The Codes and Conventions Of Interviews In A TV Documentary By Jack Ettinger

1. THE CODES AND
CONVENTIONS OF INTERVIEWS
A TV DOCUMENTARY
By Jack Ettinger

2. THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS ARE…
The Camerawork
 In TV documentaries the interviews camera work are normally in a stable shot and
filmed in a medium long shot , medium close up, close up and a big close up.
 The interviewee does give direct address they talk and look beyond the camera.
 The rule of thirds is use in the interviews in the way the interviewee’s are
presented in the frame. The frame is divided into nine equal parts by two equally
spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. The interview eyes
should be level with the upper parts of the lines and either to the left or right. The
camera should be camera level.

3. The Mise-en-scene
 The mise-en-scene in TV documentaries is normally relevant to the topic of the
documentary for example in the background of the documentary “In The teeth Of
Jaws” which is about Jaws the movie, has sharks and the coast in the
background of the interviews. In the Simpsons documentary “The Simpsons 20th
Anniversary Special” has Simpsons characters in the background. The camera,
lighting, clothing and the background are all elements to the mise-en-scene.
THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS ARE…

4. The Editing
 The editing in TV documentaries is normally use cutaway to break up the interviews to avoid jump cuts, to make
the documentary more interesting and illustrate the subject. Normally the cuts from the interviews to archive
footage and actuality footage. There is use of Chroma key in TV documentary interviews where the archive
material is added as or in the background to the interviews using greenscreens.This is used in the Simpsons
documentary “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special” to insert the character in the background.
 The questions are edited out of the documentary
The Graphics
 The graphics are superimposed on to the interviews and can appear in a banner for example in the “In The teeth
Of Jaws” they have a blue banner and in the Simpsons documentary “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special” it
has a chalk board which appears in the documentary.
 The text which is superimposed, gives the details of the interviewees names which is normally on the first line in a
larger font and their job or role in the documentary in a smaller font on the line below.
THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS ARE…

5. EXAMPLES OF CODES AND CONVENTIONS
…
Rule of thirds
Off centre to the
left
A stable shot
A medium close
shot
Chroma key to insert the
character in the background
Superimposed
graphics and banner
Archive material in
the background
High key
lighting
Talking and
looking off the
camera

6. EXAMPLES OF CODES AND CONVENTIONS
…
Rule of thirds
Off centre to the
right
A stable shot
A medium long
shot
Chroma key to insert the
character in the background
Simpsons characters
in the background
Archive material in
the background
High key
lighting
Talking and
looking off the
camera