CODES & CONVENTIONS OF INTERVIEWS

Mise-en-scene of the interview area

The environment in which the interview is being conducted in is always relevant to the theme The lighting focuses on the interviewee, with the main source of light originating from behind the camera. Some objects/props can be purposely placed around the interviewee to anchor their role e.g. a blackboard and textbooks behind a professor.

Positioning of the interviewee

During interviews, a rule of thirds is used which results with the interviewee always taking over two thirds of the screen. Each person switches positioning on the screen when transitioning between different interviews, helping to keep the audience focused.

Shot types

Mid-shots, close ups, two shots and medium close ups are used throughout interviews.

The purpose of cutaways

Cutaways/archive footage are used to make the flow of questions seamless and retain the audiences’ attention throughout the interview. This can include archival footage and animation as perhaps a visual aid into what the interviewee is discussing, deepening the viewer’s understanding of what they’re hearing and preventing them from getting bored.

Graphics

The graphics that appear on screen during an interview tend to be the name of the interviewee and their job title/relation to what topic is being discussed. This is normally in a white, clear font to make it easy for the audience to read.

Music

Generally, music is not heard during interviews as this would take the audiences’ sole attention from what the interviewee is saying.

What we don’t hear

We don’t hear the interviewers voice asking the questions because the interviewees answers are in depth enough to make the question self explanatory.