Staging & re-staging events
There are very few recorded programmes which do not involve some intervention from the director, but there are acceptable and unacceptable production techniques. The acceptable production techniques include using cutaway shots, set-up shots to establish interviewees and asking contributors to repeat insignificant actions or perform an everyday activity.
However, unless clearly signalled to the audience, or using reconstructions, it is normally unacceptable in news and factual programmes to:
- stage or re-stage significant action or events which are significant to the development of the action or narrative, for example, the moment of discovery in a scientific documentary.
- inter-cut shots and sequences to suggest they were happening at the same time, if the resulting juxtaposition of material leads to a distorted and misleading impression of events.
Commentary must never be used to give the audience a misleading impression of events.