There are several important things that one needs to have in mind if they intend to make documentaries. The most important of these is the fact that they must have an idea on which they want to base their story. Since the story is being created for a given set of audience, there is need to have some knowledge on the tastes and preferences of these audience from the very start.
The next thing is to develop the story along the main idea. The content has to fall into what is known as the story arc. It should let the audience see a character change and develop as they are faced with different challenges. The main parts that have to be addressed are the beginning when the idea is introduced, the middle when objectives are met and the end when a conclusion is drawn.
Access to materials relating to the subject matter is very important. This is of course determined by the nature of idea that has been decided upon. If one chooses to produce a documentary on aquatic life, then they must be in a position to access the deep seas. The same would apply for the production of a documentary of a military operation where high level security clearance is necessary.
There are a number of challenges that one needs to be aware of even as they plan on starting their project. Lack of adequate resources is perhaps the commonest. These resources may be in form of machinery, manpower or even time. Such situations make it difficult to complete the task within the stipulated time and subsequently lead to frustration. Passion in the work is therefore very important.
After the ideas have been put together and the resources obtained, one needs to create a script that will be used. Consultation with persons that have done similar projects in the past really helps at this stage. The first copy is usually a provisional one and is used to identify possible mistakes and to correct them.
A good documentary should also have what is known as the emotional centre. This is aimed at achieving the empathy of the viewers as they relate to the characters in the story. If for, example, the documentary is about persons that have been subjected to violence, the impact of the violence should be clearly brought out. Other emotions can also be achieved.
There are several mistakes that are made by a number of creators. For example, many fail to choose an appropriate theme on which they can base their creation. The result of this is failure to communicate the intended message adequately. Recreation of ideas is another thing that is not done appropriately by many creators. The same applies to the choice of music.
The final thing is distribution of your work. This can be done in print or electronic media. There has been increased use of the internet for distribution of documentaries mainly due to the low associated costs. Feedback from the audience is also easy to obtain through this channel.
The next thing is to develop the story along the main idea. The content has to fall into what is known as the story arc. It should let the audience see a character change and develop as they are faced with different challenges. The main parts that have to be addressed are the beginning when the idea is introduced, the middle when objectives are met and the end when a conclusion is drawn.
Access to materials relating to the subject matter is very important. This is of course determined by the nature of idea that has been decided upon. If one chooses to produce a documentary on aquatic life, then they must be in a position to access the deep seas. The same would apply for the production of a documentary of a military operation where high level security clearance is necessary.
There are a number of challenges that one needs to be aware of even as they plan on starting their project. Lack of adequate resources is perhaps the commonest. These resources may be in form of machinery, manpower or even time. Such situations make it difficult to complete the task within the stipulated time and subsequently lead to frustration. Passion in the work is therefore very important.
After the ideas have been put together and the resources obtained, one needs to create a script that will be used. Consultation with persons that have done similar projects in the past really helps at this stage. The first copy is usually a provisional one and is used to identify possible mistakes and to correct them.
A good documentary should also have what is known as the emotional centre. This is aimed at achieving the empathy of the viewers as they relate to the characters in the story. If for, example, the documentary is about persons that have been subjected to violence, the impact of the violence should be clearly brought out. Other emotions can also be achieved.
There are several mistakes that are made by a number of creators. For example, many fail to choose an appropriate theme on which they can base their creation. The result of this is failure to communicate the intended message adequately. Recreation of ideas is another thing that is not done appropriately by many creators. The same applies to the choice of music.
The final thing is distribution of your work. This can be done in print or electronic media. There has been increased use of the internet for distribution of documentaries mainly due to the low associated costs. Feedback from the audience is also easy to obtain through this channel.
