Codes and Conventions of TV Documentaries

Interviews

• Framed slightly to the left or right of frame• Close up or medium close up or big close up• Questions edited out• Cutaways used to avoid jump cuts.-relevant to what is being talked about-archive material: pictures, film-actuality footage

Graphics

• Used to anchor who the person is and their relevance to the topic.

Voiceover

• Introduce the topic• Link items together• The glue that holds the narrative together• Standard English • Age and gender relevant to genre or target

audience

Editing

• Cut is the main edit • No ‘fancy’ editing • Subtle, doesn’t distract from content

Music

• Relevant to the topic• Reconstructions • VoxPops; voice of the people

Mise-En-Scene

• Background of interviews is relevant to persons job, or relevance to the topic.

Needs

• Actuality footage/cutaways-creative camerawork• Tripod used for all filming except where the

camera needs to respond quickly to what is happening

• A snappy title