A documentary script in two hours: step-by-step guide
Preface
Throughout every short-film I have ever created, I have re-encountered the same problem time and time again.
That is, every time I went out to shoot I ended up realising that I was not prepared at all.
I didn’t know where to point the camera, which angles are the most important which locations and people to prioritise. I had no idea what look or feel I was going for, or even what exact point I was trying to make with this film. Not only did that lead me to shoot hours of useless B-Roll, but also my work felt meaningless and without any impact. It was a surefire way to end up quitting and hating what I did.
So, how to avoid this?
With 100 hours of research, planning, drawing storyboards, running pre-interviews and scheduling every meeting with any person I could possibly encounter?
No. That would lead to burnout just as quickly as not being prepared at all.
The healthy medium is to prepare, but to limit yourself. I’ve found that it is possible to write a script with a decent amount of direction in about 2 hours. That’s quick enough to get it done on a plane on the way to your destination.
So without further ado, let’s get into it. And as always, you can skip ahead using the chapter markers below.
Chapters
What makes an ‘easy’ documentary script
To script your film quickly and efficiently, the FIRST rule you need to CLING to, is to
make it easy.
Especially if this is your first film, making it easy on yourself is your best way to ensure you actually complete it. So don’t:
Plan a 30 minute film with 2 days of shooting
Include a dozen main characters
Make your story hugely weather or location dependent
Pick a simple idea about one or two people pursuing a goal that is easy to show on screen. That is your single best bet at getting a good film out there.
The key components of a documentary script
Now, grab a sheet of paper, and put down some headings. These are the most important things to define when you know nothing about your story yet.
WHY?
Why are you making this film. What is the purpose, and what are you trying to achieve with it. You don’t need some grand world- altering cause, but you do need to know why you are here.
Examples for your reason might be:
Raising awareness of a commonly misunderstood part of local culture
Raising money for a local charity
Encourage people to travel more meaningfully
Whatever it is, write it own and come back to it whenever you feel lost during your shoot.
Your character
You need a main character. You can have more than one, but keeping it simple is best at the start. Your character can be a local farmer, the mayor or just a school kid, as long as they have a story to tell. Thinking more creatively, a place like a city or mountain can also be a character. In this case, you have to think how you can humanise them in the eyes of the audience, and how they will perform actions (e.g. metaphorically).
Their goal
What does your character want? They need a goal or something they are chasing. This doesn’t have to be anything tangible. They could be chasing a gold medal at a local marathon, or they might want to save their village from poverty. The main thing, is that they work towards this goal throughout your film.
The obstacle
Naturally, if we have a goal we also need an obstacle. Something to stand in their way, to try and stop them from achieving their goal. For example, a marathon runner might be stopped by terrible weather, steep terrain or by another runner trying to manipulate the race.
The outcome
At the end, think what might be the outcome. Will your character succeed, will they fail, or will we never know? All are an option, but consider what each outcome will do to the audience and whether it will achieve the ‘why’ you defined earlier.
Story structure of a documentary script
Now that you know who your character is, what they want, and how they either fail or get there, you can start structuring your story. A documentary story can obviously not be fully predicted.
The point of this exercise is not to control the story, but to guide you up until a point where you need to improvise. Because at that point, you will know what decision to make and why.
The main components of a story are as follows:
First Act (Exposition): Taking up the first 10% of your film, this part gives space to introduce your characters and the environment they live in. Towards the end of this section, there is often an inciting incident. This event interrupts the everyday life of the main character and forces them to act in some way towards their newfound goal. For example, a local farmer might be forced to leave his farm to find new land when his crops die in a drought.
Second Act (the midpoint): After setting out to find land, the farmer might meet certain people, learn important lessons and look like he is heading in the right direction. The midpoint is usually a twist or turn in events, that reveals a new complexity. For example, the farmer might discover that he is competing with many other farmers also looking for land.
Third Act (the climax): Finally, we arrive at a culmination of events, where the farmer either fails or succeeds. This should not just be a revelation of events, but also a final statement on the values of the film. If the farmer has been led to believe that he is in competition with the other farmers, maybe the climax leads him to finally work WITH them and settle the new land together.
Look at your specific story and how you could break the action up into acts. This is by no means a template and you may adjust this structure in whatever way you want. If it is your first time though, I recommend sticking to it.
Defining the look and feel of a documentary
Lastly, now that you have a purpose, a character and a story structure, it’s time to decide how it’s going to look and sound. There is only one question to ask here:
What should this movie feel like?
What emotional response do you want your audience to have to this film. Should they feel shocked, saddened, motivated, exhilarated? How are you going to elicit these emotions. This is strongly tied to your ‘why’. If your goal is to raise money for a charity, maybe shocking them is the right approach.
One method of communicating emotion is showing that same emotion in another person. People empathise naturally, especially if they see similarities between themselves and the person on screen.
The other way is through cinematography and sound. I could write a whole post on this, but for now, start thinking how emotions are influenced by camera angles, frame rates, colours, sounds. For example, angling the camera up at someone can make them look powerful and heroic. Having fast camera movement can make a scene look chaotic or hectic. Strong contrast can be associated with hard emotions, and warm colours can appear warm-hearted.
The point here isn’t to make all the right decisions, but rather to make intentional choices. If they don’t work out, next time you will know why.
Remember, your only for now goal is get this film out there.
