Storytelling Techniques in the Making of Documentaries

Documentary filmmaking is essentially storytelling and what better way is there to tell a compelling story than by way of visual photographs and videos? This is why cinematography is so important for documentary filmmakers to master. Through captivating visuals, a successful film is able to reach its targeted audiences.

In “Five Cinematic Techniques for Making A Documentary More Impactful,” guest writer Ron Dawson for Desktop Documentaries lists the most important cinematographic techniques for filmmakers in the industry to master in order to produce enthralling documentaries. The techniques are as follows:

1. Know the story— Before a filmmaker shoots the film, he or she should gather all relevant information about the people, places, and events that are to be shown in the film. This planning stage is vital in order to capture fascinating shots.
2. Create a shot list— Plan ahead of time what shots are to become a part of the visual story of the film. Dawson claims, “Naturally a big part of what I plan to shoot will be based on sound bites I get during the interviews. But the more I know up front what I will be shooting, the more shots I can plan ahead of time.”
3. Shoot it like a script— Dawson claims that he does not consider himself to be a journalistic filmmaker, simply capturing events as they happen, but usually directs the “talent” (the notable people in a film) and does production design. Also, good coverage of scenes is extremely important, even if that means a filmmaker has to shoot a scene multiple times. Additionally, in regards to the view that creating a documentary is essentially narrative storytelling, filmmaker Michael Moore has said, “We are not documentarians, we are filmmakers.”
4. Mind the metaphorical— Oftentimes documentaries, like the Nooma films, shoot narrative scenes that have no literal connection to the soundbites, but the scenes have profound metaphorical meanings or allegorical imagery.
5. Music is key— The right music can elicit deep emotional responses from viewers, just as the visuals can.

The Art of Collaboration: Musical Scores for Documentaries

A large and crucial part of the documentary filmmaking process that is often overlooked is the filmmaker’s collaboration with musicians and composers to create the perfect musical score— one that sets the shape, mood, pacing, emotional texture, and character for the whole documentary. The right collaborative chemistry between a filmmaker and composer can help achieve this full-bodied, visceral cinematic experience that all audience members hope for.

According to Lisa Leeman, writer for International Documentary Association (IDA), in an article entitled, “Composers Confab: Creating The Best Score For Your Film,” “The bottom line is communication—for filmmakers, knowing what you want for your documentary; for composers, having that visceral sense and creative drive to complement that cinematic vision with a strong sonic foundation.”

In fact, Leeman held an interview with Mark Adler, Jeff Beal, Miriam Cutler, Peter Davison, Joel Goodman, and Camara Kambon, professionals who all have a wide range of experience working in different genres, such as fiction, theatrical, television, series, orchestrals, CDs, and more.

During the interview, Miriam Cutler, a film composer best known for the scores in Rory Kennedy’s Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and Katharina Otto’s Absolute Wilson, said about composing scores for documentaries, “The other thing about documentaries, I always feel this incredible responsibility to be very heartfelt and pure in my approach, because this is somebody’s real story. I try to use the craft of music to express what the beats of the film are, to find a truth with that and to always respect the fact that these characters are living people and they’ve been incredibly brave.”

Miriam Cutler, film composer.

She added, “That’s one of the reasons I love to work with live musicians; you can bring more emotional content. You have this cumulative affect of these honest, pure, heartfelt performances building on each other to create a bigger truth, something that really resonates with an audience.”

Joel Goodman, Emmy-winning composer.

On the collaborative process, Joel Goodman, Emmy-winning composer, has said, “So many directors and producers don’t know how to speak in music, and that becomes a difficult thing. But if they can speak emotionally, they can allow themselves to get in the process and collaborate. It’s what someone said, ‘Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.’ It’s an ephemeral thing. Yet we’re all really skilled at talking about music and understanding it.” He added, “I go to great lengths to make the directors and producers feel comfortable. One of the fears that they have is, we can change the emotion of what’s happening in the film.”

 

 

Legal Issues to Know When Making A Documentary

In a blog post entitled, “Five Legal Issues Every Documentary Filmmaker Should Keep in Mind,” Ken Basin, writer for Law Law Land, lists and explains the “top five” legal issues every documentary filmmaker should be aware of when planning, making, advertising, and selling a film.

1. Fair Use— the fair use doctrine allows the use of copyrighted works, without permission, for purposes such as: criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. There are four factors in determining whether something is fair use: (1) the purpose and character of the use; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion of the copyrighted work being used; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. A good reference to have when determining what is fair use is the Documentary Filmmakers Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, published by The Center for Social Media at American University.
2. Copyright Clearance— Everything that isn’t fair use has to be cleared through copyright and trademark clearance issues. This includes posters, songs, and more that have to be paid for in order for a documentary filmmaker to use in his or her film. Most of the time, these fees are minimal, though.
3. Defamation and Trade Libel— A lot of the time, documentary filmmakers can be sued for ticking off people with the information they use in their films. However, oftentimes, if the facts are legitimate, there is a good chance that a filmmaker is legally protected from such accusations of defamation. For instance, it’s legally impossible to defame the dead. Furthermore, public figures, such as celebrities, politicians, and the like, must prove that the information a filmmaker used in a documentary is false or else lawsuits ultimately fail.
4. Subpoenas— Oftentimes when a filmmaker produces a hard-hitting documentary, exposing the truth regarding a controversy, the law is forced to comply with another company’s demand for a subpoena against the film. Such was the case earlier this year when Chevron subpoenaed Joe Berlinger, creator of Crude (2009).
5. Contracts and Accounting— Good Hollywood accountants are costly. Between print and advertising costs of distribution, it can be hard to turn a profit when a documentary is completed. Basin suggests that filmmakers should focus on up-front advances, cash guarantees, and clear box office bonuses to avoid this problem.

Independent Film Funding for Documentaries

There are two main models for film funding: the donor model and the investor model. With donors, any money received to produce a documentary is a gift and there is no expectation for this money to be repaid. Donors usually give filmmakers money towards the production of documentaries because they have a deep connection to the story, want to support the director, or simply support the artistic value of the film.

Investors, on the other hand, are looking to make a profit from investing in the documentary. Although the film industry is extremely high-risk and the film could ultimately tank at the box office, investors as well as filmmakers can also make a high return on investment— sometimes even 500%!

There are a number of companies that offer funding for documentary filmmakers to produce their films. One company, Movies that Matter, supports filmmakers that are dedicated to producing films that stimulate worldwide discussion of human rights, freedom, and sustainability. Also, they focus on granting money to documentaries that focus on projects in developing countries, especially countries where freedom is limited.

Another company, Rooftop Films, offers feature film grants to documentary filmmakers who have screened a movie at Rooftop Films’ festival. They set aside one dollar from every ticket sold and every submission fee in order to grant the money to alumni filmmakers and their film productions. According to their site, “[Rooftop Films] also grant[s] additional money in partnership with The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, and production, equipment, and educational services courtesy of [their] partner Downtown Community Television.”

 

 

Documentary Activism

Documentaries today are more about activism than ever before. In fact, social activism has always been a popular notion for documentary filmmakers because it presents a chance to tell stories of both cause and character.

Kali Holloway, writer for AlterNet, has even said in an article entitled, “Documentaries Extraordinaire: the 12 Best and Most Powerful of 2014,” that “There are few art forms that have the ability to provoke conversation, create awareness, and move audiences to action like film, and in particular, documentary. Through the intimate personal stories of people we recognize as ourselves, documentaries engage viewers on relevant social issues – give us a window into the most important and difficult topics of our times – in a way no other medium allows.”

Whether they be about bringing social justice or political change, documentary activism is indeed an interesting topic to explore. One feature documentary, in particular, entitled King Corn (2007) by director Aaron Woolf embodies this notion of documentary activism. The documentary tells the story of two friends, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, who move to Iowa to learn where their food, in specific corn, comes from. According to the documentary’s synopsis, “With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.”

The film which educates audiences about how America’s farming system produces corn crops, thereby “fuel[ing] a food system awash in high fructose corn syrup and fatty, corn-fed beef,” also shows audiences that these farmers grow so much corn in order to receive subsidies from the U.S. government. In fact, the film’s site references the following facts concerning The Farm Bill:

“BY THE NUMBERS:

• In the last 15 years, taxpayers paid corn farmers more than $77 billion.
• 10% of America’s farmers collect more than 75% of the subsidies.
• Since the late 1970s, the real price of fruits and vegetables increased by 30%, while prices for soft drinks decreased by 34%.”

Besides urging Americans to take action regarding The Farm Bill, King Corn also encourages people to become a part of the nonprofit organization FoodCorps, which helps to educate kids on nutritional foods, engage kids and parents in growing fresh food in schoolyards, and team up with chefs to get healthy ingredients into school cafeterias.

 

 

The Increasing Popularity of Documentaries

Documentaries have been rising in popularity for the last decade and more. In 2013, documentaries accounted for 16% of the Cannes film market, according to its director, Jerome Paillard, compared with 8% five years ago. In fact, the Cannes Film Festival is one of the largest markets where trends and action in the industry take place.

Also, recent data in 2013 from the British Film Institute shows that documentaries released in British cinemas has grown at a steady pace every year, from 4% in 2001 to 86% in 2012.

Today, Netflix, an online streaming service, produces documentaries such as Cooked (2016), a documentary about food writer Michael Pollan and his exploration of “how cooking transforms food and shapes our world,” and Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015), a documentary about “the people and sounds that inspired rock ‘n’ roll legend Keith Richards from childhood to today.”

Although blockbuster feature films continue to receive much attention, the demand for documentaries, which provide much more factual content, is growing. Part of the reason for this is due to the many platforms, today, that stream documentaries, such as Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Another reason for the increasing popularity of documentaries is that they can be made inexpensively and marketed well due to crowdfunding on sites like Kickstarter.

Additionally, documentaries are becoming increasingly more cinematic, which is appealing to viewers. One documentary, Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing” (2014), in which ex-members of Indonesia’s 1960s death squads, who are now active statesmen, are encouraged to re-enact their torture methods in the manner of their favorite Hollywood movies, uses what Oppenheimer calls, “true cinematic moments.”

A still from Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing.”

“People watch documentaries for the drama of real people and the form can’t feel forced,” Oppenheimer says in a 2013 Economist interview. He added that re-enactments in “The Act of Killing” were aiming for genuine drama, not “still-born Hollywood imitations.”

Looking for exposure? Sell your documentary to Netflix or Amazon Prime

So how do documentaries get circulated these days? Oftentimes, filmmakers looking for exposure turn to Netflix to sell their films. How it works is this: a filmmaker finds a distributor and this distributor negotiates a deal with Netflix, resulting in the filmmaker being paid a licensing fee for one or two years.

What makes it so Netflix will buy a certain documentary, though? There are typically two ways to attract Netflix’s attention: working with a distributor or getting into major film festivals or markets, such as Sundance. And to be even more effective at getting a film noticed by Netflix, there must be major star talent, great publicity, and a solid fan base.

So, why should a filmmaker sell to Netflix? Well, simply anyone looking to reach a large audience and make a hefty profit. According to Josef Adalian’s article, “Which Streaming Service Should You Sell Your Show To? A Guide for Producers,” “Two executives who’ve had dealings with Netflix both say that when there’s a hot project in the marketplace, Netflix is usually, as one put it, ‘by far the most aggressive’ bidder, assuming they’re interested in the idea.”

Sometimes, unfortunately, Netflix won’t offer filmmakers money for their documentaries, due to the high bar Netflix has set for films, but filmmakers can certainly gain exposure on Netflix without payment.

Filmmakers can also turn to Amazon Prime for exposure, particularly one subscription service offered by them, Distribber, and the company will pay filmmakers every time their movie is streamed.

Who should sell to Amazon Prime, though? Adalian proposes an answer to this question: “Producers who want to make independent movies, but in TV series form. Projects such as Transparent and the just-released Whit Stillman pilot The Cosmopolitans have shown Amazon is willing to nurture ideas that don’t instantly scream ‘mass appeal’ and work with creators who might not have past experience building blockbusters.”

Amazon Prime chooses which films to run on its platform, Amazon Prime Instant Video, by first allowing customers to rate the pilot episode online. Although this allows filmmakers some exposure, oftentimes these pilots don’t make it beyond this initial screening stage. Another possible downside, Adalian claims, is the fact that Amazon Prime Instant Video is not a “stand-alone product…Its subscribers include millions of Amazon users who signed up for free two-day shipping and might not even know they have access to shows such as Alpha House.”

Startups Paving the Way for Documentaries

The documentary industry has evolved incredibly over the past decade. The explosion of startups such as Kickstarter has changed how documentaries are marketed and funded. Kickstarter is one site that is being used more often by documentary filmmakers, opening up a path for people to make low-budget films with the help of generous donators.

Asking people for donations and accepting them to fund a project such as a documentary film is called crowdfunding. Typically, a site like Kickstarter uses an “all-or-nothing” method to raise funds. This method encourages the creation of campaigns for projects that span a time of no more than 30 days. This method aims to create excitement for donators and to maximize donations in a limited span of time. If the fundraising goal is not met at the end of the campaign’s time span, the person who started the campaign does not get to keep any of the already raised funds; however, if the goal is met, everyone who pledged pays through Amazon. Amazon and Kickstarter then take 8%-10%. Regarding the “all-or-nothing” method, Kickstarter believes, “longer durations incite less urgency, encourage procrastination and tend to fizzle out.”

In fact, one documentary on Kickstarter, The Delta Smelt, successfully raised $3,600 with 36 backers in 2010. These successes aren’t unusual on Kickstarter, making the startup increasingly appealing to documentary filmmakers.

One site, Desktop Documentaries, offers tips for creating a successful crowdfunding campaign:

1. Create a documentary trailer. According to another project funding site, IndieGoGo, “campaigns with videos raise 122% more money than those without.”
2. Set up a fundraising page on your own website or through a system such as Kickstarter or IndieGoGo. This page should include a pitch for your documentary, your trailer, and a donate button.
3. Set a fundraising goal for a specific purpose, i.e. “set a goal to raise $10,000 to jumpstart your documentary project and shoot your first 10 interviews.”
4. Set a deadline.
5. Create incentives, i.e. “come up with creative ‘gifts’ for your donators such as a VIP pass to your documentary premiere.”
6. Get the word out by way of social media, blogging, press releases, and more.
7. Send updates regarding the campaign to donators. “According to IndieGoGo, campaigns that send 11 or more updates raise 137% more money than those that don’t.”
8. Follow up with a “thank you” and promised ‘gifts’ to all of those donators that made your project possible.

 

 

Moore’s New Film:”Where to Invade Next” is Receiving Attention on Social Media

It’s been six years since Michael Moore, documentary filmmaker of the award-winning “Fahrenheit 9/11,” has released a film. His last film, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” analyzed the post-9/11 United States and how the Bush administration used the event to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Although the film was the highest-grossing documentary of all time, it was regarded as highly controversial, resulting in Moore receiving several death threats.

His new film, “Where to Invade Next,” coming out on December 23, 2016,  explores various issues in the U.S., such as student loan debt, income inequality, and obesity in high schools. In the film, Moore invades countries such as Finland, France, and Italy, analyzing the methods these countries use to tackle socio-economic problems. He then travels back to the U.S. to try to apply such methods, such as France’s school lunches and Finland’s successful, homework-free education system. 

 

With Facebook and Twitter taking over the internet by storm, real world issues, as expressed in Moore’s new film, are making it to the front of peoples’ timelines and Twitter feeds. Our new digital generation has allowed the world to become well aware of the issues we face as a global community.

Where to Invade Next is cleverly marketed on social media on Moore’s Facebook page. One example post, which is linked to Moore’s website, is titled “High School Students: Here’s How to Sneak In to My ‘R’-Rated Movie They Don’t Want You to See” and it targets underage teens as a viewing audience for the film. As a result of Moore’s marketing on Facebook and other social media sites such as Twitter, the once uninformed population of the world is able to understand the severity of the issues facing the United States as well as the socio-economic innovations abroad. With this explosion of news, documentaries now have a place in the heart of the well-informed citizen who wants to further understand the challenges we face as a globalized world.

Critics are already raving about the film. Stephen Holden of The New York Times has said, “Impassioned, Mr. Moore’s most far-reaching film.” Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly has said, “Funny, but also serious as a heart attack.” Moore’s film looks promising in the sense that it could be a wake-up call for the U.S., but whether or not Moore’s film will cause the U.S. to implement some necessary changes is uncertain as of yet.

Documentary Films: Insights into Reality

Documentaries give us insights into reality. They show us candidly how people actually are and how events truly play out…and the really good ones give us grains of truth.

In NYC today, film production companies like The Documentary Group, Transient Pictures, Rain Media, Engel Entertainment, Indigo Productions, Trilogy Films, and New Dawn Films are the industry’s biggest players.

The Documentary Group, for instance, has produced award-winning films such as Cartel Land, a look at the struggle of two groups, a citizen army and a parliamentary group, the first lead by Dr. Jose Mireles, a Michoacán physician and the other by Tim Foley, an American veteran, that share an enemy: the Mexican drug cartels.

Although not all great filmmakers reside and produce their documentaries in NYC, some of the most popular filmmakers in the industry are Matthew Heineman, director of Cartel Land, Michael Moore, director of Farenheit 9/11, Laura Poitras, director of Citizenfour, and Brett Morgen, director of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. 

Join me on a journey to follow the documentary film industry’s biggest players and most popular filmmakers, as well as the greatest films. Check back each Friday for new posts and feel free to follow me on Instagram (@sarahtemraz) and Twitter (@sarah_temraz)!