Documentary making can feel daunting for new journalists. Follow a structured process to turn simple ideas into powerful visual journalism.
This guide is based on the article ‘Making a documentary‘ by Sebastian Solberg, an award-winning documentary filmmaker.
The following checklist breaks down the essential steps to help you move from your initial research to sharing your finished film with an audience.
Essential actions for documentary filmmaking
- [ ] Conduct thorough research: Start with a story that you find personally exciting. Use libraries, bookstores, and the internet to understand your topic and find interesting people to feature.
- [ ] Select a narration style: Decide how you will tell the story. You could use a presenter to guide the viewer, rely on interviews with key people, or simply observe events as they happen without any voiceover.
- [ ] Use a three-act structure: Organise your film into three parts. Act 1 sets the scene and introduces the problem; Act 2 develops the story and the tension; Act 3 provides the conclusion and resolves the issue.
- [ ] Assemble your team: Find people who share your passion. You may need help with filming, sound recording, or editing.
- [ ] Write a documentary treatment: Create a short document that outlines your vision. This should describe the main characters, the themes, and the type of footage you plan to film.
- [ ] Set a budget and a schedule: List all your potential costs, such as travel and equipment, and add 10% for emergencies. Create a timeline for each stage of the project to keep yourself on track.
- [ ] Focus on skills over equipment: Don’t worry if you don’t have an expensive camera. Use what is available to you, such as a mobile phone, and focus on mastering your filmmaking techniques instead.
- [ ] Apply the five-shot rule: When filming a scene, capture five different types of shots: a close-up of hands, a close-up of the face, a wide shot of the location, an over-the-shoulder shot, and one creative or unusual angle.
- [ ] Prepare a paper edit: Before you start using editing software, watch all your footage and write down a plan. Note which scenes, music, and sounds will go where.
- [ ] Edit your film in stages: Import your footage, build the basic structure following your three-act plan, and then refine the clips until the story flows well.
- [ ] Polished sound and colour: Adjust the colours of your video to create the right mood. Add music or sound effects to make the film feel more immersive for the viewer.
- [ ] Market and share your work: Use social media and email to tell people about your film. Decide if you want to enter it into festivals or upload it to a streaming platform.
Every great filmmaker started exactly where you are now. Take it one step at a time, trust your instincts, and do not be afraid to learn as you go.
