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 ShotA 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 ShotIn 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 voxpops and interviews.

Medium Close UpA 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 UpIn 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 InA 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 AwayA 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.