Codes and Conventions of the documentary genre

Narrative Structure
• Open, Closed and Circular Narrative are used to provoke interest or debate on the topic.
• Linear or non linear.
• Single Strand is used to inform and entertain, if a multistrand is used it could confuse the audience as documentaries are usually on one topic or issue.

Camera Work
• Framing to the left or right side of the screen when filming an interview.
• Eye line is one third (1/3) of the way up the screen on interviewees.
• Medium close up or close up is used during interviews.
• Handheld for actuality footage so the person with the camera can react to action and what is going on around them.
• Variety of shot types and camera movement is used, to sustain the audience’s interest.
• Pan/zoom are used on still images, not very often you get a shot of a still photograph.

Mise-en-scene
• The background behind interviews This can either be:
- Chromakey
- Location
- Backdrop
• Anchors the audience to the subject matter or shows the purpose of the person being interviewed.
• Lighting can be used creatively on interviews.

Sound
• Voice over (the narrator) is in Standard English.
• The narration is the glue that holds the narrative together; it sets the scene or introduces the topic and the beginning, links items or concludes the narrative.
• The age and gender of the narrator is usually relative to the target audience or the subject matter.
• Juxtaposition can be used when the narrator doesn’t relate to the subject matter or the target audience e.g. ‘ A males show has a female narrator’
• Celebrities can sometimes be the narrator.
• Music as a bed (a music bed) can be used, this is background music is used, images and speech is used on top of it, the music must be relevant to the topic.
• The music or bed is used to heighten the emotion.
• All questions are edited out (the audience doesn’t hear them).
• Background noise/sound on interviews is kept to a minimum.
• Sound effects are used in reconstructions, not used on interviews as this could offer a false picture.

Editing
• Cut is the most common edit.
• Editing is unnoticeable so the audience’s attention is kept on the subject matter and what is happening on screen rather than the editing.
• Dissolve is also used as this is reasonably unnoticeable.
• Editing effects are kept to a minimum e.g. slow motion.
• All questions are edited out.
• Fade to and from black are used.
• Montage can be used at the beginning of the documentary to give the audience a flavour of what the documentary is about.
• Montage on a topic, different clips from interviews or archive material to emphasise a point.

Archive Material
• Film extracts
• Videos
• TV
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Audio
• Websites
• Still images
• All relevant to what is being talked about and relevant to the subject matter behind the documentary

Graphics
• Title is unique in someway to make it stand out.
• Logo is unique.
• The name and the relevance to the topic anchors who the interviews are.
• The name is in a larger size than the occupation of the person being interviewed.
• Simple colour and typo graphics are used.
• Credits scroll up at the end and include a tribute to all archive material.
• Superimposed over archive material.
• To anchor a period of time.
• Subtitles are used where necessary.