Directing documentary stories is nonfiction storytelling. Actual events and people, these stories provide a subjective reality check without pretending to be objective. This is who I am, and here is what I observed.
——–by James R Martin———–
At its best, documentary storytelling addresses issues related to our interaction with the world. I have used photography, film, video, written words, museum exhibits, slide presentations, and multimedia to convey nonfiction realities.
Documentaries differ from news reports. Good journalists present information on various subjects, striving to minimize their subjectivity by avoiding personal points of view. They adhere to principles of objective reality, where facts are judged as true or false based on independent verification. For instance, whether a hurricane caused flooding in a particular area on a specific date can be objectively confirmed. Journalists may need to present both sides of a story. They may use multiple forms of media, including written and spoken words, photography, and video.
Documentary Storytelling
In documentary storytelling, the director shares a subjective point of view with the audience. Documentaries do not claim objectivity, as this is unfeasible. Filmmakers make subjective choices from the moment they draft a shooting script to how they select shot sizes and angles. Coverage and editing are also subjective decisions. The director brings their perspective to the nonfiction narrative. For example, Ken Burns’s epic documentary “Civil War” approaches the war from a historical standpoint and the perspectives of the forces and characters involved, while the Maysles Brothers in documentaries like “The Salesman” offer the salesman’s viewpoint. Viewers may disagree with the documentary’s subjective perspective.
A documentary is a point of view derived from reality, real people, and events: no actors or third-party interference, no recreations of events. Stories with actors and recreated events “based on reality” are no longer nonfiction. They may qualify as Hybrid Documentaries.
Studio A – A Profile of A Disc Jockey
I wrote, directed, and edited a documentary about a radio DJ. “Studio A – Profile of A Disc Jockey” has a clear point of view, exploring the job, mindset, and personality of a DJ at a top-rated station. The viewer spends time with John Records Landecker on air, sitting in the studio, and converses with him while he is doing his broadcast. John shares how he became a DJ, what the job entails, his lifestyle, and his future goals. Viewers see him perform his job and interact with his engineers and listeners.
After spending some time with John in Studio A, I prepared a shooting script along with a list of interview questions. The script focused on the shots needed to visually tell the story rather than detailing John’s actions. My interview questions were edited to create a conversation that allowed John to narrate his story directly. As the interviewer, my voice and questions will be unheard in the film. I asked John to try to repeat the questions in his answer.
In the documentary, John Landecker tells his own story. My role was to facilitate this narrative so viewers could learn about John Landecker’s DJ job and his unique approach to it. This 30-minute documentary aims to be educational, with no judgment regarding John, his vocation, or the music he plays.
The documentary won awards at the Chicago Film Festival and was recognized as one of the top ten short documentaries by the American Film Festival. The Learning Corporation of America distributed it mainly to universities and colleges with broadcast curricula for over a decade.
Documentary Director
A director or documentary filmmaker must clearly understand the story they intend to tell—the director’s vision. I research the subject, and this vision is refined by developing a concept and treatment. Next, I create a shooting script outlining the desired shots and coverage needed to tell the story while considering how to capture the necessary footage. I am responsible for securing enough coverage to edit the final film. Although I may not know every twist in the story or have answers to all questions, I approach it with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The story might evolve during the editing process, and the vision may shift based on the story’s reality, which is perfectly acceptable.
Some documentary filmmaking styles, such as Cinéma vérité, capture what exists without a predefined story framework. This is a “fly on the wall” observational approach. In the United States, it is also known as “Direct Cinema,” with some differences. These filmmakers search for the narrative during the editing process but still require an initial idea to commence shooting.
I choose to have a vision for the story and understand my point of view, but I keep an open mind about the reality I may encounter. I prefer to avoid going on a fishing expedition and then try to find the story later in the editing process.
James R Martin – Director, Editor, Professor, and Author: Documentary Directing and Storytelling – New Updated Edition.