Victoria Emerson reveals some of the codes and conventions in Documentary.

1. CODES AND CONVENTIONS, MARKET RESEARCH AND
TARGET AUDIENCE FOR DOCUMENTARIES
Victoria Emerson

2. CHOOSE A DOCUMENTARY
THE DYING
SPELLBOUND
ROOMS
J.K. Rowling – A
Year In The Life

3. SPELLBOUND - CODES AND
CONVENTIONS…
INTERCUT
Intercuts were used frequently in Spellbound, to make the
S more interesting.
interviews more substantial and informational, whilst making it
appear
PASSIVE/INDIRECT
MODE OF ADDRESS
In the footage of the actual competition, candidates
used passive mode of address to make the audience
feel like they were observing, rather than being fully
involved. This also helped the protagonists, as they
didn‟t have to worry about where to look. This adds to
the realism of the event, whereas if the contestants
had looked at the camera during the competition, it
would have looked staged.

4. SPELLBOUND - CODES AND
CONVENTIONS (CONTINUED)
PROFILE
SHOTS enable the audience to familiarise with the
This Documentary in particular, featured a heavy amount of profile
shots. These shots
subjects, by observing the facial expressions close up. In this case, it
helped differentiate between the protagonists and the other
contestants.
INTERVIEWS
Spellbound featured a lot of interviews, as it followed 8 different
families, specifically the contestant children, as well as experts
(previous winners). This helps to reinforce the seriousness and The winner: Napur Lala
importance of the subject matter, it also helps the audience to gain
some understanding of „Spelling Bees‟ and why Americans endorse
it so much.

5. SPELLBOUND – MARKET RESEARCH
An interview that the BBC did with Jeff Blitz (director)
reveals the market research he had to do before
filming/producing Spellbound.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/10/10/jeff_blitz_spellbound_interview.shtml
Q: How did you encounter Q: How long did it take to find
the national Spelling Bee all the subjects, and how long
competition? did you shoot for?
A: I saw the Bee on ESPN in 1997. A: We researched for about a year and shot for
over six months.
Q: How did you go about
choosing the children you'd be
filming during the
documentary?
A: I did spend months handicapping the spellers. I
studied which kids had gone far in 1998 and were
young enough to return. Then I examined the words
they spelled in 1998, trying to figure out which of
these kids had lucked into the later rounds and
which really defeated some truly hard words.

6. SPELLBOUND – TARGET AUDIENCE
Though the Documentary heavily involves children of between 8 – 13
years, it also features parents. This Documentary would target a global
market, because the subject is one that defines the United States of
America, and other countries may have never experienced it
before, therefore making them more interested in the process. The target
market for this Documentary would be either students the age of 6 – 14
who are interested in spelling, or parents, because this is a niche
topic, which means only those who are interested in spelling would
choose to watch it.
Contestant: Harry Altman

7. THE DYING ROOMS – CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
HANDHELD CAMERA
The Dying Rooms emphasises a „top
secret‟/urgent agenda in their
narrative, meaning camera people would not
have had time to have set up the tripod
properly, or used fancy equipment. Most of
the footage, if not all of it, was taken
handheld. This makes it seem more realistic
and makes us take the situation more
seriously.
INTERVIEWS
Many of the local people interviewed had their
faces blurred out, or their voice distorted, so
they could not be identified, which makes the
audience feel pity or fear for their wellbeing,
and realise the harsh reality of the situation.
Those interviews contrast heavily with the
experts, who were sat conveniently in front of
bookshelves which made them appear to be
far more intelligent.

8. THE DYING ROOMS – CODES AND
CONVENTIONS (CONTINUED)
CLOSE UP SHOTS
The Dying Rooms use a frequent
amount of close ups, which allow the
audience to feel an intense sympathy
for the children, because there is less
background, meaning facial
expressions are more emphasised.

9. THE DYING ROOMS - MARKET
RESEARCH
ONLINE SUCCESS
The Dying Rooms was a film to hit
success, meaning it wasn‟t released in
the cinema, nor was it released on
DVD. The film became an online
success.
The film‟s aim was to uncover the
situation in China – not to make a profit.
The Documentary exposes how they
gain more information, as the
Documentary progresses.

10. THE DYING ROOMS – TARGET
AUDIENCE
The nature of the Documentary would be too gory and mature for
any person under the age of sixteen. The content and images are
graphic and would be too explicit for children to watch. The
Documentary targets adults, specifically parents, as parents can
relate to the children and would be more likely to sympathise.

11. J.K. ROWLING – A YEAR IN THE LIFE –
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
ESTABLISHING SHOTS
Establishing shots are used frequently to
communicate whereabouts Jo is located. An
example of this is at the beginning where it
cuts to the city, building and flat room she is in.
This shows that this place is particularly
significant to her, and to the Harry Potter
franchise.
PROFILE SHOTS
Profile shots are used to mark the
importance of character and give the
character depth. The profile shot
pictured to the right began
severely, with only one eye visible to
the viewer (which often makes the
audience feel comfortable), but the
camera pans around, therefore
allowing the audience to warm to her – NATURAL LIGHT: A sign of purity, often
essentially. used in Documentaries to reinforce a sense
of realism.

12. J.K. ROWLING – A YEAR IN THE LIFE –
CODES AND CONVENTIONS (CONTINUED)
MODE TYPE
The mode type is a hybrid, yet it is
prominent throughout the entirety of the
Documentary. Jo is seen to be talking
actively and directly to the interviewer.
Though, the audience is not isolated
because her body language is facing the
camera, welcoming the viewer into the
conversation. The conversation seems
intimate, as if it is you (the viewer), her and MODE OF ADDRESS: Jo converses with the interviewer
the interviewer. The interviewer is also the in a friendly manner, but faces the audience.
„voice of God‟, thus branding the mode of
Documentary a hybrid between
Participatory and Expository.

13. J.K. ROWLING – A YEAR IN THE LIFE –
MARKET RESEARCH
MARKET RESEARCH
In an description of the Documentary on his
official webpage, Runcie explains that not much
market research was done to uncover J.K.
Rowling‟s thoughts, and that he simply spoke to
her.
“It‟s an intimate, personal encounter, in which
J.K. Rowling talks simply and honestly about
her life and her writing. It was not made as a
glitzy publicity film because I wasn‟t very
interested in making something anyone else
could have done. Instead, the aim was to
make something more quietly revealing, to
discover what Rowling really thought, and to
discuss some of the central themes of her
work; childhood hopes and fears, loyalty and
betrayal, chance and fate. I didn‟t ask very
much about magic, or quidditch, or the twists
and turns of the Harry Potter story, as I
wanted to get to the heart of what her writing
was really about.” – James Runcie

14. J.K. ROWLING – A YEAR IN THE LIFE –
TARGET AUDIENCE
TARGET AUDIENCE
The target audience of this Documentary
is aimed at the older fans (12+) of the
Harry Potter franchise, as some of the
content is too severe/mature for children.

15. TAKING LIBERTIES – CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
ESTABLISHING SHOTS
The establishing shots summarises the
environment where the Documentary is set.
The bottom left picture clarifies that Scotland
has influence over Britain too, and the pictures
on the right hand side connote England‟s
eccentricity/stereotype.
AURAL SIGNIFIER
The music is an example of patriotic British
symphony. This reinforces the images (shown
to the right) and builds on the way people
perceive Britain.
HANDHELD FOOTAGE
Hand held footage of some citizens prevented
from protesting against the war is used to
portray the politicians as unjust and brutish,
due to their „manipulation of the police.‟

16. TAKING LIBERTIES – CODES AND
CONVENTIONS (CONTINUED)
SYMBOLIC IMAGES
This image (shown right) was used in a
montage, explaining one of Hitler‟s schemes.
The image symbolises torture, similar to what
Christians believe Jesus suffered. The other
image (further right) involves the Nazi
symbol, implicating that a comparison is going
to be made between Hitler and Tony Blair.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Stock footage of Winston Churchill is shown.
Stock footage is used to show depth in the
subject, and reinforce the idea behind the
Documentary.

17. TAKING LIBERTIES – MARKET
RESEARCH
MARKET RESEARCH
A review from Rotten Tomatoes states:
“Filmmaker Chris Atkins uses his documentary to
make a case for the erosion of civil liberties in the
Taking Liberties administration of prime minister
Tony Blair. Atkins uses a combination of archival
and interview footage to reveals a series of
heinous injustices carried out against British
citizens, from unlawful imprisonment, to
outrageous terrorism accusations, to punishment
by torture and outlawed protests. Highlights
include Jack Straw's negotiations with the United
States that yielded an unfavorable balance of
extraditing power in favor of the U.S., and Walter
Wolfgang's arrest, under the blanket of
terrorism, for heckling a Labour Party conference.
Original animated sequences link individual the
segments, narrated by Ashley Jensen.” ~ Nathan
Southern, Rovi

18. TAKING LIBERTIES – MARKET
RESEARCH
TARGET AUDIENCE
The documentary is heavily
political, featuring explicit symbolism
and also contains themes of violence
and conspiracy. Therefore it is not
suitable for children, or people below
the age of 15. The target audience
would most likely be for the more
mature demographic from 30 – 80.

19. UNDERCOVER RETIREMENT HOME –
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
TITLES
This Documentary uses a title , explaining
to the audience who the „voice of god‟ is.
VOICE OF GOD
Narration is used in this Documentary,
therefore making it an
Expository/Participatory Documentary.
INTERVIEWS
Dispatches involved at least one
interview, and it was composed in the
convention manner, wherein the
interviewee is on the right or left hand
side, facing the interviewer, addressing the
audience passively.

20. UNDERCOVER RETIREMENT HOME – CODES
AND CONVENTIONS (CONTINUED)
MODE OF ADDRESS
As mentioned on the previous slide, passive
mode of address is used in the interviews.
However, Morland Sanders appears to be
addressing the audience directly, as an
authoritive guide to the viewers. It could be
argued that this could be seen as intimidating, but
it could also be seen as familiarising with the
audience.
SUBTITLES
Often in Documentaries, when they take
uncover/top secret footage, the sound becomes
muffled or distorted. Subtitles are an effective
option, to ensure that people can understand
what is being said. This is quite common in
Documentaries.

21. UNDERCOVER RETIREMENT HOME –
MARKET RESEARCH + TARGET AUDIENCE
MARKET RESEARCH TARGET
In order to gain more information on the
Part Exchange option, Dispatches sent in a AUDIENCEto – 80 year
The target audience, due the
subject matter, would be 40
79 year old actress to pretend to be olds, because some middle aged
downsizing her house. This was shown in adults could be wanting to watch for
the Documentary, and the entire the benefit of their elderly parents, and
Documentary centred around that the elderly would watch because it
investigation. concerns their wellbeing.
McCarthy And Stone responded to the
programme, claiming that Dispatches had
not asked for consent to film there, nor had
asked for permission to broadcast the
footage.