Task 1B Draft

For task 1B I will be writing up an analysis a Documentary and two other factual programmes of my choice; giving a detailed report of the codes and conventions utilised. Lastly I will be conducting an analysis of the codes and conventions of a news broadcast.

Documentary- Britain's Crimes of Honour

The documentary was broadcasted on BBC one Panorama and is based on the crimes in Britain which are going unreported, this being the beatings, imprisonment and even murder committed by those closest to the victims, and their families. These are crimes of so called 'honour'. This type of documentary is expository and utilises typical conventions such as narration, Interviews and conventional narrative structures.

For example there is narration (voice of God), which is used to directly address the viewer, giving an explanation between the footage and voice over. The narration is a direct relationship between what we see in the documentary and what we hear in the voice over. The documentary is carried out in a conventional narrative format with all the scenes in chronological order.

The narrator is also a reporter in the documentary, she plays a main role conducting interviews and visiting the places of where the crimes were committed, and these interviews help support the argument of the documentary.   

The genre of this programme is combined with reality television and educational, as the documentary presents a sense of the reality that lives in the UK within Asian society’s and this educates the audience on the realism of the attacks carried out. The programme displays the photographs of the victims before and after these attacks had occurred, this gives the audience a sense of the realism which occurs within these communities and their backwards traditions.

Also with access to police investigations, Panorama reveals the outrageous details of 'honour' killings, of women who were driven to suicide and those on the run, in fear of their lives. These were essential to include in the documentary as it represents the accuracy showing that this was not false information in fact true to life.

During the documentary it mentions a national helpline that is used to contact for domestic violence, there are statistics shown on how many people have called in a year, this also represents the quality of facts used to prove accuracy during the documentary.

Documentary- Walking the Americas
 

Walking the Americas is a travel documentary featuring Levison Wood, an explorer and writer who begins his trip from the north-eastern tip of Mexico, and continues his walk across the entire length of Central America, through eight countries. This programme was broadcasted on Channel 4 and was continuous every week showcasing four episodes.

This programme is combined with three different documentary formats; Expository, Interactive and Performative. There is narration (voice of god) by the same reporter which is edited in to the documentary addressing the viewers of what they are seeing. For example there is an establishing shot taken by a drone camera; showing the viewer the setting of where the walk is taking place, along with this is the narration addressing the relationship between what the viewers can see and where they are.  

There are elements of interactive techniques which are used such as the acknowledgement of the camera and crew but also the film-maker who is speaking directly to his subjects for example, whilst Levison walks past villages and towns there are people who he bumps in to that have something to say to the camera.  This is also a representation of different viewpoints where these people contribute different information about their town/village.

This travel documentary is performative as the filmmaker stars in his own film, he is given camera equipment to film his journey. In one of the episodes it shows the process of the filmmaker making the film, this is shown by his partner on the journey giving the viewers a sense of how the film is made, this is known as self-reflexive.

Another example of how this documentary is performative is the filmmaker uses a handheld camera throughout the journey; giving the audience a sense of his personality and views, this is also portrayed through conducting interviews with local people within the town and giving his opinion about it.

The purpose of the travel documentary is to educate and entertain the viewers of the countries landmarks and cultures which Levison Wood explores. During the episodes he explores the different towns in which gang violence and drugs are well known, this gives the audience a sense of the realism that lives within those countries, towns or places. 

I also saw in one episode where Levison crosses the border and comes across a refugee camp that lives in terrible conditions, this portrayed awareness to the viewers of what the sad reality is of those refugees trying to look for work but are stuck in those camps. This was a representation of the way things are for them and demonstrations the accuracy in the documentary showing the true to life.

The episodes were made into the form of a narrative structure throughout the documentary. For example the episodes consisted of the journey moving forward giving us a sense of the explorer’s story from where he began his journey.  This was an effective way of addressing the audience and telling them the narrative of the documentary.

Documentary- Planet Earth II

Planet Earth II is a 2016 multinational nature documentary series produced by the BBC as a sequel to Planet Earth, which was broadcast in 2006. This programme is an example of an expository documentary as it relies on verbal commentary to give us a direct relationship of the footage and voice over; explaining what we are seeing.

The audience for this type of documentary listens to the narrator (David Attenborough) who’s voiceover emphasis what is happening with argumentative logic. For example during each episode there would be footage captured of the wildlife in different parts of the world and as that footage is being displayed; David Attenborough narrates and explains what is happening.

Planet Earth enables us as an audience to see the realism of the wildlife animals and how they survive around the world in magnificent places. The footage almost looks fake however the filmmakers have gone to the extreme; using brilliant cameras and perfect timing to film this footage. During the episodes, there are many shots and angles which give us different views for example the establishing shot which is used quite often captures the action of the lions attacking a giraffe, this scene gives the viewer an intense feeling, particularly with the sound and narration from David Attenborough.

The use of narrativisation is a key factor within this documentary as David Attenborough narrates the story of the animals; telling the audience the life of each animal that lives within that specific area of the world. The narrativisation gives an intense feeling, for example during an episode there was a particular scene where snakes were hunting for prey and this scene was made more intense with the use of sound along with David Attenborough’s voice which caused a lot of suspense towards the viewer.

Throughout this documentary realism is portrayed, for example the animals which live in their natural habitats are shown taking measures that need to be essential in order for them to survive. Another example was shown clearly through the episode which consisted of male penguins in the North Pole trying to provide food for their family; showing the dangerous practices that are essential for them to take.

News Broadcast- Al Jazeera

The news broadcast that I’m analysing is an extract from “Al Jazeera News”, which covers different types of stories. During the broadcast there are studio news readers who are the main reporters/presenters that appear on TV conducting an in depth research to identify and develop news stories of interest.

The presenters edit copy from other reporters or external news agencies, and also write news bulletins, links and assist in the production of scripts. Whilst watching this broadcast I was not able to see all the pre-production documentations of the presenter, however the presenter did hold papers in her hand which she occasionally looked at.

News readers need to have certain skills and attributes, these are having knowledge of editorial, having good interpersonal skills, good communication skills and also to have a key understanding of the legal and ethical issues which affect journalism. During this news broadcast I was able to clearly understand what news story the reporter was addressing. The presenter had good, interpersonal and communication skills and I was able to identify the five W’s of the particular story.

It is essential for the visual codes to be put in practice when watching the reporter and how they should be presented towards the viewers. The reporter looked professional and was elegant in her appearance; her hair was neat.

There are contributors that appear in news broadcasts, these are usually experts, witnesses or members of the public. During Al Jazeera’s broadcast there was a news story which consisted of an attack in Sudan, along with this were eye witnesses who appeared on TV giving information of what happened. These contributors impact the broadcast as it strengthens the news report.

The report structure is set out in a conventional way; compromising the same techniques. This is applied with the piece to camera then cut away, interview, voice of the people and lastly graphics.

Cest Mon Block

Recce

We filmed part of the documentary at Wanstead Flats as it was an ideal location for the type of area we were looking for. This is was an ideal location as it was an estate and had the feel of an urban council estate.  For health and safety there us a parking lot so when we are filming we have to make sure that there are no moving vehicles in the vicinity. There was also hazardous things on the floor such as glass which meant we had to be extra careful to see there isn’t anything on the floor.  We also had to be extra vigilant not to lose any of the equipment.

Production schedule

Call Sheet

Task 2A Pitch

Task 1A Re draft

Task 1 A

Educating Yorkshire

Educating Yorkshire Is a British documentary programme, broadcasted on channel 4. The documentary was based on students and staff lives of Thornhill Community Academy, a secondary school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The school was known for its previously bad reputation and was amongst one of the worst performing schools in England, with a report from Ofsted in 2007 saying it was "below average".

The documentary was filmed with cameras that were put up around a school capturing all action. This is an observational documentary as it utilises the fly on the wall style presentation which captures all the action in the hallway, playground and classrooms. Over the seven weeks they collected 2,000 hours’ worth of footage on 64 cameras from 7am to 5pm each day.  They also had several handheld cameras and 22 radio microphones. 

During the docusoap different students are portrayed with different problems which are affecting their education. For example during one episode a troubled student who is known for his bad reputation is being recorded, showing the type of language and aggressive behaviour he uses towards other students. The episode also shows how the principle is overcoming the issues this student is facing by approaching him in a way of understanding. This could make the docusoap subjective as its viewpoint is based on personal feeling and opinions. 

When filming the producers would have needed to provide consent forms for students and teachers to be interviewed. If the consent forms were not provided it would have been a breach of privacy as rules must be applied in order to protect participants during the programme.

After each day of filming the Head teacher and the editor would have a meeting to talk openly about aspects which may concern him and the staff. These comments would have been taken into consideration for when the final cut was made.

During the episodes it was essential for the programme to be balanced and unbiased, this was applied throughout, for example the programme was biased with the way the school values were portrayed; showing that even though it may be one of the worst schools in England statistically, it is a good school in terms of the staff, education and the way that the pupils at the school are dealt with. The head teacher of the school is interviewed about the school and the grades that the school has achieved, this information must be accurate and factually correct.

During the programme there were scenes of school fights which were filmed, this was necessary for the documentary as it made it balanced by showing both sides of the story on how the fight started and who were involved.  This was essential as it allows the audience to see the teachers and students accountable for the fight and the reasons behind it.

President Trump: The Inauguration

BBC news were screening the live broadcasting of the inauguration on the new president of America; Donald Trump. A public ceremony was held on Friday, January 20, 2017, where the live broadcast showed the viewers the 45th President of the United States on the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  The live broadcast covered Trump’s speech which he delivered to the crowds as the President of the United States following his swearing-in ceremony. This inauguration was a representation of Trump and the reactions of the public during the ceremony, portraying the reality with the angry protesters at the same time.

The live broadcast was aired on BBC World Service, this provided live coverage of the inauguration from Washington DC from 4pm to 7pm. In order to film the inauguration filmmakers will need to negotiate, sign contracts and release forms, to grant them access, it was essential for the BBC to ask for permission before hand to film.

Donald Trump’s speech is not objective as he is speaking to his audience on his methods as to how to run the country. Trump is logically allowing his feelings to get involved by judging his country with prejudice and emotion. This however is subjective as it is a view and opinion based on his personal feelings towards his county.

During the filming there was footage of the protests that were happening whilst Trump addressed his speech, this made the news report unbiased and balanced as it gave us a sense of both sides of the political story to the audience without favouring one particular side. The protestors were however portrayed as violent as the coverage consisted of them looting stores and showing aggressive behaviour towards the police. This allowed the audience to acknowledge the fact that people are angry, and are not happy with Trump becoming president of the United States. On the other hand there were many supporters that came to watch Trump’s inauguration; this making the news broadcast balances.

Being Impartial during a news broadcast is essential, as the reporter must be adequate and appropriate to the output; taking account of the subject and nature of the content, the likely audience expectation and any signposting that may influence that expectation.

Impartiality is important as the news cannot be constantly bias and have neglected relevant information. For example during Donald Trump’s inauguration it was impartial to see both sides of the story, this being the joyful crowd that listened to Trump’s speech and then the other crowd that protested “Not My President”. This news was impartial as it was not favouring one side or the other.

Donald Trump’s speech consisted of him speaking his opinion about the way the country should be, and what he will do as a president to help “rebuild the country”. Trump said “we’ve made other countries rich” this is just an opinion which is not the same as a fact, nevertheless it is a belief that does not have enough evidence to be classed as a fact.

Privacy is a major factor to consider in documentaries and news, the BBC must sign contracts and abide by the rules in order to protect participants. Permission to film in places such as Washington D.C. during Donald Trump’s inauguration are not usually open to the public as they are engaged in an activity where they have a low expectation of privacy.