LO2: Codes and Conventions

codes and conventions

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LO1: Media Regualtion

LO1

 

Finished News.

News Values

News values are general guidelines or criteria that determine the worth of a news story and how much prominence it is given by newspapers or broadcast media.  They are fundamental to understanding news production and the choices that editors and other journalists face when deciding that one bit of information is news while another is not. 

Threshold
Frequency
Negativity
Unexpectedness
Unambguity

Impact

1.     Threshold: The bigger impact the story has, the more people it affects, the more extreme the effect or the more money or resources it involves, the better its chances of hitting the news stands.

2.     Frequency: Events, such as motorway pile-ups, murders and plane crashes, which occur suddenly and fit well with the newspaper or news broadcast's schedule are more readily reported than those which occur gradually or at inconvenient times of day or night. Long-term trends are unlikely to receive much coverage.

3.     Negativity: Bad news is more exciting than good news. Stories about death, tragedy, bankruptcy, violence, damage, natural disasters, political upheaval or simply extreme weather conditions are always rated above positive stories such as royal weddings or celebrations.  Bad news stories are more likely to be reported than good news because they are more likely to score high on other news values, such as threshold, unexpectedness, unambiguity and meaningfulness,

4.     Unexpectedness: If an event is out of the ordinary it will be more likely to make it into the news than an everyday occurrence would. As Charles A. Dana famously put it: ''"if a dog bites a man, that's not news. But if a man bites a dog, that's news!"''

5.     Unambiguity: Events which are easy to grasp make for better copy than those which are open to more than one interpretation, or where understanding of the implications depends on first understanding the complex background to the event.

1.     Personalisation: People are interested in people. News stories that centre on a particular person, and are presented from a human interest angle, are likely to make the front page, particularly if they involve a well-known person. Some people claim this news value has become distorted, and that news editors over-rate personality stories, especially those involving celebrities.

2.     Meaningfulness: This relates to cultural proximity and the extent to which the audience identifies with the topic. Stories about people who speak the same language, look the same, and share the same preoccupations as the audience receive more coverage than those involving people who do not.

3.     Reference to elite nations: Stories concerned with global powers receive more attention than those dealing with less influential nations. This also relates to cultural proximity. Those nations which are culturally closest to our own will receive most of the coverage.

4.     Reference to elite persons: The media pay attention to the rich, powerful, famous and infamous. Stories about important people get the most coverage. Hence, the American President gets more coverage than your local councillor.

St. Pauls -
* Video of a press confrence
* Various clips
* Timeline
*Diagrams
*Interviews
* Live stream on location
* Voice overs

Impact

Audience identification

Pragmatics of media coverage

Supersize Me

Activity
a) List the different styles of filmmaking ( this will include live action and animation etc).  How are these styles used to present information?

Various styles of filming were used throughout the making of this film, this included many interview footage from the Nutritionist, doctors, the man himself Morgan Spurlock, and more. This kind of style filmmaking has a huge impact on the audience because it shows how serious the subject matter is, it also is a reliable source because their is evidence given by the Doctors. Live action was used in some scenes and example of this was when Morgan Spurlock went to the doctors, and was sick at one point.


b) List the interviewees in the extract. Describe the mise en scene of each interview. What connotations does this create for the audience?

This entertaining documentary had many different interviews throughout, some of these were from Kelly Brownell the proffessor. He gives credibility to the film as he is trust worthy and comes across rather intelligent and important. There was also see a lot of the medical interviews observing the changes of Morgan Suprlocks diet and fitness. In all the interviews we see the mise en scene of each shot has been staged and set up on purpose, and example of this was when John Banzhaf made a point about how children these days are being brought up to like McDonald's. While the interview was running you could hear diegetic sound of the children playing in the background, this supports his argument and was done on purposely as a persuasive technique as it shows how important it really is.

c) What relationship is there between the voice over and the images? How does this affect the way that the audience interprets what Spurlock is saying?

The relationship between the voice over and the images are very powerful as there is video clips playing at the same time the voice over is. This proves Morgan Spurlocks point and it is extremely effective as there is a direct connection between what we hear and what we see.

d) What music features on the soundtrack? Which group of people is most likely to enjoy this type of music?

The soundtrack music is very sarcastic in the way that it attracts attention from the younger audience however,  it is also underlining and sends out a sarcastic message to the parents too.

e) What mode of documentary is Supersize me? Are there elements of more than one mode? 

There are two different types of modes for this entertaining documentary they are:
- Participatory mode
Emphasis on the interaction between filmmaker and the subject

- The Performative mode 
The filmmaker was engaged in this film as he shares his personal engagement and atitudes towards the subject matter.


Activity 1

1) Look at your notes from the previous worksheet. Who do you think the documentary is aimed at? Can you define the audience in terms of age and gender?

I think that this documentary was aimed at parents as a warning guide that if you continue to feed children unhealthy foods they will end up will desperately unhealthy bodies. It also shows how easy and cheap it is for them to access fast foods. However I also believe that it was targeted at young adults/ teens who are interested in this subject matter. I purely enjoyed this documentary as it was informative and entertaining.

3) Which techniques does Morgan Spurlock use to persuade the audience of his argument? Were you aware of these techniques the first time you watched the film?

Morgan Spurlock is very persuasive in the way he portrays himself through this documentary. The original footage of him in pain shows the importance of why fast food can be bad for you, especially as the doctors and nutritionists share facts that are 'shocking'.
Supersize me is a controversial film as some media and film critics argue that the techniques used by Spurlock are problematic. 



 

Aileen; Life and death of a serial killer by Nick Broomfield

Questions on Aileen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rExhihAZGxg
(opening six minutes)


 - Which types of footage are used in the opening?Why do you think the different types have been used - What is their function?


In the first opening scene, many different types of footage was shown. The first thing we see it hand held original footage. We also see real footage that was used on the TV news.





- What documentary techniques can you identify in the sequence?
There's a variety of documentary techniques used during the opening scene, some of these were; A Narrator so that the audience was being told the story as well as watching it. Original footage was shown to verify that it actually happened and so that the audience can see it and believe it for themselves. Different interviews was used to show peoples different perspectives and views, and finally facts were stated throughout the film so that the viewers can process the information.


- What information is given by the voice over? What is the relationship between the voice over and the images?
The voice over tells the story of the images shown, it also tells us that the narrator must have been close to Aileen to have gained all these interesting facts that haven't stated before. Did she trust him? 


- How is the opening sequence of a documentary similar to the opening sequence of a fiction film?
There are many similarities between a documentary and a fiction film! Especially in the first couple minutes in the introduction to the film. Some of these similarities could be the fact that there is interesting, tension building music being played? Also the use of different camera shots to keep the audience interested. But mainly in the first opening of a film the audience usually establishes who the main character is.  Especially in documentaries films it's essential to make sure the first scene is interesting and exciting to keep the audience entertained and focused  and not distracted and bored, this is something almost every fiction film takes into consideration when making the first scene to a film.


1) Name of documentary? 
The selling of a serial Killer




2) Date of production?
2003




3) Film maker, producer?
Nick Broomfield


4) Sub genre?
Documentary


5) Context of production, where made:
Florida USA


6) Purpose or purposes?
I personally feel that this documentary film was to inform viewers, entertain, educate, expose and investigate the real story behind Aileen Wuornos, and to tell show people the what really happened. 


7) Other relevant contexts?
It was a political investigation, it was filmed at Aileen's house and her family members were also interviewed. This documentary was made to show everyone her side of the story, but throughout the film she hardly ever spoke about her victims.


8) Narrative sequence and editing?
Interviews, montages, inserts of popular footage was used purposely to have an effect on the audience, to entertain and to inform them.


9) Use of interviews?
Different types of interviews were used throughout the film, as some interviews were hand held and others were original footage from TV. Non diegetic sound was used in almost every interview.


10) Use of set ups?
Parts of the film were set up purely for the audiences benefit which was to entertain. Some scenes was over exaggerated to make it more interesting to the viewer.


11) Non- diegetic sound and use of music?
Tension building music was used in the film, especially in the opening scene of the film. This had a huge impact on the audience as it kept them entertained and intrigued. 


Articles on Aileen Wounos:
http://www.nytimes.com/keyword/aileen-wuornos


http://jim-osborn.suite101.com/aileen-wuornos-a107584


http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/wuornos/1.html
  




What were your feelings towards Aileen after watching the documentary?


Before watching the documentary I assumed it was going to be a factual documentary telling the story of Aileen, the female serial killer, however I was intrigued after watching the film as I felt distraught and emotional. The film expressed Aileen's side of the story, and so watching the  film gradually made you feel as an individual that you almost knew her? Or understood what she was going through as it presented her childhood, and her past, this had a huge impact on the viewer as it changed their opinion on Aileen.


Did Nick Broomfield portray the real Aileen in his documentary?
I think that Nick broomfield portrayed Aileen in the best way he could, but no, not really the real Aileen, as Nick Broomfield only knew her, or got to know her through the life she lived in the cells, which is a completely different life she lived free in Florida.


Do you believe she should have got the death penalty?
I personally do believe in the death penalty, so in this case I completely agree that she should have got the death penalty. But after watching this documentary and knowing about who Aileen was and what she was like changed my view on things. 



















- What information is given by the voiceover? What is the relationship between voiceover and images?








- What do we find out about the central subject?




- How is the opening sequence of a documentary similar to the opening sequence of a fiction film?




1) Name of documentary:


2) Date of production:


3) Film maker/ producer:


4) Genre:


5)

Meaning of A Documentary

A Documentary

A documentary is a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event. Documentaries are usually informative and state facts about a particular subject. Documentaries aren’t really as such entertaining but they inform and show the public audience the reality of life today.  

TV Documentaries

 A list of all the reality TV documentaries on during the week.

2011

-          A reminder of the day that changed history

Topic: 9/11

Channel: BBC2

Date: September the 11^th only.

Time: 1:30

Looking at the real cost of electricity

Topic: Rising electricity bills

Channel: BBC2

Date: Wednesday the 15th

Time:  9:00

-          Dad was killed on 9/11

Topic: 9/11

Channel: C4

Date: September the 11^th only.

Time:  9:00

-          Who do you think you are

Topic: Family history

Channel: BBC1

Date: Wednesday the 15^th

Time:  9:00

-          Toddlers and tiara

Topic:

Channel: TLC, series

Date: Tuesday the 14^th

Time: 9:00

-          Fast food is easy

Topic: Healthy eating

Channel: ITV

Date: Monday 12^th

Time: 8:00

Documentary Film

Inside Job  (2010) 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZfsb7OO_k 


The subject matter of the documentary film 'Inside Job' is about the financial meltdown crisis that took place in 2008. The documentary is aimed against the American Government. 


Throughout the trailer of 'Inside Job' their are various stylistic elements used, some of these are,
several interviews. Interviews, voice overs and up beat music were used in this film. Interviews were used to so that the viewers can see for themselves what the American Government have to say about the avoidable meltdown crisis. Voice overs were used as a dramatic effect, this was done purposely because it exaggerates the fact that this meltdown crisis was a big global story.
 I think this documentary was aimed at people who are interested greatly in the real story of the 2008 meltdown. Almost everyone had been affected by the financial crisis, because of this, the documentary is more than likely to attract a huge amount of viewers as people will want to find out more about what happened back in 2008 and what the American Government went about it.
This documentary is informative and educational. It's about the real political events that take place in the world. I personally think that some of the film is staged for the audiences benefit.




Exit through the gift shop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiGHcJ7bfnA
The subject matter of this film is about an un known famous reality artist, who expresses his political views by displaying them on extremely public and highly visible areas. His art work is always something to do with politics, is he against the government too?
I think the target audience is aimed at young adults and above. The fact that no one knows who Banksy really is, makes the film a whole lot more interesting and that's why it attracts different types of people to watch it. This will make the fan base of the film a lot bigger. I think that parts of the film were staged 


Gasland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZe1AeH0Qz8
The subject matter of this film is based on a man who went against the American government by putting everyones health issues at risk as he completed a process of Hydrolic Fracturing. Not knowing what the outcome was going to be Josh fox went with his own intention and found out for himself what would happen. The community's water was not clean and so this was a huge health risk to everyone. 
Voice overs and interviews were used throughout this film. I think the target audience for this film is for elders.


Restrepro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvUdruvbdmI
The subject matter of this film is based on a true story of American soilders fighting in Afghanistan's teritory. This film is an over exagerated story relating to the reality of today's soilders. This film gives a great insight to the viewers especially if they are not aware of what soilders do for everyone and their country. It makes th audience appreciate what they have and to not take things for graunted. Interviews, voice overs and heart grabbing music are used throughout this film, this has made the film very successful, especially knowing that it's a true story and is happening today. The directors of this film are, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger.


Waste Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbbNKHKR3qU&feature=related
The subject matter of this film is about a man who proves the American government wrong by helping others in the Slums in Brazil. This documentary film proves to the Government that if he, one man can help others massively than why can't the government? It's a documentary on the reality of life today. The contrast between the peoples life style in Brazil compares greatly to what life is like in The united Kindom for most people. The director has done this purposely to grab the audiences attention and to make them feel some kind of emotional attatchment. Throughout this documentary this man makes an incredible piece of art by displaying it out of garbage that people live in Brazil live by. This film has various interviews in it, and is staged slightly for the interest of the audience. The directors of this film are, Lucy Walker and Karen Harely.