Understand Codes and Conventions
of Factual Programming for Television Research
What Are Factual Programmes
Factual television is a TV genre that is always non-fiction because it
talks to actual people and real situations that have happened. This
genre covers such topics as documentaries, news programmes, talk
shows, critique shows, reality TV, and some sub-genres. Big Brother
would be an example of a factual programme. Channel 4 shows the
life of everyday people in a small setting with challenges to complete
in the hope of continuing to watch positive content for their viewers.
They even do a celebrity one every year on top of this, because this
will likely draw a larger audience.
What Are Codes & Conventions
Codes and conventions are the tools used by the media by visual,
audio and technical methods to better convey ideas. There are codes
and conventions for each media text which could make up their
genre and allow the viewer to understand what they are watching.
To split up various parts, there are different types of codes used. The
use of angles, camera shots and expressions to clearly represent the
genre could consist of visual codes. A low angle, for example, will
make the character appear a lot more dominant and a little
intimidating because it makes them seem a lot bigger than they
really are.
News Reader
The news reader is the person in charge of the audience consuming
the news. It is also the responsibility of the news reader to support
the research section to ensure that anything written down makes
sense and is accurate. In addition, they always use formal
terminology and tend to be consistently neutral, as certain members
of the audience may otherwise be offended. They are often required
to maintain eye contact with the camera in order to be formal, as it
further illustrates professionalism. An example of this would be BBC
news, as they are mostly dressed in suits and rarely change facial
expressions while speaking.
Field Reporters
Usually, a field reporter and correspondent may be working for a
radio broadcast, newspaper company or TV news. This community
member would travel to various locations to cover the news from
where it actually happens. They have to review the data themselves
and then they need to construct a script to use during the recording
segment for themselves. A downside to being a field reporter is the
fact that the general public will disturb them very frequently, which
might spoil the report. If a member of parliament is making a speech
and the news company wanted to report on it, an example of when a
field reporter would be required.
Links to the Studio
Linking to the studio is when a news team wants to talk about a news
topic inside a studio, but they work with another news company and
so they obtain more data or provide an interview with a guest. Most
news companies do this. for example, BBC also does this when they
would prefer to speak to a specific studio about a news story
involving someone who is a professional on the situation.
Interviews
In the media industry, interviews are very essential as they are used
to help get added insight from individuals considered to be
specialists in this case. Interviews help the viewer to discover
something new that they probably would have not had before.
Actuality Footage
This is footage that can be linked to whatever is addressed by the
news presenter. They are most likely to put the footage over when
the presenter is speaking as B-roll. This is used to make the viewer
visually comprehend the storey better. The BBC would be an instance
of this, as they still do this when talking about various countries
engaging in war.
Modes of Address to the User
This is where it is possible to adapt an audience and display style to
fit the programme. BBC news, for example, is very serious and
professional in the way they report. Since it is an informative
programme, the older generation is their key target audience. In this
show, it will be formal, such as the way the host looks and how they
introduce themselves. Channel 5, however, is much less formal and
utilises slang to attract the younger audience.