Before I started my portfolio, I decided to do some research into the TV News category as a whole. By looking at various examples of News programmes such as BBC News, ITV Central and Newsround, I was able to gain an understanding of what a typical, successful News programme should look and sound like. It also helped me to understand the importance of Newsworthiness and the chronological flow of the news stories. Although the codes and conventions are reoccurring and similar in all of the news extracts which I analysed, I also identified their differences. For example, when looking at a Newsround extract in great detail, I found that this news programme in particular differs due to its target audience. The following Prezi shows how I have researched the target audience of Newsround in detail and analysed its use of codes and conventions:
When looking at examples of news programmes I also chose to research how audiences are able to distinguish the differences between national news and local news. It helped me to take into consideration which stories are most appropriate for which type of programme and also, how the stories appeal to the programmes target audience. The following Prezi documents how I researched into National TV News.
28th September 2015
News Worthiness/News Values
Today I decided to carry out some research into the theories of Galtung and Ruge and document the ideas which they came up with in order to make a news story successful. By documenting these theories on my blog, I can simply refer back to the following Prezi to see if I have included some of these News Values in the news stories which I am going to create.
29th September 2015
After researching into the typical codes and conventions of TV News, I also decided to document my findings onto a Powerpoint. By making a Slideshare and uploading it to my blog, I can continuously check back to this page when I need to make sure that I have included all of the right language, features and conventions in my analysis or planning.
Codes and conventions from megoreilly
30th September
Today I decided to produce a TV News Analysis of a local TV News programme. This was beneficial as it helped me to distinguish the difference between how National and Local News is produced. Throughout my analysis I also tried to apply my knowledge of Galtung's News Values and identify the aspects of the news report which included these values. The following Prezi documents how I did this.
30th September
Today I decided to produce a TV News Analysis of a local TV News programme. This was beneficial as it helped me to distinguish the difference between how National and Local News is produced. Throughout my analysis I also tried to apply my knowledge of Galtung's News Values and identify the aspects of the news report which included these values. The following Prezi documents how I did this.
8th October 2015
Within any Media institution or programme, I discovered that there were a number of narrative theories which can be applied when producing a text or film. These theories help to explain why producers create their media products in a certain way or order. Therefore, by doing additional research into why and how these theories are applied, I can now refer back to my Prezi to make sure that I include the necessary theories on my own title sequence.
13th October 2015
Today at school we viewed some examples of Title Sequences produced by the BBC, so that we could start thinking about what we could include in our own title sequences. I then created a storyboard on a Word Document to plan ideas of what stills, moving images or graphics I am going to use. I also decided on the camera movement, angles and transitions of each shot which will be used.
We found that there are 4 main things which should be included in the title sequence:
1. Rural areas
2.Urban areas
3. Ethnicity
4.Iconic landmarks
The following image shows my storyboard:
1. At the very beginning of my title sequence, I will include a mid shot of a rural aspect and the camera could zoom in to something specific such as hands stroking a farm animal. This could range from clips that I could record from a local farm to families playing in a local park. By doing this I will be demonstrating how the busy cities of the Midlands are not just about commercial businesses and busy town centres.
(In the background of the title sequence there will be diegetic sound of an exciting and fast paced theme tune which will represent the fast pace of the news and will make the audience anticipate the upcoming headlines. A theme tune is important as it becomes instantly recognisable to the audience and they can then identify the news programme as a brand whenever they hear that specific sound.)
2. Then I will include something which involves aspects of sport, for example this could be Alexander Stadium, Birmingham City Football Club or Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is in order to show the different lifestyles in the Midlands and also to show the possibility of a sports topic coming up in the news bulletin. During this shot, I will make sure the camera pans from left to right, at a long distance shot, so that the audience can see a clear, steady shot of the landscape.
(Additionally, in between each shot which will be used in the title sequence there will be a transition included. I am going to use a range of different transitions in order to make sure that my title sequence is not boring and it will have a simple chronological flow to it, without looking like it has been edited with too many rigid quick cuts.)
3. The next shot will be used to highlight the different ethnicity's and cultures within the West Midlands. This could range from the Chinese Quarter in Birmingham's City Centre to Polish, Indian or Russian supermarkets in a local community. I will make sure to include some zoomed in shots of the building, a tracking shot of usual customers within the area and I will include a panning from left to right as the establishing shot.
4. I will then make sure to include a quick cut of a still or moving image of the train station. Therefore, this midshot will highlight how people come to the city centre to live, shop or work, which then makes my particular news programme popular with audiences as they would all like to be informed on what is currently going on in the Midlands so that they can be prepared for their journeys. Additionally, I could use an App on my iPhone which allows me to record a moving image, and speed it up rapidly. This means that I could record a train pulling in or setting off from the station and then speed it up through the app, therefore it will reflect the fast pace of city life and also the fast pace of the news.
5. Instead of consistently using mid shots, I will use a low angle to show either the "Business District" sign or the "Colmore Road" sign in order to show how the business areas within Birmingham play a massive role in the Midlands economy and it will also show how it is dominant in the city centre. I will then use the fade transition to move on to the next image or clip in my title sequence.
6. Again, I will use a low angle shot of the Bullring in Birmingham to highlight how the shopping and dining lifestyle is also just as dominant as the businesses. I could also use the App again for this clip, to show the cars going past in a fast pace.
Audience Research
I also considered what my target audience would be expecting to see on my TV news programme, therefore as a group we interviewed different people around our school and this is what they had to say:
I then took the advice of my teacher and extended this research to include members of the public, who are more likely to be my target audience.
I then took the advice of my teacher and extended this research to include members of the public, who are more likely to be my target audience.
25th October 2015
Before we organised a filming day to gain shots and video recordings of things which could be put in our title sequences, I decided to come up with a possible news story which would dominate the news bulletin. I wanted to choose a subject which would be easy for me to take images and videos of, therefore I created a plan script for a news bulletin on the opening of Birmingham's Grand Central Station.
3rd November 2015
The following Prezi documents the different stages of our filming day in Birmingham City Centre. During this day, we were able to work well under pressure and manage our time effectively by meeting deadlines, talking to the public and taking useful shots using Canon DSLR camera.
4th November 2016
As a class, we also developed our research further by writing an email to send to a professional journalist from Big Centre TV. Together, we came up with a list of questions so that we would be even more informed about how to make a product realistic. Below is the response we received.
8th December 2015
10th December 2015
Today our class was able to have a practice session using the newly downloaded technology called "Corel VideoStudio X8". This is going to be the programme which I will create my final title sequence on. In order to become familiar with this programme, I watched videos on Youtube of tutorials and guides on how to create a product on Corel.
The following link shows the tutorial video which I found the most helpful:
18th December 2015
As part of my research and planning, it is essential that I should create a questionnaire which I could distribute to several people to gain more knowledge on what people expect from TV news programmes. I chose to use the website Survey Monkey to create my questionnaire because it is quick, easy and allows me to publish my questionnaire so that people can answer it and submit it back to me.
Surveymonkey from megoreilly
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HZ8PBGS
5th January 2016
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the planning processes and overall production of a TV news programme, our class contacted Big Centre TV, a local news channel which serves specific areas within the Midlands. They agreed to interview their main
news anchor, Bob Hall, by asking the six questions which our class came up
with.
After receiving the video link back
from Big Centre TV, I then evaluated the answers which he gave and considered
how I would refer back to his answers when producing my own TV news programme.
There were several important points
that Bob said which would give me further knowledge and help to improve the way
I deliver my news reports in my practical production.
Evaluation
Firstly, Bob stated that it is not
what you are saying which is important, it’s how you say it. I can therefore
apply this factor to my own production by making sure that the news anchor
sounds authoritative, uses hand gestures and puts emphasis on specific words
when needed. Doing this will then grab the attention of the audience
immediately, keep them interested and make them believe/trust what is being
said.
Bob then touched on the subject of
how to deliver a non-biased news story. He expressed the importance of “staying
neutral”, meaning it is essential that the news anchor does not get emotionally
involved so that the story becomes affected and bias. If the news anchor
delivering the story seems unprofessional and personally affected, it makes it
harder for the audience to trust what is being said.
In regards to target audience, he
explained that it is highly unlikely that under 10s would watch the news, and
only the occasional teenager would be interested. This therefore means that the
TV news programme will work to target an audience. As a consequence, they do
not consider which stories would be seen as appropriate for young children and
instead, dive straight into the hard news stories or breaking news headlines.
Digital technology also plays a
massive part in the production of TV news programmes. Bob clearly expressed the way social media in particular is so fast paced and can sometimes be published before TV news. It is also important to include multi media platforms within a production in order to gain more viewers and target a wider audience. For example, a TV news programme could have their own website, a mobile app and even a Twitter or Facebook page. Digital technology also helps the producers to edit and improve their clips before they go on air, therefore the programme will always be of a high standard and the audience will be kept satisfied.
Finally, it was noted that the chronological order of a news story is very important. At Big Centre TV, they go on air in the morning and repeat several news stories. This is done because the majority of the audience watching the programme in the morning will only have a short amount of time to watch the news, therefore they would only be able to catch a brief glimpse of the top stories before going to work. It is important that the producers of the news programme plan which stories should be told first and how frequent they should be
told.
Finally, it was noted that the chronological order of a news story is very important. At Big Centre TV, they go on air in the morning and repeat several news stories. This is done because the majority of the audience watching the programme in the morning will only have a short amount of time to watch the news, therefore they would only be able to catch a brief glimpse of the top stories before going to work. It is important that the producers of the news programme plan which stories should be told first and how frequent they should be
told.
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