Codes and Conventions of interviews

• Interviews filmed in medium shot, medium close up or close up
• framed to left or right of screen- if is more than one interview positioning alternates so as to create verity
• framing follows the rule of thirds- eye line is roughly a third of the way down the frame.
• interviewee looks at the interviewer not directly into the camera.
• positioning of interviewer is therefore important: if the interviewee is on the RIGHT side of the frame, the interview should be positioned on the LEFT side of the camera. if the interviewee is on the LEFT side of the frame, the interviewer is positioned on the RIGHT side of the camera.in either case the interviewee should sit or stand as close to the camera as possible.
• mise en scene: background reinforces the content of the interview or is relevant to the interviewee, providing more information about them in terms of occupation or personal environment
• interviews are never filmed with a light source behind them i.e in front of a window or with the sun behind them; the light is always in front of them
• questions are edited out
• cut aways are edited into the interview for two reasons; break up interview and illustrate what the interviewee is talking about ,to avoid jump cuts when questions are edited out
• cut aways are either; archive materials, suggested by something said in the interview and therefore filmed after the interview, sometimes aspects of the interview are filmed with another camera, such as extreme close ups of eyes, mouth and hands, and used as cutaways
• graphics are used to anchor who the person on screen is and their relevance to the topic of the documentary