Documentaries
A documentary is a non-fiction film about an interesting subject. The purpose is to document reality or to turn history or current events into a compelling, dramatic piece of entertainment. You will research something or someone that you find interesting and figure out how the people you talk to, the information you uncover, and the film you record can be turned into a story - you are a storyteller. A documentary could be considered a form of journalism, but may present opinions and varied perspectives. Use this page, the tips below, and our Video Production grading rubric to make sure you follow all directions and make the perfect film. |
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Mandatory Requirements:
Consider the Following:
- Creative introduction with music and text
- Creative title that is displayed in the introduction of the film (follow title capitalization rules)
- Beginning, middle, and ending, with definitive closure at the end
- Main idea(s) / theme(s) with supporting details - prove a thesis
- Tease the thesis at the beginning and make sure it is clearly stated by the end (part of the closure)
- Break documentary down into categories that help prove this thesis using supporting details (write an outline)
- Text titles / captions - list names or special scenes and have text on screen for long enough to truly read them
- Use one of the formats for interviewing and filming in the images labeled below these directions
- Use microphones – lavaliere, boom mic, hidden desk mic, etc
- Follow the “Rule of Thirds” for framing the interviews
- Variety of different interviews – minimum of 3 different people interviewed
- Film each interview in a different location
- Translate (through text or narration) all footage into English
- When editing, don't write out the interview questions and place them on screen
- Include a wide variety of cutaways - other footage on screen while the person in the interview is talking / switch from person talking to footage of what they are talking about, with the audio from the interview still being heard
- Experiment with a lot of interesting cinematography for your cutaways – try interesting and artistic angles, shots, camera movement, play with shadows, background and foreground, in and out of focus, etc. etc.
- Instrumental music underneath the action or interviews at various parts of the documentary (if music helps set the mood)
- Ending credits with music and text
Consider the Following:
- Try to choose a topic that has scenes that can be filmed during class time and at school
- Try to leave your bias and opinions out, only include the opinions of the people you interview.
- Make it interesting, engaging, deep thinking, provocative, current, aesthetically beautiful, good pacing, personal story about people’s lives.
- Get people to say things they wouldn’t normally say. Really get to know the subjects of the documentaries, get them to feel comfortable talking to you so they will talk deeply about themselves and their feelings.
- Focus on the human element of things, not just politics or current events or news stories.
- Teach us something new, if it is about a topic we already know about, give us new details we never knew before.
- Use the “Documentary Tips” handout, those ideas will help you tremendously
- Consider adding extra footage in between interviews, as stand-alone footage, not just as cutaways layered on top of interviews.
- Consider extending this beyond just an interview based film. Consider trying out an experiment, following people around, implanting the director or interviewer right into the film.
- Think outside the box and do something out of the norm. Don't just make this a longer version of a Jet Stream news segment.
- Variety of different music or songs that help transition into the different categories you've broken this down into
Cutaways / B-Roll / Extra footage:
You will be filming A LOT, so how can you put together all off this random video?
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Documentary Tips
- Research - Even if you know your topic well, still do research. You can use the Internet and the library to find information. Also, talk to people who know about or are interested in your subject. Once you have a general topic you are interested in, try to narrow it down. If you are interested in cars, figure out what specifically interests you. Brainstorm ideas and take lots of notes. For example, narrow down a documentary about cars to one about a group of people who work on classic cars and gather to show them off and talk about them.
- Interview People - Get interviews from people who have knowledge of or are interested in your topic. If you get many interviews you will have a more diverse and interesting piece. Be sure to take notes and film the interview. Let's get back to a car example. Let's say the topic for the documentary is "The History of Cars". You might want to interview your grandfather about basic car stuff (how they were designed when he was a kid, how do they work now, etc...). Then, look for people with specific knowledge about the history of automobiles and interview them. Ask all kinds of questions. Remember to write down all interview questions before filming.
- Organize all the parts in an order that is interesting and fun, but that will also make sense to the viewers - In our car history example, we would start off with who built the first automobile and what that car looked like, people's reaction to automobiles at that time. Then, we would go through the changes to automobiles and people's attitudes about them through time to the present day. The end of the piece might be something that ties the information together in an interesting way, or a great comment from an interview. Remember, the story is what is interesting, not dates or rote facts.
- Show your movie to someone, like your parents, or a friend - Make sure you ask them to review your movie and give you some critique. According to what they tell you, go back to editing and fix what needs to be fixed, even if that means reshooting footage or adding new scenes. After you edit the piece, repeat reviewing process, and if the reviews are positive, distribute your film.
- Multiple Perspectives - If you present multiple perspectives, then you will create a fairer, more objective film. So, interview many people.
- Leave your opinions out - A documentary is meant to simply present the facts and allow the viewer to decide for them selves. Above all else, be sure you do not editorialize or impress your own, personal opinion, into the documentary. Once that takes place your work ceases to be a documentary and becomes propaganda.
- Include Music – It makes the film more entertaining and gives flow. Make sure to not just include music at the very beginning and very end. Make sure the music in the middle of the film is at a low level so we can hear the dialogue.
- Story Outlining / Storyboard – Map out the story or flow using small pictures or writing it down. Brainstorm these ideas with your teammates. Put together a timeline of how you want the documentary to flow. Identify major themes you want covered in the film. Plan particular shots, footage, or interviews.
- Interview techniques – Have interviewee look a little bit off camera, or right into it, but keep it in either of those styles for the whole film. Since the interviewer is off camera, have the interviewee repeat the question when they begin to answer, so the audience knows what they are talking about. Also, make sure the lighting is good for the interview, use a lot of light. Frame the shot using the RULE OF THIRDS.
- Film a lot of footage – Film 2 to 3 times more film than you will actually need. A lot of it will be edited out, you will be surprised at how much extra film you need just to edit down to a 5-20 minute movie.
- Use a microphone – Using a mic will help all of your audio sound perfect. Mic’s are very inexpensive these days and can be bought anywhere. Make sure your mic plugs into your camera.
- Show a lot of other footage besides the interviews – If your documentary is about a person, show that person’s daily routine. If it is about an event, show a lot of footage from the live event. Go out and film a large amount of additional footage. Relying on interviews only will make your documentary boring. Film a lot of extra clips to put into your movies: B-ROLL.
- Watch many documentaries – Watch famous documentaries and student documentaries for creative inspiration. Review them all so you can see real examples of good documentary film making techniques. This will give you ideas on how to make your documentary perfect.
Below are trailers and film clips for the 5-6 types of documentaries. Watch these for creative inspiration.
1. Expository: voice of god
1. Expository: voice of god
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2. Observational: fly on the wall
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3. Interactive: Filmmakers interact with people, there are interviews. Most common.
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4. Reflexive: director / filmmaker is in the film, interacting with people, they are the focus of the film.
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5. Performative: combination of real interviews with reenactments performed by actors
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6. Mockumentary: fake, uses humor (be careful they are difficult to write)
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Watch a few student examples for creative inspiration.
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Watch this documentary intro / opening shots to get inspired when you write, film, and edit your opening sequence. Whiplash is not a documentary but consider utilizing this type of opening shot for your documentary subject.
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