The DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast

Becoming a documentary storyteller - the Four Essential Steps

• Nigel Levy • Season 1 • Episode 10

Share episode

The art of documentary storytelling is not a static skill, but a journey with distinct milestones. 

I'm Nigel Levy, your guide through the labyrinth of crafting compelling narratives, and this episode of DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast is your roadmap. 

This is about unearthing the universal skills that will elevate your craft regardless of your starting point. From the spark of excitement  when you stumble upon a great story, to the daunting task of sifting through a mountain of material, here I explain the lessons learned in shaping raw footage into riveting documentaries.

In this episode, I map out the four stages of storytelling expertise that every documentary filmmaker goes through. We'll examine the pitfalls of ego and why mastering the elements of narrative is more crucial than ever. From the first tentative steps to the continuous quest for moral depth, I'll explain how a solid understanding of storytelling mechanics allows for creative confidence and control. 

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.

Instagram: @nigel.levy.stories
Facebook: Nigel Levy - The Doc Fix

Incidental music composed by Birger Clausen

The Four Essential Stages of Documentary Storytelling 
 

[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Nigel Levy, and this is the DocFix documentary storytelling podcast. As a documentary maker, I often get asked about my journey and how I got started. Many of us in this industry face these questions. And I understand why. Filmmaking is an exciting thing to be involved with and I'm passionate about it. But [00:00:20] asking other directors about their experiences and journeys. Doesn't necessarily mean you'll learn a huge amount from their answers that will help you succeed. I know this goes against the grain a little.  

[00:00:31] Yes. There's often some good inspiration and nuggets of advice there, but the problem is that pretty much every journey is different. So if I told you the story of [00:00:40] how I made it so much of it would be down to luck or something that came out of my own particular experiences. Personally, I love hearing about how a very young Steven Spielberg faked his way into Universal Studios.  

[00:00:52] Lot to take over an office. Which actually may or may not be true. Or how Steven Soderbergh's first film. Was making a [00:01:00] rock concert documentary, or whatever path anyone else has taken. The problem, though, when I heard these stories, was that my life was nothing like that. I wasn't called Steven. I didn't live in LA.  

[00:01:11] I wasn't being asked to make a documentary for a rock group. I didn't go to that particular university, for instance, or film school or whatever else, someone [00:01:20] else's story was. These stories can be fun to hear, but there's no real lesson there for me, other than wishing I will like them or was them, or had their luck or talent or personality. These stories might actually be less than useful. As I'm sure, I blame some of my lack of progress in part. On the fact that I wasn't there or didn't have [00:01:40] their opportunities to help me get to where I wanted to be. So those tales could do more harm than good in a way. Of course I've written and spoken about my story before in my blog and podcast. But I've done so, so that you understand what has brought me here. Mainly because if we end up working together, I guess you'd like to know who I am. [00:02:00] But the detail of what's coming up now does matter.  

[00:02:03] It's far more important to your success to know the stages of skill or knowledge that you have to possess to move from one level to the next as a storyteller. This applies to everyone. Wherever you are. And whatever your background or starting point. But just before we go on. If you want to [00:02:20] find out more about how I work with people on their documentary and storytelling skills. You can go to apply.thedocfix.com. That apply.thedocfix.com. There are also details in the show notes at the end of this podcast. And of course, please do subscribe.  

[00:02:36] If you want to know when the next episode is going to come out.  

[00:02:39] Now, [00:02:40] back to this episode. And the truth is that focusing on the universal skills that you will need as a documentary maker. Is far more important than luck, talent, and following other people's paths to success, which are all out of your control. 

[00:02:55] And the craft of storytelling is the most important of all. That should be [00:03:00] comforting because you should never worry about where you're coming from.  

[00:03:02] Real success should be independent of where you're starting.  

[00:03:06] Remember, wherever you're starting from, you will find a way.  

[00:03:10] Your individual path and your experiences will inform your personality, tastes and style  

[00:03:15] your unique experiences. We'll make your approach and the stories you tell special, [00:03:20] they define your taste and what you love, what you don't and what drives you. But if you want to master the challenge of getting really good at documentary storytelling. You should focus on and progress through the following universal skills.  

[00:03:33] That's how you build a real foundation for a successful documentary career. Focus on them and you'll be fine. 


STAGE ONE

[00:03:40] So stage one, this is when you're starting out. You feel that you've got a great story to tell you, watch and enjoy documentaries already. And you're sure that you can make something like that. You search for a great subject that excites you.  

[00:03:54] Maybe you've been carrying it with you for awhile. But however you get there, you eventually find a [00:04:00] subject or an idea and hope that it fits your understanding of what a great documentary story is. If you put it off, it's usually because you've chosen your idea. Well, it's timely and it happens to fall into an obvious and satisfying shape. Maybe with clear heroes and villains. Often, as I say, your story [00:04:20] works because you're copying something you've seen. Which seems to map onto your idea. But you aren't really sure why it works and what's going on under the surface. You'd love to make something more sophisticated or original, but for now, You've enjoyed the process enough to be sure that this is for you.  

[00:04:35] But if it doesn't work out. You may just give up. There [00:04:40] are many reasons for giving up. Often it comes down to being overwhelmed with material. Everything that you come across seems as though it could be important to your story. So you have nothing to guide you. You research everything. And if you start to work on your documentary, you might film everything.  

[00:04:56] Hundreds of hours of interviews with no clear goal. Days and days of [00:05:00] events or sequences. And then if you go into an edit. You hope you'll discover your story there. This process can go on for years and get incredibly expensive in terms of time and effort. Some people don't think they have a story at all at this point and give up. But what they don't have is a way of telling their story. Some of my students are at this [00:05:20] stage drowning and material.  

[00:05:21] And so we work to give them a much clearer idea of how documentary stories work. And how to structure their ideas and their material. Into a meaningful story out of this huge, massive stuff. And it can always be done. I hope you don't give up. If you do have a passion for documentary making the learning, the [00:05:40] skills or storytelling will make that process far more efficient. Now in my case, when I started out, I was able to make my short documentaries work.  

[00:05:50] I was at the BBC and I stayed employed because I could always make them entertaining. They weren't profound, but they were quite fun. Short films often have something like the [00:06:00] structure of a joke. They're not profound, but they're worth watching. And that was me just making one. After another, I had my way of doing things, but I did recognize that I was beginning to repeat myself. What I knew could only take me so far. I knew there was much more to come from me, but I was pretty frustrated about how I could improve and get [00:06:20] better. It's a case. Of knowing that there were things I didn't know. So I started to learn more. 


STAGE TWO

The next stage is stage two. This is where things start to grow and start to develop. At this level in your storytelling, you're ambitious.  

[00:06:36] You've had a good go at this. You don't want to repeat yourself and often you'll [00:06:40] want your films to be longer and have more to say.  

[00:06:43] That's because longer films are richer and more meaningful and usually more interesting in many ways. You still watch other films that you love? But you notice that they feel closer to some sort of meaningful and powerful, personal expression. They may be artistic and they work in a longer [00:07:00] form. . There's a whole series of things happening within them. That makes them a compelling story. But the question of course is how do you do that? How do I do that? So you start challenging yourself. When you take on a project. You might not know exactly how it'll end before you start, , but because you've done it once before you think you should [00:07:20] be able to do it again. But be very careful because you can get into trouble here. The danger is that you're allowing your ego or bravery or bravado to push you along. But you don't necessarily have the full skill set to ensure that you can pull it off. In my experience when I was making. More and longer documentaries.  

[00:07:38] Sometimes I would try things out, but they just [00:07:40] didn't work. Luckily for me, I was rescued because there were people around me who could see what I was trying to do and supported me and helped me and mentored me. But it can be hard to pick yourself up and keep going. If you make these kinds of mistakes. It's easier when you're younger in a way, because you feel that you've got more time to learn. And you feel a little [00:08:00] braver. But if you've been around a little longer, and maybe you come to documentary making later in life, You don't want to keep making stupid mistakes because they're expensive and they take time and they could be career ending. And the other question is, do you just want to get a little better with every film you make? Many of my documentary students find themselves [00:08:20] in this situation. They are very ambitious.  

[00:08:22] They made some films, some of working in some aren't. And they haven't really got the time for a huge amount of trial and error. So that's what I find with the people I'm working with. 


They're in the second stage of documentary-making. For you, you might be trying to understand storytelling a bit more. You might not [00:08:40] want to lose your originality or your voice. But you also don't want to make a terrible mistake. Like I said, repeating yourself is very, very common. As a way for documentary makers to cope. I found myself doing that and it can be very frustrating. the problem here is that your lack of skills means you don't necessarily make a [00:09:00] documentary about the best idea. You find an idea that fits with what you can do and how you know how to tell a story. And that's pretty limiting and it can feel pretty limiting. And when you have an idea that doesn't quite fit. You tend to distort the truth. And adjust the facts to try and make it work.  

[00:09:19] [00:09:20] If you're at this stage, you've got some confidence in your ability and you don't know what you don't know. So you're playing it safe. You realize there are things you don't yet understand. You know, quite a long way at this stage, if you are happy, making the same story over and over again. Sometimes you look for help from books and drama theory, [00:09:40] which as I've said before, is actually very different from how you construct a narrative in the factual world in very important ways. So again, things can be very confusing. But at this stage in my development, I knew I wanted more. And that's when I got very heavily into understanding how documentary stories work. It's when I really began to [00:10:00] try and gain solid storytelling skills. 


STAGE THREE

This takes us to the third stage. Now this third stage is a great place to be.  
  

[00:10:07] It's a sweet spot for many people. This is where competence comes from. Real knowledge. You have a process you can rely on. You know what, you know, when you have a good idea of what you don't know. You're confident and you know [00:10:20] what you're doing? You recognize the options and choices available to you.  

[00:10:23] So you don't repeat yourself so much. You don't blindly copy something from another documentary or film you like without knowing why you're borrowing it and what impact it could have on the meaning of the story you're telling.  

[00:10:35] One key aspect of being at this level is that, you know enough about how [00:10:40] stories work to really understand all your options.  

[00:10:43] And if your knowledge is limited, you don't know where to look to find the best way to express your idea. It's a little like that joke where it says, if you lose your car keys at night. The best place to look for them is under a lamppost. It's not that it's the most likely place to find them. But it's the only place you'll actually see [00:11:00] them. Having a complete understanding of storytelling.  

[00:11:02] It's like sending up a flare at night and suddenly everything's illuminated all the options are laid out in front of you. And that's where I take my students for them. It's a huge sense of relief to have all your options open. You have choices, you can tell the story your way. All those [00:11:20] different ways of telling documentary stories that you've watched that feel different and seem to mean something different.  

[00:11:26] Do so. Because of how they're told and because of what's going on under the surface. And then you'll find yourself far more relaxed about your storytelling and the storytelling process. There is far less fear about how things are going to [00:11:40] turn out. There's this randomness in the process. So you're a lot more in control of what you're doing. You can enjoy yourself and really flourish.  

[00:11:48] Just enjoy the process. And if you want to have a career in this industry that you enjoy. This is where you could happily be for a long time. But if you keep going and keep learning, you get to stage four. Which [00:12:00] never really ends. 


STAGE FOUR

It's a bit like what I think black belt martial arts are like, although I've never done that.  

[00:12:06] I believe it's expressed as you never stopped learning. What this means for me is that you can take subjects that matter or are significant, and you'll know how to tell them, you know, you will find a way. That means you can take on an idea. And the [00:12:20] reason for telling it can be very subtle. You can express your moral values.  

[00:12:24] You can decide how you want to impact the world. What's your special perspective on this idea or situation or event? What happens is that when you get to this level, you're asked to make documentaries for other people because you get [00:12:40] recognition. Celebrities for instance might come to you to tell their stories, work starts coming to you because you have what is seen as a storytelling gift. You have what seen as a magic touch in telling great documentaries? From the outside, it does seem like a special gift, although it's actually not a gift.  

[00:12:59] It's [00:13:00] really an accumulation of knowledge and skills. That's my experience from over 30 years of working on storytelling. And that's what I do with my students. When I show them the path from stage one to stage two, three, and eventually stage four. Now I hope this breakdown of the process resonates [00:13:20] with you. And helps you focus on the specific skills you need to reach your goals. It's really about accumulating craft and knowledge . Wanting it is not enough. The answer comes from knowing what to do and why.  

RECAPPING THE FOUR STAGES

[00:13:33] So to recap. Stage one is when you try things out for the first time. And you find an idea that just happens to [00:13:40] fit. Into your preconceived idea of what a story is. It's all, you know, If you get it right, you're encouraged to go on. If you fail, you may never get past this level, but a little knowledge can ensure. You can tell a story well and have the confidence and skills to keep going. Stage two is when you experiment [00:14:00] more.  

[00:14:00] You've had enough success to encourage you to keep going. But your ego can get you into trouble because you want to explore ways of telling stories, but be careful because you don't necessarily know enough to stop yourself from getting into trouble. Stage three is when you actually do know what you're doing. If you have an [00:14:20] idea, you know, the different ways that you could tell it, you make choices based on what's the most meaningful story you can tell.  

[00:14:26] See, you really do understand opening and closing scenes sequences, climaxes, multiple storylines, Subutex acts, and so on. All the elements that are essential and exist within the structure of a great narrative to [00:14:40] make it meaningful and powerful.  

[00:14:41] That's in your control. For every idea that you come across, you can quickly decide what's going to work, what isn't and how you're going to tell it. And the whole process is far more relaxed and enjoyable. And finally stage four is when you're continually improving this process. You really start [00:15:00] experimenting and you have a subtlety and nuance in your storytelling. You make stories for very particular reasons, because you want to have an impact in a particular way.  

[00:15:09] You make decisions based on deeper values that you have, or your moral position on things. And it means you can decide what you want to spend your time on.  

[00:15:18] There's no problem in taking [00:15:20] inspiration, but it's far more useful to focus on the skills that all storytellers have in common. And get really good at them.  

[00:15:27] I hope you found that breakdown useful. And whatever stage you are in your journey. If you want to say some time going through that process yourself. And learning these high-level skills. There's a case study you can sign up for that [00:15:40] goes into some detail on how I've used the doc fix system.  

[00:15:43] In some of the TV shows and documentaries I've been involved with, you can find it at apply doc to the doc. fix.com. There's a lot of information there that you can apply directly to your ideas and projects. And if you really want to move quickly, of course we can work together. If you'd like to all the [00:16:00] links you need are in the notes below. Of course. If you found this podcast useful, do let me know. You can send me an email at nigel@thedocfix.com. 


I'd be happy to hear from you and help you in any way I can. And lastly, if you're enjoying this podcast and you want to support the show so we can make it completely free, you can do a couple [00:16:20] of things. Firstly, you can share it with someone.  

[00:16:22] That's one way to support it. Uh, number two, you could take some time to leave a review for the show on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. So that's all I've got for you on today's episode.  

[00:16:33] Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.