Unit 27 factual Unit 27 factual programme programme productionproduction

Unit 27 factual Unit 27 factual programme programme productionproduction

Documentary• Documentary attempts to

represent the world in a realistic style

• Documentaries are still constructed products

• Truth vs. construction• Creators opinion and point of view

Types• The Observational Mode: leaving the

‘actors’ free to act and the film maker free to record without interacting

• The Participatory Mode: film-maker actively engages with the situation they are documenting, asks questions, sharing experiences. Reliant on the honesty of witnesses

Conventions of a documentary

• What are they?

Documentary conventions

• Presenter (particpatory• Voice over (observational and participatory)• Camera work (hand held)• Single strand narrative• Graphics• Interviews, talking heads• Reenactments/dramatizations• Real people

News conventions• What do we expect to see?

News conventions• Studio• Outside broadcast• Suits on anchors• Graphics• Bulletin narrative structure• Theme tune• Multi camera set up• Camera shots (mid shots)

Issues• Accuracy• Bias• Representations

Accuracy• Situations do not just naturally occur for the

camera• Prior to shooting there is planning and

preparation• Invasion of the camera will alter peoples

reactions• Editing?• Film-makers opinion giving a biased

view?

Positive values of factual programmes

• Educate: a variety of point of views.• Inform: issues that the public are

unaware of.• Create empathy: urge audience to help• Encourage social/political change: bring

the issue to the public arena.• The producers intent may be positive but

an oppositional reading will give a negative.

Negatives• It's not demonising the poor,"

McKerrow insists. "It's a very honest and true portrayal of life in Britain and people are frightened of it.”

• The backlash against Benefits Street is on a different scale, with an online petition nearing 20,000 signatures (at the time of going to press) calling on Channel 4 to axe it, and a protest being planned on Facebook for outside Love Productions' London office.

Why?• Some participants claimed they

had been duped into taking part under the pretence it was a series about community spirit.

Why?

• "These are marginalised people with complicated situations being exploited for entertainment, and the thousands who have signed my petition agree with me," he said.

• Representations?

Accuracy?• Dramatic footage of a polar bear

tending her newborn cubs in the flagship BBC show Frozen Planet was filmed in a Dutch zoo using fake snow.

• Reputation?

Accuracy?• ITV was this evening forced to apologise

after faking footage on a brand-new flagship show – using clips from a violent video game.

• Footage of the 1988 'attack' was shown to viewers on Monday night's premiere show on ITV1, which exposed the former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi's links with the IRA.

assignment• Create a Prezi • explain issues such as bias,

representation and privacy that have arisen in the factual programme genre (p1), linking to clips, stills or interviews (m1) and explain how they have affected the programme or participants (d1)

• explain the codes and conventions of news programmes such as report structure, outside broadcasts, graphics (p2) giving example of actual footage by linking to clips, stills or interviews to explain why they are used (m2) using correct terminology to explain the examples (d2)

assignment• Explain what different forms of

documentary there are (observational, dramatization etc) (p2) with examples (clips, stills or interviews) to explain why they are used (m2) using correct terminology to explain the examples (d2)

Assignment 2• Write a proposal• Get into groups• Start pre production• Get filming• 24th February is deadline