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CODES AND CONVENTIONS IN 'BENEFITS STREET' benefits '…
CODES AND CONVENTIONS IN 'BENEFITS STREET' 
'OBSERVATIONAL' DOCUMENTARY
SOUND
NON-DIEGETIC
In the episodes, there is the use of different music which is used to create tension, build suspense or create any other emotion in the audience to make it more entertaining.
There is a voiceover, by the narrator Tony Hirst explaining the lives of the residents on the street which shows that it's an observational documentary because he tells the viewers what might not be obvious to not disrupt the characters/habitants.
There are also voiceovers of the characters, they use parts of interviews or dialogues and add cutaways or other shots showing what they are talking about.
DIEGETIC
The episodes also use interviews with the residents talking about what they are doing, or what they are going to do. The interviews make the series seem nearly as a reality show than a documentary in my opinion.
There is the use of dialogue between the residents, which is very expected from an obervational documentary, as it shows how they communicate and what they do daily.
TEXT
Since the series shows on Channel 4, they present the title at the beginning, before and after adverts so the audience knows its about to start or finish.
In some situations, there are quotations of what the characters say, if for example there is bad sound, interruptions or simply because they stand out. The director doesn't ask to film again since he is creating a 'fly on the wall' documentary and can only represent the true lives of these residents.
As many documentaries have, Benefits Street uses name tags to present the characters when they appear, usually in situations where they don't mention it and where the directors don't want to interrupt them and ask them to mention their names because of the 'observational' effect.
SHOTS
The use of Mid-Shots is commonly used in documentaries especially since it's often used during interviews.
Close-ups are often used because it shows the characters emotions and makes the audience connect more to them.
As many documentaries, there is the use of cutaways when the residents talk about something and then the camera changes to the subject involved.
As most documentaries, the establishing shot is used to show the street they live in which makes the audience feel sad or pity towards the characters.
Benefits Street makes sure to use narrative: through conflict between characters as well as each residents journey. It makes the documentary more entertaining and engages the audience.
The Mise-en-scène has also been thought through: during interviews they will mostly be sitting in their homes where the background shows the state they are living in. Also they are all wearing their everyday clothes and their props (e.g. cigarettes, alcohol) gives the audience information about each of them.
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