There are a few kinds of documentaries you can make
- Portrait - Paint a video portrait about someone you know. Could be a relative, a neighbor, a local celebrity.
- A Day In My Life - Take your camera EVERYWHERE you go in a normal day, from the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to sleep.
- An Issue In My Life - Could be a problem that's bothering you, something good or bad that happened to you, something good that you achieved.
- My Family - About your family-- how you talk to each other, stuff you do together, your feelings about each other, your difficulties.
- Community Story - Tell a story about something that's happening, or that already happened, in your community. Could be a festival, an accident, a death, a birth...
Your documentary must include these ingredients:
- Reality - It must be 100% real and true.
- Action - We have to see stuff happening.
- Words - We need to hear people talking about what happened.
Steps
- Choose your type (see above).
- Write a Description - This is the only required step (plus SHOOTING of course). Write a short description. Just 2 or 3 sentences.
If you want to make a more professional video, the steps below will give you a much better chance of winning the contest. - Write a Pre-shooting Script - Write down what your audience will see in the final movie, from start to finish. 1 to 3 pages.
- Write a Shooting Script - Write down every shot you plan to do, including where you will shoot, what time of day, and what equipment you will need for the shot (like extra lights).
- Shoot the video - Use your shooting script to guide you through the process.
- Back up! - Make a copy of your raw video before doing any edits! If you make a mistake while editing, grab another copy from your backup.
- Watch your raw video. Think about which shots you want to include, what to cut out, and the sequence (order) you want.
- Write an Editing Script - Write down a shot-by-shot script of the each shot you will keep from your raw footage.
- Edit your shots together with video-editing software. Add music, narration, titles, or credits.
Read the great tips below
Documentary Shorts -- Read these great tips, but this link is NOT the place to submit your video. These tips are good for any kind of documentary, but especially the "Portrait" type.
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/filmfestival/documentary.asp
Advanced Guidelines -- If you're pretty smart, read this!
http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_13/section_5/artc1A.html