Rhetorical Analysis of TV Broadcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPXdfK9ECk

Rhetorical Analysis

• 4 types

• Verbal

• Presentational

• Photographic

• Editing

Introduction

• Usually begins with a jingle

• Recognised BBC Logo

• Respected news presenters

• Breaking News – a change to scheduling is explained (importance)

Verbal Rhetoric

• ‘This is BBC, now a change to the schedule as we join BBC News 24’

• Prepares audience for a major news breakthrough

• BBC News 24 is the bigger company

• ‘We’re interrupting normal programmes to bring you extraordinary pictures from the United States’

Verbal Rhetoric• Careful choice of wording (adj ‘extraordinary’)

• ‘sound tend to anchor meaning on TV while the image tends to anchor it with cinema’ (Ellis Reading)

• Sound could be used on radio broadcast to carry same meaning

• ‘Sound can be heard where the image is sometimes restricted’ (Ellis)

• ‘Sound holds attention more consistently than image’ (Ellis)

• Simple factual information

• ‘Sound tends to carry the details’

• ‘its impossible to imagine what’s going on in there’

Presentational Rhetoric

• We do not see any studio shots, the emphasis is on the alternation of the images of the two towers

• Such an iconic event is about factual information for the consumer, not fancy post production

• It is usual that surroundings on news broadcasts are natural and non distracting, to ensure no attention is deflected from the story, we see NO distracting visuals at all.

Photographic Rhetoric

• We only see 3 different images throughout the broadcast clip

• ‘Images on TV are held on screen until information is exhausted’

• Establishing shot of two towers

• Mid shot of top section of towers (parts that have been damaged)

• Creates emphasis on crisis

Photographic Rhetoric

• ‘The broadcast TV image has to be sure that its’ meaning is obvious’ especially on such sensitive stories.

• This creates iconic images of the event

• ‘Broadcast TV image is gestured rather than detailed’ – one side of the breakthrough

• ‘It is as though the TV is a live image, transmitted as it is produced’

• ‘conventional that viewer is larger than image’ however, in this instance the choice of low angle image creates the sense of inferiority of the viewer.

Editing

• Almost non existent post production techniques

• Not a huge variation on camera angles, we get jerky zooms in and out of the explosion area of the building to show the scale of the situation

• The only visual we see other than the intro BBC logo and 9/11 explosion images is post production added “BREAKING NEWS BAR” at the bottom of the screen.

• Signature BBC colours, red creates a sense of emergency, similar to that of hazard signs.

• This has been very purposefully made to focus around content.

Conclusion

• Although most segments are typical to their codes and conventions, on special exceptions, different rules apply.