The Codes and Conventions of a Documentary

All documentaries follow specific codes and conventions that form a basis for each documentary that is filmed. An example of this is the graphics that are used to introduce the person and their role in the certain topic area, that is being interviewed. It is important for a documentary to follow this convention because it gives an indication to the audience who this person is and why they are significant within this topic area.



Secondly, a further convention that a documentary follows is the rule of third. The rule of third breaks down the picture and into 2 lines across the page and 2 lines down the page, resulting in 9 rectangular boxes across the page. On the point of each box you will find the the main subject (which could either be a person, a cat or a dog) and this allows the picture to be more visually interesting for the audience and adds structure to the shot, an example of this is:

 

Another convention that documentaries specifically follow are that you never hear the interviewer ask the question on the topic matter, just the interviewee speaking. This is specifically followed because it adds to the the quick flow of the documentary and doesn't slow proceedings down so that it can keep a consistent pace and not lose the interest of the audience, this is obviously important to follow as it is key that the interest of the audience isn't lost.

Finally, a further convention that documentaries specifically follow are the fact that the interviewee doesnt look directly at the camera and between different shots the positioning of each interviewee alternates, thuis allows the piece again to more visually interesting and so that it keeps the interest of the audience.