Codes and Conventions

There are many codes and conventions of documentaries that we need to be aware of when producing our own. These codes and conventions include:

• Documentaries do not always contain everything that is fact, some of it is usually exaggerated but not all.
• One way which documentaries present their facts are through interviews with specialists on the subject. This is to make the audience believe what they are saying as they are seen as a reliable source.
• Codes and conventions with these interviews are that they are always in mid or close up with the interviewee on one side of the frame looking across the camera and not into it.
• When the interviewee first appears, there will be a title with their name and their profession or relevance to the documentary.
• These titles will be simple so they do not distract from the rest of the documentary.
• The mise-en-scene in these interviews and during the rest of the documentary had been constructed specifically for the documentary so it relates to the subject and what is happening or who the interviewee is.
• Other interviews seen in documentaries are known as Vox Pops where members of the public are asked their opinion on a subject. The same camera rules apply for this but there will be no title.
• There are a variety of different camera angles in documentaries to keep interest and depending on the action happening, for example, close ups are used to draw the audience's attention to a point being made and full shots are sometimes used in reconstructions to show the audience all of the information needed.
• Reconstructions are sometimes used in documentaries so that the audience can understand what the documentary is talking about and also to show the viewer any essential information.
• For example, in Madeleine Was Here, the reconstruction is used in a plea for any witnesses.
• Many documentaries are known as being mixed. This means that a combination of cutaways, voiceovers, reconstructions and interviews are used to keep the documentary exciting and different to keep the audience interested in the topic and so that it appeals to a wider audience.
• Another code and convention of documentaries is the use of relevant cutaways. These add excitement to the documentary and are generally used to back up a point that is made by the interviewee.
• Voiceovers are also used when relevant to explain footage as well as continue with a point being made in an interview.
• Voiceovers are also used as a way to present facts to the audience about the topic of the documentary or to describe the events of a particular event or day.
• Other sound used in documentaries include the natural sound of the environment where footage, such as interviews, have been filmed and non-diegetic of music is also used to create an emotion or to link to the footage being shown.
• One code and convention is that not all of the footage will have been filmed when creating the documentary. Some of it will be archive material meaning that they have sourced the footage from other places in order to get a wider perspective on the subject of the documentary and to show more than one side to it.
• The conventional narrative structure of a documentary is one that begins with an exposition or something short and exciting to attract the audience's attention straight away and make them want to continue watching.
• Every documentary will have a clear title sequence at the beginning showing the name of the documentary. This same title will re-appear if there are advert breaks in the documentary before the adverts and as it is about to continue after the advert break.
• The middle of a documentary will usually include the main bulk of the information and can possibly conflict the audience's opinion on the subject before watching the documentary.
• The end of the documentary is mostly clear nowadays with full explanation of the subject and answering any questions that the audience may have had whilst watching the documentary.
• Some of them however, may have an unclear ending though this is not regularly seen anymore as it leaves the audience unsatisfied and wondering why they have watched the rest of it, only to be none the wiser on the subject at the end.