3. Interviews
• Interviews are filmed of people who are important to the
topic of the documentary.
• They are filmed with a camera on a tripod to make the shot
look professional as the camera is not likely to shake.
• The rule of thirds is used in interviews, the interviewee is
never placed in the middle of the shot, but to the left or to the
right.
• The name of the interviewee is placed in one of the bottom
corners of the shot to outline who the person is and what
he/she does, without covering up anything important.
• The interviewee will not look directly into the camera, their
eyes will be focused to the side of the camera to give the
impression that they are taking directly to someone unseen by
the camera
4. Interviews – Mise En Scene
• Chroma Key – Blue or Green screens are often
used so that images or background that is
relevant to the topic can be added in later.
• The attire of the interviewee always reflects
their job role or personality, this is to give the
audience an insight into the jobs involved.
• High key lighting is used also so that the
audience can see the interviewee clearly, also
interviews are rarely shot in front of mirrors or
windows to avoid reflections.
5. Mise En Scene –
Chroma Key Interviewee’s eye line
background relevant
– Image of not focused on the
to the interviewee
Character camera, but past the
(the character she
added to camera.
plays)
shot at a
later date.
Name of interviewee in Rule of thirds – the
bottom corner, not covering interviewee placed to
anything important . the side of the screen,
not in the middle.
6. Presenters
• Documentaries almost always have presenters that
give further information on the topic and lead the
audience through the documentary.
• When on screen the presenter will look directly into
the camera as a way to talk to the audience directly.
• The presenter will also do voice overs when they do
not appear on screen to give further information on
what the audience is being shown.
• The presenters will also wear clothing that either
seems relevant to the documentary, or that fit their
personality.
7. Relevant background to Presenter looking
the topic shows the directly into the
audience what the camera to address the
documentary is about audience
Presenter wearing smart/casual
clothing to show that the topic of
the documentary
9. Backstage footage
• Most documentaries will feature
backstage footage to give the audience an
insight into how the topic of the
documentary is created.
• This footage is used to supplement the
main interview footage and gives extra
insight and information on the topic of
the documentary.
10. This example of backstage footage shows the audience how
the opening music of ‘The Simpsons’ is created. This shows
how backstage footage for any documentary shows the
audience how the show/product that appears on the
documentary is created.
11. Stills and photographs
• Documentaries will often show stills or
photographs of the product being shown on the
documentary or of other things that are of
relevance to the documentary.
• These images illustrate to the audience what is
being spoken about in the documentaries and
they are often accompanied with voice over
footage.
• The camera will also pan and zoom in on the
images to give the audience a variety of views of
the images.
12. Archive Footage
• In documentaries archive footage is used to
show how the topic has changed over time.
• Archive footage shows how the product has
adapted to fit the times which also outlines the
success of the product as it had lasted so long.
• It is also illustrated to outline historical facts.
Ant to show how much the topic has
progressed over time.
13. These screen shots are from the Simpsons Documentary, the photo on the
left is a screenshot from archive footage that is shown during the
documentary. This illustrates to the audience that the show has changed a
huge amount over time as is shown by the picture on the right which
shows how the show looks in the present day.
14. Vox Pops
• Vox Pops are interviews with ordinary
people, usually on the streets.
• They are often filmed with a handheld camera.
• Vox Pops are used to show the audience a
variety of public opinions on the topic of the
documentary.
This is a screenshot from a Vox
Pop off the Simpsons
Documentary – this shows how a
camera man will get ordinary
people and shoot short interviews
with them on the topic.
15. Non-Diegetic Music
• Documentaries will often include background music
during interviews, voice overs etc, the music will go
up and down in volume depending on whether there
is speaking or not.
Establishing Shots
• Documentaries will also use establishing shots to
identify the location being discussed, or to identify
important places that are relevant to the
documentary.
