2. Camerawork
• Medium Shot or MediumClose Up used.
• BigClose Up sometimes used to heighten emotion (i.e. when a question about a sensitive topic is
asked).
• Shot framed to the left or right of centre and the rule of thirds is followed in order to place the
subjects eyes in line with a ‘third’, as research has shown that this is where a viewers eyes are
attracted.This also makes it look natural.
• Camera on a tripod to ensure a steady shot is filmed.
• Subjects address the interviewer rather than the camera as in a documentary the viewer takes the
role of an observer and is never directly addressed (other than in narration).
• Off the cuff interviews may use handheld camera work in order to be able to react to different
situations as they often are not pre planned and happen at the scene of an event.
• Sometimes, the focus is placed solely on the subject resulting in the background being blurry as it is
out of focus.This is usually done when the mise-en-scene of the background is not relevant to the
topic.
4. Editing
• All questions are edited out of an interview as they are often not needed in order for the documentary
to make sense. However in the rare occasion that an Interviewee’s answer is not long enough or in
depth enough for the interview to flow or make sense then they are left in.
• Therefore cutaways are used in order to prevent jump cuts which would occur after the questions are
edited out.
• Cutaways are also used in order to provide visual stimulation to a viewer and also to show material
relevant to whatever the interviewee is talking about. Archive material is often used during these
cutaways.
• Graphics are also super imposed and are used when an interviewee is first pictured.
6. Mise-En-Scene
• Mise-En-Scene usually relates to either subject of the documentary or the interviewee themselves.
• Interviews are conducted sat down in a legged chair.
• Interviews are often filmed at interviewees homes, places of work or in relevant locations to the topic
of the documentary.
7. Graphics
• Graphics are super imposed when an interviewee is pictured for the first time.
• Graphics often contain two lines with the first being the larger of the two stating the interviewees
name, and the second anchoring their relevance to the topic of the documentary.
• The first line is often bolder or larger than the second
• Font choices are carefully considered and may relate to the topic however they are always simple in
order to make them easy to read by the viewer
• Graphics are also often wrote in a white font to make them stand out and easy to read
