Making a documentary notes

There are many points into making a documentary that we should follow to come out with the best documentary. These notes will follow points that we should use.

Conducting a documentary interview

• Good questions are the most important thing to the interviews. If they are not good enough the interviewer/film maker will not get the best response from the subject. This could be by having closed questions (questions with a yes/no answer) or simply by having boring questions.

• Start by asking general questions such as how did the subject get to where they are today (life experiences), this can add familiarity and a sense of comfort to the subject.

• Ask subject to repeat the question that has been asked, for example :

• This shows no single word answer. The subject can then expand on their answer, like:

• This gives context to the audience.

• Use a good audio recorder is more important then footage.

• Get their views and opinions.

• Have subject sit down in a seat so that they do not move around lots and the camera only needs to focus on one place/person.

• Don't interrupt or move on - let the subject finish speaking and then give them a new question. Be quiet and let things happen and be said. Awkwardness brings out more conversation.

• If recording an interview don't worry about note taking.

• Be polite and say thank you at the end.

Prepare for a documentary

• Do a pre - interview by having a conversation without cameras or on the phone prior to filming. This familiarises both sides with each other and their story.

• Think about what the setting of the interview is and if it matches the context of the documentary. For example, if a documentary is about the sea, it will be filmed at/in the sea. Interviews would not be held from a classroom.

• Camera should be stationary but shots can range from wide, medium and close up.