4 Tips On Making A Great Short Documentary

A good documentary can have a world-changing result. Among the various kind of documentaries, short documentaries are especially powerful because they convey important information in a short period of time. So, it is very important that it is done in a very precise manner; and if it is your first time in documentary video production, here are some tips on how to make sure it turns out great.

1.      The backbone of a good short documentary, in fact, any documentary, is good research. It is only when you have done your research well, will you have a good narrative in place. Perfect research will help you arrange your thoughts into plots, find the relevant plot points and from it, your narrative will emerge. And this research should be done both online and offline; depending on only one kind of source will narrow your research and also make your viewpoint biased. A good documentary should be objective in nature presenting the truth like it is.

2.     Once the research is done, the next important thing is writing the script for your documentary. And the first step for it is to write your outline. This is one vast difference between a documentary and a narrative film; the former lives by the outline while the latter follows the story. The stories of a documentary can change mid-course depending on research, but it has to follow the outline set before. An effective outline will provide the scene breakdown for your film, and also set the beat of the story you are going to tell. But, as said before, everything will depend on point no 1: your research.

3.   The next tip regarding documentary production is related to sound editing. Sound is important to all films, whether narrative or documentary. But many documentary makers often make the mistake of overlooking this important aspect and think that voiceovers and interviews are all the sounds they need in their documentary. But that is the furthest thing from truth; it is only with a good sound background will your narrative and gravity of your subject come into life. Sound design will help the audience connect with the characters they will see in your documentary and feel their story.

4.     As said before, research is the backbone of a good documentary. However, many first-time documentary filmmakers make is over researching! This is especially important when you are making a short documentary. This is why the next important thing about a great documentary video production is editing. You will have to be ruthless when you are trimming down your shots; sometimes you will have to give up some of your favorite ones to keep the story arch tight and structured. It is often said that for short documentaries, you have to sacrifice 99% of the clips that you shot! The trimming should be done in a logical, coherent manner so that the essential outline of your documentary is kept intact. Only then will your story emerge with a powerful message.

Short documentary making is a very creative process and an exciting way for young filmmakers to start honing their skills. So, follow these tips and start your own short documentary-making journey.