Codes & Conventions Of a DocumentaryKey Points For The Opening:- The opening needs to capture the audiences attention asap!
- Central question of the documentary has to be posed at the beginning in order to communicate to the audience what the programme is about, e.g Why is Britain the teenage pregnancy capital of Europe?
- Some quick snippets of interviews with good responses can also draw an audience in.
- Incidental music or even soundtrack, relevant song should usually accompany the opening sequence during some visual montage. The music must not however override the voice over.
- Titles are all important; you need to announce the title of the documentary in some dramatic form. The name of the show should burst into the screen.
Actuality - Filming real events as they happen are a convention of a real documentary, but this could prove difficult with certain things like trying to film a hurricane or explosions in Iraq and thus you may need archive footage.Reconstructions - These are also often used in documentaries. They are artificial scenes of an event which has been reconstructed and acted out on film based on information of the event. Reconstructions generally provide factual information, and give the viewer a sense of realism, as if the event really happened in front of them live. They often indicate that the footage is not real by using techniques such as blurring, distortion, lighting effects, changes in camera level, and color enhancement within the footage.Fly on the wall - This is when you film real people as they do real things focusing on their life. in terms of your documentary you may be able to film footage of people having a genuine conversation about issues relevant to your topic, e.g a live sporting event, following an individual around as they do a job etc.Voice over - Most documentaries have a voice over, a narration of what the programme is about, giving key information and introducing the topic of debate.Montage Sequence - Montage sequences often conveys ideas visually by putting them in a specific order in the film. Narrative montages involve the planning of sequence of shots used to indicate changes in time and place within a film. Ideational montages link actions with words, and are often used in documentaries.
A different positioning of shots conveys different ideas to the viewer. For example, a montage containing a negative theme followed by a positive theme may give the viewer the idea that the positive theme is the main theme of the montage.
Montages in documentaries are usually linked with words that characters say. This visual representation of the characters thoughts helps position the viewer in the story, and helps the viewer better understand what the character is saying. It visually presents a progression of ideas on a screen.
Graphics - Documentaries often use graphics with written text, maps, drawings and still photos which can be incorporated into the opening sequence through jpeg files. Graphics should also appear as a banner at the bottom of the screen when showing who you are interviewing and what they do for a living.Interviews - An expert interview with someone who has ample knowledge of your topic and can give a clear insight into issues that are vitally important. This could be a real expert, parents or students.Vox Pops - This is more of a random interview with ordinary people on the street with a hand held camera, with a microphone popping up asking people what their views are on a relevant topic.Talking Head - A shot of someone talking directly to the camera as a presenter of the documentary could also be used. This is called a 'talking head'. The talking head is the authority figure and presents all the facts.Music - Music is critical for the opening sequence but the sound of the song or music should not dominate and override the sound of the voice over. you need to balance sound and images very carefully and fade them in appropriately.
Narrative structure- Who is narrating the piece or is a voice over being used? Is it a linear or non-linear narrative?
