Conventions of Factual Programs and Documentaries
Transcript of Conventions of Factual Programs and Documentaries
What is a factual programme?
Factual television is a genre of non-fiction television
Documents actual events and people Educates/informs or explores a topic/issue or
situation Contains the use of FACTS or OPINION to
justify and support arguments/information
Factual programme conventions
Anchor/Newsreader or Studio Reader Is the person who reads out the news Is also involved in the researching and writing of the
news (not just a pretty face) Will use specific language and should always appear
impartial Keep eye contact with the camera and appear
professional at all times
Field Reporters
Report from a location outside of the main studio Usually called a Correspondent Will provide more detail on the story they are
reporting Spend their time living in the location or close to it in
order to be able to present back to the studio Are qualified journalists Are sometimes involved in dangerous situations
Links to Studio Cutting to another TV News studio or location for more information More frequent in high end, important stories Special witness accounts Live interviews
Mode of Address to the Viewer How is the information communicated to the audience Unbiased and impartial Tone of voice Language used Speed of delivery Construction of show (Overview of headlines,
greeting, progress into each story, sign off) Hard news then soft news Domestic vs International Local news branch after national news
Interviews with Experts & Witnesses Help support a point or comment in a story Allows the story to become more real/serious Important to allow stories to have justification
and standing Allows different sides of the story to be
presented Can explain difficult issues or topics
Actuality footage
Allows viewers ‘to see’ what's happening Makes stories seem more real Can allow specific elements of a story to be
understood Is sometimes the only way to explain a story Engages the viewer more
Documentary Programme Conventions
Hand Held Camera Realism and truth Shaky cam Very common in documentaries Heighten tension Allows access to areas/situation and
people easier
Narrative Voice Over
Acts as a guide/lead to the documentary Is sometimes a character from within the
documentary or a known celebrity Allows certain pieces of information to be
explained Thoughts and feelings can be expressed Sometimes required in order to help documentary
story progress
Vox Pops & Interviews Quick insights into peoples’ opinions Help gather a range of opinions or outlooks Common among community based issues/topics. Also known as ‘Talking Heads’
Archive Footage & Still Images Some documentaries rely on archive footage as the issue/subject/topic
is in the past Often brings new light onto evets/people Needs permission to be used https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGsczwEKnOI
Editing
Editing is vital to the delivery of a documentary The collision of shots (editing) can change the
meaning of information Tend to be more creative as technology develops Cutting can be rough and not so clean, to add
impact It’s what creates the story
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Consider all the previous slides when discussing the convention of factual programmes.
You may use the examples in this presentation within your discussion
Try and locate your own examples as well To achieve distinction you must explain
COMPREHENSIVELY the convention within factual programmes.