Skip to main content

Codes and conventions of a documentary

Today I spent some time researching what the codes and conventions of a documentary were, I used many websites to gather information and I noted down a lot in the time I had. The main ones that I believe are most notable are :




  • A strong and authoritive narrator to make them seem more specialist and believable
  • Documentaries are made to seem as real and unaltered as possible however editing and voiceovers can distort the reality we see
  • Includes natural sound
  • Archive footage and stills to aid authenticity
  • Interviews with experts
  • Text on screen to help solidify the message the filmmaker is trying to get across
  • Visual coding e.g if a doctor was giving an interview it would be made sure he wore a doctors coat so people knew for sure he was a doctor.

These are all very noticeable when pointed out to me, and I will spend some more time in the future working on being able to show these codes and conventions in my own work when it comes to me filming my project.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Basic shoot information

Shoot information   Props: Fake gun, Chair, Rope (For tied up hands), torch   Location:   My garage, Meadow field near my house   Time of shoot: Night when it is dark   Actors: Connor Murphy, Aidan Bunce, Josh Fraser   Camera/production team: Tayfun Yagir, Thomas King, Fraser Cavan  
Post a Comment
Read more

Seven - Textual analysis

I watched an 8 minute clip from the film multiple times and analysed different aspects of the construction of the scenes such as the mise-en-scene, the lighting, the camera, and most importantly for this particular film, the characters. This is because the characters in this scene are very similar to the characters I would like to construct in my coursework At this point in the movie, in the beginning of act three, after the previous story twists, our expectations of what is to come are already well set up. But here John Doe is very confident and repeatedly emphasizes the impact of his coming act. This raises even more the audience expectation and triggers an almost unbearable curiosity for the climax. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUIpgiPBk5k
Post a Comment
Read more

Scene 1 plot summary

Plot summary   Scene 1: The scene starts with a high angle shot from the ground from behind Jenkinson who is tied to a chair. It cuts to Murphy and Skinner who are leading an unofficial, off the grid interrogation of Jenkinson in an unknown shack.   Step by step scene 1:   Murphy talks about his ex-policing partner in front of Jenkinson, talking about how good a man he was. Skinner looks on anxiously as Murphy talks. Jenkinson makes a rude, sarcastic remark about the murder victim and Murphy hits him, Skinner looks on shocked Jenkinson claims it could have been anyone who killed him, and that Murphy and skinner have no evidence Skinner looks at Jenkinson sternly to remind him of their deal Murphy claims that Skinner has researched the case thoroughly and has found lots of information pointing towards Jenkinson, and mentions Jenkinson past of repeated offences Jenkinson talks of his previous offences, and mentions Murphy’s   ex-p...
1 comment
Read more