Codes and Conventions

1. Codes and Conventions of
Documentaries
Soundtrack
Interviews
Expert opinions
Narrator or presenter
NewsCredits
Theme
Points of view
Location/mise-en-scene
Vox pop (voice of the population)
Archival footage
Statistics
Title sequence
Opposing opinions
Actuality
Evie Holmes

2. 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.

3. 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 audience’s 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.

4. 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 expert’s
work setting.

5. 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.

6. 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 90’s,
often archival footage can be
recognised by the quality of the
footage.

7. Example of credits
MOLLY ’MINI CHED’ SHERIDAN
Willing to take down anyone that ranks cheddars lower
than the top crisp tier
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.

8. Codes and Conventions that we will be using in our
documentary:
As our documentary will be of the expository mode, we intend to use and follow
traditional codes and conventions that match those of this mode and the audience will
subsequently be familiar with. These include:
What codes and conventions? Why are they being used?
Vox Pop (Voice of young people, social media users) Shows what the public think on the matter from first
hand experiences
Expert Interviews (Nick Waring, Media Teacher) Gives an expert opinion on the impact of media
Presenter (Evie Holmes, team member) Enhances a direct address to the audience
Statistics (For example, 2.1 billion social media users
worldwide)
Provides information which may help form an opinion,
also shows reality
Title Sequence (Montage of clips related to the topic +
soundtrack)
Introduces the documentary in a lively way, also
somewhat gives an overview
Location (Solihull Sixth Form) Consists of young people, prime social media audience
Soundtrack Adds layers to the documentary
Opposing Opinions
(For example, “I believe social media is positive
because/I think that social media is negative because”)
Shows different perspectives, allowing the audience to
gather opinions of their own
Credits Shows the audience the name/status of those featuring
in the documentary, may improve credibility