TV Documentary notes

10 Days in North Korea

• Statement sentences
• Informs audience on context, gives North Korean back story
• Commentary
• "..." says....
• Explains what's being shown ('this statue symbolizes...')
• Acts as a translator for the audience
• Let's the camera and interviewees do the talking
• "That's what we were told by...he'll accompany us throughout this trip..."
• "Our visit ends in..." like a tour guide
• Formal, low frequency lexical choices eg. embewed
• Describes visual scenes in great detail: '...run down but wide, spectacularly clean and practically empty road...'
• "It is said that..."
• Dramatic language 'striking', lots of statistics and comparisons with other countries, emphasis on difference
• 'He's talking about...'
• 'It promotes...or rather...'
• Awareness of other perspectives, 'although it seems dangerous to foreigners', unbiased
• Based on factual evidence and observation
• After possibly shocking phrases 'receiving food rations', there is a pause in the voice over to let that information sink in