116 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Visual Planning for Documentaries

Sometimes people think that all you need to do to make a documentary is turn on the camera and start shooting. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like all great films, great documentaries start with a strong vision. Although you’re not likely to build your sets from the ground up, documentaries still have lots of opportunities for designing shots, choosing interesting locations, and developing a “look.”

Are you going to feature highly composed, wide-angle static shots or rough, dynamic handheld camerawork that gets in close to the subject? What is the color palette of the film? Are you going to position your subject inside the house in the shadows or out in front in the sunny garden? You may not want to interfere with your subjects’ wardrobe choices, but it’s highly likely they’ll ask you whether you want “dressy” or “casual.” At every moment while shooting a doc, visual choices are made and at those times, documentarians have a chance to create a stylish film.

In addition to planning the visual style of the film, there is also the issue of planning for coverage. Some people think you’re just supposed to go out there and “wing it,” and sometimes that is true, but documentaries can also benefit from shot lists and camera diagrams. Imagine that you are making a documentary about a woman who has a phobia and can’t leave her house. What kind of shots would you need to show that she spends most of her time isolated and alone? Will you use lots of close-ups? Or fluid handheld shots that track her movements as she prepares dinner for one? A quick list can really help you visualize the shots in advance and will come in handy when you’re actually shooting and things are a bit more hectic.

An important piece of the documentary puzzle is the interviews. Although not all documentaries rely on interviews, for many they form the narrative through-line of the film. If your film is going to rely on interviews, it’s important to remember that they will have a big impact on the overall “look” of the film. Another issue that some documentarians face is the use of archival footage. Will you try to make the footage you are shooting now match the archival footage in some way? Or do you prefer a strong contrast? Even if you plan on only using the interviews as voice-overs, it’s still worth shooting nice-looking video that matches your overall look. In post, this will give you the option of covering bad shots or cuts with interview footage, or completely changing the approach of your documentary if it turns out that your original idea isn’t working out.

There are many decisions to make for documentary filmmakers and because the shooting of a documentary can often span years, it’s even more important to have a vision of the film at the outset and stick to it.

WHAT TO WATCH

Dogtown and Z-boys is a documentary about Venice Beach skateboarding culture in the late 70s and it uses lots of archival footage and still photos from the era. However, director Stacy Peralta used lots of fast cuts, zooms, and spins that mimic the movements of the skateboarders themselves to make all the various types of footage work together.