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Journalism - Film & Documentaries: Making your film

Documentaries and filmmaking. Research on film. Funding for filmmakers, copyright information, interviewing and oral histories

Using this page

This page is all about the actual steps and processes of making a documentary. You'll find information about shooting, planning, and more. For information about promotion, please see the 'Submit & Promote' tab of this guide. For information on budget and finances for film, see the dropdown titled 'Navigating Budgets'

Equipment

A number of resources are available to students through the Journalism Library. Among others, this includes:

  • Adobe Creative Suite on Journalism Library Computers
  • Macbook Air laptops
  • Headphones
  • Camcorders
  • Tripods
  • Cameras (Journalism students only)
  • Microphones

Shooting the Film

There are 5 elements to a documentary:

  • Interviews: Direct interviews with experts provide important information and context for the subject matter.
  • Cutaways: This footage will serve as stationary footage, or B-roll, for helping to create mood and give more insight about locations and subjects.
  • Archival Footage: Connect subjects in the past to the present with archival images and footage.
  • Cinema Verite: Live action footage relating to your subject matter will provide additional context, letting the audience watch the concepts of the documentary play out in real time.
  • Process Footage: Behind the scenes content will often result in interesting educational experiences as the audience learns along with the filmmakers.

For more information on these elements, consider watching this playlist on all the different shot techniques used in film:

Resources

This PDF of Nancy Kalow’s Visual Storytelling: The Digital Video Documentary is a publication of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. © 2011 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) and is an excellent and comprehensive step-by-step guide to documentary filmmaking.

 

International Documentary Association (IDA)'s Resources for Documentary Filmmakers and Creators - features resources on business, funding, creative, technical, and journalism aspects of documentary filmmaking.

 

StudioBinder is a fantastic, comprehensive resource for film production. The site has theoretical and practical resources for film directing, producing, scripting, and post-production. Many resources on this page are from StudioBinder.

Need Help?

There are lots of ways the libraries can support you!

Get research assistance from the MU Libraries' staff via email, phone, or in person at the library. There's also a searchable list of frequently asked questions. You can chat with a librarian 24 hours a day (M-F) and Saturday and Sundays starting at 10 a.m. You can contact your subject librarian to ask questions or to set up an appointment to meet one-on-one. 

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