Factual Programming Essay

Essay I wrote a fair while back about factual programming, basically sticking loads of stuff online tonight rather than have to go through my ipod at uni interview, I'll just give them my blog link so they can view at their leisure, and also so anyone else reading this who struggles with essays can get an idea about how I get distinctions and stuff in my work so hopefully it will help you guys structure and write your own essays :) x

Factual programming

Factual programming breaks down into basic sections; the news, and documentary. There are many issues that are important in factual programming including accuracy & representation, there are also many sub-.genres within documentary in particular in this essay I will explore factual programming.

Accuracy is important in all forms of factual programming as if the information isn't accurate & correctly sourced it wouldn't be a ‘factual’ program at all and would deceive the viewer. Also though all programs have an over all angle as it is very difficult to be completely non bias – it is important that opinions aren't portrayed as being 100% fact or that might also deceive the viewer.

An example on mainstream news of information not always being accurate is the weather, however this often isn't an issue which causes harm yet something even inaccurate in the weather can be harmful for example in 1987 Michael Fish said on the BBC weather report “a woman rang the BBC & said there was a hurricane on the way well if you are watching, don't worry there isn't” Though after according to the BBC he was “referring” to a tropical cyclone in the Atlantic, which seems like a huge statement, Michael Fish on the weather report therefore did cause harm through inaccurate reporting as it sounded like he was referring to England! If people had known it was coming, maybe less people would have been hurt or even killed in the hurricane.

Accuracy is also important in news, though it is more of an issue on mainstream news like the BBC and the other terrestrial channels as they are more likely to be reporting on subjects relevant to a large audience of people, for example a mainstream news show may report about a war which is a very serious issues facts need to be verified. On mainstream news the codes & conventions are that stories are mostly reported from a formal news room, with a formal presenter who speaks standard English & have clear voices which are easy to understand – so not someone who has a difficult accent to understand or someone who speaks to quickly .

For some it is important that the presenter is keeps a serious face & tone for most of the stories, however it does depend on the topic. Audiences also expect to see interviewers both in the studio and at various locations both inside, out and at the place where the stories are about. Audiences expect to see reporters outside the studio either live or pre recorded, but they expect things from the studio to be live so viewers can be kept up to date with any new developments as they happen, while the program is still on. However on other news shows though accuracy is still important as often not as big an issue to the public for example stories on Sky sports news cant really harm anyone if they are inaccurate on a main terrestrial channel being accurate or exaggerated can invoke panic – for example news on swine flu. Another example of this is E news, it follows some of the general codes and conventions for news however are different in some ways as obviously E! Is the entertainment network. The studio presenters Ryan Seacrest & Giuliana Rancic are dressed formally, Ryan wears a suit, however though most serious news presenters also wear suits Giuliana often wears posh party type dresses, which is suited to the glamour of the stories that they present. It is also different from mainstream news as they don't sit at a news desk. They use a lot more voice-overs and don't conduct interviewing live, in-fact how it’s edited together it looks like most probably all of it is pre-recorded and not live like other news shows mostly are.

Accuracy's an issue with this type of news., mostly to do with the subject of the news like the celebrity it is about, as if they report inaccuracies they could be sued for defamation /representation is important in all genres of the news. For several different reasons, for example that a situation isn't blown out of proportion or it could insight anger or panic in the viewer, or if only one side of a situation or person is shown it could make someone appear in a negative light or in a more positive light. If they are shown negatively the individual may try to sue the broadcaster or program maker – this is the same with all documentaries too.

However some news shows are bias or seem to show only one view so breaking these accepted rules the fox network owned by Rupert Murdoch is very right winged in its reporting of the news- so deceiving the public.

All of the issues mentioned are relevant in documentaries & there are other issues involved in both for example privacy. Program makers and reporters need to respect privacy of individuals and property and get consent to film people or locations – however this is less strict on terrestrial news as they can argue that the public has the right to know certain information. Some documentaries have secret filming footage in them- though this is illegal and unethical it can be used if the footage is utilized for the public's best interest. For example a documentary about how clean hospitals are - however faces must be blurred out to protect individual identities.

There are 7 types of documentaries. I will now explain the codes and conventions for each one, some of the legal and ethical issues associated with them that program makers need to be conscious of.

The Expository documentary codes & conventions are that they direct, address the view usually with an authoritative voice-over telling the viewer about the action on screen. The expository mode often tells the audience what to think and only shows interviews that support the overall argument. The legal and ethical considerations particularly important in this mode are that of accuracy & representation. Accuracy is important as you can't provide false facts and when you use a voice over you can represent images in a positive or negative way depending on the script. It is important you don't unfairly represent someone or a group of people. An example of an expository documentary would be a nature show such as the BBC's Big Cat Week.

Observational documentaries as the name suggests are documentaries where the maker take the back seat and just observe what is going on. It is supposed to offer a window to reality however it cannot be a true representation only a constructed version for two reasons. 1. People act differently around cameras and 2 editing, is impossible when edited to provide true reality only sections of it therefore representation is a major issue within this mode as is privacy and consent who/what is allowed to be recorded should something be edited out to protect privacy for example personal family arguments.

The Interactive documentary codes and conventions are that the film maker is within the documentary themselves and discuss the issues with his or her subjects, there are sometimes monologues introducing topics, it is expected that interviews will be the main part of the documentary but sometimes it is more like a discussion within an activity for example Louis Theroux did a documentary about gambling at one Las Vegas hotel/casino and he discussed it with his subjects while sitting at the tables and gambling. This type of documentary is supposed to be open for the audience to choose their opinion though sometimes the film-maker's opinions shows during their exchanges with subjects though often different interviews are shown to present different points of view.

The Reflective style of documentaries make it obvious to the viewer that it has been constructed, it's like a re presentation as the film maker reflects on his or her own work, the style is very subjective. The codes and conventions are that there is no effort to hide the process of making it e.g. people in the crew & equipment is in shot. This mode is said to “tear away (the) veil of film maker’s illusory absence” (condor.depaul.edu) an example of the reflective style are documentaries about the making of a film.

In Performative documentaries the film maker is in the centre of the documentary and we see them trying to get the documentary made for example calling to arrange interviews, often like in the reflective style, the camera crew is seen often seen (there is usually hand held camera work to follow the action). The film maker presents his/her feelings about making it as well as about the topic for example Alesha Dixons documentary for the BBC - “look but don't touch”, she interviews different people giving different opinions on air brushed images in magazines. We also see Alesha calling different magazines attempting to get one to do a un- airbrushed photo shoot. Alesha's personality and opinions do come across as is conventional for this type of documentary. This type attempts to show both sides of something, however often is subjective due to the views of the film maker.

Docudramas are different from the other makes of documentary, though they do sometimes include interviews with people involved; they often are re- constructions of events using actors. It is made in a drama style but based on facts. Sometimes a voice over is used to explain events for example on the ‘Pompeii The Last Day’ documentary a voice is explaining events as they happen. Though sometimes it is part of another documentary for example ‘Crime Watch’ shows re- constructions yet the whole thing is based in a studio with presenters and sometimes interviews with victims/victim’s family or police on the case. The codes and conventions are much like the ones for dramas, such as varying camera angles & dramatic use of sound and music, with slick editing Though these are often recounts sometimes they are just stories based around facts, docudrama can sometimes be bias as they are just an interpretation of an event they are often presented as fact yet rely on the honesty of people involved while there is no hard evidence.

Docusoaps & reality TV include aspects of other documentaries such as interactive documentaries with interviews, observational styles as cameras & crew don't intervene with the people being observed, the conventions vary with the program for example a competition like ‘Big Brother’ compared to a non- competitive show for example ‘The Family’. They often involve the viewer like in voting. The things they all have in common are that they are focused around a set of people usually ordinary people giving them some sort of celebrity status yet in some cases they are set around celebrities for example ‘I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’. They are mostly edited to form a narrative- sometimes this can become a problem of misrepresentation which is against ethics.

All legal and ethical issues apply in all the forms other issues include opinions being presented as fact access and consent as film makers need permission to film people or in locations, privacy – rules agreed must be abided by. Other issues such as copyright permission, not breaking the contract with the viewer by displaying something offensive and health and safety when filming are all important.

If OFCOM finds these rules are breached they can fine the broadcaster & make them issue a statement of OFCOM's findings on TV.