PURPOSE OF RESEARCHCODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A DOCUMENTARY

PURPOSE AND RELEVANCE

The purpose of researching the codes and conventions of documentaries is to help us choose which ones are most important, and which ones we should include in our own documentary.

Codes and conventions are essential in a documentary, the topic is the basis and the conventions are what makes it a documentary.

Each type of documentary have different conventions that are essential to make them that certain type e.g. mixed documentary includes interviews, voiceover and observations.

By researching them, we can choose which ones we will include depending on what type we have chosen.

AUDIENCEIt is important that the conventions appear in an appealing way to our target audience, however we have not yet started this stage of planning yet, therefore we will need to further discuss this after our audience research.

For example, if we choose to have a younger target audience, we will need to present facts and statistics through interesting graphics so that our audience stay focused whilst watching the documentary. The music played will also need to directly connect to our audience, so it will need to be current, upbeat songs if we have a younger audience.

If we choose to have an older target audience, the background footage will have to be professional but still interesting so that they are focused and interested.

It is important for all ages that we include interviews with experts and voxpops as these supply a professional, and general opinion that they can either trust, argue against or relate to.