A docusoap is a factual programme that focuses on the life of real people or people in their workplace. A docusoap is a documentary which features soap opera elements. It is also a form of a reality show as it involves real people doing day to day things, it is unscripted. Some docusoaps focus on typical day to day business of the subjects of the programme, whereas, some focus on interpersonal relationships and potential drama that may arise. The techniques used in docusoaps are interviews; voice of god which comments on the subjects, dramatic reconstructions, editing that heightens suspense and storylines which are followed from one week to the next. In docusoaps the interviews included very rarely show the interviewer.
Magazine shows
Magazine shows are either a television programme or radio programme. The show is made up of news stories, reports, documentaries, interviews, drama, graphics and archive footage. Magazine shows are more informative than entertaining. Magazine shows are regularly scheduled; they consist of several short segments in which subjects of current interest are spoken about in detail.
Breakfast shows
Breakfast shows are broadcasted early in the morning. They focus on many aspects for example news, reports, reality, lives of celebrities, sports highlights and weather. They are broadcasted live in the morning, usually between the hours of 6am to 10am. They are often hosted by a small team, usually a male and female working together. Breakfast shows are targeted at an audience of people who are getting ready for school and work.
Mockumentary
Mockumetaries are films or television programmes; they are set out as a serious documentary about a particular topic but instead make jokes about the topic and make it look silly. Most interviews in mockumentaries are not serious; the reactions shots of the interviewers are edited at a later date. Mockumentaries present fictitious events as If they are realistic. The humour in a mockumentary arises from dialogue or visuals. Mockumentaries include voice overs, archive footage, photographs and interviews from eye witnesses or experts. Mockumentaries often provoke controversy.
Documentary
A documentary is a film or television programme which focuses on real people and real life events. Documentaries are factual and try to present reality without is becoming a narrative or fictional. Documentaries are not scripted and people in a documentary are not actors. Documentaries include voice over narration, photographs, interviews, archive footage.
Chat shows
Chat shows are television programmes or radio programmes which focus on celebrities. The celebrities usually talk about themselves, their life and their work. There is usually one person or a group of people discussing various topics led by the chat show host/hosts. Guests consist of a person or group of people who have experience which relates to the main topic being discussed on that particular episode.
Reality TV shows
Reality TV shows are television programmes which do not use professional actors but usually focus on real life events and situations that involve ordinary people. Reality TV shows are unscripted and sometimes present humorous situations. Reality TV shows usually present information that portrays a highly influenced day to day life in order to attract audience viewers. Participants are sometimes put in exotic locations or strange situations, they are told to act a certain way by story editors. Speech can sometimes be manipulated and to look as if that is what they are like in reality by using editing techniques. Participants are asked to ignore the cameras and to behave naturally.
Game show
A game show is a television programme that involves people playing games and answering questions in order to win prizes. Game shows include contestants, television personalities and celebrities; they sometimes play as part of a team and play the game to win. Contestants are sometimes picked out from the group of public applicants. Game shows have the purpose of entertainment.
Understand
issues relating to factual programme for television
Factual programming uses a range of issues in order to produce an effective programme. Factual programmes base their idea on providing facts and statistics on certain subjects. With factual programming, the audience are aware of what they are watching. The audience know that they will be given facts and statistics within factual programmes, this is known as the 'contract with the viewer'. Ofcom is an organisationthat regulates
everything that is broadcasted to the general public through tv and radio. Ofcom
is for the benefit of the public and is not for commercial purposes. Ofcom
protects the general public from scams, harm and being mislead.
Accuracy
Accuracy is when something is near to the true
value. It is when the quality of something is as precise as it can be.
Factual programmes have to be accurate as the audience should not be mislead. The audience will like to know that what they are being told are
facts and not opinions. Factual programmes are meant to be fair. It is important that factual programmes are accurate,
if not they may lose the trust of their audience and this can lower their viewing
ratings. Also, in order for information to be accurate, careful research takes place.
BBC news - World news today
I have chosen the news, as it is a factual programme
that must be reliable and trustworthy. The news covers facts. Facts are backed up with actual footage showing proof that what they are
saying is true. News reporters read a script telling them what information is supposed to be said. Careful research must take place in order to present real/reliable facts. The news is not allowed to be biased or to show any opinion towards the subject they are presenting. However, there can be incidents when opinions are presented for example through interviews, by showcasing biased viewpoints or when producers show a balanced argument.
Balance
Balance is when something is equal within factual programming. In a factual programme an argument is meant to
be kept balanced. Both sides of an argument must be presented, however, should not present one side better than the other. A story should be told from both sides and try not to be biased. In order to maintain balance you need to be impartial.
Question Time
Impartiality
Impartiality is when the producers do not take either
side of a story, instead they stay neutral. In factual programmes you cannot be
biased neither prejudice, you have to show the best of both sides. It is important to be impartial as you could cause controversy among your audience. Many media services always maintain being neutral, this is to please their audience. Many people watch factual programmes just to gain the facts, they do not want to be pulled into an argument where they have to produce their own opinions.
Louis Theroux - A place for pedophiles
Objectivity
Objectivity is when you make a judgment based
on what you have seen. It doesn’t include any emotions or prejudices. The
information you present in documentaries are important as the audience will
make their judgment based on the footage you have shown. Being objective is being able to put an argument across and presenting all of the research gathered without being biased or impartial, but, giving the audience a chance to make up their own mind or opinion on the subject being discussed.
Dispatches - Meeting the Taliban
Subjectivity
Subjectivity is when you make a judgment based
on your own personal feelings and opinions. It doesn’t depend on external facts
for example footage you have seen or facts you have heard. In a documentary if
you want the audience to have a particular view on someone or something, you would have to
present them/it in a bad way so that the audience can build their own opinion on
that person/thing. The news avoid being subjective in order to avoid causing controversy. By being subjective, you would put across a more one sided view.
Supersize Me
Opinion
Opinions are judgment’s based on your own
view. They are not always based on facts or knowledge but are based on your own
personal view. An opinion can be supported by an argument, although, others may not have the same opinion on the same argument. A passive audience is an audience who take the facts presented to them and have their own opinion on them. Reporters are unable to make a subjective opinion in a story. Including both impartiality and balance, it allows the audience to have their own opinion on what they have seen.
Kids with guns - Gangs
Bias
Bias is when you are on one side and show
prejudice against something or someone unfairly. Sometimes you find documentaries
that are biased over an argument. They particularly support one side and try
and promote the audience to follow the side they are on. Being bias can also include ignoring evidence shown by the other party. Censorship is against biased views, it is there to protect the audience from causing controversy. The news is not biased due to following the Ofcom rules.
Panorama - Britains crimes of honour
Panorama - Eurovision's dirty secret
Representation
Representation is when someone or something is
being portrayed in a certain way. In a documentary if you wanted the audience
to have a particular view on someone, you would have to represent that person
in a particular way, either in a good way or bad. Sometimes you see positive representation, this can be done to cause the audience to have sympathy towards someone or something. However, sometimes you can also see negative representation, victimising individuals or groups. representation is a re-presentation of something/someone or a group. It can sometimes be a re-presentation of recongnisable sterotypes. The media can either challenge the sterotypes or can show them in a new light.
Panorama - Truth about supermarkets
Access
Access is when you have the freedom to be able
to use something or someone. It is when you have been given the permission to
use or take something. In some documentaries you see footage of people being
interviewed. The camera crew would have been given permission to be able to
record that footage and to be able to use it.
Panorama - Mystery of Madeleine McCann
Privacy
Privacy is when you are able to keep something
to yourself without it being observed by other people. Everyone is given the
freedom to privacy; no one has to share something to someone if they don’t want
to. It is part of someone’s human rights. In some documentaries you see
people’s faces being blurred out when they are talking. A person is able to say
that they want the image of themselves to be kept private.
Dispatches - Britains (muslim) sex gang
Contract
with viewer
Contract with viewer is when you have an
agreement with the audience. It is when you present something that the audience
is expecting for example if you have watch a documentary about bears, you would
expect the documentary to be focused particularly on everything about bears.
Panorama - The secrets of Scientology
King of laughter
The documentary I decided to analyse is called king of laughter. It is about a man who has faced a lot of challenges in his life due to unexpected tragedies. However, he has been able to find a solution to weaken the pain he has been going through. The solution is laughter. He wanted to start a new slate and began to smile and laugh and enjoy life to the fullest. The documentary is very short and is 3.20 minutes long. The reason for this is that the producers don’t want the audience to get bored and each part of the documentary is jam packed with facts and opinions. It pin points all the main information.
Accuracy
I would say that this documentary is really accurate as it stays on topic throughout. The main focus of the documentary is man known as the ‘king of laughter’. The documentary mentions facts and opinions which are accurate. The documentary shows archive footage of people talking about their own life problems. This is proof that the documentary has accurate information. At the beginning of the documentary, text is shown straightaway revealing facts about what is yet to come. Constant laughter is played in the background of the documentary, this laughter is the males and they want the audience to begin to get familiarised with the man.
Balance
The documentary is not based on an argument, so there are no major opinions shown. However, all the opinions they have of laughter are all opinions backing it. They are agreeing that laughter does solve problems and that it does make a happier place.
Impartiality
This documentary’s big message is that laughter is powerful and can push away any problems. The documentary focused on opinions from a range of people. Archive footage is shown of people talking about their own problems and how laughter is something that should happen more regularly. All the opinions shown are on topic and relate to the big message of the documentary.
Privacy
The production team go in to detail about the man’s life and he is shown speaking openly about his life to the audience. He is not questioned when shown on the video and is portrayed to the audience that he is happily opening up to the audience about why he loves laughing. Also, at the beginning of the documentary a location is shown, called Walsall. This may be where the man lives and he is happy to reveal his location to the audience. This will have an effect on the viewers as they would feel that they can relate to him and some may even know where he lives.
Bias
The documentary is biased as
it only focuses on why laughter is good and how it helps solve problems.
However, as the documentary has no argument involved, it is acceptable to be
biased.
