Codes and Conventions of an Interview

In The Teeth of Jaws Documentary

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Documentary

The Spirit Molecule

We watched 2 parts of 2 documentarys and noted down the codes and conventions of the interviews in them. I have also researched an extra documentary that follows the codea and conventions noted in the first 2 documentarys. The 3 documentarys are linked above.

Camera Work

- Interviewee positioned to the left of the right

-Interviewees are filmed in medium close up, mid shot or close up

- Questions are edited out

- Mise - en - scene relates to intervieww and reinforces content of the interview, it also provides more information about the interviewee

- Interviewee looks at the interviewer not directly at the camera

- Positioning of the interviewer is important, if the interviewee is on the right then the interviewer must be on the left of the camera

- The interviewer should sit or stand as close to the camera as possible

- Framing follows rule of thirds (eye line must be approximately a 3rd down the screen)

- Interviews are never filmed with a light source behind the interviewee, for example in front of a window.

Editing

- Cutaways are editing into the interviews for 2 reasons

- To break up interviews

- Or to illustrate what the interviewee is saying.

- Cutaways are either

- Archive material

- Footage filmed after the interview after being suggested by the interviewees.

- Sometimes aspects of the interviews are filmed in extreme close up such as facial features or hands to show emotions.