Documentaries are those serious films, seemingly boring by nature, and complex – but could address serious social, economic issues, throw light on a topic, and can be super informative.
That is precisely the primary agenda of anyone making a documentary film – to inform, educate and show the world an otherwise hidden angle, a perspective or cause. And it is a no brainer that information bides very well with the audience, when it can do its job alongside entertainment. A documentary must not be painfully boring.
It should after all tell a story, and a story is always the most interesting way to convey anything to anyone. Top film making institutes always impart to their students that while documentaries are a more serious genre, it should be treated like regular film making – the central idea, nuances, storyline et al.
So, how do we add zing to documentaries?
Animation:
A fresh perspective on documentaries that has been there for quite a while is the use of animation. Adding customized illustrations or animations are a fun way to add magic to the documentary. It always gets audience’s attention, and is easier to handle. This could involve technical expertise from the field of animation as well, and Game designing college graduates are partnering increasingly with film makers in this hybrid genre.
One should avoid overuse of animation, since it could be distracting, or could attribute to high costs.
Papa don’t preach!
Make the documentary like a film. No one likes being preached. Remember you are giving the audience information, and helping them make decisions, showing them causes. You are not making the decision for them, or forcing the right down their throat. Do not make it look and feel like a lecture. Add humour, make it less boring – because the ultimate message is to reach out to the maximum number of people through the documentary, and when it is not boring, you can bet it is an achievement unlocked!
Story and Structure
Make sure to have a strong structure to your story line.
As a thumb rule, never miss the narrative. A story is central to any film – documentary or otherwise. And more often than not a documentary classified as boring, is the one which could be technically brilliant but falls flat on structure and story. Once the narrative and central story is in place, the film maker should be able to structure the whole documentary around it.
Sound & BGS
The most successful documentary film makers in the world will vouch for the fact that in a documentary film, sound is equally, and sometimes even more important than the picture. Imagine a shot out of frame, or blurred could be acceptable, but back background noise will definitely not be forgotten.
Of course we don’t want the documentary forgotten – but let it be for all the right reasons!
Tell everyone something they don’t already know
Another crucial tip while making documentary films is to not relay the same content as mainstream media does. If you are making replicas of regular news feed, you will be driving your traffic to news channels than to watch your documentary
Avoid Information overload
It can be tempting to introduce the audience to new concepts, and in an attempt to be informative, one should not bombard their audience with an overload of information.
Often simple language, and concise messages can convey more than a thousand words.
Always remember that communication is the single most important aspect while making a film – documentary or otherwise.
Snap away
Be brutal with your editing. Each frame, think if it adds value to the central theme, story line or the film. If not, it should be cut right away, without any mercy.
Documentaries specifically needs hours and days of shooting, and compiling those days of footage into a thirty or forty minute documentary film is like sifting through CCTV footage sometimes. So, it is challenging to exercise good judgement when it comes to deciding what is to stay, and what needs go away.
And since we need to stay tuned to market trends, it is prudent to stick to shorter films, for content generating platforms or viewing online.
More than anything else, remember to entertain. A documentary should hit the truth hard – but also be fun. It is challenging, yes! But what is fun without a challenge to a film maker?
