UNIT 27 - News report

UNIT 27 - Codes and Conventions of news packages

News package

A news package is what the news use when they cut away to someone away from the studio. This is usually to where the main news is happening offsite and will feature many things such as interviews, facts and statistics and general updates/info about the topic. News packages are the main way broadcasters deliver long stories in depth. The news package would be filmed with an entirely different crew compared to the ones in the studio with the link to the studio. This shows that the news package can be live or pre-recorded. This in n overall aspect gives the audience more information in depth and is very informative.

Field reporter

A field reporter is the main anchor of a news report. They are usually the ones who deliver the news to the audience and inform them on what is going on. They'll be involved in the action of the topic or usually just there to report information about it. Their location, tone, and appearance would link to the subject as it is suitable for the overall message coming across. The reason why this convention is used in a convention is because it is the most effective and interactive way of giving information to the audience. By making sure the news reporter is formal and clear not only towards the topic but in the way in which they address and speak it shows the audience that they are trust worthy and will engage them further into the story.


Link to the studio

Link to the studio is the moment in a news report where the field reporter will interact with the studio. This shows the way the field reporter feeds back to the studio to put it on air. Usually during a live report the field reporter will use links to the studio do talk about the situation they are in and reply to any questions or information the studio want them to report on. There are specific camera angles and shots used for the information being told so it is more engaging and gets the message across. The reason why link to the studio is used is because it shows the current situation the field reporter is in and shows feedback coming from there. The field reporter corresponds to the Link to the studio when they ask questions so the audience gain the knowledge they want.

                                                                                   Mode of address to the viewer

The correspondent is in Japan exploring different girls and women on what they think are the expectations to their body weight, type and appearance. The report mainly consists of interviews with Japanese females and how they feel about the physical features. The report starts off with the correspondent by saying "welcome to quite possibly one of the most image conscious places on the planet" at 0:02 in a very upbeat way to engage the audience and get their attention on the topic. In this documentary the woman has to get the attention of the audience therefore she addresses the audience in a upbeat manner as it links to the topic which would be under lifestyle. If the reporter was speaking in a very serious manner with an informative tone then the audience wouldn't be as interested, and because this isn't really such a serious topic then there is no need for the reporter to show that tone with the audience.



Interviewing experts and witnesses

During a news interview it is usual that there is a few interviews and questions to be asked to a various amount of people or experts in the area of focus. By interviewing experts and witnesses it increases the reliability the news will have towards the audience and shows that their sources aren't based on second hand information but is filmed with people who either are technical experts in their area or people who have gone through or know what happened in a certain subject. The field reporter will often be asking the questions/doing interviews with these people as they are the ones who are out on the go going to different places wherever the action is. These interviews are for knowledge and understanding or to just build a general picture from the person being interviewed. The feedback the people give when being interviewed will be reported back to the studio or it cn be shown in a cut away from the studio with the conventions with the field reporter. In terms of keeping the audience engaged the news report would only take a short section of the interview as they'd want to keep the audience engaged enough to get the information being said. In terms of Experts in their field there might be a longer period of time spent on them as their say is important due to there knowledge and expert skills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM91-IXJ8Ic

UNIT 27 - Nichols Modes documentary

Realism

Realism is the actual footage filmed first hand. It is all natural and none o fit is acted. This is usually seen in documentaries where the footage has to be coming from a direct source and not one that has been set up. This adds realism as it is all natural and not "made up". It usually consists of interviews with people who were involved in the topic/event. This again gives first hand sources and information for the audience to take in and have their own personal opinion to. In addition graphs and statistics can be used to support and validify points given within the documentary. It all just adds up to the whole aspect of it being 'real'. Also within a piece that is under "realism" a handheld camera is usually (most of the time) used as it gives us what individuals who are actually there see. If there were all sorts of angles and different camera techniques being used, then it wouldn't have the feel of a realistic piece and therefore it would defeat the purpose. An example of this would be on Ross kemps 'South Londons' gangs where all the footage is first hand and comes from a direct source of information. This is reliable and shows the realistic side of the whole documentary in itself.


Dramatisation

Dramatisation is the use of re-enactments alongside interviews. This features acting which is usually based off a real life event or topic. They will not have raw footage of the actual event it is usually  reenactment which features real people who are acted by others. This gives the audience a more in depth look at the topic. They will also add in sounds more specifically non-diegetic sounds to emphasise the mood that should be coming from the audience. This makes the piece more engaging to the viewer. This can be seen in the show 'Crime watch'. This gives us reenactments of real life events which have happened to people. It gives the audience an idea of what actually happened. It also helps engage the audience as they get the opportunity to see something that happened in real life only it is being reenacted by actors and not actually the people who were involved. Interviews are actually taken too to get some first hand information. This adds to the whole information and viewing experience as the audience are getting both information and engaging television.


Narrativisation

Narrativisation is creating a story with a narrative structure which is based on facts. This mode of film is very informative and engaging to viewers. The narrator of the film would be telling us different facts about what is on screen and will give their own opinion in most cases. This grabs the attention of the viewer as their is information (facts) along with an opinion. A perfect example of this would be on the National Geographic channel Narrated by David Attenborough on his wildlife experiences. He gives facts and information and this engages the audience. However in my own opinion the mode of getting to the audience is very slow paced usually and can bore me which could lead to me losing interest.





Expository

This is also known as "The Voice Of God", this is a voice over of what is happening and it influences/persuades the viewer to look at something in a certain way. This can lead the audience to agree with what is being said. In addition it also It can teach the audience and in effect make them feel under pressure and feel more accepting of the information being given to them. It in a way manipulates the viewers to think in exact way. An example of this would be in the nature programme "The march of the penguins". In this text a narrative voice known as Morgan Freeman speaks over everything which is happening on the screen and also tells the audience his own opinion.  This is very similar to narrativisation however this is more manipulative and makes the audience believe a certain view.



Observational

This is when the camera is just on the focus, there is no narration usually a person who follows around the focus without getting in the way. This can also be called the "fly on the wall" technique as it is as if we are a fly following around a certain focus and seeing how they live. This is a style in which the audience get very engaged. However this can get pretty boring as following around certain people all day and seeing how they live isn't really the most entertaining thing unless you are a die hard fan of them. An example of a show like this would be 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' or The real Beckhams'. In these shows the camera follows the families around seeing their day to day luxury lifestyles. This can be engaging to some as they'd want to wonder what these A-list celebrities get up to in their spare time other then being in front of the paparazzi. A disadvantage of this is that audience cant give their feedback so it isn't interactive at all. This can lead to people getting bored easily and losing interest. Shows such as these do not give audiences the chance to interact with the stars. Hence why these shows can have people losing interest, which is a huge disadvantage.




Interactive

Interactivity welcomes engagement between interviewers/filmmakers and the subject. This enhances the entertainment as we are seeing the actual producer/filmmaker talk with the subject. This can either be very informative or show the audience a complete new meaning to a focus. This can be seen in the example of 'Point And Shoot'. This is a film about a man who was a living in America all his life with his middle class family and then when he hit adulthood he decided to go to as many Arab countries as possible and see how they operate in those specific countries.In this documentary it gives us an insight of a mans journey through the struggle of Libya's democratic crisis. He ventures forth into parts of the world the media don't show. Within this documentary/film it gives the audience a chance to take in what they're watching and develop their own opinion, this is obviously an advantage. This showed all of his reactions throughout his journey and the filmmaker kept up to pace with him through this journey so the audience could get a jist of how life was like for him and his emotional trip.




Reflexive

This helps the audience understand the process of the films production this helps them develop their own critical on it. It is when the director/producer of the documentary acknowledges their presence. This allows the audience to give their own perception of the documentary. It in effect engages the audience in further detail and enables the viewers to give their opinion. This can be seen in the example of 'Louis Theroux- crystal meth'. In this documentary Louis Theroux follows and goes around interviewing different people on their experiences and life choices. This enables the audience to develop an opinion and have their own critic on it. This engages the audience as going around getting first hand feedback is reliable and it shows what's coming from a person who actually had suffered. This also gives the audience a chance to understand the process of the films production.

Performative

This mode allows presenters to lead the narrative, becoming part of the story itself. Allows the presenter to show emotional responses as they happen, and ion effect engaging the viewer further.  It allows the producer to have their own opinion and get involved with the whole programme itself. This can further engage the audience as they are seeing both views and different information.  

UNIT 27 - Examples of issue

Accuracy

Accuracy reporting must come from precise, reliable and trustworthy sources. This enables that the film/documentary is as truthful as possibly and keeps it at a honest view. Some pieces do not stick to accuracy and have an imbalance and do not show reliability. In order to show accuracy you must show that the focus is being shown in the most equal and realistic way. No extra information should be added on when showing accuracy. An example of this issue and how it relates to the issue is The news report about the president who was dying. This was reliable as it gave eye witness's information of people who were actually there at the time. They would be able to give accurate information and make the documentary a reliable source.

Balance

Balance is the equal perspective of both parties. Having a balance in a documentary is important as it shows the equality being shown and has two different views. However there are some documentary's that do not stick to this hence why it can be an issue. Balance is very important to have in factual television. Having balance enables the audience to get an overall view form both sides of the focus.
An example of this can be seen in the Sunday morning show that is called 'The Big Question'. In this show popular topics are spoken about and two parties both with different views argue their points and there is a presenter who is at a neutral position so it is as equal as possible. This shows fairness as there isn't an unfair balance.

Impartiality

Impartiality is where media institutions remain neutral in their output, they avoid conveying personal opinion or beliefs. This is important when trying to be as fair as possible because if one party is unfairly put at an advantage then it leads the topic to be represented in a different way. The news for example have to be impartial and keep their personal views and opinions away from the topic. By doing this the topic is given to the viewers for their own information. So when a news report is showing two sides of a story they have to show those sides equally so the story is as truthful as possible relating to facts etc.


Objectivity

Objectivity is where your personal beliefs, views and opinions do not influence your story telling. Objectivity has the filmmaker looking in from the outside, so it doesn't feature any first hand expertise coming from themselves. the filmmaker would be showing information to the audience and keeping the opinions from both sides of a story. This enables the audience to see and take in information. An example of this would be Reggie Yates documentary on 'Racism'. In this documentary he asked both ethnic groups on their opinion of the topic featuring many different views. He didn't just show one side to the documentary and didn't just keep the views of one side to a minimum.


Subjectivity

Subjectivity is a one sided view which can influence the viewer. this can happen when only one side is shown within the piece. This comes under subjectivity and not Bias as it can influence the audience in many ways. This is an issue as it does not show a fair representation of both parties. This links back to balance as it doesn't show a equal balance in representation. An example of this would be in the documentary 'London's gang culture'. In this documentary it showed all opinions and views coming from the federals (police) against the anti-social behaviour of many young black men in the area of North London. This was subjective as they didn't go into as much detail when talking from the gang members side/point of view. this can be an issue as many may think that this isn't being very representative of everyone within the documentary.


Opinion

Opinion is usually a subjective issue , the personal view on the whole subject is coming from the filmmaker. They can put their personal beliefs / experiences to tell a what they think. Although this isn't bad, it can portray some misleadance and become a bit too one sided. Having opinion in a documentary can bring about new thoughts and ideas from the audience so its not 100% negative.

Bias

Being bias means manipulating people for them to believe your thoughts and ways of thinking. This can have many effects. One being as major issue as this can lead someone to think the wrong about a certain topic. Being bias in some cases can go into further detail about a side. This can make us think differently about the second party and make audiences open up new views. However being bias can have a very negative effect on a documentary as it is inly showing a one sided view. This shows no equality or "balance" in a representation of two parties. An example of this would be the Documentary 'bush did 9/11' it comes from a conspiracists point of view show the reasons for Bush conducting the worlds worst ever 'Terrorist' attack.

Access

In order for journalists to report on specific topics accurately, they must be given access to certain people or places. This requires permission (if the participant is under the age of 16). This can be an issue as by not having access or permission to film or capture certain people or places it is binded as illegal misuse.

Privacy

In society we have a right to privacy, so each individual has their own personal right of this and if this privacy is breached then the person can claim. Most cases certain individuals or groups can get away with this for example the paparazzi and federation groups such as the CIA as they can use their advantage for their own personal benefit.

Contract with the viewer

This is an unwritten rule between the a producer and the audience, whereby all content is deemed accurate, honest and engaging. If it does not fulfil these then it can either have a negative response from the audience and it would effect the reliability of the production as a whole.