Advice needed on making a documentary

M

mayhem productions

Hi all,
I am new to film making and trying to make a documentary however I have no idea on where to start.

I have a subject that I am knowledgeable on and have already had some success with TV programs such as 60 minutes, national news broadcasts and news papers all doing story's on information I have provided them including some pretty bad footage

I know in my head the point I am trying to make, just a little lost on where to go from here, do I need a script? is there a formula I should be following? I'm just feeling my way through the whole thing and any advice would greatly appreciated

I bought a Sony HVRA1P HD camera, 4 Sony InfoLithium batteries, Sony HVL20DMA light and adaptor plate to mount in different positions, Manfrotto tripod, Miller aluminium tripod mount, Sony wide angle lens, Pelican 1520 case. I know its not the best gear but its all I can afford.

Thank you
 
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You don’t need the best gear. So you can get started right away.

You don’t need a script. It might help organize your thoughts and
the way you want the documentary to play out, so maybe a script is
a good place to start.

There are several formulas you could follow. You should think of
three to five documentaries you have seen and liked. Go back and
look at them again. Ask yourself why you like them. What is it
about the formula that holds your interest. That might help get
you started on the formula you want to use.

On the harsher side; if you really have no idea where to start,
then maybe you aren’t ready to make a documentary. Just food for
thought. I have several times thought I wanted to make a
documentary but couldn’t figure out where to start; but I didn’t
have that trouble with the documentaries I DID make. On those
projects I had too much passion and too many ideas. When you feel
that true, unstoppable passion to tell your story, you’ll know
exactly where to start.
 
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Did you get any sound gear - shotgun, cardioid, lavs, recorder and associated accessories? Production sound is even more important for docs as you will never get any ADR and you have no choice but to live with whatever is captured on location.
 
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directorik said:
You don’t need the best gear. So you can get started right away.

You don’t need a script. It might help organize your thoughts and
the way you want the documentary to play out, so maybe a script is
a good place to start.

There are several formulas you could follow. You should think of
three to five documentaries you have seen and liked. Go back and
look at them again. Ask yourself why you like them. What is it
about the formula that holds your interest. That might help get
you started on the formula you want to use.

On the harsher side; if you really have no idea where to start,
then maybe you aren’t ready to make a documentary. Just food for
thought. I have several times thought I wanted to make a
documentary but couldn’t figure out where to start; but I didn’t
have that trouble with the documentaries I DID make. On those
projects I had too much passion and too many ideas. When you feel
that true, unstoppable passion to tell your story, you’ll know
exactly where to start.
Click to expand...

so where should I turn to get the help I need? who can write me a script? I have had good media coverage so I know its a winner I also have heaps of footage
 
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Just cuz you've got good media coverage, and heaps of footage, that doesn't mean you've got a winner.

What is the subject matter? What statement are you trying to make? Just as a good essay would start with a solid thesis statement, just as a good screenplay would start with a solid logline, a well-organized documentary needs to have a focus. If the audience were to walk away thinking ONE thing -- what is it you want them to take with them? What is your focus? (I'm not just providing a lesson -- I'd actually like to know the answer to this question, and maybe offer some insight).

What do you mean when you say "media coverage"? You are taking into account copywrite issues, no?

What sort of footage have you gathered, and how much is "a heap". Many people would be surprised how many minutes of typical footage is worthless and uneditable.

How long would you like this to be?

And if I understand correctly, you've never made a documentary? What types of stuff have you made (I wasn't quite clear on what you mentioned)? And, how long were these pieces?

Organization, research, planning, and more organization. I'd love to offer my advice on this subject, but it'd help if I had more info on what you're doing.
 
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Mate I'm a quiet bloke who has been pushed by a mining company. I have not made anything except my toast this morning. I spend my days and nights hiding in bushes filming, collecting water samples and so on. I have started getting calls from all over the country from people asking my help on the same issue as the issue seems to hit the papers on a regular basis, I have a political party who is behind me in my fight, I have funding from CEO's of a few banks and large company's.
I moved from the city to a peace full life in the country all was bliss then bang in came a mining company and ruined my dream, they poisoned my dam, dumped toxic waste on my road, forced there way onto peoples land through lies and all with the approval of my government. I filmed them in action and found lots of illegal stuff they were doing and took it to the media. I got 60 minutes involved and have also had some help from the papers including a front page run on the Australian (respected AU paper). As I have learnt you need a script well this script is writing its self day by day with new developments. I have had the law changed by my actions and continue to get it changed by lobbying politicians. I think it would make a good doco on the fight I have been waging. Last night I spent 6 hours in a fox hole I dug filming it was -1 I'm hoping all my work is not going to waste. I need help from people in the know on where to go from here I need people to say hey I'm keen to help you get thing up and running because all I know is that what I see is wrong and every one I show thinks its F**KED up to so that's it I'm not a film maker or a camera buff but what I have learnt is the power of the screen! you can change the world with a camera you can make people cry and laugh and best of all you can make people stand up and say enough is enough and that is my goal. One more thing I hate what has happened to me but I love what I am doing it has taken over my life, 16 hrs a day I work on this. I have given up farming and now want to make a difference through film. Here's a link to the 60 minutes story (I'm the guy who lights the water bore)
 
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Whoah. Dude, fight the good fight! I admire you for taking action on this cause.

Thanks for answering my questions. With all this in mind, my best advice is that you network. Find people in your community who are already skilled in this filmmaking thing, and try to rally support for this very worthy cause. There are people all over the place who have "day jobs", but spend a lot of time working on video/film production. There've got to be some people around you. A college campus would also be an excellent place to find people to work with.

The reason I make this recommendation is because I don't think you fully grasp how MASSIVE a workload it is to make a proper documentary. Tons of people wing-it, do things on the fly, but nobody watches their documentaries. The documentaries that catch people's attention -- they've had an army of skilled workers devoting MANY hours to the project. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but in this case those exceptions are extremely rare.

If you're serious about learning how to make a documentary, and you've got NO experience, well you've got to start at the beginning. Learn how to frame a shot. Learn and practice the rule of thirds. After that, you've got a million more things to learn.

But, dude, learning how to do this craft effectively, takes years. And I take it that you want to act now. So use your passion, and your ability to ACT and go build a team!

And of course use this board to ask any questions. Lots of helpful people here.
 
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You have the footage you already took, in haste and to make your case. Now you have the opportunity to go back for interviews in RESPONSE to the actions you already took.

Think of it like this, you HAVE the beginning and middle of your story "in the can" as they say , but now you can craft the ENDING. Bringing all this together to tell a story that dummies like me can follow is the challenging part. Get help, with the media coverage you have had, should be able to find LOTS of willing participants.

For inspiration watch "Harlan County U.S.A. " circa 1976.
Im a hard core right winger, but that doc reminded my why unions ARE important and times and places in our American history.
 
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