“Everything that we saw was modelled with special effects…”
programme, aired on 20 September, became a subject of the discussion as well. The main topic was the situation in prisons. Deputy Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze, also joined the TV programme. Mr Talakvadze stated: “Everything that we saw on Saturday was modelled with special effects. Voices in the old recordings say that there is unrest in the prisons. This is a well-known technique for misleading the public…”
FactChecktook interest in Mr Talakvadze’s statement and verified its accuracy.
In general, using archive materials in the process of creating TV broadcasts is an approved practise, especially in terms of making TV programmes. If one wanted to prepare a TV programme about the 2008 August War, for example, using archived materials with a voice-over by a journalist would be commonplace. Western practice also shows that in some cases there is no indication that materials belong to an archived source. Narration is typically in the past tense which means that the material presented illustrates a past event.
As for Eka Kvesitadze’s Different Accents TV programme,it was aired on 20 September and concerned the condition in the penitentiary system. The programme told about the increasing influence of the criminal authorities, the so-called “watchers” in Georgian penitentiary facilities.
At the beginning of the programme, Ms Kvesitadze explained that she would mostly be using audio materials recorded in 2013. During the broadcast, she repeated three times that it was an anonymous source who provided only audio files. Archived source materials visually depicting the inner perimeter of the prison, however, were also used twice during the programme. Throughout, the broadcast indicated that the materials used were obtained from archived sources.
Of special note is that the archived video materials were not used in parallel with the audio materials presented in the programme. Photographs of the persons engaged in the conversation either were shown along with their names and surnames or were labelled as anonymous. No additional visual or special effects to artificially alter the activities depicted as taking place within the penitentiary facilities or create an event in real time were used in the TV programme.
During its research, FactCheckcontacted Eka Kvesitadze and asked for a commentary. During the conversation, Ms Kvesitadze explained that the archived video source materials obtained from YouTube were not intended to supplement the audio materials in parallel and create the perception that the audio and video materials were one and the same. She added that using video materials with a voice-over by a programme’s host or presenter is an absolutely commonplace method in TV. All TV companies engage in this method of broadcast production and Rustavi 2 has not done anything prohibited or outside of standard industry practise in this regard.
FactCheckhas also verified the aforementioned archived source materials with TV specialists who explained that the materials were used in the TV programme in accordance with industry standards. Moreover, no visible special effects which would alter the background or create the perception that the audio and video materials were one and the same were seen in the TV programme.
Conclusion
The archived video source materials were used to supplement the information presented by Eka Kvesitadze as a part of her TV programme and this was indicated during the broadcast. This is an ordinary method which is commonly and effectively used in the production of television broadcasts. No special or visual effects were employed in the programme intended to artificially alter the situation as depicted taking place within the penitentiary facilities.
FactCheck concludes that the statement of Deputy Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze: “Everything that we saw was modelled with special effects…” is FALSE.
