Artefact 1 Evaluation

Artefact 1 compares two documentaries and two reality television programmes to find how the use of engagement opportunities that impact on relationships between viewer(s) and subject(s). For the two documentaries, clips taken from The Family and The Lie of the Land, both considered educational. The two reality programmes, clips taken from Big Brother and Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here considered the most entertaining on television. Questionnaires were completed to collect answers and a focus group is used to debate and define certain comparisons.

The comparisons of documentaries showed that through styles of editing impacted viewers in different ways. The use of equipments and editing offered a more natural or more artificial reflection of the subject(s). Connections between characters and viewers can be made through common interests and experiences but even without a common ground, connections can be made when relating to a life or death situations. A narrator provides an important part of the narrative, delivering ethical, informative, and educational information using fact, figures and personal interviews to the viewer(s) creating an attachment to the subject(s). But a documentary’s authenticity is reliant on facts that support the subject matter.

The comparisons of reality television programmes show that viewers are not connected to the characters because there is no previous attachment or relations/experience to their current situations. Viewers consider these programmes entertaining as the characters are taken out of their comfort zone and are able to watch the demise, embarrassment and failure that are exploited and shown through precise selection of in the editing process. The presenter(s) informs the viewer(s) of the progress and give an overview of the next parts of the programme. They are considered to be an important link in bridging the connection between subject(s) and viewer(s) even though the content will always override the presenter(s).