Rhetorical Analysis of TV Broadcast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPXdfK9ECk
Rhetorical Analysis
• 4 types
• Verbal
• Presentational
• Photographic
• Editing
Introduction
• Usually begins with a jingle
• Recognised BBC Logo
• Respected news presenters
• Breaking News – a change to scheduling is explained (importance)
Verbal Rhetoric
• ‘This is BBC, now a change to the schedule as we join BBC News 24’
• Prepares audience for a major news breakthrough
• BBC News 24 is the bigger company
• ‘We’re interrupting normal programmes to bring you extraordinary pictures from the United States’
Verbal Rhetoric• Careful choice of wording (adj ‘extraordinary’)
• ‘sound tend to anchor meaning on TV while the image tends to anchor it with cinema’ (Ellis Reading)
• Sound could be used on radio broadcast to carry same meaning
• ‘Sound can be heard where the image is sometimes restricted’ (Ellis)
• ‘Sound holds attention more consistently than image’ (Ellis)
• Simple factual information
• ‘Sound tends to carry the details’
• ‘its impossible to imagine what’s going on in there’
Presentational Rhetoric
• We do not see any studio shots, the emphasis is on the alternation of the images of the two towers
• Such an iconic event is about factual information for the consumer, not fancy post production
• It is usual that surroundings on news broadcasts are natural and non distracting, to ensure no attention is deflected from the story, we see NO distracting visuals at all.
Photographic Rhetoric
• We only see 3 different images throughout the broadcast clip
• ‘Images on TV are held on screen until information is exhausted’
• Establishing shot of two towers
• Mid shot of top section of towers (parts that have been damaged)
• Creates emphasis on crisis
Photographic Rhetoric
• ‘The broadcast TV image has to be sure that its’ meaning is obvious’ especially on such sensitive stories.
• This creates iconic images of the event
• ‘Broadcast TV image is gestured rather than detailed’ – one side of the breakthrough
• ‘It is as though the TV is a live image, transmitted as it is produced’
• ‘conventional that viewer is larger than image’ however, in this instance the choice of low angle image creates the sense of inferiority of the viewer.
Editing
• Almost non existent post production techniques
• Not a huge variation on camera angles, we get jerky zooms in and out of the explosion area of the building to show the scale of the situation
• The only visual we see other than the intro BBC logo and 9/11 explosion images is post production added “BREAKING NEWS BAR” at the bottom of the screen.
• Signature BBC colours, red creates a sense of emergency, similar to that of hazard signs.
• This has been very purposefully made to focus around content.
Conclusion
• Although most segments are typical to their codes and conventions, on special exceptions, different rules apply.
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