A documentary film is a film that presents information about factual rather than fictional topics. These films have a variety of aims: to inform viewers, to convey opinions or to create public interest. With the exception of historical feature films, documentary films influence the way the public understand the past more than any other medium, including school history lessons.

Form and Style - Documentary techniques

The key to choosing the right storytelling techniques for your documentary is to know who your primary audience will be and where/how it will be viewed.

The first time I ever saw a Nooma film, I was blown away. Nooma is a series of short films produced over ten years, starring the controversial evangelical speaker and author Rob Bell. Rob's provocative goings-on notwithstanding, those films (which were produced by a wholly autonomous non-profit called Flannel) changed the entire way I look at documentary filmmaking.

Film and Documentary Techniques

Documentary structure is often determined by the subject matter of the film, but in general a documentary is made up of the beginning, the middle and the end, sometimes referred to as the "three-act structure.

The mechanics of documentary Storytelling

Documentary filmmakers, no less than dramatic screenwriters, strive to tell strong, often character-driven stories that have a beginning, middle and end, with something at stake, rising tension, and a narrative arc that keeps viewers actively engaged. Unlike dramatists, however, nonfiction filmmakers can't invent characters and plot points, but must instead find them in the raw material of real life.

Visual effects and gripping music are the tools of the trade when you have an opinion to share, but do not want it met with skepticism. Hooking an already empathetic audience from the beginning by jarring them emotionally is one of the many steps on the pyramid of persuasion.