The Construction of Factual Programmes - The Essay

The Essay: Factual Documentaries Vs News Programmes 

Without documentaries, our society today would be without the knowledge about some of the most extraordinary and important topics that have occurred. The topics of these documentaries vary from some of the most extraordinary topics, to some of the most devastating. In this essay, I will discuss the purpose's of a documentary, the expectations of a documentary, and the difference between film documentary and television programmes.

So, what actually is a film documentary? A film documentary is a motion picture that intends to document some aspect of reality, for the purpose of educating and/or maintaining a historical purpose. It is a common fact that most documentary creators are motivated to make their own films because they believe a certain story is important, or that mainstream media are not covering it. 
Documentaries present us with real life events, and give us new experiences and outlooks on a certain topic. Documentaries strive to be compelling and truthful. 

Documentaries can be on just about anything, within reason. For example, a movie about World War II might feature actors portraying soldiers, real or fictional, in the war, recreating certain battles or events. In contrast to this, a documentary film about World War II might primarily feature news reel footage of actual fighting, with commentary from experts and veterans who were in the war. It is this focus on documenting reality above drama or a fictional narrative that typically separates these movies from summer blockbusters and other popular films.

However, film producers are faced with issues when creating a factual documentary. There are a range of aspects that can be a problem, one of these being un-accurate information. An example of this is the famous documentary called "The Man who Killed Michael Jackson" which looked into the death of MJ and what caused his death, with the spotlight being on his doctor Conrad Murray. 

The challenges film makers faced when creating this documentary was having to oblige by human rights rules and represent DR Conrad Murray in the most realist way possible; without being biased or prejudice as he is entitled to his side of the story. Also, the footage and information had to be 100% accurate as the subject of the documentary was extremely delicate and important. They had to use appropriate footage such as a clip from Dr Murray's trial, and also an interview with him. 

When filmmakers do not use accurate information, it can cause problems as they have potentially fed an audience false information and misinformed them on a subject, which leaves them with unreliable information. This can result in the audience reacting in anger or upset, which leads to filing serious complaints.

Another issue that filmmakers face when creating a documentary is Balance. The issue with balance within documentaries is that, not everyone may have the same opinions as others which can lead them to disagree with what you think or say. To overcome this issue, filmmakers must approach people with an open mind and be respectful of their views as they would hope others would be respectful of their own. 

Privacy is also an aspect of creating a film that filmmakers have to be aware of. Filmmakers have to understand and respect a persons personal space and make sure to not interfere and cause problems. An example of this is "Louis Thereoux and the Nazi's". Louis and his crew were heading into peoples homes and documenting their way of life to show to others how they live, and to share their personal story. The filmmakers had to be extremely respectful and not interfere too much with their personal space and the people within their home.

Subjectivity is when you make a judgement based on your own personal feelings and opinions - which is a quality you unfortunately can't present too strongly if you are a filmmaker as it does not make for a fair argument. 

Apart from the issues of documentaries, watching them can be extremely educational and interesting. In the usual documentary, what you expect to see can be based on what type of documentary it is. If we use Beyonce's "Life is but a Dream" documentary, you will expect to see a lot of interview and performance footage (at concerts), you will see an almost 'behind the scenes' style themed documentary. The filmmaker may also include footage of her home life; her life as a mother and capture her just as a normal person and explore her private life, within reason. This documentary also involves talk about her marriage with famous rapper Jay-Z to present the audience with the story of Beyonce and Jay Z. The title of the documentary is pretty self explanatory in relation to what it is actually about, as the documentary aims to share with the world Beyonce's life as a superstar, all caught on camera. The viewer will also be presented with Archive footage if the filmmaker is trying to express a certain point, for example, if he/she was to discuss Beyonce's claim to fame they may use an archive footage of a video of photo of Beyonce.

In other types of documentaries such as Observational, when watching "Frozen Planet' for example, you can expect to see a lot of footage on a certain animal in a certain location, with many voice overs talking the audience through the picture on screen, a long with being presented with lots of facts and figures. However, In a documentary like "Ice Road Truckers", it is sometimes likely that the filmmaker will interact with the people they are filming to understand their way of life, why they do what they do, how they do it, who does it, how it is done, etc etc. 

News Programmes

The purpose of a News Television Programme is to inform and educate people what is going on around the world. This can consist of National or International news, that gives us some idea as to the important ongoing headlines that are being or have been made. 

There are many aspects of a News Programme that make them what they are. These range from the type of people that work their, the type of reporters, the graphics, the music, etc.

In a News Programme, you are expected to see a Male and Female sat at a desk in the studio with a background city view. Its is commonly known that in one of BBC News's news programs they are seated in front of the news room behind them, full of researches that allow the viewer to know that they are still busy hard at work capturing all the latest headlines and news stories. The type of reporters shown at the very start of a news program are called Studio reporters, and their job is to open the news program, followed by introducing themselves and the news program company name, and then finally followed by reading out any breaking headlines and structure the program. These type of readers will often always be filmed from the studio. 

Studio news readers must follow strict codes and conventions, one being presented well. It is important that each newsreader is dressed formally and appropriately for their job. This normally involves a male newsreader in a suit and the female in a smart shirt, blousse or blazer paired with smart trousers or a skirt. As for hair and make up, the male often has a short clean cut hair style, and so does the female.
 The camera focus's on their upper body instead of their lower body, and they are filmed in a medium close up shot so the viewers are able to get a clear picture of them. Studio news readers are usually shown with their hands on the desk, or hands crossed. This addresses the idea of posture is power, and their professional manner allows the audience to have trust in them. Every news reader is expected and do look directly at the camera as they are talking directly to the audience. 

Field reporters, are reporters that report news from outside the studio. They are also expected to follow the codes and conventions of a news reader, but are allowed slight alterations to their appearance depending on where they are reporting, which may show them in a coat or with an umbrella depending on weather circumstances on the day of their news report. Field reporters usually present live on air and have instant communication with their studio reporters. Field reporters commonly finish their news report by ending it with "Back to you..." or "Over to you". 

The field reporters may also have use of some archive footage in their story, as well as a graphical statistics page showing facts and figures in relevance to some information being talked about by a news reporter. 

A news report wouldn't be complete without an interview, as interviews allow the viewers to get a second opinion and have a closer interaction with the news story. The news reporter will usually be shown interviewing the interviewee on camera, at a certain event, location or home about a certain subject matter. If it's a late night broadcast such as ITV's news at 10pm, the interview clips will be repeated. Interviewee's can also be witness's, and will discuss with the news reporter about something that they have seen happen as the news reporters want to get their opinion on the subject to make the matter feel realistic to viewers. 

Their is a slight difference between the content in news shows depending on what time they are being aired. For example, when you wake up you are presented with the most breaking news headlines that have just recently happened or have happened over night, where as in the evening you are presented with the developed side of stories you may have heard in the morning as they have been able to get more information on the case, as well as newly discovered headlines. 

The news reports in the morning are shown in a bit of a more informal setting as the studio reporters are shown sat on a sofa. The presenters show a little bit more characteristics such as their own sitting posture and having the odd laugh, but must still present a professional manner. 

Comparison between Factual Documentaries and News Programmes 

Their is a large difference between Factual Documentaries and News Programmes in some aspects, but not all. Both type of documentary are expected to follow accuracy guidelines, and to not be subjective nor biased about the stories they are talking about. Both of these factors are extremely important as they are the main requirement an audience needs; accuracy. It's an extremely bad image to portray when a company/filmmaker uses un-accurate and un-reliable information throughout anything they are portraying into the media. 

It is clear that Factual Documentaries and News Programmes main aim is to inform. They each share similar Codes and Conventions to make them what they are, Documentaries of different types each follow certain codes and conventions, in a different style compared to News programmes. Documentaries are created for your entertainment; to educate you and argue a point across. A news programme is to educate you and not entertain you, as the content is of great importance and professionalism as its' the main source of information us as humans use for knowledge about what is happening in the world. 

The amount of times someone will mention a story and someone will reply with ''Yeah, I heard that on the news' is highly common. 

Documentaries have a different style of presenting us with news and educating us. There is a lot more editing and filming that must be completed, interviews, archive footage, location use permission, and so much more. 

In conclusion, Documentaries are different to News Programme's as they are there to entertain you and educate you about a matter, where as News Programmes are to be taken seriously and not for your entertainment.