How Documentary Films are Created by Wise Documentary Film Makers?

• Sep 19, 2018 by Pragyansini Kar
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Micheal Moore is an American documentary film maker, an excellent one who uses subject experience to share an emotional bonding with the world. His movie bowling by Columbine documented the factors leading to the gun culture of America.

Documentaries have always been a good source of viewer enthusiasm and enactment for a cause.  These films are not entertainment but behold the feeling of criticism, compassion, satire.  In total, all human emotions are forced out of soul to motivate oneself for some good work.

Insight into a Good Documentary Film Maker:

Documentary film making can be a challenge but it is not impossible.  Let us know a few of the features of a good documentary film maker:

Knowing about the subject:  It is very important to choose the “central subject” first backed by some critical analysis.  “Kakkoos” the film noted to highlight the lives of people engaged in manual scavenging, a practice prevalent currently yet officially abolished since 2013. The movie showed how the Caste System took on a developing India into its grasp and society's conscious efforts to continue with that notion.

Story Telling:  Documentaries need to be shocking, powerful and even heartbreaking and that’s what compels the people to see them. While it could be brutal, the reality can be sometimes very ironical. In The Central Park Five, five men, mostly black, were slighted and convicted and of a brutal assault to the lady who was jogging in New York’s Central Park but in reality the convict was a different man and he confessed after a decade of his crime. There was a strong guilt shown against those black men who were innocent and how they were maligned and treated even in the courtroom.

Documentary knowledge:  Making a documentary isn’t easy because you have to put shades of gray, sarcasm and a lot of endearing efforts.  Feelings also come from silence as well as from the music.  You must know the difference between commercial cinema and documentary movies.  It is an eye opener and not necessarily meant to please the viewer.  A lot of research, coverage and editing is needed in the first place.

Closeness to Realism:  Every professional documentary movie has a strong message to give.  Be it the Oscar nominated Sound and Fury in which a society is created where abilities, language and upbringing counts or Ezra Edelman’s seven hour long expose on O.J. Simpson’s rise and fall as a football legend.  There is no merry making but the harsh survival of life and its circumstances.

Emotional Connect:  Without dialogue, silence, passive music, grasping emotions and visually interesting scenes, you simply cannot relate to the spectator.  The viewer must feel exactly what you mean to show and how beautifully it is reflected.

Technical Exposure:  Documentaries without techniques might lack substance generation because to show close facial expressions, you must capture the sense of the scene.  For this to happen, this is what you need:

Equipment knowledge:  For documentary films, good equipment is vital. For camera, Cannon DSLR products are widely used as they get into the budget and now Sony too is an entrant with high end sensors. You can go for HD or 4K as you like.

Sound Effects:  Capturing quality audio is a must. Film makers use a shotgun mic to capture room tone but for interviews, mini microphones serve the purpose.

Light Setup:  You ought to set the tone for lighting. Indoor shoots need more light and exposure is more.  Soft lights like LED can also dissipate extra brightness yet give comfortable results indoors.  But for outdoor sunny shoots, exposure has to be very less and shutter speed remains very fast.

Editing: Continue your movie with only important scenes and keep up to the subject. Lengthy unrelated content has to be cut away.

When you prefer to be a successful documentary film makers, don’t go for a commercial success BUT believe in your creation. Gradually, you will become a real documentary film maker.