VARIOUS FORMATS OF TV PROGRAMMES

Various formats are used for the delivery of messages on television. The format should be selected
keeping in mind the target group and the content of the message.

For example, children may find it boring to watch a documentary on ecological imbalance but they
may find animation film interesting. Moreover, the preferences of the audience also should be
considered while selecting the format.

The commonly used formats are:

i. Actuality

ii. Animation

iii. Demonstration

iv. Documentary

v. Drama

vi. Graphics

vii. Interview

viii. Panel show

ix. Puppets

i. Actuality:

In this type of format, the audience sees and hears people in the undertaking being discussed. The
programme may be introduced by a host, but from then on, rather than interviewing people the
programme cuts directly to the people involved. For example, child labourers working in a fireworks'
factory.

ii. Animation:

Here a series of still drawings or individual shots are combined to give the illusion of movement. 25
separate pictures can make one picture showing full animation per second. Making animation is time
consuming and expensive also as each frame of the film has to be shot separately.

iii. Demonstration:

Demonstration of recopies, other articles or working of equipment or any other machines often form
the part of television programmes. These could be studio or on the field demonstrations.

iv. Documentary:

Documentaries feature any subject of interest or give detailed information on real situations, people,
news. For example, documentary on vermiculture, puppetry, environment, political situations,
regional handicrafts, achievements of Indian railways or a government and so on.
• A documentary program is essentially a research paper for television; the topic is researched, the
information is outlined, and the script is written. The audio in a documentary may be either off-
camera narration, or on camera narration, or a combination of both. The audio portion Of the script
should be roughly written out before any shooting begins. In the process of writing, a shot sheet is
develop. For a documentary program a shot sheet is like a grocery list of shots needed to support
the audio portion of the script. When shooting, the shots on the list are captured.. Additionally , the
director watches forother shots that include specific items, people, or anything that adds to the
program's content and would be interesting to the viewers. Shot sheets are only a guide and are
rarely long enough to provide enough footage to assemble an entire program. Alwaysshoot more
footage than is listed on the shot sheet.

v. Graphics:

Graphics means pictures. The camera moves across the series of painted pictures, which are created
on a particular topic. They are divided in to several sections or 'episodes' to make the message
explanatory.

These pictures are drawn horizontally with soft edges to fit the TV screen so that the picture fades
out to the edges of the paper, rather than stopping abruptly.

vi. Drama:

Dramas have been very effective in involving the viewers in television programme since they
represent the life realistically. A drama is a play which presents a true-to-life story in a dramatized
form with actors playing the parts of the story's characters.

The story develops through what the characters do and say. Dramas on television have provided a
cheaper substitute for theatre plays which are beyond the reach of the middle class man.

vii. Interview:

This is face-to-face conversation between a host and the interviewee or an invitee. These are one of
the most difficult programmes to do well. It could be an interview of renowned person, or
outstanding personality, literary person, group and so on. Sometimes interviews are made
interesting by shots showing the interviewee engaged in whatever is being discussed. The interview
format is often shot with only one camera. To get various camera angle cuts between the interviewer
and the interviewee, the interviewee is shot for the entire duration of the interview. The audio picks
up the questions asked by the interviewer , but the camera only shoots the interviewees' face. After
interviewee has left the set, the camera shoots the interviewer asking same questions a second time
and records some nod shots.

viii. Panel Show:

These programmes have a group of experts and a moderator who introduces the experts, explains the
theme, anchors the discussion and concludes. Mostly this format is used for discussion of current
events or affairs where the audience is interested in learning various opinions on an issue. The many
Sunday morning network programs that bring a group of professionals together to discuss current
news and political topics are examples of the panel discussion format. Also included are the popular
daytime talk shows. These programs are not difficult to produce, as long as there is a limited number
of people on the panel. Panel discussions are driven by the program’s content, not action. As more
people are added to a panel discussion, the shot to include all members gets rather wide. A wide shot
is also a tall shot. This increases the risk of shooting off the top of the set. To keep the top ofthe set
in the shot, the camera may need to tilt down and inadvertently make the studio floor the most
prominent item in the picture.

ix. Puppets :

Puppet shows are used especially for children's programmes because they add novelty. They are
cheaper also as they require short period for rehearsal and much less payment to those who play
puppet as compared to actors of a play. Many times, puppet is used in the role of the comparer.

x.clip show

A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous
episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past
events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback.
Clip shows are also known as cheaters, particularly in the field of animation. Clip shows are often
played before series finales.

Xi:Docufiction

Docufiction , often confused with docudrama, is the cinematographic combination

of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film.[1] It is a film genre[2] which attempts
to capture reality such as it is and which simultaneously introduces unreal elements or fictional
situations in narrative in order to strengthen the representation of reality using some kind of artistic
expression.

XII:- Pilot
A television pilot is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to
a television network. At the time of its creation, the pilot is meant to be the testing ground to gauge
whether a series will be successful; it is therefore a test episode for the intended television series, an
early step in the series development. In the case of a successful television series, the pilot is
commonly the very first episode that is aired of the particular series under its own name; the episode
that gets the series "off the ground".
XIII:-Remake
A remake is a television series that is based on an earlier TV series and tells the same, or a very
similar, story.Remakes occur less often on television than in film, but have happened from time to
time.
XIV: Sequel
A sequel is a continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of
a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same fictional universe as an earlier
work, usually chronologically following the events of that work.
In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters
and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear repeatedly. Sequels are
attractive to creators and to publishers because there is less risk involved in returning to a story with
known popularity rather than developing new and untested characters and settings. In movies,
sequels are common. There are many name formats for sequels. Sometimes, they either have
unrelated titles or have a letter added on the end. end or have an added word on the end. It is also
common for a sequel to have a variation of the original title or have a subtitle.
XV:-Serial:-
In television, a serial has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion.
Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the
series, which distinguishes them from traditional episodic television that relies on more stand-alone
episodes.Serials rely on keeping the full nature of the story hidden and revealing elements episode
by episode to keep viewers tuning in to learn more.
Serials contrast with episodic television, with plots relying on a more independent stand-alone
format. Procedural drama television programs are commonly episodic.Shorter serial programs
known as telenovelas.
Xvi:- Television special:-
A television special is a stand-alone television show which temporarily interrupts episodic
programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Specials have been produced which provide
a full range of entertainment and informational value available via the television medium (news,
drama, comedy, variety, cultural), in various formats (live television, documentary, studio
production, animation, film.

:-TELEVISION NEWS FORMAT:-

1:- Dry news
2:- Graphics news
2:- Audio Visual
3:- Audio Visual Byte
4:- Audio visual byte byte
5:- package