Interview codes and conventions
- 3. SHOT TYPE • The standard shot type used for interviews was a mid shot or a medium close up • This enables the focus of the shot to be on the interviewee but also disclose enough of the background to show any significance in the setting
- 4. CUTAWAYS The interviewer is usually out of shot, keeping the focus on the interviewee and what they are saying. The question asked is also usually not heard but the audience should be able to establish what was asked based on the response. Archive material or graphics are often used in place of cutaway material to make the interview flow smoothly and appear seamless. This also provides a visual representation of what the interviewee is talking about which makes for more active viewers.
- 5. GRAPHICS A consistent feature in terms of graphics, is the title and role of the interviewee being shown across screen during their debut appearance in the documentary. The font, colour and size of the text used is unchanging throughout.
- 7. • The framing of interviews always follows the rule of thirds – ensuring the interviewee covers at least two thirds of the screen • This again maintains the focus of the shot on the interviewee but also leaves enough of the background on display to allow the audience to get a sense of mise-en-scene • The interviewee is always positioned to address the interviewer (who is situated on the right of the camera) • The interviewee and interviewer are always at eye level which is a key convention of interviews
- 9. • In different documentaries, the mise-en-scene of the interview area differs depending on the tone of the theme being explored • Natural lighting and a plain, basic background tends to be used for documentaries that are more serious and formal whereas in more light- hearted documentaries people are interviewed in their own home or locations relevant to them and their story • Unnatural lighting only tends to be used for interviews conducted in a studio or against a green screen • Some interviews can be conducted with passers by on the street which anchors how they are unbiased and fairly representative
- 10. WHAT WE DON’T SEE • The interviewer is usually out of shot, keeping the focus on the interviewee and what they are saying • The question asked is also usually not heard but the audience should still be able to establish what was asked based on the response