{"id":126,"date":"2015-02-05T18:48:47","date_gmt":"2015-02-05T17:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vision.wettintv.de\/?page_id=126"},"modified":"2022-04-12T13:19:04","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T12:19:04","slug":"09-making-a-documentary-film","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vision-videoschool.eu\/?page_id=126","title":{"rendered":"Making a documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n

Documentaries\u00a0present real situations and people more convincingly than feature films. And yet, just like feature films,\u00a0making\u00a0a documentary is a complex process that involves a lot of creativity to tell a story.<\/p>\n

Documentaries deal with\u00a0historical events, social and natural phenomena. They can have a very personal or\u00a0lyrical mood.\u00a0They are a common\u00a0on TV, but they have also become popular as a\u00a0cinema genre \u2013 take for example Michael Moore\u2019s Bowling for Columbine<\/em>, Al Gore\u2019s An inconvenient truth <\/em>or\u00a0Morgan Spurlock\u2019s Supersize me<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Documentary films\u00a0often serve as a\u00a0historical record of what’s happening in\u00a0the world at a given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\u00a0Vision in action<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

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  1. Research your topic well and find relevant people who\u00a0are prepared to speak in front of the camera. Plan how you’ll get interesting visuals, including archive material and shooting on location.<\/li>\n
  2. On location, shoot as much as you can because the circumstances\u00a0will have changed the next time you come back. Ask more questions that you think you need to, and film\u00a0a wide range of\u00a0image material. Make sure recorded interviews have a\u00a0good sound.<\/li>\n
  3. Be flexible. Let the story and people lead you, even if it’s in a direction you didn’t plan for. You can decide what to use at\u00a0the editing stage. You might even have\u00a0some material leftover for your next project.<\/li>\n
  4. Work in small teams so you can be\u00a0flexible and don’t\u00a0scare people away.<\/li>\n
  5. Be friendly and thank those people who are\u00a0prepared to help you \u2013\u00a0even\u00a0when filming is stressful and\u00a0you’re not feeling very friendly.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Get\u00a0the legal stuff right: secure\u00a0permission to film and broadcast images of locations and people, and the right to use image and sound produced by others.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Leave\u00a0plenty of time for editing. Be flexible, try out different things\u00a0and see what works best. Re-edit\u00a0as many times as\u00a0necessary until you are completely satisfied with the result.<\/li>\n
  8. Share your film\u00a0with others. Look at different screening options (for example film festivals, events connected to the topic, relevant TV stations) or organize a screening yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n
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Equipment and tools<\/h2>\n

Researching a\u00a0documentary and getting ready to film involves calling people and discussing your idea, visiting locations, research in libraries, archives and online. The equipment you’ll need for this includes a\u00a0phone, a computer, and perhaps a car or another mode of transport.<\/p>\n

When it comes to filming, you’ll obviously also\u00a0need a camera and sound equipment. An additional microphone that\u00a0connects to the camera or another external sound-recording device is really important in documentary film-making; you’ll use this a lot when you interview people. A tripod and additional lights can also be\u00a0very useful.<\/p>\n

Main section<\/b><\/h2>\n

The key to making a good documentary is presenting the topic in an interesting and clear\u00a0way, with high-quality image material and good composition for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n

The advantage of documentaries over feature films is that they can be made\u00a0on a low budget and with a small film crew. They are therefore an excellent genre for presenting new, less\u00a0well-known topics, or for sharing ideas that are interesting to\u00a0a specific audience.<\/p>\n

Documentaries are a great way for young filmmakers, youth groups, and anybody who doesn’t have access to a studio, expensive equipment or a lot of money, to\u00a0express themselves through film. They\u00a0are\u00a0also well suited to\u00a0people who\u00a0prefer to work alone or in smaller groups.<\/p>\n