Narrator or presenter

Interviews
Title sequence
Soundtrack
Archival footage
Actuality

Codes and Conventions of Theme

Statistics Documentaries
Points of view

Credits News Expert opinions

Opposing opinions
Vox pop (voice of the population)
Location/mise-en-scene

Evie Holmes
 What do the codes and conventions include?
Title sequence Introduces the documentary, often includes a montage/time-lapse, sets
scene and mood.
Narrator or presenter Presenter is on screen, narrator is off, their job is to guide the
audience through the documentary may provide stats and/or hold interviews.
Interviews Used to gain an experience/opinion from either someone affected by the topic
personally or a general member of the public.
Soundtrack Music with a mood related to the topic, can be used to discreetly influence the
audience. E.g. Slow, upsetting music can make the reader feel empathetic to the subject and
those affected.
Expert opinions Opinions/statistics given from those in the occupation related to the
subject of the documentary, makes the information more believable and taken more
seriously by the audience. Experts are usually shown in their uniform and occupation
location.
Location/mise-en-scene Where the documentary is shot and set, relates to the location of
the subject (inform) and can also be used to influence. E.g. dark lighting can connote that the
topic is concerning.
Archival footage Images/videos used from the past related to the subject. E.g. If the
documentary was about someone disabled, archival footage could show them before
contracting the disability.
Statistics Numbers given related to the subject, for example can state how many of the
population have been affected by a disability if the documentary concerns a disability
makes the audience more aware of the reality of the subject.
 What do the codes and conventions include?
News Convinces the actuality and authenticity of what is being described to the audience if
some viewers may lack belief.
Vox pop Engages real life people with the topic, affected by it or not, gathers different
views and makes the documentary more publicly personal. Can create a greater
understanding of opinions regarding the subject.
Those with real life experiences of the topic Documentary may follow their journey
specifically, interview many affected makes the topic more real to the audience, empathy
can be created.
Credits Gives the name/occupation of those being interviewed or featured in the
documentary, enables the audience to gain a greater understanding of the character. Credits
are also used at the end to credit those involved in the production of the documentary.
Theme The topic/subject which the documentary is reporting on, creates a basis for how
the documentary should be executed and what messages should be portrayed.
Point of view Encoded messages may convey the opinion of the producers regarding the
topic which may lead to influencing the audiences opinion if bias was not shown or included.
Actuality Discussion of current real life events to make the documentary seem more
understandable for the audience can influence their opinion if the subject is a type of vote
for or against for example.
Opposing opinions If the documentary is concerning a controversial topic for example,
opinions for and against the matter may be expressed to show a balance and lack of bias.
Example of an expert shot
This is what an expert shot looks
like the expert is placed to the
left or right hand side of the
frame. The expert is dressed in
their work attire related to their
field, and the location of the
filming takes place in the experts
work setting.
Example of a vox pop shot

This is how a vox pop shot would appear as

the person being filmed is placed in the frame
according to rule of thirds. A person taking the
role of vox pop is usually a random member of
the public who is being interviewed by the
camerman on a subject related to the
documentary.
Example of archival footage
Archival footage consists of
images or videos from either the
past or that have been captured
by people other than the
filmmaker. The example shown
here is an image from the 90s,
often archival footage can be
recognised by the quality of the
footage.
Example of credits
Credits are what appear
sometimes at the bottom of
the frame when interviewing
someone on the news for
example. Their name and
occupation/reason they are
being interviewed are usually
stated.

MOLLY MINI CHED SHERIDAN

Willing to take down anyone that ranks cheddars lower
than the top crisp tier