Codes and Conventions

After watching many documentaries, I was able to compile a list of their codes and conventions:

• Interviews: These are a common occurence in documentaries and are used as a way to develop the exposition further. Sometimes, the cameraman will set the camera at diferant levels to show how powerful the person they are interviewing is in relation to the central question. For example, when the camera looks up to the subject, this displays there dominance. If the camera is looking down on the subject (often seen in vox pox), the camera is dominant. Unless it they are Vox Pocks, 'Experts' are always chosen to interview. The camera could also demonstrate power by doing an extreme close up onto interview subjects. The subject should never look at the camera whilst being filmed and is likely to have been told so before the interview started. Also, the audience rarely hears the questions being asked to the subject by the interviewer. The interviews are allways cut early and never shown in full flow.



• Voiceovers: Off screen voiceovers feature in nearly all types of documentaries. There is likely to be a "Voice of God" who helps present numerous forms of evidience to the audience.

• Archive Footage: This is when the documentary uses related footage shot in the past as evidience. This could be used as a cut away, where voiceovers are layed over the archive footage.



• Reconstructions: Some reconstructions are met with 'What if' rather than 'what happened'. A 3D animated model could be presented on screen or some archive footage that is met with cut aways.

• Music Beds: Documentaries like to use music and sound effects to set the mood. The music may be related, so if it is a documentary about Madonna, then samples of her music could be included. Music beds have no vocals in them to allow narration to speak over the top. If they did have vocals, then the Narrator's voice could be interrupted and poor use of this code is often thought of as bad sound editing. 



• Graphics: It is common to see graphics on screen at the first appearance of a subject in an interview. The name of the subject will appear above another line of text which states their relation to the exposition. Many documentaries use a white text, as this colour blends in well with any context.



• Non Diegetic Sound: Sound which cannot be heard by those involved with the interviews of documentaries



• Diegetic Sound: Sound which can be heard by those involved with the interviews of documentaries.



• Backdrops: In many interviews with experts, there is likely to be a backdrop of an image which is related to the exposition. For example, an interview in a documentary about the making of a new comedy could have a backdrop of one of the film posters behind the subject. Occasionally, the backdrop would be archive footage. However, this is not very common because the archive footage can sometimes distract the viewer's eyes away from the subject. This is part of the mise en scene.



• Facts: Documentaries use facts which are related to the exposition to help the audience make a judgement at the end of the film



• Openings: Openings are often a montage of fast paced editing and cut aways. The central question must be identified in this time.



• Unbiased: A bad documentary is often one that has a biased narrative and doesn't get examples from the other side of the arguement. This is why many must be unbiased.