Codes and Conventions of Documentaries

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These conventions provide guidelines for any documentary maker. The conventions are particular features often associated with documentaries, and using and perhaps developing them will allow us to make a convincing product. The main purpose of a documentary is to inform the viewer, so many of conventions are used to make the viewer believe the speaker and what he/she is saying. This is done by making the speaker appear to be an authority to make the dialogue seem more convincing. On screen titles show who the speaker is in a professional sense e.g. Director. Giving the speaker his/her title makes them have more power when they are talking about a subject in their particular field. Another way this is done is by putting them in a professional environment such as a library or office to make the speaker seem educated which will increase his/her authority. The final way this is done is buy dressing the speaker in professional clothing such as a suit so they seem educated which will improve the likelihood of the audience taking what the speaker is saying seriously. By giving the speaker a more authoritative persona, it gives the dialogue more weight which allows it to convey information more convincingly.