Post on 09-Jul-2015
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CODES AND CONVENTIONS
OF FACTUAL PROGRAMMING
ObservationalAn observational documentary captures the
objective reality on film, but the film maker isn’t
seen or heard on camera, also known as ‘fly on
the wall’. The film maker only films what they are
seeing first hand, they stay neutral and don’t
interfere with any of the events being filmed.
Observational
Codes and Conventions of Observational Film Making;
The filmmaker remains hidden behind the camera and for the most part is
ignored by the surrounding environment.
The cameraman doesn’t interfere with what he is filming. They have no
influence in the scenes on camera.
Nothing is staged for the camera, it is all real-life events.
The camera often has to rush about to be able to keep up with the subject,
which results in the footage looking shaky and amateur.
Observational
Examples of Observational Documentaries
MTV Cribs – Cameras follow well known celebrities around their house as
they give a tour.
Richard Pennebacker’s ‘Don’t Look Back’ – Following Bob Dylan around on
his 1965 UK tour.
Frederick Wiseman’s ‘Hospital’ – fly on the wall style documentary of an
American hospital.
Participatory• A participatory film is still filmed as a
documentary, however the filmmaker is seen on
camera. They are sometimes seen interviewing
subjects. Participatory films welcome interaction
between the filmmaker and those being filmed.
The filmmaker also has some influence over what
is being filmed- so they could potentially
dramatize something to make the events look
more dramatic to those watching.
Participatory
Codes and Conventions of Participatory Film Making;
The filmmaker’s impact on the events recorded is acknowledged.
The filmmaker can be seen on camera, whereas observational filmmakers
are neither seen nor heard.
Participatory
Examples of Participatory Documentaries
Nick Broomfield’s ‘Kurt and Courtney’
The films of Michael Moore – becomes a crucial part of the documentary,
almost becomes a character in what is being filmed.
MTV’s ‘Catfish’ – The whole documentary is centered around one of the
filmmakers, Nev, who is either on camera or narrating. The documentary is
following him as he tried to meet the girl that he has been talking to on the
internet.
Reflexive• A reflexive documentary is different to both the
previous examples, as it acknowledges the
constructed nature of the documentary. The
filmmaker is present both in front the camera as
well as narrating the documentary also.
Reflexive
Codes and Conventions of Reflexive Film Making
The artificial side of the documentary is exposed- the audience are made
aware of the editing, sound, recording etc..
Reflexive
Examples of Reflexive Documentaries
Dziga Vertov’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ – a film about the mechanization
of soviet life in the late twenties. Both the camera and the cameraman
become part of the subject.
Nick Broomfield’s films
Louis Theroux’s films
Performative Performative documentary is still getting a certain point
across, however the filmmaker stresses certain points that
back up their own personal point of view. They are
selective with what they show and only show footage that
will validate the opinion they wish to express to the
viewer.
Performative
Codes and Conventions of Performative Film Making
Emphasizes the emotional and social impact on the audience.
Emphasizes film makers personal point of view.
Edited in a way the reflects the filmmakers own point of view.
Performative
Examples of Performative Documentaries
Morgan Spurlock’s ‘Supersize me’
Some Michael Moore films
ExpositoryExpository documentaries emphasize verbal commentary
and argumentative logic, often using a narrator. It is the
most commonly used form of documentary. Expository
documentaries could be seen as quite biased films, as
they often display a ‘logical’ and ‘right’ argument.
Expository
Codes and Conventions of Expository Film Making
Often uses a narrator
‘Filmmaker’ is never seen. If it doesn’t have a narration
there is usually a presenter.
Expository
Examples of Expository Documentaries
Mostly associated with TV news Programming
John Grierson’s works
Most nature documentaries
CONVENTIONS OF
NEWS PROGRAMMES
TV News Readers
Research any guests Well- read Wear smart clothes, eg suit
Well spoken
Interview guests
Clear voice
Read news
Educated on current
eventsFocusedUnderstanding of legal and
ethical issues
Remain professional –
no emotion
Last minute research
Fast thinking- need
to be able to ad lib
Read/edit script
Confident
TV News Readers
• TV News Presenters are one of the main focuses of a
television news show. They have to be able to read fast-
as they will be reading from a teleprompter, and they also
have a script that they can refer to which gives them more
information to read. They also sometimes need to
improvise live on the air if a breaking news story comes
in.
TV News Studios
Screens show stats
& graphics
Desk where presenter sits
Film crew out
of shot
Lighting
2 or 3 cameras
Large area
with space
for
interviewees/
guests
Green screens
Desk is normally centralised in the studio
TV News Studios
• Every television news show is filmed in a TV studio. Most
studios commonly have a desk in the centre or within the
shot, and screens or a green screen in the background
where graphics and statistics related to the stories will
flash up. In some studios, like the BBC and Sky News,
they have glass in the background where you can see
desks and offices where people are researching stories.
There are usually various cameras that usually film the
presenter from different angles.
TV News Programmes
• Although there are many TV News Programmes, they all
follow the same ‘recipe’. They usually start with quite a
fast-paced piece of music that notifies the viewer that it is
starting, before showing a shot of the presenter sat at a
desk in the studio. Next, they’ll usually read out the
headlines of the stories, before moving onto each
individual story and giving more information. Whilst the
headlines are being read out, the screen in the
background normally have either pictures that are related
to the story or relevant statistics. For example, if it were a
story about the NHS, they would normally have a picture
of a doctor or sometimes some medication.
TV News Programmes
• Throughout the programme, the cameras will cut away to
an expert on a particular subject being reported on, or a
correspondent who is live at the scene, for example they
may cut away to a political correspondent who is live at
the Houses of Parliament. They also use Vox pops in
stories that concern the public or would have the most
public interest, for example stories about student loans or
the NHS.