Codes and convections of filming and editing interviews

Me and my class watched two documentaries on tv programmes and films. The first documentary was Jaws and the second one was The Simpsons. They were all about the films and tv programs and how and why they did certain things. It is also giving the audience a view of what each one is about. I wrote down all the details of what each documentary has in common.

Jaws
o The people in the documentary are always placed to one side of the screen
o Whatever the people are talking about in the scenes it will do a cut away shot to what they are talking about to show more understanding
o The names of the interviewees and film roles are underneath the people on a bar
o The interviewees are not looking at the audience and you can tell they are looking at the camera
o Each interview has the same backdrop which is something to do with the film
o The interviewees are smartly dressed
o The background is something to do with the film and is the beach
o They show shots of the film

The documentary of Jaws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Zj8R0kumw

The Simpsons
o The simpsons cut outs are in the background
o The clips are from the tv programme
o They hide all the light in the background with the blinds so the camera cant see any light source
o The interviewees dont look at the camera
o They interview people on the streets

The documentary of The Simpsons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orLGl7c5oHc

Of all documentaries
o The cameras film the interviewees in medium shot, medium close up or close up
o The questions that the interviewer asks are edited out so they cannot be heard or seen
o The interviewee must then answer the questions with the question involved and in full sentences
o There is never light in the background because the sun would blind the camera
o The interviewee is framed to the left or the right of the screen and if there is more than one person than there are positioning alternatives so it can create more variety
o The framing follows the rules of thirds-eyeline which is roughly a third of the way down the frame
o The interviewer or camera will have to be positioned on the opposite side of the interviewee
o The mise-en-scene is to do with the documentary or what the interviewer is talking about
o The graphics are used to anchor the person on screen and their relevance to the topic of the documentary
o Cutaways are edited into the interview because they break up the interviews and illustrate what they are talking about. They also avoid jump cuts when the questions are edited out so it makes the documentary more presentable and enjoyable
o The cutaways are archive materials and are suggested by something that is said in the interview and therefore films after the interview and they are then sometimes aspects of the interviewee which are filmed with another camera used for cutaways and different shot types