Documentary films have become an exciting and popular genre. Worldwide, the attractiveness and appeal of documentaries have increased tremendously. More newcomers are now able to enter this genre, because with an affordable digital video camera and PC editing system, a good story, common sense and enthusiasm, anyone can be a documentary producer. Moreover, we are surrounded by amazing true stories, waiting to be told.
Producing documentaries will be of interest to existing documentary producers and film or journalism students, but its primary purpose is to prepare the first-time documentary producer to make good documentaries on an affordable, shoestring budget. With the minimum of theory and a wealth of practical tips, it provides step-by-step and practical instructions on how to create exciting and well-structured documentary films, even if you do not have a big budget behind you. This accessible, understandable and practical guide explains all the principles, production processes and elements of documentary film-making. The rest is only a matter of dedication, enthusiasm and practice, practice, practice – Good luck!
Attie Snyman has been involved in television production for 17 years, and is an independent award-winning television producer and director. In 2000 he established his own production company, Forté Africa Productions, which produced many television programme series and documentaries for various South African and overseas television channels and broadcasters. Attie Snyman lectures Documentary Production and Documentary Scriptwriting at the Motion Picture Academy and Department of Journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology. He is also an independent consultant for the corporate sector, specialising in promotional and media campaigns.
Chapter 1 Defining the documentary genre
Chapter 2 A brief history of the documentary genre
Chapter 3 Why produce documentaries?
Chapter 4 Different forms of the documentary genre
Chapter 5 Choosing a topic/subject
Chapter 6 Research methods and strategies for documentaries
Chapter 7 Copyright
Chapter 8 Ethics, objectivity and integrity
Chapter 9 Trust, respect, compassion and empathy
Chapter 10 Elements of the documentary
Chapter 11 Writing the documentary treatment and outline
Chapter 12 Documentary scriptwriting for narration
Chapter 13 The interview
Chapter 14 Practical low-budget documentary production methods
Chapter 15 Low-budget documentaries with an expensive look
Chapter 16 Post production: vision editing
Chapter 17 Post production: sound editing and final sound mix
Chapter 18 Financial issues
Chapter 19 Selling your documentary
Chapter 20 The business side of documentary producing
Chapter 21 How and when to start producing documentaries
Appendices
