TV News BroadcastCodes and Conventions

By Robert White

• TV News programmes are extremely important as they seek to educate and inform people about issues that occur both locally and around the world. They also inform viewers of the latest issues taking place in their country

• Since the early 1900s television has become a booming industry; a platform to showcase entertainment and educate and inform audiences

• Newspapers have declined in popularity as people can now watch the news in many different ways e.g. 60 second news updates, rolling news etc. People can also choose to view the news on mobile devices or via social media

TV News Briefing

Disco: This is where a short discussion between the anchors takes place.

Donut: This is where a presenter in the studio hands over to a presenter on location conducting an interview. They describe the situation and interview a guest before handing back to the presenter in the studio.

File: this is where a report is sent back from a location.

Dress: News anchors are dressed professionally in formal wear. This is done to convey to the audience that the broadcaster they are watching Is well established and trustworthy.

Anchors and Reporters

Out of vision: The name for a shot when a presenter is talking but you can’t see them on the screen. They are out of vision.

Float: A series of pictures shown when the presenter is talking. They are floated over the voice of the presenter, they illustrate what the presenter is talking about.

News report structure- The reporter in the studio is the establishing shot. The Reporter/Anchor makes direct eye contact with the audience

- Pre edited footage of a report with the reporter on location is prepared and ready to be shown to the audience

- The report usually begins with a voice over explaining the premise of the story

- There are usually fast pace cutaways to make the 3-5 minute long report short and snappy

- Interviews and voxpops, which are normally up to 6 seconds long, are carried out to give peoples different opinions. This is done in order to offer multiple perspectives to the viewer

- Then there are graphics and facts

- Filler shots are used throughout. This is where the reporter gives fax and explains a story whilst still or moving images are shown to the audience

- The reporter will sign off giving their name and the broadcasters name

TV News – On screen terminology- Bug: A digital on screen logo that is permanent. It is normally identified in the corner of the screen

- Continuity editing: Manipulation of time by the editor. Done to condense something that had taken an hour to film to look like a few minutes of footage. It is the illusion of continuous time without showing everything that happens

- Cutaways: A cut from one subject to another subject deemed as equally important/relevant by the producer

- Graphics: Words, diagrams, maps etc.

- Lower Third: Portion of the screen reserved for textual and statistic visual content such as a news ticker, time title of segment, bug etc.

- Montage: A series of multiple images

- Name Super/Astons: The name and job title of a person speaking

- News Belt: A round up of short news stories

- News in brief: Short stories displayed on a website or radio

- Shoot: When a reporter is accompanied by a camera man they are on a shoot

- Slug: Where a key word sums up a news story and is used over and over again

- Still: A photograph

- Stock footage: A library of common footage such as crowds at events that can be used. It is often called library material

- Ticker: A small screen space dedicated to headlines or minor news

- Voice Over: A shot where the presenter explains what is going on in a clip

- Voxpops: short interviews with members of the public giving the opinion of the people

- Video Tape: A moving picture

TV News – On screen terminology

Modes of address and shot types• Direct mode of address: Where a reports stairs down the camera lens looking at the viewer.

• Personal Pronouns: Examples of this ‘are Thankyou for joining us’

• Dialogue: Presenter usually speak slowly with over emphasis and annunciation

• Establishing Shot: At the beginning of a broadcast. There is usually a pan and zoom in from a long shot to a mid to close up shot

• Crowd shots: Shows the feeling of whole groups of people in relation to a story e.g. football match, riots etc.

• Long Shot: Used to show scale and also to make stills and moving images more interesting as more of an area can be seen

Sound and other key features• Diegetic and non Diegetic Sound: Diegetic sound is Sound whose source is visible on the

screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film and non Diegetic sound is Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action.

• Asynchronous and Synchronous sound: Asynchronous sound is sound that is out of sync or unrelated to the visuals. Synchronous sound is sound that is in sync with the visuals and filmed at the same time.

• Ambient Sound: The sounds of a location such as water from a river, cars, horns etc.

• Human Interest angle: issues effecting people in general

• Sign off using play on words

Slug: Where a key word sums up a news story and is used over and over again

Bug: A digital on screen logo that is permanent. It is normally identified in the corner of the screen

Ticker: A small screen space dedicated to headlines or minor news

Establishing Shot: At the beginning of a broadcast. There is usually a pan and zoom in from a long shot to a mid to close up shot

Example of appropriate application