By Becky Brickwood – A2 Media studies

CONVENTIONS OF A DOCUMENTARY

A-ROLL FOOTAGE

• 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 camera shot look professional, as the camera is less 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 the right.

• Details of the interviewee is placed at the bottom corner of the shot (name, age, occupation) this is done to inform the audience about the person that is being interviewed.

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

INTERVIEWS

• Chroma Key – Blue or green screens are often used so that images or backgrounds, that are relevant to the topic can be added later on

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

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

INTERVIEWS – MISE EN SCENE

Background relevant to the documentary, all the

characters created by Matt Groening.

Rule of thirds – Matt is sat in the left half of the

screenInterviewees eye

focused just past the camera

Name of the interviewee in the bottom of the screen,

along with relevance to the documentary topic

Chroma key - Characters added at editing stage, after

shot had taken place.

Interviewee important

to the documentary

Camera is steady on a tripod

• Documentaries almost always have presenters, that give further information to the topic and guide the audience through the documentary.

• When on screen the presenter will look at the camera, as if they are talking to the audience directly.

• The presenter will also do voiceovers when they’re not on screen to give further information about what the audience is being shown.

• The presenter will also wear clothing that is relevant to the documentary, or fits their personality.

PRESENTERS

Relevant background to the documentary topic

Presenter dressed in clothes that suit his personality

Presenter looking directly into the camera talking to the audience directly

Presenter giving further information about the documentary, informing the audience about the scene

B-ROLL FOOTAGE

• Most documentaries will feature background footage, to give the audience insight into how the topic of the documentary is created

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

BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE

STILLS AND PHOTOGRAPHS• Documentaries will often show stills and

photographs of the products being shown in the documentary, or other things that are relevant

• These images illustrate to the audience what is being spoken about in the documentary and often is accompanied voiceover footage.

• The camera will also pan and zoom in on the images to give the audience a variety of the 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 over time, this also outlines the success of the product as it has lasted for so long

• It is also used to outline historical facts, things that might be important to the documentary.

These pictures show how the Simpson's has changed over time, the image on the left is archive footage from the early days of the Simpson's and the image on the right is from the present day.This illustrates how the programme has changed and progressed over time.

VOX POPS• Vox Pops are usually interviews with ordinary

people, usually off the streets. • They are often filmed with a handheld camera.• Vox Pops are used to show the audience a range

of opinions about the documentary topic.

This screenshot is a Vox Pop of two people in the Simpson's documentary. The hand held camera shows the peoples opinions of the Simpson's programme.

NON – DIEGETIC MUSIC• Documentaries will usually contain

background music during interviews, this can either be a voiceover, Music relevant to the documentary or just a subtle soundtrack or piece created specially for the documentary.

ESTABLISHING SHOT• Documentaries will also use Establishing shots

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