1. Codes and Conventions
of Documentaries

2. Documentary maker John Corner believed
that there are 5 central elements to
documentaries:
1. Observation
2. Interview
3. Dramatisation
4. Mise en Scene
5. Exposition

3. Observation and
Interviews:
• Observation: Most documentaries will include observations.
Usually they pretend that the camera is unseen which places
the audience as an eye witness. Observations are also used as
evidence for interviews. However, they have been criticised for
portraying participants as objects instead of subjects.
• Interview: Documentaries rely on interviews and these are
used to support or contrast with the observation. The
interviewer can be seen or unseen and pictures are often played
to anchor meaning and make the interviews more interesting.
Documentary makers have the choice to intercut fragments of
interviews with other material or to just let the interview run.

4. Dramatisation, Mise En
Scene and Exposition
• Dramatisation: This is done through the observational element. It is used
to create a sense of conflict and build up the arguments. The audience is
placed as an eye witness and they portray people in the events based on
fact.
• Mise En Scene: This is used in documentaries to construct reality. Mise
en scene is extremely important and must be relevant to the documentary.
It includes things such as; set, props, costume, make-up, lighting and
colour.
• Exposition: This element of the documentary reveals what argument is
being explored (topic of the documentary). This is done through
description and commentary. Exposition can be obvious, direct or
indirect and finally it can be hidden. Documentaries can also leave it up
to the audience to make up their own minds.

5. Narrative conventions:
• Documentaries rely heavily on narrative conventions. They have a
definite beginning, middle and end also they have a strong focus on
conflict. They also include music and sound effects to make them
more interesting.
• Beginning: This will lay out the central question of the documentary
and go into some action footage or quick interview conflicts.
• Middle: This is where the documentary will become more
complicated and it will examine the issue in more detail and voice
differences in opinions and the argument becomes strengthened. It
will offer a range of different arguments creating complications and
conflicting evidence.
• End: The end makes the exposition fully apparent. The complications
are resolved and there is no doubt for the audience.

6. Conventions continued:
• Conflict: This would include different people with different beliefs in
different circumstances with different opinions. It should be shown in
action through reconstructions for evidence (drama element).
• Music and Sound Effects: These are used to create an emotional response
from the audience in reconstructions and music is sometimes quietened
throughout interviews.
• Selection and Construction: This is very important. Documentary makers
must think about the type of documentary they're going to produce,
topic, who, what, when, why and how. They must also consider time and
cost and be realistic. Then in the editing suite they must select carefully
the footage and interviews and music etc that they are going to use to
create the documentary, they MUST be careful of misrepresentation.
• Rule of thirds: the rule of thirds is used for the interviews within the
documentaries.
• Banners: there are a use of banners giving the interviewee’s name and
occupation/relevance to the documentary.