codes and conventions of interviews

1. Codes and conventions of
Interviews

2. The interviewee is conventionally placed
on the left or the right side of the frame

3. The mise en scene will
conventionally have content
which relates to the interviewee,
this helps to anchor their
relevance.
The interviewee is typically filmed in
a mid shot and looks at the
interviewer. They don’t look directly
at the camera so therefore the
position of the camera is crucial, also
the interviewees are always sat down.

4. Interviews must follow the rule of thirds
which means that the eye line of the
interviewee must be 1/3 of the way
down the frame.
Graphics are used on screen to anchor
who the person is and their relevance to
the topic of the documentary.

5.  We do not hear the questions being asked as they are
usually cut out
 Other relevant footage or photographs is used to
cutaway interviews to help with the editing process
and to hide the jump cuts
 Filmed with the light source behind the interviewee
 Cutaways are either
*Archive material
* Something suggested by what the interviewer said
and is filmed later

6.  Sometimes aspects of interviews are filmed with
another camera. For example an extreme close up of
eyes, mouth and hands which are used as cutaways
later
 Open questions are asked because it forces the
interviewee to give an in depth answer