Typical Codes and Conventions of Documentaries

• A voiceover - a voice over is a typical aspect of a documentary, narrating what is being seen on the screen and also offering the audience a voice of 'expert knowledge' on the subject
• Cutaways of footage of the events or objects that the documentary is based around
• Interviews with experts - a typical ascpect of a documentary, used to give some authority to the opinion that the documentary is trying to prove and to back up their argument.
• Text - the use of words on the screen is commonly seen on documentaries, whether to introduce an interviewee, or dates of events etc are a cheap way of conveying information to the audience
• Mise - en - scene - visual coding is often used when interviewees are on the screen, for example if a doctor was being interviewed, the interview would typically be filmed in the doctors surgery surrounded with all the eqiupment, and with the doctor wearing the typical white lab coat or shirt and suit pants, and wearing a stethescope etc
• Sound- non diegetic sounds are often used to marry together whats being said by the voiceover and interviewees etc and what can be seen on the screen, and can also be used to create a meaning and often try and project a certain opinion on to the audience
• Positioning of interviewees on the screen - Interviews with different people are often editited together to create a narrative cohert, and the interviewees typically do not look at the camera but at the interviewer. The questions asked are also typically edited off so the interviewees answer is what is heard, graphics are also used across the bottom of the screen to introduce the interviewee. The head of the interviewee is typically positioned off centre positioned to the right or left, following the rule of thirds.