Conventions of a DocumentaryErin Miller Kirsty Mitchell

VoiceoverThe voiceover needs to be authoritative in some sort of way. This allows the audience to think that they are being given specialist knowledge or the correct opinions of the study. The constant voiceover is a narrative for the documentary, and allows information to be passed on to the audience as they think it is more believable, and professional. By having an assertive voice it conveys to the audience that the person is knowledgeable in what they are saying and are given across the correct facts.

Real footage of eventsDocumentaries are essentially non-fiction. They are factual in most cases. A main convention of a documentary is that all the events presented to the audience are to be conveyed as real. Documentaries often go to great lengths to convince us that the footage is real and unaltered in anyway, although editing and using a voiceover can affect reality. By the use of real life footage it allows the audience to become more involved as they can see that the footage is realistic.

Interviews with ‘Experts’By including interviews it allows the documentary to be more authentic. It shows to the audience that the person who is being interviewed knows what they are talking about. This does not always necessarily mean that the experts have to agree with the point of the documentary, it just allows the audience to see a variety of opinions on the facts.

Sound• SoundNon diegetic sound is included within documentaries to create an effect. After watching The Human Face- Part 3, we could hear that there was music included in the background, suited to the footage that was included. When celebrities who were good-looking appeared on the screen, there was more up-beat music in comparison to the celebrities who were not as good-looking. They did not have as much sound included when they were on screen.

Visual CodingThis includes things like mise en scene and props. The layout of the footage taken, creates an authenticity to the reader because it looks more natural to the human eye if done correctly. It is important to have the correct layout for your topic area because otherwise it will not fit in as well.