Shot Types and Codes

and Conventions of

Interviews

Extreme Wide ShotIn an extreme wide shot, the

view is so far from the subject

that they aren't even visible to

the audience. The point of this

shot is to show the surroundings

the subject's in. The EWS is

often used as an "establishing

shot" - the first shot of a new

scene, designed to show the

audience where the action is

taking place. In an interview, a

shot like this would be used as a

cutaway if someone is talking

about the place being shown.

Very Wide Shot

A very wide shot is a lot closer to the subject than in a extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible here but only just.. The emphasis is very much on placing him in the environment and making the environment visible and stand out.

Wide Shot

In a wide shot, the subject takes

up the full frame. The subjects

feet are at the bottom of the shot

and the subjects head is at the

top of the shot. The small

amount of room above and

below the subject can be

thought of as safety room — you

don't want to be cutting the top

of the head off. A shot like this

would be used if the narration

was talking about this subject.

Mid ShotA mid shot shows some part of

the subject in more detail, as its

a closer shot, whilst still showing

enough for the audience to feel

as if they were looking at the

whole subject. This is how much

you would see a person "in the

flesh if you were having a casual

conversation. A mid shot allows

room for hand gestures and a bit

of movement. This is the typical

shot used for vox pops and

interviews.

Medium Close Up

A medium close up is half way

between a mid shot and a close

up. This shot shows the face

more clearly, without making the

subject feel uncomfortable with

the closeness. This shot is also

used in interviews, with the

background suited to the person

and the topic in discussion.

Close Up

In a close up shot, a certain part

of the subject takes up most of

the frame, which is usually the

face of a person. Close-ups are

obviously useful for showing

detail and emotion. A close up

exaggerates a facial expression.

The viewer is drawn into the

subject's personal space and

shares their feelings.

Extreme Close Up

An extreme close up shows

extreme detail. It is usually a

close up of a specific feature on

someone's face. You would

normally need a specific reason

to get this close, it must imply or

back up something.

Cut In

A cut in is like a cut away but

specifically refers to showing

some part of the subject in

detail. It can be used purely as

an edit point, or to emphasise

the emotion the subjects feeling

or the emotion they want the

audience to feel.

Cut Away

A cut away is a shot that's of

something other than the current

thing being spoke about. It could

be a different subject but it has

to be related to the same topic.

The cutaway is used to help the

editing process. This would be

used when interviewing

someone, the cut away would

be something linking in with

what the interviewee is speaking

about.

Over-the-Shoulder ShotThis shot is taken from behind a

person who is looking at the

subject. The person facing the

subject should usually take up

about 1/3 of the frame. This

helps the audience get a feel of

looking at one person from the

other's point of view. It's

common to cut between these

shots during a conversation

(interviews in documentaries) to

make the interview a bit more

interesting for the audience.

Mise en sceneWhat the interviewee is wearing, their make up, props around them, the lighting and the setting is all important in an interview for a documentary. For example, we plan to interview a college counsellor called Julie Maitland for out documentary, therefore we plan for her to wear casual clothes like her everyday look, shuttle make up, and for her to be sat in her office, in her natural setting where she works. This then makes the interview look professional and not fake. Therefore making the audience more drawn to what the interviewee is saying as they trust them more as it professional.

Our DocumentaryResearching and becoming familiar with the different shot types used

and conventions for interviews makes me more aware of what we

are going to need to do when we are filming interviews for our

documentary. Doing this research has helped me understand the

different shot types, when they are used, what emotions they imply,

why they are used, which has broadened my understanding further.

The same with conventions, it has helped me get a generalised view

which I can apply to our filming. All the information I have learnt from

this task can be taken away to when we film, helping make our

documentary fit the codes and conventions, making it look

professional.