normally based in studios and are not based outside.

Review Show: A review show is a show that is mainly based upon a presenter trying out new products and actually physically getting involved themselves rather than just speaking about it. The presenter gets involved in different ways depending on what the show’s most focused topic is. For example, if it was very much about science and the presenter was a scientist they would understand what to do. A presenter can also be involved in ways where they have a voice over on achieve footage which comes across a review. The review show is also very similar to other sub-genres where it uses the same set up, being in a studio but may occasionally go outside for specific product testing and leading on to my last point these types of shows sometimes have interviews with experts within the field of that topic.

Be able to Plan and Research a Factual Programme for Television (LO3)

Develop Ideas; Programme Concept: Documentary, Informative, HistoricalVisit everywhere on the map with heritage parts of BasingstokeImages of each different place put together to make a title sequenceUse information from PowerPoint on the internet to develop a script in which we will presentBrief introduction as to what the documentary features and why we are doing itNews codes and conventions for introduction (desk, paper, green screen etc.)Speak to people working in all places such as the Willis Museum to give us more information about the place. This will be our use of interviews

Target Audience: Residents in BasingstokePublic who are interested in visiting Basingstoke and these specific placesClient – Basingstoke, local Freeview channel, people who are watching will already be residents, people who are unaware of these historical places will be interested to find out more. Some people may already be aware of the history so we will try to dig a little deeper and talk to people who may know more, for example, an expertLocal history societyBasingstoke and Deane Council

Development Techniques;

Narrative: Programme which uses facts rather than opinions, as a basis for making decisions, it also documents actual events and people. Initial idea is to document the heritage parts of Basingstoke. With the use of the secondary sources I found a PowerPoint which leads you through the town trail. This is the basis of my factual programme. The narrative is not the story itself but rather the telling of the story. While a story is just a sequence of events, a narrative recounts those events.

When speaking about narrative, there is a theorist to consider. This is Todorov’s theory, it includes three main parts. The text begins with a state of equilibrium – this is where everything appears to be normal or calm. Then there is some kind of disruption or disequilibrium – this is often a threat to the normal situation or it could just be a setback. After the equilibrium and disequilibrium there be becomes a new equilibrium – this is produced to end the narrative. Todorov suggests that there are five stages to how the narrative progresses. The equilibrium has to be carefully shown otherwise the disruption may not be dramatic enough to create a strong plot. Then there is a disruption, recognition that a disruption has happened, an attempt to repair the damage done and finally a new equilibrium is achieved.

The narrative of my documentary is going to include for starters which I call a tease. This is going to allow the audience the audience to focus on what my film is about, to introduce one or more principle characters, to establish the setting/location critical to the story, to set the tone for the film which will hopefully all together suck in the audience. Next will be the body, this is where the audience will get to know the characters, what they’re doing and why they’re doing it and seeing the action unfold. Finally is the conclusion, initially this is where I plan to wrap up, giving closure, to recap any points of a story and to provide information/details to the audience.

Research Process: - Primary Sources (contacts, interviews)- Secondary Sources (broadcasts, reviews, internet) http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9956C1FE-38D1-4809-B0AE-

61BAB6279CE0/0/9860TownTrailscreen.pdf (PDF made by the Basingstoke Heritage Society with support from the Basingstoke and Deane council)

Interview Questions: (Open Ended) What is your name?What do you do for your job?Please explain your job title and what it includeswhat challenges do you face looking after the museum? Could you give us a brief timeline of the museum’s history?Have you lived in Hampshire all of your life?Has the town changed in recent times? If so, how? How can people find out more about the towns history?

Legal and Ethical Considerations: All legal and ethical issues apply in all the forms other issues include opinions being presented as fact access and consent as film makers need permission to film people or in locations, privacy – rules agreed must be abided by. Other issues such as copyright permission, not breaking the contract with the viewer by displaying something offensive and health and safety when filming are all important. When diving straight into a project that will eventually include photos, videos, stock footage and other diverse elements, it’s so easy to lose track of the origins and contract information for each different element. I will insure that all legal ethical considerations are sorted before going ahead with everything.

Treatment:

Introduction Introduction includes the codes and conventions of news including (desk, paper, and computer). Essentially in the introduction we explain what the documentary includes and why we are doing it. As well as it being informative we also intend on making it entertaining by including the audience within our ‘journey’. Introduction plans to last roughly for 50 seconds

Audience The target audience is aimed particularly for the residents of Basingstoke and also the public who come to visit the town. My factual programme is also going to be aimed Basingstoke and Deane Council as well as the Local History Society. The main purpose of this documentary is for people who may be unaware of the town’s history to become aware and to find out more about it. Also for those who may already be aware of the history so our purpose is to dig a little deeper and talk to people who may know more, for example, an expert

Location Our location is going to be based in the whole of the Town Centre. Before going out to film the documentary we are planning to go and check over everywhere we intend to film, for example, especially pubs. We need to have permission in order for us to be able to film; we plan to do this before filming just in case we aren’t allowed so we can plan ahead and decide on something new if need be. Most locations listed on the town trail are public areas which mean we won’t need permission in order to film.