SOME PROBLEMS OF TELEVISION PORTRAIT PROGRAM SKILLS

72 Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 SOCIAL SCIENCES SOME PROBLEMS OF TELEVISION PORTRAIT PROGRAM SKILLS (In the example of Mongolian TV portrait composition and portrait interview) Belguunzaya Sandagdorj Doctorial student, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17493483 Abstract This research is about the skills of Mongolian television journalists and video makers making portrait programs. Portrait, a primary independent genre of journalism, was initially published in newspapers and magazines. Still, they have evolved into television and radio broadcasts, reaching audiences with words, sounds and videos. In this way, the portrait is being adopted in all television genres without any difference. Examples include portrait articles, interviews, movies, reporting, news, and portraiture. However, in these genres, portraits often lose their original quality and are neutralised. Few television productions have a format that can fully define a television portrait program. The research aims to empirically study the genre, form, changes and some issues of portraiture skills on some portrait programs. The most crucial thing in creating a portrait program is to convey the message to society through the chosen character. Therefore, how the show's protagonist will be resurrected on the TV screen depends only on the artists, so it requires a lot of sensitivity, expressiveness and skill. In addition to the editor's interviewing and recording skills, the film crew's teamwork, team skills, and professional ethics have been instrumental in creating television portrait programs. More of these are included in this research. Furthermore, working as a journalist in documentary film and television portrait programs for more than a decade has led to the personal motivation to explore the details of this topic and become a specialist in this field. Therefore, this study, entitled "Some Problems of Television Portrait program skills," combines theoretical and practical work to analyse the results and writings of experienced journalists and directors specialising in portraiture, translating their valuable experiences and recommendations into text attempting to deliver a methodological solution. Keywords: television portrait programs, record type, content and form, interview techniques, journalistic skills. Portraits are pictures, castings, carvings, sculptures, and paintings that imitate the human figure. In journalism, especially in the art of television, the portrait differs in that the person fits and moves with their appearance, character, behaviour, passion, relationship, and environment. (Banzargach, 2006). Television portraits are characterised by the fact that they reveal the inner world of a person, their passions, behaviour, and their unique hidden world that no one knows about through simple free words, actions, images, and music. A portrait program is a valuable television production that remains a historical fact, created based on the real life of individuals and society and current events. Therefore, it is a particular genre that requires skill, tireless work, sensitivity, professional ethics and time from artists. Nevertheless, from the viewer's point of view, this type of program can be defined as a strange television program with a high cognitive and educational value to reflect the goodness of human society through the character of the character, to take role models from him, perhaps to learn from his mistakes, and to know the secret of success. People's curiosity has increased, and portrait show audiences continue to grow. It is essential for us as television artists to create this program, which is in great demand, with a high level of artistry, truthfulness, interest and, most importantly, professional ethics."Television has declared its vastness. The boundaries between the genres of art disappeared, and the borders of genre and genre disappeared. This process cannot be stopped" said the great Russian theatre director G.Tovstonogov (Naranjargal, 2006). Indeed, the concept of the type of journalistic recording, especially the type (genre) of television programs, is constantly changing and renewing, causing controversy among researchers. In the early days of the development of television journalism, it sought the stability of the record, similar to the genre of newspapers. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to classify the types of television recordings. Various television programs created by mixed methods have proliferated, constantly changing and renewing in design, and many composite works have been born. Although it cannot be defined as a portrait program, we can watch news reports, entertainment programs, talk shows, cultural and artistic TV magazines, educational programs for children and youth, and teleinterview programs that contain the elements of a portrait program every day on broadcasting channels. Portraiture is a composite form of journalism. Its creation requires almost all elements of journalistic information: interviews, reports, and news. (Batjargal, 2008). The protagonist of any article or program is usually a person. Man is an endless world. Therefore, it is natural to mix the characteristics of portrait programs in every genre of television programs. A prevalent type of journalistic record is portrait composition. This genre has become popular due to the curiosity of people Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 73 who want to know about others. (Melvin Mencher, 2001). Indeed, since the beginning of the art of television, portrait programs have attracted viewers’ attention. In Mongolia, television portrait programs are believed to originate from "People with a Surname" and " State Award Winner ", broadcast between 1967 and 1968. Since 1967, when Mongolian television radio was first established, portraits of famous people of labour have been prepared by literary geniuses Sharavyn Surenjav, Dolgorin Pashka, and Purevjavyn Purevsuren. The first television portrait program was the portrait of the folk actor D.Ichinkhorloo in the program's first episode, “People with a Surname", broadcast on November 25, 1967. In the same year, the People's Actor D.Ichinkhorloo, O. Dashdeleg, Z.Tsendekhu, Ts.Tsegmid, G.Gombosuren, and J.Danzan appeared in the program "People with a Surname", while in "State Award Winner", poet Ch. Lhamsuren, There was a series of productions about the lives and works of well-known people of our art and culture, such as L. Murdorj, two-time state award winner, People's actor B. Damdinsuren, writers D. Namdag, Ch. Lodoidamba. What is different about these portraits, which appeared on television and radio screens in 1967-1968, is that there were no audio scenes with synchronised speech, no video footage, but many photos. Also, the characters of the program spoke directly on the air. During the reorganisation of the country, the program of portrait interviews began to be enriched with new content. For example, the first episode of the series "Responsibility to History", produced by the writer and journalist D. Dojoodorj, was prepared with "Political Portrait of Y.Tsedenbal". It appeared on the screen on February 25, 1990. Since then, the interview-style program has taken its place on the National Television Network and has been available to the audience. The portrait program of that time was designed to praise people's work and success under the general content of calling for role models and leadership roles. He did not research people's behaviour, life, and internal problems. Celebrities in the arts and sports used to make many portrait programs that praised the meritorious heroes of socialist labour and set them as role models for the people with their achievements. It should be emphasised that these portrait programs' language editing and recording skills were high. The reason was that the writers who worked in the literary editorial office of the radio began to make television portraits. Writers are master psychologists who delve deep into the human psyche. However, after 1990, when the situation changed, and society changed, the primary content of the portrait program changed. The current understanding of the portrait program is: Who is this person? What kind of person? What is the soul that wants, what does it think, what does it suffer? This means mapping it completely. When talking about one person or a specific topic or issue as much as possible in a portrait, it is important to convey it to the audience through the main character and show their long and short history, scenes, and appearance. As such, coverage often varies over time. It can cover someone's entire life story, or it can be just a single incident for a short period. Therefore, the format of portrait programs and the techniques of delivering them to the audience in modern times are also different. Since the beginning of free journalism, commercial television has been suppressed, and portraits and interviews have become increasingly popular. A portrait interview is a new form that has entered our journalism since the beginning of the nineties of the last century and is sometimes called a portrait interview. The main goal is to reveal the interlocutor's mental world through conversation (Zulkafil, 2018). There is no reason to say that the interview programs that have entered modern journalism forcefully are in line with the nature of the program, have a content format and professional ethics, and are beneficial to the audience. The foundations of traditional Mongolian journalism were built by people with great literary and cultural talents who devoted their talents to the quality of articles and broadcasts. Today, journalists, directors, and non-professionals who need more professional skills are working in the television industry in large numbers. It is indeed a problem of recording skills and ethics of television programs. In general, when creating a portrait program, the idea to be told through the chosen hero and the message to be delivered to society are the most important. Therefore, how the program's main character comes to life on the TV screen depends only on the artists, so subtlety, ingenuity, visual representation and skill are essential. In addition, in creating a television portrait, the interviewing and recording skills of journalists and editors and the photo team's unity, teamwork, ingenuity, and professional competence have a significant impact. On the other hand, form without content and content without structure cannot exist in theory and social life. That is why, in journalism, any article or program is considered a combination of content and form and a criterion of journalistic skills. A report or program is born based on creating some layout to express the journalist's chosen topic's content. Such works are the result of an inseparable combination of content and form. Therefore, TV programs whose form exceeds their content, including portrait interview programs, have become the colour of the TV airwaves. Let us take an example of the program "The Hundred honourable people of Mongolia", which won over a group of viewers and has not lost its ratings even today. This program, rich in imagery, composition, music, and poetry, will surely make anyone sit in front of the screen. "The Hundred honourable people of Mongolia " program is a valuable work because it talks to the government and people respected by the people and leaves a historical archive. However, presenters' and editors' artistic skills and professional and ethical lapses are often observed there. Intrude into the personal privacy of the person you are interviewing, divulge information that violates the law on personal privacy, smoke with the guests on the air, use dirty words, and sometimes make a secret video or interview when the guest is too excited. It is not recommended to use in journalistic ethics. In addition, the 74 Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 presenters sit on both sides of the guest and praise him incessantly and melodiously, which hinders the artful creation of the character of the program and the complete picture of the hero of the program, good and bad, from reaching the audience. Some clothes and shoes suit everyone. There is also a colourful language and harmony of colours. Refrain from overdoing the compliments and spoiling the mood. If overdone, it can embarrass the human in the portrait. Therefore, "it is important to adjust the dose of increase and decrease, and the amount of salt." If the hero of the image is a black picture, the praise is the paint. Therefore, it is inappropriate if the colour and quills are not properly decorated" (Banzragch, 2006). Currently, one good portrait television program is made according to the standards of professional ethics, with the high artistic skills of the journalist presenter. This is the "Holy Night" program of MNB. This program is hosted by journalists Sh. Yolk and G.Zoljargal, and through the valuable intellectual works created and left behind by talented people who devoted their talent, knowledge and hard work to the field of art in Mongolia, their lives and the history of art are revealed to the audience. In doing so, it is characterised by telling stories about those nobles who are not with us today but still with us through their art, drawing their portraits, and erecting their monuments on the television screen. To create a complete picture of the character, the broadcast team has the advantage of bringing their life success, ups and downs, and true stories to the level of discussion and expressing them through the opinions, memories, and memories of many people. This program has a lot of research material, is well-made, and looks great. Therefore, experts in the field will agree that the "Holy Night" program will gain more weight if we look at the content, form, research work, the rare and precious chronicles used, and the skills of the journalist presenter with " The Hundred honourable people of Mongolia " program. Since the broadcast of the "The Hundred honourable people of Mongolia" program, this format has become more popular on television. For example, the design of the "Mongal Bureau" prepared by P. Anujin and the "Gergii" program of journalist L.Monkhbayasgalan is the same as "The Hundred honourable people of Mongolia". However, even though the format is the same, the difference in the artistry of the cinematographer and director can be seen there. For example, journalist L. Monkhbayasgalan is the chief director and hosts the "Gergii" portrait program. Although it is good in terms of filming, it could be better in editing, as seen in the episode featuring G. Oyun. The director must be sensitive to factual and artistic methods in a portrait program. However, from the very beginning of the program, editorial errors begin to appear. For example, in showing the emotion of the teacher who went after the student who had skipped school, the boy ran away from school, but the teacher was bitten by a dog and lying dead at home, speechless. However, from the participant's speech, fictional events are revealed. I also wonder what the point of starting the program with the growling and howling of a black dog was. It can be understood that this solution could be a better way to attract the audience's attention through fear. In addition, the presenter's questions are often autobiographical without sufficiently revealing the protagonist's inner world, chasing the story, and sometimes flawed by telling another person's account. "Gergii" program is an editor-centred project where a journalist does the editing. That is why there are flaws in the composition. To achieve the ultimate goal of a portrait program, how should a journalist start, how to tie, how to develop, what will be the climax, how will this conflict and facts be resolved, and how will it end? It should be built. Nevertheless, the "Gergii" program lacks such skills. Let us highlight one program where the director also performs the role of editor. This is a portrait program called "My Truth" by the director of "Tulhuur Studio" B. Enkhnokhorlol. The program's first episode was aired in February of last year, and the program's main character was theatre director S. Naidandorj. The design of the show is straightforward and black and white. Like the "Gergii" program, no long-term colourful shooting spans summer, autumn, and winter. This program will keep many objects the same, and the participants will not show off in colourful coats and clothes. It is an outstanding achievement that the film crew managed to do a great job on (close-up in filmmaking), which is the lifeblood of portrait photography, while telling the true story of the protagonist, neither praising nor insulting them at all. Shots and partial images or plans are essential for portrait programs. Human eyes say more than words. When a portrait reveals the character's inner world, the prominent display of his face and eyes helps draw the viewer into that person's world. Moreover, every person and object has unique characteristics. Therefore, a more detailed large image is needed to highlight it. The eyes of the narrator, the emblem on his lapel, and the image of the furniture on the table are called details. This is called a large image. "A big picture is similar to a deep picture," famous Russian film director V. Pudovkin said. A portrait allows access to the inner world of a person. On the screen, the eye, called the mirror of the human soul, can be shown in a large image. Also, by observing the person's movements, gestures, and facial expressions, it is possible to express what makes him happy and what makes him sad through the choice of this image. Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 75 Figure 1. A close-up (very close-up) is also known as a portrait (portrait close-up). Source: http://editlw.ru/articles.php?article_id=42 That is why big images are so crucial in TV portraits. However, unfortunately, our camera operators rarely use it. However, the large-to-large photos from many angles in the "My Truth" program are highly commendable. Also, it is laudable that the program director tries to ask the guest the same questions as the host and journalist and tries to find out the truth in his heart. The program "My Truth" is a work that has managed to maintain the basic format of shooting a portrait program and has become a work that is quite close to the balance of content and form. The main mistake of the creators of modern portrait programs is that they need to maintain a balance of content and form. There could be a better portrait program if there is much synchronicity in many objects, composition, good decoration, plot, transitions, and a well-rhythmic college. It is a reminder that there is a lot to be said for the choice of character, the journalist's recording skills, interviewing skills, the cinematographer's silkiness, ability to capture the essence in full, the director's ability to direct, and the most important thing is the professional ethics of the film crew. Portrait programs that met such requirements were broadcast from 1975-2000. For example, former journalist B. Dorji's series of portraits called "Merit" made a significant contribution to the history of television journalism; in this series, which began in 1975 with a portrait of the former People's Actor R. Chuluun, portraits of sixty people including art, culture and social celebrities and ordinary cattle workers were prepared. After that, the portraits were made by journalists D. Ambaselmaa, M. Banzragch, and Sh. Surenjav, D. Dojoodorj, Sh. Yolk, G. Zoljargal, Sh. Gurbazar, directors D.Hishigt, Ch. Gombo, and Go. Badarch were made into television portraits. It was a classic program format. Therefore, the content and form are inseparably united, and the content is the main thing for the record, but the state cannot be considered passive (Zulkafil, 2018). The artists of the Golden Era knew well and adjusted the salt and pepper to any work, as can be seen from the golden fund programs left in the television archive. They did not have high-powered cameras, sound recording techniques, image effects, lighting technology, and graphic composition solutions like today. However, they revealed the inner world of a person, highlighted the unique characteristics of a portrait hero, and addressed the multifaceted problems of human society. They had the professional talent to enlighten the community with just one person's story. Then it is worth mentioning works that are good examples of modern television portrait programs. The results of the "Zoljargal&Son film" studio of the famous representative of Mongolian cinema, writer and director Ch. is an excellent example of broadcasting. This is because the portrait programs of these talented artists have their unique characteristics in terms of language composition, form, content, and craftsmanship. Journalist G. Zoljargal's works are extraordinary because they can show the history of society together while telling the story of their hero. Also, his character is that he writes clearly, and concisely, without adding any pretence or melodiousness, while showing the natural scenes of life and any story. That is why G. Zoljargal's works are at the top of the list in the television industry. Zoljargal&Son film "Nurse of Doctor Shastin" 2009, "From Mandolin to Beethoven's 11th Symphony" 2009, "Oyun" 2010, "People's Tserendulam" 2010, "Lodoydamba and The Beatles Hey Jude" 2013, "Old Man" Artist's Tale" 2015, "Children of that Year" 2011, "Wintering Swan, Young Artists First Step" 2016, "Majigaa Teacher" 2011, "It will become clear as time goes on" 2018, "One Day of Amarbat" 2005, " "War of Thoughts" 2012, "Family Life" 2013, Khan Khent's Baavai 2016, "People's Writer Ch. Oydov" 2017, "And Abay" 2018 Dozens of portrait programs are essential training materials for new young artists, and let us note this. Finally, the portrait program is created based on real-life individuals and society. It is a unique television work that remains a historical fact, develops the psychology of culture, and has high cognitive and educational significance. Therefore, television editors need to pay special attention to improving the quality of their articles and programs, increasing the skills of their artists, and providing them with time and financial support for quality work. On the other hand, journalists interested in working in television portrait programs should be included in professional training. Practical courses in this area should be combined with theoretical classes in the agenda of universities that train journalists. Quote 1. Banzragch M. Journalist's work. UB., 2006, p. 75. 76 Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 2. Naranjargal Kh. Television journalism. Basic concepts and recommendations. UB., 2006, p.66. 3. Batjargal D. A brief explanation of journalistic recording terminology. UB., 2008, p.89. 4. Melvin Mencher. Fundamentals of journalistic recording (trans. B. Agar et al.). UB., 2001, p.249. 5. Zulkafil M. Glossary of Journalism. UB., 2018, p. 313. 6. Banzragch M. Journalist's work. UB., 2006, p. 76. 7. Zulkafil M. Glossary of Journalism. UB., 2018, p. 313. References: 1. Batjargal D. A brief explanation of journalistic recording terminology. UB., 2008. 2. Banzragch M. Journalist's work. UB., 2006. 3. Dojoodorj D et al. Sitting on the wick in the TV /memoirs, notes, articles/. UB., 1997. 4. Zulkafil M. Glossary of Journalism. UB., 2018. 5. Melvin Mencher. Fundamentals of journalistic recording (trans. B. Agar et al.). UB., 2001. 6. Naranjargal Kh. Television journalism. Basic concepts and recommendations. UB., 2006. 7. Standard scales http://editlw.ru/articles.php?article_id=42