Basic Conventions of a Documentary

A-roll footage• A-roll footage involves interviews with people who are

important to the subject. These are usually filmed with a camera on a tripod.

• These interviews are usually framed using the ‘rule of thirds’ • The interviewer is often not featured; questions are edited

out.

• The subject’s face is always lit from the front, not from behind – never in front of a window.

• Different interviews are filmed using different shot sizes and framed to provide variety (e.g. Medium shot, close up, head on right, ect)

• Background mise en scene is organised to reflect the topic or personality of the subject.

• Blue screen/chroma-key may be used to put relevant images behind the subject.

• Graphics showing the names of the subjects and other relevant information are positioned at the bottom of the screen.

Interview framing

Bluescreen or Chroma-key

Interviewee

Appropriate Location

Graphics: Name of interviewee, job/relevance

Clothing to reflect job or personality

Looking at the interviewer not camera

Rule of thirds

Mise en Scene relevant to topic

B-roll footage• B-roll footage is used to supplement the main interview

footage, edited together between interviews sometimes in a creative montage.

• Cutaway shots are inserted into interviews sometimes to illustrate what the subject is talking about.

• Establishing shots may be used to identify locations where people live or where events are taking place.

• Archive footage may be used to illustrate historical facts• Still photographs may be used to illustrate what is being

spoken about – the camera may pan or zoom in/out on still photographs.

• Vox Pops – sound bites of interviews with ordinary people – sometimes filmed with hand-held camera.

• A presenter who speaks to the camera and/or voice-over narration delivering a carefully written script – anchors the meaning of the visual images and guides the viewer’s understanding of the topic.

• Presenter/voice over narrator usually speaks with an authoritative voice.

• A non-diegetic musical soundtrack may be used behind the voice over and may rise in volume when there is no voice over.