How to Film a Short Documentary

Documentaries are popular. They are seen everyday from movies like "Sicko" and "Super Size Me" to television programs like "Biography" and the "Anna Nicole Show." If you have a desire to make a documentary of your own, follow these steps to put yourself in the right direction.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. The first thing you need to do is pick a subject for your documentary. This can be nearly anything from family and friends to complete strangers. Watch other documentaries to see how the simplest thing can be interesting. Be aware of other things happening when you tape, too. Your subject could completely change depending on the footage that you have.

2. The key to making a successful documentary is having tons of footage edited down into the best and most entertaining moments. Because of this, the equipment is one of the most important parts.

3. You should have multiple cameras and multiple crew members, if possible. With each camera, there should be 4 to 5 batteries and outlet power to supply a whole day’s use.

4. Tripods are only necessary for interview segments. They may be too bulky or annoying for regular taping.

5. If you plan on having multiple crew members, consider one of them a boom mic operator. This way, you will pick up optimal sound from conversations, eliminate background noise and be able to hear any people who do not have microphones

6. With all of your equipment, you are now ready to shoot your documentary. Try to tape as ominous as possible, not getting in anybody’s way and acting like you are not even there.

7. If something controversial is happening, or if some people are upset that you are filming, don't stop until you feel unsafe. Keep the camera rolling for as long as possible; you may find the most entertaining footage in post production.

8. A common practice in the documentary field is to do interviews and follow ups with key people on events. Do these frequently so that you can get their first thoughts before they have a lot of time to reflect and possibly change answers.

9. Once all of your footage is compiled, it is time to edit them together--one of the hardest and longest processes. During production, take notes of key scenes that you can quickly go back to so that you can avoid searching hours of tape. If your subject is interesting enough there will not need to be a lot of tricky editing on your tape and documentary will form itself.