British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

About the Genres

The genres below indicate the type or nature of programme. Many clips will
have more than one, in particular news reports often include speeches,
press conferences or interviews and longer programmes have commercial and
news breaks. Clips of one-off events, actuality or not fitting into any
other genre are denoted as “Special”. “Technical” is used where the
production team can be heard. “News” alone is vague and unhelpful as a genre –
it applies to just about everything in the collection so is not being used.

Advertisement
Includes film trailers
Biography
Autobiographical writings, diary extracts
Book review
Competition
Consumer advice
Debate
E.g. Oxford Union debate – not Parliamentary, see below
Discussion
Used where a group of people are talking together on a particular theme – not for one-to-one question-and-answer format, which comes under Interview
Documentary
See also Feature
Drama
Radio plays or clips from films eg at awards ceremony
Election broadcast
I.e. party political broadcast
Election coverage
E.g. live coverage of elections
Feature
Can be used in conjunction with Documentary, but where form of programme content is more mixed, e.g. interview, commentary, and sound “pictures” created through music, song and/or dramatic performance
Fiction
Film review
Interview
Jingle
Music
News bulletin
I.e. presented as “Here is the news” – whole or part of programme – ‘news as it breaks, etc.
News report
One person speaking on a “news” item, reporting from the scene, etc., within a broader context, often also include interviews or speeches
Non-fiction
E.g. where someone is reading from a travel guide
Obituary
For factual information on the deceased’s life/career; see also Tribute
Parliamentary debate
Phone-in
Poetry
Press conference
May make statement or answer questions
Public information
Serial
Fiction or drama, broadcast in instalments
Special
One-offs, e.g. visit by the Pope, Christmas specials, space launch countdowns, explosions and other disasters caught on tape, actuality, any clips not fitting into other genres
Speech
Someone delivering a speech or statement, i.e. addressing an audience
Talk show
Technical
For where the production team can be heard counting down, commenting on aspects of the broadcast, etc.
Trailer
For LBC’s own programmes – film trailers, etc. in a commercial break can be included as Advertisement
Tribute
Can be used of persons living or dead
Vox pop
Views canvassed, questions may be asked but not formal interview, usually full name not given

Further information

LBC/IRN Archive Teaching and Learning Case Study
Bournemouth University project page
Project blog