Codes and Conventions of a Documentary

• Must have a theme
• Use camera shots on archive material
• Must have a narrative structure: Open, Closed, Linear, Non-linear, Circular, Single-strand, Double-strand
• Always a voice over
• Always music to suit the theme
• Always stock footage
• Gender of voice over suits theme
• Cutting is most common edit so it does not distrace from topic
• Editing should be invisible
• Editing and camera work is used on archive material to keep it flowing
• Voice over holds narrative together
• Voice over artist is relelvent age to topic
• Voice over is in standard English - calm and clear delivery
• Creative and varied camera work
• Conventional framing on interviews - usually static
• Still and moving archive footage
• Still images are stil 'moving'
• If chromokey is used it should not distract from the interview
• Mise-en-scene is carefully constructed
• Music does not distract from narrative
• Graphics always anchor interview
• Graphics also show time/location etc
• Graphics are simple, unobtrusive and normally two lines
• Editing is well placed

Documentary analysis - Dunkirk: The Forgotten Heroes

Type of Documentary:

• Mixed

Themes:

• World War II
• War veterans
• Rememberance

Narrative Structure:

• Linear
• Closed
• Multi-strand

Camerawork:

• Background of interview out of focus so as not to distract from interviewee
• Camera pans up photo to keep flow of programme
• Camera zooms into archive photo to highlight person in narrative
• Close-up of barbed wire with sunset in background
• Close-up of army veteran when crossing channel for first time since the war
• Pan up archive photo of wife
• Stock footage of beaches and waves

Mise-en-scene:

• Footage of beaches and waves at Dunkirk because it is were the troops were rescued
• Interview with veteran set in house with old furnishing
• Other interview with army veteran set infront of bookshelf with 'Dunkirk' book on it
• Interviewee looking at old photos of himself and his patrol unit
• Actuality footage of trees were fighting for frontlines happened
• Interview set with statue of soldier and photo of wife in background
• Interview with veteran filmed in location of the battle he is talking about
• Footage of village were the battle the interviewee fought in
• Footage of Prisoner of War at beach were his collegues were rescued
• Footage of veteran visiting Dunkirk monument

Sound:

• Voice over is emotionless, male, standard English
• Music in background added an 'epic' quality to a story
• Heartbeat sound effect in background of tense story
• 'Last man, last round' repeated throughout programme

Editing:

• Barbed wire overlayed on top of map of battleground
• Archive photos fade into one another
• Interview used as voice over for archive footage

Archive Footage:

• Archive footage of soldiers being rescued at Dunkirk
• Archive footage of war
• Archive footage of soldiers using machine guns
• Archive footage of soldiers smoking and laughing
• Archive footage of prisoners being lead to war camp
• Archive photos of prisoners
• Archive footage of news bulletin from the war
• Archive footage of men conscripting to the army
• Archive footage of men training for the army
• Archive footage of prison
• Archive photo of soldier getting married
• Archive footage of soldiers getting on a boat to go to war
• Archive footage of news reel from war
• Archive graphic of frontline being 'pushed' forward
• Archive footage of tanks driving over fields
• Archive footage of paratroopers jumping out of plane
• Archive footage of ambulance taking injured soldiers to hospital
• Archive footage of village eing burnt down by the Germans
• Archive footage of men playing cricket to show 'classic England'

Graphics:

• Font for title is sans-serif and white
• Font for interviews is same as title but smaller and second line is in italics
• Graphic showing map of Europe and were the frontlines are and what territory is occupied by who

Here is a lnk to the trailer for my documentary: http://uktv.co.uk/yesterday/item/aid/635941/displayVideo/hi

Documentary analysis - Dispatches: The 9/11 Faker

Type of Documentary:

• Mixed

Themes:

• Disaster
• Fraud
• Investigation

Narrative Structure:

• Linear
• Closed
• Single-strand

Camerawork:

• Interviewee framed standard, left/right of screen, eyeline is 1/3 of the way down the screen
• Other shots of interviewee used in interview aswell
• Various establishing shots of New York City
• Stock footage of the church were meeting take place
• Meeting room shot out of focus
• Close-up of chair in meeting room
• Close-up of hands typing on a keyboard
• Stock footage of keyboards
• Different levels of zoom used in the same interview
• Camera and interviewee placed slightly differently for each interview
• Stock footage of Ground Zero
• Zoom into face of Tania on a photograph
• Extreme close-up of pencil sharpner and writing to add curiosity about what she is writing
• Stock footage of various New York scenes
• Extreme close-up of the glasses of the actress in the reconstruction
• Different shot for each title before and after adverts
• Interview shot in two-shot for husband and wife
• Stock footage of tour centre
• Camera moving very slightly during interview
• Interview framed unconventionally, woman in centre of screen
• Establishing shot of Barcelonian institution

Mise-en-scene:

• Background of interview out of focus so as not distract from interviewee
• Interview set in office
• Interviewee in light but background in darkness
• Reconstruction of Tania writing letter/e-mail
• Unconventional mise-en-scene for interview, interviewee sitting bhind table but still conventional framing
• Journalists interview set in library
• Lots of stock footage of American flags, symbol of patriotism
• Spanish man's interview set cafe

Sound:

• Voice over: emotionless, solom, deep voice, used standard English
• 'Sad' music used in various parts in the background
• Various voices reading out letters quietly behind the voice over
• Voice over artist reads out Tanias letters at different points of the documentary, artist is about Tanias age
• Voice over artist reads out one of the e-mails in a n exited manor to fit feel of the e-mail
• Various news reports in background behind voice over
• Backgorund noise in cafe interview of public and coffee machine
• Extract from Tanias writing read outby voice over artist then it is taken over by interviewee from the New York writers coalition

Editing:

• Intercutting various shots of the interviews
• Jump zoom in the interview
• Fading from photo to photo
• Cuts between the two interviewees during a story one of them is telling to show reaction shot

Archive Material:

• Archive photos of victims and survivors
• Archive photos of Tania
• Extract from report of disastor - voice over
• Archive footage taken from the news of Tania at Ground Zero
• Archive footage of towers being pulled down behind titles
• Archive footage of firefighters/rescuers
• Zoom in on Tanias face in a photo
• Archive footage of Ground Zero and people visiting
• Archive footage of speech at memorial site and the meeting
• Archive footage of Tania giving tour around Ground Zero site
• Archive material from New York Times
• Archive photos of Tania
• Archive footage from memorial concert for hero
• Archive footage from news reports and of newspapers
• Archive footage of old news report about Tanias family

Graphics:

• Font is sans-serif, white with black drop shadow for titles
• Font for interviews is same as title

Documentary analysis - That Thing: Lara Croft

Type of Documentary:

• Mixed

Themes:

• Video games
• Representation of women
• Power of the media

Narrative Structure:

• Closed
• Non-linear
• Single-strand

Camerawork:

• Some interviews shot in low angle.
• Most interviews shot in close-up/big close-up.
• Interviews framed left/right of screen and eyeline is 1/3 of the way down the screen.

Mise-en-scene:

• Chromokey behind interviewee is game footage.
• Projection of background showing up on interviewees face.
• Chromokey showing film footage in background.

Sound:

• Interviewee mentioned Madonna in one of the interviews and one of her songs was played in the backgorund.

Editing:

• Creator of the game was put onto computer screen as if he was in a game.
• Most common edit wa a cut.

Archive Material:

• Archive footage of game.
• Archive footage of films.
• Angelina Jo-Lie interview from when the film was realeased.
• Websites

Graphics:

• Type is sans-serif
• Every credit had 'That Thing' at the end.
• All font in lower case.

Documentary analysis - The Music Biz: Marketing Meat Loaf

Type of Doucumentary:

• Mixed

Themes:

• Marketing of music
• Creation of image
• Power of the media to inflence audiance behaviour

Narrative Structure:

• Non-linear
• Closed
• Single-strand

Camerawork:

• Interviews: framed to left/right of screen, shot in medium close-up of close-up, eye line is 1/3 of the way down the screen
• Variety of camera work, extreme close-ups of CD covers and magazine covers to keep the documentary flowing
• High and low angles are used throughout
• Point-of-view shot of someone walking into betting office
• Hand-held camera is used to shoot behind -the-scenes footage of music video

Mise-en-scene:

• Chromokey behind interviewee (blue of green screen)
• Background of interview is an archive photo or archive material related to what the interview is about
• Interview shot on set at video shoot

Sound:

• Voiceover: Male speaking in standard English with a sarcastic twist but calm and clear
• Meat Loaf song used under voice over

Editing:

• Interviewees dissolove in and out
• Intercutting/crosscutting between interviews to cunstruct the narrative
• Chromokey stopped behind interviews so as not to distract

Archive Material:

• Magazines, CDs, Newspaper headlines, News, Music videos, Top of the pops, Village People, Mr. Blobby
• Used as chromokey background

Graphics:

• Opening titles of magazines
• Series logo - interviews
• White - serif fornt - left/right of interviewee in capitals and italics

Documentary analysis - Public Enemy Number One: The Devil Made Me Do It

Type of documentary

• Mixed documentary

Themes

• Devil Worship
• Crime (murder)
• Religion
• Youth of today
• Power of the media - can the media influence an individuals behaviour?

Narrative structure

• Open narrative
• Non-linear

Camerawork

• Interviews all shot in medium close-up or close-up and framed to the left or right of screen. The eye-line of the interviewee is a 3rd of the way down the screen.
• The man selling the posters was shot with a hand-held camera which shows that the interview was not pre-arranged.
• Point-of-view of the policeman when he is walking into the building.
• Stock Footage - churches, religious iconography, crosses, christ, bell towers etc.
• Tracking, panning, zoom, crane.
• Zoom on innanimate object.
• Establishing shots of buildings etc.
• Close-up of reflection.
• Point-of-view of a fan in the crowd.

Mise-en-scene

• Cap of police officer in foreground, officer in background.
• Isolated nun.
• Man in graveyard.
• Lighting - dark throughout.
• Stock footage is mystical.
• Lighting on Marylin Mansons face is light in one side dark on other - good/bad.

Sound

• Voice over - male, standard English, Scottish, calm, (glue that holds the narrative together).
• Translators - changed voices to fit the person on screen.
• Music - religious music, Marylin Mansons music, sound effects.

Editing

• Cut
• Don't see interview, just shots of priest in car.

Archive material

• News footage
• Nuns funeral
• Police
• Talk show
• Marylin Mansons videos
• Columbine
• Websites
• Girls with 'scars'

Graphics

• Names of interviewees and their occupation/relevance of the topic. Font is white sans-serif with the top line being bigger and they anchor the relevence of the person to the topic.
• Ttile was gothic and styleized with relevence to the topic.
• White text closed the narrative of trial and anchored the audio.
• Credits were white sans-serif font.
• Translations of the ltrics.
• Dates + times of incidents.

Documentaries

The purpose of a ducumentary is to document, that is to report, with evidence, something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actuality footage or reconstruction. It can use a narrators voice over to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves with perhaps the occasional interjection by the narrator.

Features of documentaries
John Corner of the University of Liverpool claimed there were 5 different elements of the documentary, these were:

• Observation - programme makers pretend that the camera is on scene or ignored by the people taking part in events. Eyewitness observing events unfold.
• Interview - finding out facts from people in the documenntaries subject or experts.
• Dramatisation - all documentaries use a sense of drama and the observation element.
• Mise-en-scene - documenntary makers carefully construct the shots.
• Exposition - the line of argument in a documentary. It is what the documentary is 'saying'.

Different types of documentary

• Fully narrated - a voice over to convey the exposition. The voice over is used to make sense of the visuals and dominates their meaning, e.g. Natural History Docs.
• Fly on the wall - draws on French film movement 'cinema verite'. The camera is unseen or ignored and simply records real events as they unfold.
• Mixed - combination of interviews, observation, actuality and archive footage and narration to advance the argumeant/narrative.
• Self reflective - when the subject acknowledges the presence of the camera and speaks directly to the programme maker.
• Docudrama - re-enactmeant of events.
• Docusoap - a group of central protaganists and follows their everyday lives.

Structure

• Open - loose ends which are not tied up at the end.
• Closed - there is a definate conclusion to the narrative.
• Linear - follows chronalogical order.
• Non-linear - does not follow time order (flashback/flashforward).
• Circular - goes back to start.

Visuals

TV is a visual medium. The programme needs to be visually stimulating. Archive material, street scenes, open countryside, CU of face = Stock Footage.

• Interviews - an interview can be held anywere but the setting does effect the meaning. (M-E-S)
• Vox pop - aks people the same question.

Construction of reality

• Gatekeeping - the selection and rejection of info/content for use in a media text.
• Editing process - this is were the Gatekeeping happens in a documentary.
• Voiceover - anchors the visuals.