The Codes and Conventions of Interviews

1. The Codes and
Conventions of
Interviews

2. Camera:
• -Interviewee positioned to left or right of
frame.
• -When a lot of interviewees position shifts so
there’s a mixture of left and right.
• -Medium close up or close up are the most
common shot types. Big close up used
sometimes.
• -Interviewee looking at interviewer, not
directly as camera.

3. • -Position of interviewer is therefore crucial.
• -Interviewer should be on the same eyeline as
interviewee.
• -Follow the rule of thirds.
• -Mise-en-scene reinforces content of interview
or is relevant to the interviewee, providing more
information about them in terms of occupation,
personal environment etc.
• -Chromakey can be used to create mise-en-
scene.
• -Interviewees seated on an ‘immovable
chair’.
• -Filmed with the light source behind
interviewee.

4. • -Questions are edited out.
• -Cutaways are edited into interviews for two
reasons.
• 1) To avoid jump cuts.
• 2) To break up interview and illustrate what
interviewee is talking about.
• -Cutaways are either archive material or
something suggested by what the interviewee
says and filmed later.

5. • -Sometimes aspects of an interview are
filmed with another camera e.g. extreme
close ups of eyes, mouth and hands and
used as cutaways.
• -Graphics are used on screen to anchor
who the person is and their relevance to
the topic of the documentary.
• -Uses open questions, forces interviewee
to give a longer opinion.