Analysis

Filming and editing techniques has been always been used as a method of catching people attention and to make a more dinamic recording. Depending on which technique the author decides to use, the effect on the audience can vary from prudicing a sensation of expectation or suspense to change the image of a certain character putting him as stronger or evil for example. Also this techniques serve as connectors between ideas in different scenes. In this analysis I will compare a Prime-time News report with a 24-hour news item using different criteria like Lighting, Editing Techniques and Sound. As an information media, this videos naturally include informational Bias to cause a different impact in the audience and to express certain points that represent the line of the channel. This informational bias can be: Personalization, Dramatization and Authority disorder. Using the criteria described before I will prove that there are substantial differences between this two type of news broadcasts, not just because because of being from different channels.

At first in Prime-time, the camera uses Long Shot, to show the vulnerability of Nathan Haug to his addiction, but then at the rest of the record it is used the medium shot, with some exception when introducing other victim, Breanne Saldivar, again using Long Shot with the same purpose as before. The medium shot is used to ground the history, to put it as a concrete thing so the viewers will believe what they see; most of the broadcast are interviews. Two Shot is also used to show some dialogues between characters. In the 24-hour news in the beginning of the video the presenter is introduced and it also she appears throughout the whole video speaking about what is happening in Chicago. While the camera is focused oh her, the type of shot used is Medium Shot because apart from her there is a screen in the set showing images from the disturbes in Chicago city. Another example of medium shot is when O'Reilly is talking and the complete image is of the people in Chicago, this may be used to present it as a real problem and a way of putting it more realistic. Finally there is another example of Medium Shot, where President Obama is talking. But Medium Shot is not the only type of shot used, in presenting scenes from the city the Establlishing Shot is the one used in this case because it can introduce easily a totally different situation comparing Chicago with the Fox News set. Another reason for the use of Long Shot may be to show the policemen of Chicago as vulnerable against the protesters.

The camera do not differ a lot between the two type of news, in ABC eye level is the angle used. This is because the story is based on people testimony and it must be at eye level, so to cause an sympathetic feeling in the audience and to show the story as a normal and real problem. In Fox News The angle used to present the speakers in a set is naturally at Eye Level also because they must be seen natural and also to contrast with the scenes out of the set. When showing the problems in Chicago, the difference with ABC is that the camera adopts a High Angle to emphasize the idea of weakness and vulnerability of the policemen of Chicago fighting with the anarchists.

Camera movement is very different in both of the video, the camera doesn’t move a lot across the video in Prime-time, but in some instances the technique used is zooming. This zooming is forward the characters, leading a revealing sensation that helps the audience getting the message from the interviewee. Instead of this, the camera moves a lot in the place of the action, panning and tiltling as the people moves, this produces the effect of chaos and disturbes. Normally the scenes don't cover great extension so the camera doesn't need to track the people.

The lighting is similar in the two news, in general there is a lot of light in all the scenes, but the light of the camera produces a bit of front lighting, which makes the actor look innocent and poor against its syndrome in the news about pronography addiction. In the Chicago conflict in all the scenes outside the set the present light is only the natural one, and also in the set, the lights aren't so strong to prodce an effect of Front Lighting. High Key might describe the light is this segment because all is clearly visible and easy to distinguish.

The are not so many editing techniques in none of the two videos, but in the Prime-time news The Shot-Reverse-Shot technique is used in conversations like in the end of the video, while there’s a conversation with the expert. An editing technique used in 24-hour news is Parallel Editing in various parts, for example in the set when the camera shows the presenter, tough the person talking is in a screen next to her. This is to show what is happening in the outside, but not taking the camera out of the set, giving importances to the presenter and the channel. The screen where the action happens also Dissolves the presenter in a certain moment.

The sound in both videos is completely Diegetic there’s no background music that the character wouldn’t hear, this is because as a report, the facts must be veridical and there’s no intension to cause a determinate feeling toward what appears, only in giving information from a certain perspective.

Biases in news are very different and this is one of the most particular characteristics that differentiate a Prime-time compared with a 24-hour news channel. In ABC news channel, and particularly, this piece of news, the personalization is the most present informational bias. The story is focused on different individuals, starting with victims of the addiction, as Nathan and Breanne, and the continuing with some experts that work with this type of cases. In all cases, the interview is the base of the report, from which we can get direct information about the case. This type of bias is used to emphasize the human interest in the theme of the item and to have and emotional impact in people, but not involving anything about politics or other certain points of view as that. The most powerful informational bias used in Fox news is Authority-disorder, which also involves the use of Personalization and Dramatization. The problem shown on this report is between the local authorities and protesters, but then it involves even the president, and O'Reilly blames him for what is happening. The personalization is evidenced with the presenter of the anarchist movement giving his opinion about what is happening showing the movement as a normal thing; O'Reilly shows Obama as someone who doesn't take account what he says, in this case, being in favor of the movement of Wall St.; Obama also speaks giving his point of view about all the issue, but with no strength at all. In the end, all is presented like problem caused by the authorities and that they can't solve for themselves. The dramatization is this story is in the fight between all the anarchists and the police, where one officer gets his leg stabbed.

In conclusion, there are different aspects proper to each type of news, for example, in Prime-time News, the use of different shots to show the protagonist of the story puts them as vulnerable and mainly the whole report is relied on them; in 24-hour news, the presenter adopts a protagonist role in the presentation of the item and this differentiates it from the first. In bias, this same aspects mold bias as personalization in prime-time of news and authority-disorder in 24-hours, but this is also for politics reasons and the alinement of the channel.