TASK 1A

Documentary film

Anthony Bourdain in Istanbul

By Dimitar Zlatarev

Anthony Bourdain is an American chef whose passion for food is directly reflected on his travels. As he embarks on trips all over the world searching for both familiar as well as some unique, out of the way gems in his quest for the best dining experience. As he travels and eats, he offers both his opinion on the food as well as the place he is visiting and the overall experience he had.

The episode I am analysing is based in Turkey, Istanbul. 

In terms of accuracy for the show, the presenter and the crew must make sure they have carefully read and learnt the information that they need for example knowing facts such as food history and information regarding the country, it should be carefully double checked to avoid misleading the audience.  The documentary’s main focus may be food but it also showcases and talks about the history of the country and city the presenter is in.

Balance – documentaries should not be biased. Especially when it comes to food, both sides should be equally discussed and presented to the audience for example if the food doesn’t taste that great the presenter must make a note of that or if it has a very distinct flavour which some people might not like the presenter must tell the audience that as not everyone has the same taste as him. Balancing a story is very important as the audience are getting a truthful story with having both side of things addressed and analysed and this way, the presenter looks more real as he tells things as they are without having to fake anything or talk about his own personal preferences and what he liked. For example as he tries each dish, he tells in detail what he liked such as the succulent meat, the sauces and what could be improved.

Impartiality – This would mean that in the documentary, views and opinions should be weighing equally and balanced. Impartiality is often more than just a balance between different viewpoints. In the documentary this would mean that Anthony Bourdain should respect other’s opinions and views on whatever food he is trying.

Objectivity – It is very difficult for filmmakers to objectively capture reality as the filmmakers become more and more familiar with the character’s story and therefore it is completely normal to take a side and have a conclusion and perhaps become biased with whatever they think about the issue and what is their point of view. The filmmakers should prepare beforehand with carefully selected questions that would be explored in the documentary, who exactly are they looking out for and who is the audience. There are plenty of great documentaries which are insightful and educational but on the other hand, some documentaries fail to capture reality because of the filmmakers being biased with deciding what to show in the documentary and what to ask which results in biased – one side of view documentary which is very opinionated.

Subjective – The majority of the filmmakers make subjective films as they select the information that they want to include in the film based on real facts and knowledge. Subjectivity has a lot to do with personal opinion, it can be seen even in the actual technical and creative approach of the documentary such as choice of camera angles, shot types, movement or not, lighting, re-enactment, voice overs and editing. Subjectivity in documentaries is very common as it is opinion based on real facts. The documentary is heavily subjective as the presenter talks about the flavours of the foods as well as information about the city and the restaurants he is visiting and this is all checked beforehand as he is stating facts that should be accurate.

Opinion – This is pretty much giving your own opinion on the issue and topic and what your personal believes are, there is no right or wrong answer as everyone has different point of views on certain topics therefore they should all be respected and listened to. In the documentary film , the presenter mostly tells the audience what he thinks the food tasted like, is it cold or hot, soft, salty, greasy and pretty much everything he thinks about it – his own opinion and view.

Bias -  It means that you are just looking at your preferred point of view without trying to understand the other side and this should strongly be avoided in documentaries as their aim is to show facts not someone’s opinion and try influence people to feel a certain way. Anthony Bourdain has given both sides of views when reviewing a dish, and he has stated that it might be too salty for some or too greasy and fatty. Even though he likes it, he has kept it truthful in a way where he has informed the audience on the goods and bads so people can decide for themselves as well as to be prepared and know what to expect for example – good but too spicy which tells us that the presenter himself loves the food however not anybody can handle spice therefore he is warning them about it.

Representation – It is essentially the way something is presented to the world, as we’re talking about Turkish Food, what comes to people’s mind is kebabs and baklava, there is a lot more to it however and this is why the presenter has travelled to the country to explore what else the cuisine has to offer. He has explored little authentic and old restaurants which offer some of Istanbul’s best foods and showed the audience what more there is besides kebabs.

Access – Access is all about permission and license for your locations. This documentary was heavily based In restaurants therefore it was a major element to make sure that the proper access is gained such as release forms for locations and faces to be shown on camera. 

Privacy – Privacy as the name says is about keeping away from the public’s eye, when we have a film about food, it is important to note if the owners are okay with being filmed and on camera, showing their restaurants and talking directly to the camera as well.

Contract with viewer - The viewers have tuned in to watch Anthony Bourdain eat in Turkey, they are promised by the TV DOC to see what they are expected to see, exploring Turkey's cuisine. 

News broadcast report by 

Dimitar Zlatarev

Report on Syrian refugees 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xamksy1VcU&t=9s

Accuracy  - The episode I am analysing is based in Turkey, Istanbul. In terms of accuracy for the show, the presenter and the crew must make sure they have carefully read and learnt the information that they need for example knowing facts such as food history and information regarding the country, it should be carefully double checked to avoid misleading the audience.  The documentary’s main focus may be food but it also showcases and talks about the history of the country and city the presenter is in. An example of accuracy would be the BBC live report on the Syrian refugees and how the news reporter has started of the live stream with introductory facts such as them escaping to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey about the refugees.

Balance – Documentaries should never be biased but balanced, offering both sides to the story makes the story more believable as you are not only showing the side you are favouring and changing the information according to your own opinion but actually presenting the truth, offering both points of view. This way the audience is able to hear both the good and bad points of the story. In this case, with the Syrian refugees it is a very sensitive topic as the refugees are being overlooked in a way where their problems are considered the norm therefore not a lot of people really sympathise them, to add on, within the recent years of refugees coming to Europe risking their lives on boats, with thousands dying on the way, terrorists still succeed in smuggling in between. This has made it difficult for some people to look at the refugees as people who have just escaped war, with having confirmed a wide percentage of them being economy migrants who just are searching for a better life instead of actually running from war, and on the other hand we got terrorists who have been smuggled all over Europe, causing attacks on the continent.

With these points it is obvious that there are both positives and negatives to this topic therefore it is essential to stay balanced and discuss both points of view to the migrant crisis.

Impartiality – It is important to understand that the audience should be allowed to conclude their own opinion about a certain issue hence the journalists must strive to provide and reflect on a wide range of opinions, exploring conflict views is necessary to gather different opinions and viewpoints, perspectives shouldn’t be ignored. In the broadcast, the journalist that is reporting live from Istanbul is mostly reporting facts and numbers about the refugees and there is no real opinionated response in her speech as she is clearly stating facts and statistics that have been legitimately confirmed for example she has mentioned that he UN – European Union has confirmed that more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees live in Turkish boarders and more are yet to come.

Objectivity – Keeping your personal emotions is very important for objectivity. It is more or less like having a professional approach to the issue/topic, no matter how much in favour you are of the issue, let say the journalist for example is from Muslim background, “Refugees are helplessly drowning in the sea, with the hope of a better future while terrorists are being disguised as migrants, making their way to Europe unnoticeably.” A journalist must analyse the facts and consider a decision that provides the most accurate and truthful information. Even though the refugees are not all terrorists, it is important to note that ISIS members are being smuggled in between innocent people making them all look like terrorists within eyes of Europe’s citizens.  

Subjectivity – Subjectivity is the opposite of what I’ve just analysed. Subjective journalists are the people that no matter what, try to argue their points that usually aren’t fully backed up external facts but more of a personal feeling and opinions. In the broadcast about Syrian Refugees, the presenter and journalist that is reporting live have not been subjective at all, this is to do with the nature of the news organisation BBC as they are a brand that strongly relies on facts and statistics rather than opinions and information that isn’t legitimately backed up and confirmed by accurate sources. BBC prefers to rely on information that is 100% true which makes everything they say more believable in front of the audience. This means that the audience are more likely to tune in and listen and watch to BBC when it comes to news compared to any other news organisation as they know the news they are receiving are 100% legit.

Opinion -  Opinion is pretty much someone’s opinion, in this case the Journalist’s opinion. It is considered one when the point of view is not evidently backed up by a legitimate fact / source and there is not enough evidence to back it up. In the broadcast about the refuges, there was no serious opinions about the issue besides one or two comments about the journalist’s emotion and how she feels about the issue that is going on, for example she has described the happening as a “tremendous tragedy”. This indeed is the only personal opinion she gives out, which happens to be an accurate description of the problem with the refugees.

Bias -   Bias in journalism is rarely present nowadays as it’s considered a no no. It’s the journalist’s job to present the audience with enough equal facts of a certain issue so the audience can form an opinion and take a side on their own. To briefly explain it, biased journalists often try battle over anybody else’s facts and opinions and try prove they are right at the end no matter what. In the broadcast, bias was not present at any moment. BBC as previously mentioned, are strongly against biased, unidentified information that could either mislead the audience or persuade them into thinking something that isn’t totally right as its only one side of the story rather than looking at both sides and then, decide for themselves.

Representation – Representation is how a certain topic and issue are portrayed within the media and public’s eye. For example, the issue regarding the immigrants from the middle east, there are multiple speculations about the people coming over to Europe. Refugees are often represented by the media as low life, third world people that are dangerous and are a potential thread to Europe’s safety. By taking over the continent, committing crimes and even some turning out to be ISIS terrorists, it is hard to show the world the true innocent faces of the refugees. Not all are terrorists, the fact that they are Muslim certainly does not make them one, but the stigma in the media fails to proves that hence the world has sort of developed that point of view about them.  

Access – Before talking about the Syrian crisis, BBC must’ve taken access from the right sources and has confirmed every fact is truthful and has granted permission to film and discuss the issues without affecting/harming anybody directly.

Privacy – Privacy as the name suggests is about respecting people’s private space and knowing when not to film. Example would be someone’s death, the journalists must take into consideration that the topic is very sensitive therefore it should be handled extra, extra carefully by the media. In this case, we can see in the live report a few scenes of the migrants at the Turkish boarders, struggling to get in, looking dirty, hungry and helpless. The journalist that has filmed the scenes must’ve checked beforehand if filming the vulnerable individuals is allowed and how far they can go with the filming as in, how personal. Interviewing individuals directly affected by the issue is only allowed when the individuals have permitted to do so.

Contract with viewer -  This pretty much promises the viewers that the information in the broadcast will be exactly what the presenter has said it will be. An example of this would be the news report on the Syrian refugees. The audience is expecting to learn information about the refugees as this is the reason they tuned in and haven't switched the channel over.