Codes and ConventionsINTERVIEWS

Positioned to left or right of frame. Sides switch to prevent it looking boring.

Filmed in medium close up and close up. Although big close up is sometimes used.

Interviewee is looking at interviewer not the camera.

Interviewee should be in eye line with the interviewer.

Follow the rule of thirds; eye line is a 3rd of the way down the screen.

Mise en scene; the background should be relevant to the interviewee or the topic they are discussing. For example give insight to their occupation or personal environment.

Chromakey; used to create Mise en scene. It is a blue or green screen.

Interviewees are seated in an immovable chair.

Interview is filmed with the light source in front of the interviewee, behind the camera

Camera work

Editing

Questions are edited out.

Cutaways are edited into the interviews for 2 reasons;1)To avoid jump cuts2)To break up an

interview and illustrate what the interview is talking about.

Cutaways are either archive material or something suggested by what the interviewee has said.

Sometimes aspects of an interview are filmed with another camera. Eg. Extreme close ups of eyes, mouth and hands. They are used as cutaways.

Graphics are used onscreen to anchor who the person is and their relevance to the topic of the documentary.

Open questions – these force the interviewee to give extended answers.

The interviewee should be asked to repeat the question before answering the actual questions