To all the aspiring documentary filmmakers with cameras in your hand, passion in your heart, and a brain screaming, “God! Where do I start!” Take a deep breath, because it only gets better from here.
Working with real-life topics, shooting with real people, and considering the lack of control during the shoot… documentary filmmaking is definitely not easy. You are probably overwhelmed with different advice on how to get started on that first documentary you’ve been planning for such a long time now.
So without further ado, let’s begin with exploring the formative aspects of documentary filmmaking in this post (because one single article isn’t going to cover it).
What Is Documentary Filmmaking?
Documentary filmmaking is making a film based on real people, events, or places.
You could follow a story in real-time, in the past, or even in the anticipated future. However, you are expected to present your individual take on the nonfiction story that you are following.
Documentaries can also present a filmmaker’s views about the world or even voice issues of society.
What Are the Different Types of Documentary Films?
Documentaries can be classified under the following categories:
Poetic Documentaries
Poetic documentaries prioritize visual aesthetics and emotional resonance over traditional narrative structure. They often utilize imagery, metaphors, and symbolic representations to evoke feelings and provoke thought rather than convey straightforward facts. One example is Sans Soleil (1983).
Expository Documentaries
These films focus on informing and educating the viewers with facts and arguments. Expository documentaries often employ voiceovers, archival footage, testimonials, statistics, and interviews to present the narrative. Expository films are research-based and even revolve around multiple issues of the world and society. Think The Dust Bowl (2012).
Observational Documentaries
These adopt a “fly-on-the-wall” approach: filmmakers capture real-life events as they unfold without interfering. The narrative is mostly unbiased and neutral, focused on capturing genuine moments, aiming to create an immersive experience for viewers. Hoop Dreams (1994) is one.
Participatory Documentaries
In this style of nonfiction narrative, filmmakers actively engage with their subjects, often becoming part of the narrative themselves. In these documentaries, filmmakers directly engage with their subjects, diving into personal exploration of themes that can reveal emotional truths about the story and topic they’re following. For example, Bowling for Columbine (2001).
Reflexive Documentaries
These films draw attention to their depiction and challenge viewers’ perceptions of truth and representation in the media. By showcasing behind-the-scenes processes or self-referential commentary, reflexive documentaries encourage critical thinking about how stories are told. They focus on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, like in Man with a Movie Camera (1929).
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Performative Documentaries
Performative documentaries are based on the filmmaker’s personal involvement with their subject, using subjective experiences to explore broader social or political issues. This mode often includes emotional narratives that invite viewers to empathize with specific perspectives or experiences. One of the best examples is Supersize Me (2004).
Documentary Films Use Different Styles of Storytelling
Listed below are the ones most commonly used. So get familiar with these styles before you try them yourself.
1. Interview style
In this, you interview all the major people associated with the story you are following. Imagine, for example, you’re making an interview-style documentary on Steve Jobs. You’d interview people who were extremely close to him, professionally or personally, or even both, depending on which aspect of his life you’re trying to focus on.
2. Presenter-led
In such documentaries, a presenter walks the audience through the storyline. It might not be a physical presenter on screen—just a voiceover, keeping the audience aligned with the focal point of the narrative. Travel documentaries are one of the best examples.
3. Expository
I have a special knack for such documentaries. They quietly observe the events unfold, and then there’s a pick-and-choose with what goes in the film. The filmmaker chooses his observations to knit them on the edit table to give you the narrative of his perspective. Take March of the Penguins (2005).
4. Observational
These documentaries believe in neutrality and aim to present the events as they were, handing over the gavel to the audience altogether. This doesn’t mean that observational documentaries lack a voice of their own; they’d rather let you find yours than put you in a particular box. Harlan County, USA (1976) is an excellent observational documentary.
A Simple Guide to Making Your First Documentary
As I said, the basic steps of filmmaking are homogenous throughout styles and genres. But preparing for a documentary and then finally delivering the film requires a quirky and flowy approach to the whole process.
Let’s break down the steps one by one.
1. Find your calling
Great documentaries often reflect the connection between the filmmaker and the chosen topic. Thus, especially when starting, choose a topic that you immensely care about. Something that can drive you and keep you motivated when you reach dead ends.
Sometimes, documentaries take months to shoot because controlled production is a luxury when shooting in live locations with real people. When you are one with your topic, you will always find a way to finish your journey with the film.
That being said, don’t be stuck trying to find an original idea—it’s a never-ending limbo. Instead, find an original voice for the most relatable idea that you are connected to.
2. Outline a story
Once you have chosen the topic, see if you can make a storyline for your narrative. This is doable for narrator-led and interview-style documentaries or when you’re dealing with historical topics, but it becomes a real challenge in observation styles.
Interestingly, in such cases, a story outline is often made after the shoot is completed. This means, when you’re unsure what reality has in store for you, it’s best to go in with a clean slate. Once you have seen all sides, you can decide on your perspective. Nevertheless, prepare enough to navigate the unpredictable but also be open to adapting.
3. Research
Since documentaries are nonfiction films, the authenticity of facts is appreciated. Therefore, be diligent with your research—you owe it to your viewers. Additionally, good research during pre-production helps mitigate noise while shooting, and by the time you begin to edit, you know what you want.
4. List the logistics and equipment needed.
Per usual, you should decide on your budget, camera, lights, locations, subjects, and more.
Once everything is on the page, it aids in cutting down unwanted surprises during the shoot or at least keeps you ready for anything that’s out of production control.
In documentary filmmaking, you typically are operating in a run-and-gun fashion. Check out the tools that run-and-gun fillmakers need.
5. Get a crew and start shooting.
Documentaries are made with like-minded people who are driven by passion—you don’t always have to wait for the most experienced crew. If your story is strong enough, imperfections will be easier to overlook.
Documentaries are beautiful because they’re raw, pure, and flawed, just like our realities. Be it the visual, the voiceover, or even framing—stop chasing perfection.
Chase your inspiration instead. If it reflects you, it will connect with your viewers. Choose friends, relatives, or other crazy people like you and me, who will strive tirelessly because they believe in the vision.
6. Edit with an open mind.
Documentaries are known to change the course of narratives throughout production. This is because, sometimes, the reality you are chasing turns out to be completely different from your beliefs or even your research.
Thus, there’s no fixed script—just an instinct to follow, as you pursue your story. As you diligently skim through gigabytes of footage, you might just evolve your thinking. Embracing change is one of the core qualities of every great documentary filmmaker.
It might initially feel unsettling to make films that breed uncertainty. The lack of control during production and the constant adapting can feel overwhelming. But that’s just because you’re new to this!
Spontaneity is the crux of documentary filmmaking, but this freedom comes with responsibility, as you’re voicing facts, not fiction.
If documentary filmmaking is your calling, take the leap. Which documentaries have been your inspiration?
