Conventions of a Documentary

Rhiannon Wynn – A2 Media Studies

A – Roll Footage

Interviews • Interviews are filmed of people who are important to

the topic of the documentary.• They are filmed with a camera on a tripod to make the

shot look professional as the camera is not likely to shake.

• The rule of thirds is used in interviews, the interviewee is never placed in the middle of the shot, but to the left or to the right.

• The name of the interviewee is placed in one of the bottom corners of the shot to outline who the person is and what he/she does, without covering up anything important.

• The interviewee will not look directly into the camera, their eyes will be focused to the side of the camera to give the impression that they are taking directly to someone unseen by the camera

Interviews – Mise En Scene

• Chroma Key – Blue or Green screens are often used so that images or background that is relevant to the topic can be added in later.

• The attire of the interviewee always reflects their job role or personality, this is to give the audience an insight into the jobs involved.

• High key lighting is used also so that the audience can see the interviewee clearly, also interviews are rarely shot in front of mirrors or windows to avoid reflections.

Chroma Key – Image of Character added to shot at a later date.

Name of interviewee in bottom corner, not covering anything important .

Rule of thirds – the interviewee placed to the side of the screen, not in the middle.

Interviewee’s eye line not focused on the camera, but past the camera.

Mise En Scene – background relevant to the interviewee (the character she plays)

Presenters • Documentaries almost always have

presenters that give further information on the topic and lead the audience through the documentary.

• When on screen the presenter will look directly into the camera as a way to talk to the audience directly.

• The presenter will also do voice overs when they do not appear on screen to give further information on what the audience is being shown.

• The presenters will also wear clothing that either seems relevant to the documentary, or that fit their personality.

Presenter looking directly into the camera to address the audience

Relevant background to the topic shows the audience what the documentary is about

Presenter wearing smart/casual clothing to show that the topic of the documentary

B – Roll Footage

Backstage footage

• Most documentaries will feature backstage footage to give the audience an insight into how the topic of the documentary is created.

• This footage is used to supplement the main interview footage and gives extra insight and information on the topic of the documentary.

This example of backstage footage shows the audience how the opening music of ‘The Simpsons’ is created. This shows how backstage footage for any documentary shows the audience how the show/product that appears on the documentary is created.

Stills and photographs• Documentaries will often show stills or

photographs of the product being shown on the documentary or of other things that are of relevance to the documentary.

• These images illustrate to the audience what is being spoken about in the documentaries and they are often accompanied with voice over footage.

• The camera will also pan and zoom in on the images to give the audience a variety of views of the images.

Archive Footage

• In documentaries archive footage is used to show how the topic has changed over time.

• Archive footage shows how the product has adapted to fit the times which also outlines the success of the product as it had lasted so long.

• It is also illustrated to outline historical facts. Ant to show how much the topic has progressed over time.

These screen shots are from the Simpsons Documentary, the photo on the left is a screenshot from archive footage that is shown during the documentary. This illustrates to the audience that the show has changed a huge amount over time as is shown by the picture on the right which shows how the show looks in the present day.

Vox Pops• Vox Pops are interviews with ordinary

people, usually on the streets.• They are often filmed with a

handheld camera.• Vox Pops are used to show the

audience a variety of public opinions on the topic of the documentary.

This is a screenshot from a Vox Pop off the Simpsons Documentary – this shows how a camera man will get ordinary people and shoot short interviews with them on the topic.

Non-Diegetic Music• Documentaries will often include background

music during interviews, voice overs etc, the music will go up and down in volume depending on whether there is speaking or not.

Establishing Shots• Documentaries will also use establishing shots

to identify the location being discussed, or to identify important places that are relevant to the documentary.