Producing documentaries is about telling stories. Stories are about dramatic events and interesting people. The best stories connect. They relate to people and give them something to take away from the experience of having watched and listened. What they take away can be intellectual and emotional. In the case of the best and most effective stories it is both. Like all art, documentaries connect best when they engage people--when they connect in ways that create a response and a dialogue. That dialogue is between the subjects, the producers, and the viewers of a documentary. All become the storytellers. This process requires technical, aesthetic, and content production knowledge and skills. It requires research, writing, production and editing of text, sound and image.
The materials below are meant to provide templates for the production of documentary stories that connect with the subjects and the producers of documentaries. Documentary storytelling is a collaborative process between them and the audience.
