Factual Programming

Codes and Conventions of a Factual News Programme 

News reporter(s) sat at a desk/sofa, sometimes standing after a cut,

Shuffling papers on desk/table,

Dramatic intro with high intensity music,

Cuts to anchors who are live at an event or in a different country,

Interviews/talks with experts,

Talks with people in the current news or celebrities,

Green screen,

Screen displaying facts while the reporter reads about the stories,

Voiceovers,

Aggressive interviewing 

The Newsroom Episode 

How does the episode of The Newsroom highlight the codes and conventions of the factual news programme?

It showed a lot of things we talked about in class like the dramatic introduction, the interview with a specialist about an oil tank leaking. It showed the news reporter aggressively interviewing the specialist. It had no green screen however it had the newsroom behind him which is common among factual programmes. There were a lot of voiceovers as well.

How does the episode focus on the issues facing producers of factual programmes?

It emphasised on the credibility of the journalists as their reputation would have been ruined if they reported false information about the oil spill. The three producers had to decide whether the new journalist's sources were as credible as he said as the whole stations reputation and the broadcaster's job was on the line. It also showed how they prioritise what they show as one of the producers wanted to run a normal news programme as he didn't trust the new journalist but the other two wanted to a run an hour special on the breaking news about the oil spill and they eventually decided to run the hour special which got their channel a lot of viewers and publicity although it was risky.

Documentary Genres:

   Interactive Documentary - The presenter/film maker takes part and interacts with the people and uses a wide variety of multimedia tools to have a more direct connection with the audience.

Investigative Documentary - Introduces a problem or question, which it then goes on to solve. 

Observational Documentary - Observational documentary simply attempt to document lived life with no intervention or as little as possible. The earliest documentaries of this genre date back to the 1960s. New technology has made them a lot more possible with new hand-held equipment and sound recording devices.

Expository Documentary - These documentary speak directly to the viewer, they are made to persuade. They use a lot of voiceovers and often have a strong male voiceover. They often propose an argument and a strong point of view.

Mockumentary - A fiction film that uses the 'documentary format' to suggest the scenarios on screen are real life situations that have been captured by a production team. They often parody Observational style documentaries. They often use unknowing members of the public to give a sense of realism like a normal documentary.

Docudrama - Docudramas use fiction and actors to recreate a time or an event. On stage it's also known as documentary theatre. 

Case Study - The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

1. What did you expect from the documentary?

I expected it to be, as it was, a sellout. I expected it to be comical as it was done by Morgan Spurlock and I expected it to be done unprofessionally like most of his documentaries but I also expected to gain some knowledge about how companies and organisations make deals with movie makers / studios about putting their products in the movie.

2. What mode / type of documentary is being used? Give examples.

Spurlock uses an interactive mode documentary like all of his documentaries. He speaks directly to the audience as much as he can, for example after every interview he'd give his opinion to the audience about how it went. He also makes it feel very personal as he lets you in his home while he rings the companies he's trying to get to sponsor his movie.

3. What codes and conventions of factual programming were evident?
Voiceovers,

Desk with papers,

Interviews/talks with experts,

Infographics / screens with information.

4. What do you feel the director set out to achieve with the documentary? How has he employed imagery and sound?
He initially set out to fund the film by product placement payments and those payments only, he set a goal of 1.5 million dollars. I think Spurlock tries to give the audience insight into what small, inexperienced filmmakers have to deal with and do to get sponsored by professional companies. Spurlock claimed that he contacted over five-hundred companies, so as you can tell getting the 12 companies to finalise all the payments wasn't easy. The imagery is an odd one because he could only use certain things, for example, he held a bottle of POM Juice at all times and only drove a mini throughout the film. Spurlock reached out to indie/rock band 'OK Go' and they produced a single 'The Greatest Song I Ever Heard' which is used all throughout the film.

Powerpoint

Pcarter from Jake Stokes

Issues Facing Factual Programme Producers