Analysis of BBC video on coronavirus mood
For this week’s directed study task I analysed a video by the BBC on Britain’s mood on coronavirus.
The 2-minute-long video is embedded in an article about a survey by Britain Thinks suggesting more than two-thirds of people are pessimistic about the UK’s immediate future.
I chose the video because the structure of the article it’s embedded in is similar to the article I wrote on news day for Birmingham Eastside. The article I wrote was about survey results on the lockdown’s impact on mental health and included a statement from the NHS. A more personal side to the story would have been a benefitial addition.
In the BBC video, seven different people talk about their views on COVID-19, their expectations regarding the upcoming weeks, and the government’s handling of the situation. Between, some of the survey results are displayed on a black background.
The video puts the audience there by using raw, first-hand footage. The video is based on interviews with a focus group which took place as an online meeting. The meeting has been recorded and edited. Seeing the interviewees talk about their experiences and views from their homes, provides a first-person perspective.
The people’s statements are used to back-up the survey results. Often what one person says fits the survey result that is displayed next. This way the video adds a more personal side to the story by the interviewees telling their individual opinions and views.
It also illustrates the story since some of the statements in the video are already quoted in the article. Watching the video provides the audience only with some new statements, especially as the video does not offer the full interview with the focus group, but again only an extract.
However, there is no detailed explanation who these people are in the video. At the beginning of the video, a subtitle only says “The BBC set up a focus group around the UK”. Only by reading the article, it becomes clear why there has been a focus group. Furthermore, the interviewee’s names are not shown in the video whereas in the article their statements are matched with their names and occupations.
The video on Twitter
The video is not only embedded in the article, but also used on Twitter to tease to the article.
Instead of using the same video twice, they could have used a shorter, more distilled video for Twitter by cutting out some sequences and adding some extra information about the context.
The video has subtitles so Twitter users can watch it without sound.
