Our general news research lead us to interviewing the public on and off camera, the on camera interviews proved a success and we gained some valuable info from them. we also made a questionnaire and handed them out to 20 members of the public ten boys and ten girls. here are our results :
on the camera interviews, we found that the general public mostly prefer a mixed regional and national news for different aspects, such as finding out big news like celebrities and national stories, whilst knowing what is happening in the local area. the genre of news people like to watch is mainly sport we found, also local stories in towns and villages around them. we also asked if people would change anything about there news channel they watch to make it more interesting or accessible, we found that people are generally happy with the structure and setting of the news channel they watch.
We also did a paper based questionnaire, on the questionnaire the results were mixed, we found that 1/4 of men and women would like to see more celebrity stories on the news and over half of the public would like to hear financial advice in the current economical crisis we are in. we found out men are generally happy with the structure and setting of the news channel they watch, where as women would like to change mainly studio settings and graphics. 1/3 of men and women also view news through the news paper and on the Internet.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Friday 24 September 2010
Research: Analysis of similar news broadcast - Opening 5 minutes
I have chosen to analyse the first 5 minutes of a Calendar news programme. I have chosen Calendar because, like ours, Calendar is a regional news programme with a formal style whilst also spinning a less formal, light hearted look on the smaller more local stories of music, sports, arts and life in general.
Here is a link to the news broadcast I'm analysing.
The news broadcast starts with a title sequence of a series of images and video clips crossing the screen in turn. The images and video clips are of upbeat events that have been previously covered by the Calendar team or local monuments, statues and buildings of interest. The clips of events give the viewer a sense of the feel to the show with upbeat dance, music, fairs and festivals all being shown in the opening title sequence. This gives off a good vibe of the local area and whilst also informing the viewer of what types of stories are covered in the show as well as the obvious national stories. As well as the pictures and videos of events there is also pictures of local buildings, 
monuments, statues and places of interest which shows the viewer of the area to which the news is based whilst also giving a welcoming feel to the locals of the area who are watching. These titles are played over an orchestral piece of music with gives a more formal feel whilst authenticating the news to a degree. These title sequences are regularly updated and kept up to date with new events etc.
After the title sequence a fade is used to smoothly
transition from the title sequence to a long two shot of both the news presenters sat in a semi-formal studio with modern bench like couches and a small coffee table like desk. This semi-formal set up lets the viewer feel more comfortable and relaxed because the viewer will be in a living room most likely as Calendar is broadcast between 5pm-6pm. The studio is set out much like a living room for this purpose. As well as this the news remains authentic and professional by the attire of the presenters and modern desk and couches.
The news then cuts to a medium two shot of both presenters who go on to briefly summarise the day's top stories and inform the viewers on what's about to be covered in the news show. This entices the viewers to keep watching whilst informing them of the day's news. Images and videos are shown relating to the stories whilst the news readers voice over the clips which is a good way of combining vision and audio to summarise the news. This then leads on to another short title sequence which announces the end of the summary and then a medium close-up of one of the presenters who then reads the first story from the autocue.
The first story begins with the female anchor introducing the story and a reporter in the field. The image then cuts to a reporter at the scene of the story who then reports on the story from the scene with an interview with someone related to the story. This is authenticating and validating the story whilst giving the viewer an inside look at just what is happening with very
qualatative information from interviews. A further summary is then given of what is still to come. These regular summaries are constant reminders of what is still to come to ensure the viewer remains watching and knows exacly when particular stories are to be shown. Following this is another short title sequence and then the other anchor, in this case the male one, then begins the second story with another medium close-up.
The second story follows a very similar format to the first with a short introduction from the anchor, then leading to a reporter at the scene of the story who further embelishes the story with interviews and on-scene images of the story. This is then followed by yet another summary of the news to come. The next story is then introduced by the female anchor but the shot is not just of her this time, it's another medium two shot of both anchors. This is to give the show more balance.
After this story the image cuts back to the studio where the weather man has now joined the anchors and a light hearted conversation takes place about the story. This is to further make the viewer feel comfortable and relaxed as well as adding humour to the show for more entertainment. There is then a medium close-up of the third person, the weather man, who then begins to voice over a compilation of photos sent in by the viewers. This further entertains the viewer as well as breaking up the news format and having a short break from the news to mix things up and keep the viewer interested.
From this analysis I have got many ideas on what does and doesn't work when broadcasting news. Some of these ideas and concepts are going to be used by our group as they seem to work very well in a similar news broadcast such as Calendar.
Here is a link to the news broadcast I'm analysing.
The news broadcast starts with a title sequence of a series of images and video clips crossing the screen in turn. The images and video clips are of upbeat events that have been previously covered by the Calendar team or local monuments, statues and buildings of interest. The clips of events give the viewer a sense of the feel to the show with upbeat dance, music, fairs and festivals all being shown in the opening title sequence. This gives off a good vibe of the local area and whilst also informing the viewer of what types of stories are covered in the show as well as the obvious national stories. As well as the pictures and videos of events there is also pictures of local buildings, 
monuments, statues and places of interest which shows the viewer of the area to which the news is based whilst also giving a welcoming feel to the locals of the area who are watching. These titles are played over an orchestral piece of music with gives a more formal feel whilst authenticating the news to a degree. These title sequences are regularly updated and kept up to date with new events etc.After the title sequence a fade is used to smoothly
transition from the title sequence to a long two shot of both the news presenters sat in a semi-formal studio with modern bench like couches and a small coffee table like desk. This semi-formal set up lets the viewer feel more comfortable and relaxed because the viewer will be in a living room most likely as Calendar is broadcast between 5pm-6pm. The studio is set out much like a living room for this purpose. As well as this the news remains authentic and professional by the attire of the presenters and modern desk and couches.The news then cuts to a medium two shot of both presenters who go on to briefly summarise the day's top stories and inform the viewers on what's about to be covered in the news show. This entices the viewers to keep watching whilst informing them of the day's news. Images and videos are shown relating to the stories whilst the news readers voice over the clips which is a good way of combining vision and audio to summarise the news. This then leads on to another short title sequence which announces the end of the summary and then a medium close-up of one of the presenters who then reads the first story from the autocue.
The first story begins with the female anchor introducing the story and a reporter in the field. The image then cuts to a reporter at the scene of the story who then reports on the story from the scene with an interview with someone related to the story. This is authenticating and validating the story whilst giving the viewer an inside look at just what is happening with very
qualatative information from interviews. A further summary is then given of what is still to come. These regular summaries are constant reminders of what is still to come to ensure the viewer remains watching and knows exacly when particular stories are to be shown. Following this is another short title sequence and then the other anchor, in this case the male one, then begins the second story with another medium close-up.The second story follows a very similar format to the first with a short introduction from the anchor, then leading to a reporter at the scene of the story who further embelishes the story with interviews and on-scene images of the story. This is then followed by yet another summary of the news to come. The next story is then introduced by the female anchor but the shot is not just of her this time, it's another medium two shot of both anchors. This is to give the show more balance.
After this story the image cuts back to the studio where the weather man has now joined the anchors and a light hearted conversation takes place about the story. This is to further make the viewer feel comfortable and relaxed as well as adding humour to the show for more entertainment. There is then a medium close-up of the third person, the weather man, who then begins to voice over a compilation of photos sent in by the viewers. This further entertains the viewer as well as breaking up the news format and having a short break from the news to mix things up and keep the viewer interested.
From this analysis I have got many ideas on what does and doesn't work when broadcasting news. Some of these ideas and concepts are going to be used by our group as they seem to work very well in a similar news broadcast such as Calendar.
Audience Research Analysis
Our audience research contains short interviews with our target audience. The interviewees are two young students and one older man to get a clear picture of what it is that all generation prefer when watching the news. They were all asked 4 questions;
What time do you watch the news and how often?
What stories do you prefer?
What formality of news do you prefer?
What would you do to improve the news?
These questions gave us an insight into what the younger generation prefer in comparison to the older generation. We found that most people tended to watch the news everyday when they had spare time which was usually around 6:00 to 7:00 pm, after tea time.
When asked what stories they prefer, the majority prefer the high profile, international stories. Some of the younger male audience requested more sports stories of local clubs etc.
When asked what formality they prefer a mixed bag of answers were given with a few people preferring the more formal news as it provides a sense of authentication and seriousness whilst some preferred the more informal morning news setup with the news readers sat on coaches etc although we found this to be inappropriate for an afternoon news broadcast.
Again a mixed bag of answers were given when the interviewees were asked what they would like to change about the news. Some of our interviewees stated they would prefer the News broadcast to be shorter as one hour is too long, whereas some wanted more local sports news and some thought it was good the way it is.
We have taken this research into consideration when preparing our news broadcast by shortening the length to only 30 minutes whilst having more sports coverage than usual. We have also stuck to the formal format in the studio and for the main story but have given a less formal role of the reporters on field.
What time do you watch the news and how often?
What stories do you prefer?
What formality of news do you prefer?
What would you do to improve the news?
These questions gave us an insight into what the younger generation prefer in comparison to the older generation. We found that most people tended to watch the news everyday when they had spare time which was usually around 6:00 to 7:00 pm, after tea time.
When asked what stories they prefer, the majority prefer the high profile, international stories. Some of the younger male audience requested more sports stories of local clubs etc.
When asked what formality they prefer a mixed bag of answers were given with a few people preferring the more formal news as it provides a sense of authentication and seriousness whilst some preferred the more informal morning news setup with the news readers sat on coaches etc although we found this to be inappropriate for an afternoon news broadcast.
Again a mixed bag of answers were given when the interviewees were asked what they would like to change about the news. Some of our interviewees stated they would prefer the News broadcast to be shorter as one hour is too long, whereas some wanted more local sports news and some thought it was good the way it is.
We have taken this research into consideration when preparing our news broadcast by shortening the length to only 30 minutes whilst having more sports coverage than usual. We have also stuck to the formal format in the studio and for the main story but have given a less formal role of the reporters on field.
Thursday 23 September 2010
Research: video interviews: link to url
Here is a short video of our initial audience research.
We used a structured questioning system to find out relevant information from a range of ages and genders.
We used a structured questioning system to find out relevant information from a range of ages and genders.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Research: analysis of 5 minute news broadcast
This is the link to the news broadcast i will be using, it lasts 13 minutes but i will only be using the first 5: channel 4 news
The clip I'm using is a 5 minute channel 4 news reel that i got off the channel for website, the clip i will be focusing on will be five minutes long and shows many different features along with a organised, typical structure. the structure of the five minutes from the start is split up into three main chunks. in the first section we see the main story headline followed by the title sequence, this is most likely to be to intrigue the main bunch of channel flickers to view the show to achieve more hits. The sequence is continuous, keeping to the same theme, and in time with the music, jump cuts are used through out to jump from headline to headline to intrigue the audience and show stories the news channel have recently covered, merged in with visual effects to entertain the eye.
we now move to the studio with the main anchor, delivering the bulk of the main story, yet again to intrigue the audience to carry on watching the program to fill in the missing blanks of information, a medium shot is used along with visual effects in the studio as the anchor reads off the main headlines along with sub headlines that are going to appear in more detail later on in the show, the sub headlines are often live footage from the events, or pictures. establishing shots are mainly used here along with visual effects rolling the footage on and off into the next one. the shots are cleverly in time and integrated with an over voice of the main anchor.
studio covering main headline
covering sub headlines
The clip I'm using is a 5 minute channel 4 news reel that i got off the channel for website, the clip i will be focusing on will be five minutes long and shows many different features along with a organised, typical structure. the structure of the five minutes from the start is split up into three main chunks. in the first section we see the main story headline followed by the title sequence, this is most likely to be to intrigue the main bunch of channel flickers to view the show to achieve more hits. The sequence is continuous, keeping to the same theme, and in time with the music, jump cuts are used through out to jump from headline to headline to intrigue the audience and show stories the news channel have recently covered, merged in with visual effects to entertain the eye.
title sequence
we now move to the studio with the main anchor, delivering the bulk of the main story, yet again to intrigue the audience to carry on watching the program to fill in the missing blanks of information, a medium shot is used along with visual effects in the studio as the anchor reads off the main headlines along with sub headlines that are going to appear in more detail later on in the show, the sub headlines are often live footage from the events, or pictures. establishing shots are mainly used here along with visual effects rolling the footage on and off into the next one. the shots are cleverly in time and integrated with an over voice of the main anchor.
studio covering main headline
covering sub headlinesThe sub headline we see above is a shot of one of the other stories showing later in the show, yet again the clip informs the audience when to tune back in or keeps the audience watching in anticipation of seeing " a great goal scored by the magician Berbatov"
Next in the sequence we go back to the studio where the anchor eagerly introduces us to the main headline event from the pope to a natural disaster, in this case a political debate about which side of the fence the lib Dem's are on. this clip is used to inform the audience as much as he can and give them background information, this is back in the studio where a medium shot is used with visual effects in the back ground, different effects can be used to go to the next clip from visual effects, a pan, zoom out or in or an effect like simply blurring in or out or the page peeling over.
studio shot going into main headline shot
The shot above is of nick cl egg been grilled by a concert of people below him, this is part of the main headline still, it is not uncommon for a specialists voice or the anchors voice to be used to the clip to be as informative as they can and to break the news down into digestible, understandable sizes. depending on the mise un scene various shots are used from the coverage, either live or pre recorded, acting as a visual counterpart to the event, in this case a long shot is used then medium and short to show detail, the long shot is normally the establishing shot.
interviews with the public or specialists
To give a public opinion of the matter, medium close ups are used of a reporter or in this case the specialist politics editor to gain an opinion and to give more information o the matter. it is not uncommon to use more than one interview, mainly to show different view points from different groups. There are no effects used, just a simple shot to establish the reporter and the member of the public. in this five minute club there were four interviews. The reporter nearly all ways asks a rhetorical question at the end of his voice over or clip to intrigue the audience leaving a lasting thought in there minds.
Overall, there is most definitely a structure to a news broadcast, the audience that the channel is trying to catch are taken into consideration in terms of headlines, editing and effects. Simple shots are used, the most common being establishing shot, medium, and close ups, or a zoom in or out to follow the reporter, id say these are the main shots used in this example. The title sequence is equally as important, in this example cutaways and cross cutting are used intermingled with visual effects to attract the audience and show upcoming headlines, non diagetic sounds are added, mostly as a theme tune that runs with the title sequence to stand the channel out from other news channels and to create public interest.
To conclude, structure and a good depth of planning and research are essential in creating a successful news broadcast, the show should be very informative as simply as possible to tender to a wide variation of viewers, yet entertaining enough to keep the viewers intrigued.
Research: genres & formalities of News
You can now find some news channels dedicated to a certain specification of news and goings on, people are interested in, some of the main things people look for in news are often sport, politics, music and different media i.e films, but most news channels often include all types.
Here are some links to different genres of news websites:
music news: NME sports news: Sky Sports politics news: politics UK
media news: empire online
The boundaries and the way of how we watch our news has also changed as well, many news channels have differed away from the stereotypical boring news channel and instead are eager to per sue a more young, vibrant relaxed atmosphere.
Here are some links leading to different news channels:
channel 4 news video sky sports news video
as you can see these two examples are focusing on two different things, the sky sports obviously focusing on sporting highlights in a formal way using an anchor woman, reading out the news reel, where as channel four news is more focused on the biggest story at the time been set in a formal studio where the anchor man has the freedom to casually move around as if hes in his own sitting room, this could be putting the audience at ease making the news seem less intimidating.
Here are some links to different genres of news websites:
music news: NME sports news: Sky Sports politics news: politics UK
media news: empire online
The boundaries and the way of how we watch our news has also changed as well, many news channels have differed away from the stereotypical boring news channel and instead are eager to per sue a more young, vibrant relaxed atmosphere.
Here are some links leading to different news channels:
channel 4 news video sky sports news video
as you can see these two examples are focusing on two different things, the sky sports obviously focusing on sporting highlights in a formal way using an anchor woman, reading out the news reel, where as channel four news is more focused on the biggest story at the time been set in a formal studio where the anchor man has the freedom to casually move around as if hes in his own sitting room, this could be putting the audience at ease making the news seem less intimidating.
Research: links to websites
As we know, historic events are happening around us everyday, from local news right in your back yard to news and life changing events over the other side of the world. There are various types of news channels available to us, from local to world news, also different genres of news focusing on different genres of life, sport, music, politics, these are just some examples of a wide range of different news broadcasts.
Also the way in which we broadcast our news has changed over the past 20 years, now you can find a wide range of different formalities of news channels, mainly to suit the purpose of what it is addressing, and the audience it is trying to attract, we have moved away from the stereotypical news broadcaster wearing a dull black suit listing events in formal order to a new more dynamic modern broadcast, now u can find news on the radio, consistently broadcast every hour or so, but as we move further in to a century of diverse technology often based around the web, the news has become more easy and accessible on the web, as many news channels, use links, pod casts, pictures, and other media sources to create more hits for there channel and increase popularity.
Here are some different examples of news channels:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/ www.channel4.com/news/ www.itv.com/news/ news.sky.com/
These are examples of the four main news channels in the UK, each one of them has its own websites, on the main websites you can expect to find links to the main news stories of the week, from natural disasters to to the life's of celebrities, you can also find video interviews with important people, witnesses, often been grilled by a news reporter.
As well as main news websites, local news is also very accessible, from your local radio station, local news papers website and lastly the local news of your main area! Here is an example of each:
BBC Radio Sheffield Local news paper: Barnsley Yorkshire : Calender news
Friday 17 September 2010
Treatment FULL
Title: News at 6
Audience: male and female from age 12+. Our news programme is a local regional show for the people in the Yorkshire area. The show will be mainly broadcasting stories of the Yorkshire region and the events and news of the area, we will also be reporting on the big headlines and national news aswell.
Time: The programme will be shown on itv1 at 6pm, it will be shown at this time to offer to a range of various ages and intrests. at 6pm a large majority have arived home from work or school and are sat having tea or relaxing so the show should get a large number of viewers.
Presnters: The main anchors of are Jake William and Jess mills who will be presenting from the studio. The other presenters are John Selby, Oliver Nielson and Josh Woolhouse reporting from the field.
The story: Firstly the show will start with an opening sequence which will last about 15 - 20 seconds. then the 2 main anchors will be in the studio and talk about what will be coming up on the show that day. Our first and main story will be about the reccesion and how it has affected barnsley and the local area and people. Next will be a sports story on barnsley college rugby club, followed by a story on a up and coming band from the local area. all of these sotries will have interviews by the 6 news team. aswell has these stories we will have a weather report of the area for the day and also the following day. the show will have a break half way through as it is on for half an hour and is shown on itv which usually play adverts around every 15 minutes. After the break the main story of the reccession will continue with part two, concentrating on local stores and busniesses and how it has affected them. to end the news programme the anchors will talk about the stories from the rest of the counrty and world wide news and affairs.
Audience: male and female from age 12+. Our news programme is a local regional show for the people in the Yorkshire area. The show will be mainly broadcasting stories of the Yorkshire region and the events and news of the area, we will also be reporting on the big headlines and national news aswell.
Time: The programme will be shown on itv1 at 6pm, it will be shown at this time to offer to a range of various ages and intrests. at 6pm a large majority have arived home from work or school and are sat having tea or relaxing so the show should get a large number of viewers.
Presnters: The main anchors of are Jake William and Jess mills who will be presenting from the studio. The other presenters are John Selby, Oliver Nielson and Josh Woolhouse reporting from the field.
The story: Firstly the show will start with an opening sequence which will last about 15 - 20 seconds. then the 2 main anchors will be in the studio and talk about what will be coming up on the show that day. Our first and main story will be about the reccesion and how it has affected barnsley and the local area and people. Next will be a sports story on barnsley college rugby club, followed by a story on a up and coming band from the local area. all of these sotries will have interviews by the 6 news team. aswell has these stories we will have a weather report of the area for the day and also the following day. the show will have a break half way through as it is on for half an hour and is shown on itv which usually play adverts around every 15 minutes. After the break the main story of the reccession will continue with part two, concentrating on local stores and busniesses and how it has affected them. to end the news programme the anchors will talk about the stories from the rest of the counrty and world wide news and affairs.
Treatment - 5 Minutes
Title
The title of our news programme is "News at 6"
Audience
It's targeted at 12+ years old of both males and females from the Yorkshire area as it's a general semi-formal news programme with local sports and music stories as well as national news and events. Although the news been broadcast will be mainly local, a main national story will be broadcast with links to the local area, in this case the recession.
Duration
The duration of our news broadcast will be a 5 minute clip from the full 30 minutes programme. We have chose to broadcast our show on ITV 1 at 6 O'clock pm as this is when the majority of working adults and children return from school and work and can watch during or after dinner.
Synopsis
Our news broadcast will start with a short title sequence of shots of the Barnsley area and popular landmarks leading on to the two anchors to introduce the day's news. The news reports will contain one main national story about the recession, but more directly, how the recession has affected local trade. This will include an interview with a local trader/shopkeeper with direct questions on how the recession has affected their local business. This interview will take place on the field with a reporter at the shop in question. A second interview can also be used with a local women who has recently been made redundant by the NHS, this will take place in the interviewee's kitchen.
The 2nd story will be of a local college rugby teams success in an national league. This story will be more light hearted and informal and contain an interview with the rugby team's coach.
The 3rd story will be of a very successful local band's return to the Sheffield/Barnsley area. Another on scene interview will take place at Sheffield arena, the venue of the band's return.
Suggested Elements
Our news broadcast will contain two news anchors, a male and female anchor to provide balance. There will also be a semi-formal theme through out the broadcast to provide a light hearted feel to the news whilst not losing too much seriousness as delicate issues will be delved upon.
The title of our news programme is "News at 6"
Audience
It's targeted at 12+ years old of both males and females from the Yorkshire area as it's a general semi-formal news programme with local sports and music stories as well as national news and events. Although the news been broadcast will be mainly local, a main national story will be broadcast with links to the local area, in this case the recession.
Duration
The duration of our news broadcast will be a 5 minute clip from the full 30 minutes programme. We have chose to broadcast our show on ITV 1 at 6 O'clock pm as this is when the majority of working adults and children return from school and work and can watch during or after dinner.
Synopsis
Our news broadcast will start with a short title sequence of shots of the Barnsley area and popular landmarks leading on to the two anchors to introduce the day's news. The news reports will contain one main national story about the recession, but more directly, how the recession has affected local trade. This will include an interview with a local trader/shopkeeper with direct questions on how the recession has affected their local business. This interview will take place on the field with a reporter at the shop in question. A second interview can also be used with a local women who has recently been made redundant by the NHS, this will take place in the interviewee's kitchen.
The 2nd story will be of a local college rugby teams success in an national league. This story will be more light hearted and informal and contain an interview with the rugby team's coach.
The 3rd story will be of a very successful local band's return to the Sheffield/Barnsley area. Another on scene interview will take place at Sheffield arena, the venue of the band's return.
Suggested Elements
Our news broadcast will contain two news anchors, a male and female anchor to provide balance. There will also be a semi-formal theme through out the broadcast to provide a light hearted feel to the news whilst not losing too much seriousness as delicate issues will be delved upon.
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