Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a simple idea into a captivating documentary? It shouldn't be a surprise that it all boils down to the art of storytelling.
This mini episode outlines the four-step process that allows you to take an idea and develop it into a real story - a documentary that is meaningful, memorable and has an impact.
This is how storytellers have to think. There are great documentary makers who have succeeded without a process or a system, but often, it's because they have years of experience using their successes and failures to hone their craft. That's what I explore when I talk to the great storytellers in this podcast - what is their approach that makes what they do have the best chance of success?
If you are struggling with your idea or feel that your documentary idea is evolving into a meaningless list, then listen as I explain a step-by-step system that enables you to explore your idea deeply and provides you with the building blocks you can use to structure your story.
Great opening scenes that set up your documentary, ideas that evolve and develop as the story progresses, act turns that are meaningful, and a climax that is inevitable and yet surprising. This doesn't happen by accident.
There are countless documentaries that seem to have a great idea but lose focus. You watch it and think, 'What is this story for?' They seem to be less than the sum of their parts.
But when they work, it's because of the power of their storytelling.
This is the methodology I rely on when I'm working on TV series and films for a global audience - documentaries that simply have to work.
This episode outlines that process so that you spend less time lost in what some people call 'the process' (which can take weeks, months or years) and more time honing and developing a documentary story that simply works.
Are you interested in joining the DocFix program and working with Nigel?
Get started with our complimentary case study that shows you how the method is used in high-profile documentaries and to see if you are a good fit for what we do and how we work.
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Incidental music composed by Birger Clausen
[00:00:00] **Nigel:** Hello, this is Nigel Levy. And this is The DocFix documentary storytelling podcast. While I have you, please do subscribe if you want to know when the next episode is going to emerge.. And if you want to find out more about me and how I work with people on their documentary storytelling skills. You can find out more at [00:00:20] apply.thedocfix.com.. That's apply.thedocfix.com. And there are also details in the show notes at the end of this podcast. Now, today, I want to spend a few minutes talking about one of the things that holds many people back when it comes to turning their idea into a documentary.
[00:00:37] The problem is they think it's all about the idea.[00:00:40]
[00:00:40] By that. I mean, the people often think the idea itself is the killer thing. That's going to lead to success. And for that reason, they often think the idea will sell itself and they spend a lot of time presenting the idea to people. They talk about the idea. They talk about the things that eventually the story is going to have amazing access, famous [00:01:00] faces that it's timely. That the subject matter is really interesting. Those kinds of things.
[00:01:05] They say they're going to be wonderfully intimate, emotional moments as well as a fascinating plot. All the things the great story would eventually have, but without any sense of how to get there.
[00:01:16] They might go as far as taking their camera and start filming [00:01:20] scenes and sequences and interviews. They think that the idea is so strong that the idea will find a way to turn itself into a story. So then they get into an edit and the layout, all this work on a timeline of events. Then play with it and hope to find a compelling story, but that essential belief that a great story will [00:01:40] always come about with enough time spent on the process. Isn't necessarily true. You may get lucky. Or you may be spending months and months or even years. Playing with and adjusting your work.
This is the truth from my experience. The story around the idea. Is the thing that makes your documentary success. [00:02:00] And that there's always an expert storyteller behind a successful program. You see, none of the above is truly about tackling the story. The way of getting the idea across to your audience. Another way of thinking about it is like this. Are there terrible stories made from great ideas? Of course, there are. Now, [00:02:20] there are many things that contribute to the success of a documentary. Maybe it's timely or it's shocking. Or perhaps you have got amazing access or a celebrity involved somewhere. Yes, all those things are important. But they're not essential.
At the base of all your success, the thing that should be in your control. Is how [00:02:40] well you tell your story. Here are just a few more examples. Take Marvel movies, the ones that don't work so well. They are incredibly dramatic planets blow up. It's often about the end of the world. But when it's over and you think about it the next day. Do you care? Or huge presented factual [00:03:00] shows and maybe a Hollywood star. that are about a big subject. They have spectacle and scale. And the charisma of the star. And yet again, do you really care?
[00:03:11] But what about those small moments you've seen on screen that really resonate with you? A moment that felt so well-told and moving. That you [00:03:20] still thought about it the next day or even a week later or a month? It's not about something having to be sad or emotional, it can be in any format of documentary on any subject. It's just that it seems to mean something. That meaning can come about in many ways, but here's the important thing. It doesn't have to emerge by accident or trial and error.[00:03:40]
You can get there very quickly. If you know what you're doing. That's what the craft of storytelling gives you. It's a process or a system and the tools. To find the meaning in your idea. And create a story. For instance, there's one series where I was involved in the storytelling and that's formula one drive to survive on Netflix.[00:04:00] Yes. It had amazing access excitement in the racing glamour and so on.
[00:04:04] But can you imagine a version of that, that didn't work? One that wasn't engaging or compelling or that made you care. Trust me in the edit. We weren't just wishing for more crashes or events that added high drama.
[00:04:18] You're there to create compelling [00:04:20] stories that will resonate with your audience because they're about more than the surface events and images. That is, there are a real story. With a beginning that's dramatic and intriguing, which moves inevitably forwards becoming even more meaningful at every step. There are layers of meaning subtext. Which is a kind of magical feeling when you know [00:04:40] what you're watching has a deeper level to it. And then you reach a climax that is both surprising and inevitable. It delivers impact. It makes the experience for the audience feel completely worthwhile. And give them something. They can't shake. It's a universal truth. Shakespeare's stories have this, [00:05:00] but so do really good lighthearted reality shows or travel shows or art films or long running Netflix series, which is why they're long running.
They all have this quality to them. Of course in the wider world of TV and film. Documentaries of all kinds, get into trouble. They can be in the edit for months and months, far [00:05:20] longer than was intended. The cost implications in time and money can break a company. Reputations too, and at best it takes away profit and the chance to get onto the next story. So, what are people doing when they're locked away in the edit suite? They're trying to fix a story. That's pretty much it. How can they make [00:05:40] that story work?
If you're early on in your career or you want to move it to high-level storytelling it's something you just have to get right. So, what are the steps to turning an idea into a story? You can look at it as a four-step process, which is how I tackle every story. I now work on.
STEP ONE
We begin with the [00:06:00] foundations. That is, what is the argument you're making?
[00:06:04] Every story makes an argument about the nature of things. You present a problem. Whether a subtle one of the heart or whether someone is going to manage to get to the finish line of a race. How did that problem is tackled and whether that's the right approach. And the drama and conflict that [00:06:20] taking that approach creates is a fundamental part of creating a great story. Don't be scared of this and think it doesn't apply to your story. It does. Maybe you haven't looked at it this way before, but it's transformative. If you do. Being clear about your 'story problem' sets up that itch in your audience's mind. How is this [00:06:40] going to turn out?
[00:06:41] Instead, if you begin your story with the mindset of just exploring an area or a subject. Then you've begun without the intention of creating something dramatic or compelling. You really should start with the right end in mind, which is to create a great story. And the other part of this foundation [00:07:00] is thinking about the perspective on your problem. You can look at it from the outside, like a Hollywood plot. That's more like what happens in your story, the ins and outs of the steps to get to your goal.
But you also need to explore it from the inside subjectively. That is if you want people to care you also have [00:07:20] to present a perspective on your story that your audience can empathize with. They see themselves in your main character. They're looking through their eyes. They connect that way of tackling a problem to their own lives. Even if what that main character is doing is a galaxy away from their own lives. You can empathize with an astronaut if [00:07:40] you express clearly how they're tackling that problem in space. That's how it's universal. It's where empathy comes from.
STEP TWO
[00:07:48] Next is the meaning. This is when you can begin to focus on your theme. What you're saying with your story. What you're saying is something bigger than the subject matter. [00:08:00] In a real sense you're using the subject matter to say something about life. It's why you think it's a great idea. So learn to articulate this.
Remember, this doesn't come from just having a great idea. It means understanding what your idea is about. What you're trying to say with your idea. In itself [00:08:20] an idea isn't a story. But when you explore that idea, and understand what you want to say with it, then you've begun to create the building blocks of your story. The more clearly you do this, the happier the audience are. They want to learn. They want to be in the hands of an author, someone who's got something to say.[00:08:40]
STEP THREE
[00:08:40] Then you can begin to structure your documentary. Having gone through the previous steps mean that you have reasons behind your deciding how to assemble your story. You don't just put it together and see what it says. Instinct is great and it applies to every step. But begin with intention. You create an opening that sets up your [00:09:00] story with the correct mood and tone, your climax is designed to resolve all those ideas.
You've now thought about. It gives you layers of meaning. Your story. Almost magically possesses subtext. Subtext again. Is that moment when you're watching or experiencing your story and you realize that it means [00:09:20] something more than what's on the surface. It's incredibly important. Without it, you're just producing a list of events. Things just happen. Even if they're logically connected. They just happen. They don't mean anything. But with the correct structure. And a clear problem and perspective. Then subtext [00:09:40] emerges as if by magic.
[00:09:41] Or at least it will begin to, after you've done the work. . And having a process to develop your story has huge advantages beyond just creating great story. It's quick. Remember playing around in an edit costs, big money. You've invested time and money. If you haven't done this, [00:10:00] right. It means you've invested time and money in the wrong areas.
It's something you can't get back. But doing the work beforehand. Guides your research, your pitching, your interviews, the shoot, the edit, even the marketing. It's your guide and your rails. No, you won't work everything out beforehand. You're making a [00:10:20] documentary it's about the real world. But doing the early work, and preparing your idea, gives yourself the best chance to create something great. You'll enjoy the next steps because you know you've done all you can to create a really strong structure.
STEP FOUR
[00:10:36] And finally comes to the moment that many people think of as [00:10:40] directing. It's what you're doing to make that story engaging. That's drama, suspense, music, editing style. The scenes and moments that resonate so on conflict even. But only think about this when you have a structure that supports all this decoration if you don't, it's like an architect who pays no [00:11:00] attention to the depth of their foundations or the tensile strength of steel in their building. Maybe it's an engineer's job, but someone's got to do it. Otherwise, you have a very expensive part of rubble.
[00:11:12] Now, this might not seem the normal way of thinking about documentary storytelling. It's often because many successful documentary [00:11:20] makers have internalized that process. They do many of these things automatically, or instinctively. , having had success and failures to rely on and learn from. But if you're making a documentary and this is important to you, then it makes sense to be as prepared as possible. It makes everything quicker and a lot more fun.
You can [00:11:40] then rely on your instincts and taste while knowing you've created all the building blocks for a great documentary story. You're leaving far less to chance. You learn this process as a system. But eventually it becomes holistic as your story intuition grows. You can be inspired or jump into your idea at any point. [00:12:00] But you're always focused on the bigger picture, which is to create a compelling story.
[00:12:06] If it's something you want, or you've an idea that you're struggling to turn into a documentary. , this is how you need to think to begin, to turn your idea into a story.
[00:12:15] I hope you found all this useful. If you'd like to move quickly [00:12:20] and you're interested in working with me at The DocFix . All the links you need are in the notes below. There's a case study you can sign up for that goes into some detail on how the system has been used by me on some of the TV shows and documentaries I've been involved with.
There's a lot of information there for you. And if you have any questions, please do get in touch [00:12:40] and let me know. You can send me an email to nigel@thedocfix.com. And I'd be happy to hear from you.
[00:12:47] And the last thing, if you're enjoying this podcast and you want to support the show and make sure it's completely free you could do a number of things.
One is just to share it with someone who you think would benefit from it. That's one way to support it. And number [00:13:00] two. Take time to leave a review. If you leave review for the show on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts, it just helps the algorithm get it in front of people who could benefit from it. The most.
So that's all I've got for you on today's mini episode. Have a good rest of the day. I'll talk to you again soon. [00:13:20]