by valerie.schwarz - Media Design -

The Journey of Documenting – Research and Preparation

Once you have found your “why” and “what” of your documentary you will have to figure out the “how”. What information do you need to tell the story you want to tell and how do you want to tell it?

Research
While nobody expects you to become the leading expert on the subject of your documentary, it is important to learn as much as you possibly can about it. Not only will it allow you to focus on the right things with your documentary and maybe change directions in the process, it is also necessary in order to be able to properly communicate with your subjects and to ask the right questions during interviews.
Being knowledgeable about your topic is also essential when pitching your idea to possible funders. No broadcasting company will support you if they feel like your documentary might only superficially treat the topic of interest (Glynne, 2007).
Through research you can begin to plan out your film and start thinking about how exactly you want to tell the story and what your storyboard and shortlist will look like (MasterClass, 2021).

Researching for a documentary film often starts with archival research. You will look through various archives, collecting anything that could relate to your topic of choice. You might find old photos and videos, newspaper articles, paintings or sketches, letters and diaries, any official documents, newsreels and unaired footage. All of this can either help you get a better understanding of the subject or event you are researching or can even be used in your documentary (MasterClass, 2021).
Another important part of your research will be finding the right people for your documentary, whether that be experts on the topic or citizens directly affected by social injustices or witnesses to certain events. Here you have to find a balance between finding people suited for the specific idea you have in mind and the ones audiences will want to watch and listen to. You might find experts or witnesses perfect for the job, but if they are not able to convey their expertise or charisma on film, you might have to rethink your options (Glynne, 2007).

In the article “Learn About Documentary Filmmaking: How to Research a Documentary Film With Tips and Advice From Ken Burns” on the website “MasterClass”, filmmaker Ken Burns is cited giving a few pieces of advice for researching your documentary. He states for example that when it comes to archival research you should always collect way more than you think you’ll need, at least 40 times as much. This way you can choose from all the possible directions your film might head into. Burns also advised to treat research like a detective following a lead, you have to dig deep and look in places that might not be obvious to get the best results. Last but not least he states that you have to be persistent, because you never know when you will find that perfect piece that will complete your story (MasterClass, 2021).

Further Developing your Idea
Another important factor that might greatly influence your research is the style of your documentary. How do you want to approach the topic you have chosen and which style will be best suited to convey the intended message? Sometimes this questions will be very easy and intuitive to answer, other times you might have to dig a bit deeper and get a bit further in your research before you know (Glynne, 2007).

The following are some of the different types of documentaries you might choose from:

  1. Observational
    This documentary style has its origin in the “cinéma vérité” movement and is defined by the fact that filmmakers neither comment nor intervene in what they document. In this type of documentary film there are no actors re-enacting the scenes after the fact, events are recorded as they are happening with as little manipulation and influence as possible (Glynne, 2007).
    A famous example of an observational documentary, also called “direct cinema” is the film “Titicut Follies” (1967) by Frederick Wiseman showing the abysmal treatment of inmates in a facility for mentally ill criminals called “the Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane”. The conditions shown in the facility were so bad with inmates’ hygiene being neglected and guards mistreating them, that the state of Massachusetts banned the film from being shown until the ban was lifted in 1991 (Titicut Follies – Wikipedia, 2025).
  2. Authored
    Opposed to observational documentary, authored documentaries are highly subjective and often either include the filmmaker themself or are about the filmmaker’s life (Glynne, 2007).
    Some example of this style of documentary are “Fahrenheit 9/11” (2004) by Michael Moore where he himself talks about and comments, among other things, on the presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq War and the media’s role in it (Fahrenheit 9/11 – Wikipedia, 2025) and “Supersize Me” (2004) by Morgan Spurlock, where Spurlock even went one step further and did the self-experiment of allegedly only eating food from McDonald’s for 30 days (Super Size Me – Wikipedia, 2024).
  3. Archive-based
    These documentaries are specifically planned around archive materials. Many historical documentaries fall under this category as it is impossible to create new authentic footage, thus many rely on archived documents, images and videos. One thing filmmakers should avoid is creating archive-based documentaries of current characters just because they don’t have access to them (Glynne, 2007). An example of an archive-based documentary is the documentary series “The Power of Nightmares” (2004) by Adam Curtis which compares the rise of the neoconservative movement in the US to the rise of the radical Islam. The documentaries consist mostly of archive footage underlined by narration of Curtis himself (The Power of Nightmares – Wikipedia, 2025).
  4. Reconstructed, Re-enactment and Drama-Documentary
    These types of documentaries recreate an actual event due to the lack of footage or because it was too far in the past. In this genre of documentary, the lines between documentaries and fictional films often get blurred leading to so-called “factions” or “docudramas” (Glynne, 2007). An example of this style would be various true-crime series or any other pieces that use a dramatised style to tell ‘true’ stories like “The Secretary who stole $4 Million” (2005) by the BBC, a drama documentary about a secretary who stole huge amounts of money from her boss and spent it all on her lavish lifestyle (Davis, 2005).
  5. Animation
    Sometimes filmmakers choose to not go for life-action footage at all in their documentaries or at leat not only. They might use the voices of real characters but animate their story, making it easier to deal with sensitive subjects without burdening the subjects or viewers (Glynne, 2007). One example Glynne mentioned was his own series of short, animated documentations called “Animated Minds” (2003), where real testimonies on different social and psychological topics are visualised through animations (Glynne, 2003).

Conclusion
Thorough research is the backbone of every documentary and will not only help you work out your storyline and the content of your film in the best way possible, but also allow you to communicate confidently with experts and potential funders. One important aspect to think about before starting to plan out your documentary is what style would be best suited for the topic you chose.

Literature

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