TV Genres: Common Problems of Production

King of Reality TV - Big Brother returned for a 14th consecutive year in 2013

TV is a world of genres and sub-genres, constantly evolving, splintering and crossing over into each other. Defining them can sometimes be hard; even more difficult can be determining which genre a programme could be categorised as.

Each genre requires specialist knowledge and skills and each bring their own challenges to production teams. Here we try and define some of the most common genres on TV and take a look at the common issues faced when making them.

Specialist factual We start with specialist factual documentaries specialising in a particular subject area such as history, science, natural history, art, music. The aim of the specialist factual programme is to inform and educate the audience as much as it is to entertain.

Examples: The Ascent Of Man, The Blue Planet, A History Of Britain

Common problems:

Dealing with thousands of hours of footage, often filmed in multiple global locations.

Programmes can rely very heavily on library/stock footage, which needs to be discovered, logged and organised before it can be edited.

Footage will have been recorded on many different camera types. This applies not just to archive material but new footage too with specialist cameras sometimes used for certain situations, such as slow motion filming for example.

Programme makers sometimes need to rely heavily on outside experts with very specialist knowledge to help form the programme, be that reviewing footage for accuracy or helping with verbatim transcription of interviews or other dialogue.

Factual entertainment These are another documentary style of programme but they tend to be lighter in terms of presentation and content. Although based on facts, the aim is to entertain the audience as much as educate.

Examples: Grand Designs, The Fixer, The Manor Reborn, Who Do You Think You Are?

Common problems

A massive shoot ratio means lots of rushes that need to be logged and organised. In times of tight budgets, productions don't tend to have the teams of loggers they might have previously had, meaning it can be a case of all hands to the pump'.

Review and approval can be required from many people such as legal advisors and specialists, as with Specialist Factual.

With so much footage to sift through and piece together, editing can be a long and expensive process.

Comedy No need for much explanation here - programmes designed to make people laugh. Specifically we mean the traditional sit-com or the sketch show, filmed in front of an audience or on location.

Examples: Miranda, Parks and Recreation, That Mitchell and Webb Look, 10 O'Clock Live

Common problems

Dailies often need to be reviewed and approved quickly.

There may also be a need for footage to be viewed and approved by outside parties such as legal counsel.

As with many types of programming, comedy shows can often be co-productions leading to people in different companies and locations needing to collaborate quickly and easily.

In a multi-location shoot, version control of documents like shooting scripts, comedy scripts, NDAs or insurance policies can be difficult.

Ensuring security of footage when sending it for review and approval.

Drama Fictional programmes that start as a script. Can involve long shoots, multiple locations and large teams directors, costume designers, camera operators, grips, sparks, art department, production managers. Post-production often requires visual effects work.

Examples: Mad Men, Dr Who, Eastenders, Broadchurch

Common problems

While the scripted nature of drama means shoot ratios are lower than for unscripted, there is still a need to review the day's rushes as quickly as possible.

Most TV drama tends to be a co-production so input is often needed from many sources, often based in different countries.

Often a lot of work has to be done before filming starts such as camera tests, location recces and test shoots. That material then needs to be reviewed and shared.

The secrecy around plotlines (especially for continuing dramas and soaps) means footage has to be distributed with absolute security.

Light entertainment Light entertainment is a term that covers a very broad spectrum of programmes and it can be argued that some of the other genres discussed here comedy and reality, for example - are just sub-genres of light entertainment. However, it does mean a very clear style of show too - ones that tend to involve a studio audience, often unscripted (at least partially) and simply set out to entertain. Quiz shows, chat shows, variety shows, talent shows.

Examples: Have I Got News For You, Britain's Got Talent, Catchphrase, Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Common problems:

Pre-recorded programmes are usually transmitted within a day of the recording so footage needs to be reviewed and approved very quickly.

Footage will need to be viewed and approved by outside parties such as legal counsel, especially for topical shows, such as Have I Got News For You.

Footage needs to be logged quickly to help edit together highlights or companion shows, for example, The Xtra Factor or Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

Programmes often contain pre-recorded segments. These need to be filmed and edited, bringing the traditional pains of workflows and ensuring clips are organised.

Reality Hard to define but everyone knows it if they see it. Originally, reality shows were fly on the wall' programmes following a cast of people who were placed in a particular situation. Unscripted, often mixing live TV and recorded highlights. The waters have been muddied by the advent of structured reality which mix an element of scripted drama to an unscripted situation.

Examples: Big Brother, Th

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