Assignement 4 analysis of tv documentaries

Assignment 4
Analysis of a TV Documentary
Kaya Sumbland

LIFERS
Lifers is a Channel 4 documentary following the life
on men in Gartree prison in Leicestershire over a six
month’s who are in there for a range of murder
crimes in the UK. It presents feelings and thoughts
from the prisoners on the crime they
committed, how they cope, and live.

It was shown on Channel 4 at
9pm, targeting towards a more
mature British audience as its
about a serious topic, and its
edited in ways of being more
sympathetic and serious.

Cherry Healey – How to get a life
Are we all Addicts?
This is a BBC three documentary series following
Cherry Healey looking into differed aspects of life.
Which this particular episode named ‘Are we all
addicts?’ looking at different peoples addiction to
certain legal drugs for pleasurable circumstances in
the UK.
It was shown on BBC Three at
9pm, which is known to be
quite quirky channel with
documentaries targeted
towards youth in the UK
through their editing and
presenter.

Conventions in
Documentaries
• Interview • Clear aim of documentary
• Position of interviewee on screen • Presenter
• Hand held camera • Tone in which they speak
• Establishing shot • Documentary purpose
• Natural lighting • Theory/style
• Mid shot • Use of text
• Close up shots (insert shots) • Font
• Background music • Animation
• Supporting images • Setting (back and forth between
• Supporting clips settings)
• Archival footage • Special effects
• Archival images • Statistics
• Montage editing • Ambient sound
• Voice overs • Volume control
• Real life setting • Intervals
• Personal (bias) presence of • Structure
interviewee • Quoted material

LIFERS Conventions USE
DEVELOP
Voiceovers CHALLENGE

They used a formal male
voiceover, with an informative
tone to narrate the documentary
from the beginning to introduce
the programme and what its
about as there is no presenter
involved.

Also, to get the interest of
viewers, they used actual news
reports over the clips to make it
seem more real and dangerous,
making the documentary exciting
and serious.

DEVELOP
Camera Angle CHALLENGE

They use a ‘fly on the wall’
type angle to capture
everything within a certain
room or location, to possibly
present to the audience how
enclosed and intense prison
is, informing the audience
how horrible it can be

DEVELOP
Hand held CHALLENGE

They use hand held camera
movement as they are constantly
on the move, following prisoners
from each location and follow
what they’re up to.

DEVELOP
Interviews CHALLENGE

The camera man asked questions
from behind the camera
interacting with the interviewee

Sound Bridge

Then while he answered, the clips
switched while sound bridging to
show what's he’s talking about –
going back and forth

DEVELOP
Mid shot CHALLENGE

Mid shots are used instead of full
body shot as main body language
is represented from head to arms

Close up

Close up regularly used to present
the bad conditions they live in and
to show more detail for their
audience

LIFERS USE
Conventions DEVELOP
CHALLENGE
Statistics

700 inmates
which 85%
serving life
sentences

During a simple clip, they used a voice over
to say a supposed shocking statistics
without distracting on the screen

DEVELOP
Lighting CHALLENGE

Natural lighting throughout the prison is
used, as its not very realistic to bring
light equipment to this kind of location

LIFERS Conventions
Music When he recapped
over what he had
done, violin, soft music
USE is played to emphasise
DEVELOP the emotion and
CHALLENGE create empathy with
the audience

During the title ticking music is Sound bridge of the ticking music to soft
played creates tension and violin so the audience to make a calmer
emphasises the wait to leave relaxed tone to introduce prisoners
prison

DEVELOP
Supporting CHALLENGE

images

A photo of one of the murderers photos as a child, – although
they’ve done something really bad – possibly to make the audience
feel bad for them, and know they weren't always bad

Cherry Healey – How to get a life USE
Are we all Addicts? Conventions DEVELOP
CHALLENGE
Voiceovers

There is a voice over throughout
by the presenter of the
documentary, who straight away
gets quite personal with the
audience
Showing clips of her from
previous documentaries
As she is also a well known
presenter for BBC Three

Cherry Healey – How to get a life USE
Are we all Addicts? Conventions DEVELOP
CHALLENGE
Supporting
images

Clips and images are shown while
a voiceover to support what the
episode of the series is about – in
order to get a better
understanding, and to attract the
audience eyes

Are we all Addicts? Conventions USE
DEVELOP
Editing CHALLENGE

Clouds moving fast People around her moving fast

Through fast forward, they made
it seem as though everything is
moving fast – to go along with a
statement told, also with deep
focus on the main object of the
Clock moving fast clip to show a rush

DEVELOP
Interviews CHALLENGE

Interviews were done with the
presenter present, showing how
they react against each other, and
could possibly create a personal
bias on the interviewee – though
making it a more calm and relaxed
setting

DEVELOP
Statistics CHALLENGE

Statistics were written in
text on the screen
accompanied by a voice
over by Cherry with an
internet supportive clip
underneath to go with the
subject

DEVELOP
Lighting CHALLENGE

Natural lighting is used
throughout as the
equipment wouldn’t really
be necessary – or fit – in the
locations of the
documentary

DEVELOP
Music CHALLENGE

First establishing shot plays Rizzle Kicks – Background music is upbeat and quite
Possibly to attract young audience
electrical – quite common on BBC Three
documentaries

Second establishing shot plays LMFAO – Also
to get a feel of the location

LIFERS Cherry Healey – How to get a life

Similarities Are we all Addicts?

Interview with
professional

Lifers How to get a life

Both documentaries have an interview with a professional to get factual
information on their topic.
Though, both use a different style – e.g Lifers uses a close up shot
accompanied by text on the side to inform audience on who it is, where as
How to get a life uses Cherry in their interview, with a voice over stating who
is .


Similarities Are we all Addicts?

Credits

Put the text on Capitals
the left side on top

Both of the documentaries have visual similarities, by having a black
background with white text on top, while sliding upwards, accompanied by
music that suited their documentary. Though both put the billing in different
orders.


Differences Are we all Addicts?

Presenter


BBC Three documentary used a well known presenter of the channel
throughout the episode and series as she was used as a participial observer
of their research making the atmosphere more relaxed and fun
throughout, However, Lifers only had a formal male narrator Stephen
Mackintosh, which created a more intense atmosphere.



Titles

Lifers had a black screen with white text Where as, How to get a life was more
fading onto and getting bigger on the quirky and fun, featuring the presenter in
screen accompanied by ticking sounds the titles. They wrote the text onto objects
creating that intense and symbolising the which is quite eye catching accompanied by
wait for release while using a black font upbeat music to create a light hearted
which seems quite harsh atmosphere with their audience –
attracting youth as an audience



Series


Lifers was a one time documentary, which six months of footage all put into one
hour as there was only one research aim, so there was no episode to follow.
However, how to get a life will follow numerous episode to research different
aspects of ‘How to get a life’ – so at the end of the programme, they showed
what will happen next week on another topic vanity. Whereas lifers ended on a
conclusion.



Channel

Channel 4 documentaries have a certain style to them.
Commonly channel 4 don’t use a presenter in their
documentaries, but a narrator over what they’re presenting.
Also they focus on educational or informative topics, for
examples, ways of life and medical

Channel 4

BBC Three documentaries also have a certain style.
Their documentaries are commonly targeted towards
youth, being quite quirky and fun. They usually focus
on modern and young adults – though this is
expected as the channel in general focus on themes
to do with youth culture.
BBC Three



Intervals

Before and after interval title was When moving to a differed topic, instead of a
shown on screen break, it showed a full body shot of her moving
the next location

Lifers was split into four parts during the 1 hour episode due to breaks from
channel 4. After each part, the topic didn’t change, but added a new prisoner to
the documentary, so there wasn’t much change from each interval,
however, How to get a life didn’t have any breaks (due to it being on the BBC)
, but was split into parts going from different topics and people in drugs, splitting
the documentaries into parts.

Assignement 4 analysis of tv documentaries

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