1. Lesson 9 AQA GCSE Media Studies Unit 1 Investigating the Media
Exam Topic: Television News
Lesson 9 – Codes and Conventions of TV News: Media Language, Genre
Photocopiable/digital resources may only be copied by the purchasing institution on a single site and for their own use
© ZigZag Education, 2014 

2. Starter
Where do the labels go?

3. Storyboarding Transition Close-up? Long shot? Low or high angle?
High key? Low key?
Shot number
Diegetic? Non-diegetic? Dialogue? Music?
Detail of what is happening in the shot
Drawing of the shot 3
How long is it?

4. Codes and conventions of TV news broadcast programmes
There are particular features we expect to see and hear when we watch a TV news programme.
These help us to recognise that we are watching the news!

5. Codes and conventions of TV news broadcast programmes
The programme starts with its recognisable music and title sequence (ident).
There is a studio that has furniture in it as well as TV screens behind the presenter.
The presenter gives an introduction to themselves and the main news stories.
There may be only one presenter, sometimes two and they will present the news regularly.

6. Codes and conventions of TV news broadcast programmes
The programme has a regular time slot, which the audience expects.
Some TV channels will have advertisement breaks.
There will be live broadcasts, interviews, hard and soft news stories and visual appeal throughout.
There is usually a weather report towards the end of the programme.
At the end of the programme, presenters usually shuffle papers and say goodbye.
The final credits and outro music complete the programme.

7. Codes and conventions of TV news broadcast programmes
Visit the Channel 4 News Catch-up service and choose a midday news broadcast to analyse for codes and conventions. Use the worksheet you will be given to help you complete this activity.

8. Storyboarding a TV news broadcast
Storyboard the midday news broadcast you have just analysed.
It need not be very detailed – see my example.

9. Storyboarding a TV news broadcast

10. Plenary
Look at some other TV news broadcasts on the Internet. Look at Sky News, BBC News or perhaps other countries’ TV news broadcasts. Do they follow the same codes and conventions?

11. Homework
Analyse the codes and conventions of a 30-minute TV news broadcast, BBC 6, ITV 6 or Channel A worksheet has been provided to assist you.