5 Ways to Improve Your Video Documentary Storytelling Skills
Creating a video from start to finishing can seem like a daunting task, even more so knowing how to tell a good story through video.
As a professional commercial cinematographer, I got to a point where I became more and more interested in documentary storytelling.
I was fascinated by the idea of using video for positive change, and the potential of people sharing their own lived experiences through video.
Yet, I was unsure how to go about asking the right questions and structuring the edit to be able to naturally tell stories through video.
Everyone has a unique story to share, no matter what the context or setting, these tips can be applied to anything.
For me, I am interested in capturing stories that inspire positive change in others, and I believe now more than ever, there is a vast potential for this.
Here are my five essential tips that I hope will also help you to be able to improve your video and documentary storytelling skills.
#1 — Ask the right questions
In essence, a good story structure will address the situation, in the beginning, challenges faced and overcome, realisations, and finally a resolution.
Narrative Inquiry is a simple framework that will enable you as a video maker to show contrast, progression and what has changed.
This can be as simple as asking the following questions:
‘Tell me about your situation in the beginning?’
‘What were some of your biggest challenges?’
‘How are you feeling now?’
Of course, you can ask more questions to draw more of the story out, but this simple structure will help to create a good story on video.
Finishing with ‘How are you feeling now?’ will invite the interviewee to answer with feeling, or from the heart.
#2 — How to get the best from the interview
One of the biggest secrets to success in documentary filmmaking is helping the interviewee relax, so what they have to share can come across natural and authentic.
For this to be able to happen, you must be relaxed first.
Many people, when they get in front of a camera, will tense up, or become more self-conscious.
It is your job as a video maker to help them relax.
I practice Open Heart Meditation regularly, which has helped me be more naturally calm, happy and relaxed even while working and on busy film sets. I find not only when I am relaxed and heart-centred, I am more productive, but the people I am interviewing can also be more comfortable.
I have found I am also more naturally and easily able to connect with them.
Here is a beautiful 6-minute Open Heart Preparation Meditation video that I recommend to listen to each morning, or before filming interviews. This is a very natural way to help you become more relaxed and heart-centred.
#3 — How to film an interview
For the interview, I also try to use natural light where possible. If you are filming indoors, you could situation the interviewee close to a window, so the light is directly on their face. Then for backlight, you can use a small portable LED light, shining 3/4 on the side of their face to give it some shape.
The best practice is to use a tripod for a static shot. It’s your choice whether you want the interviewee to look directly at the camera or slightly to the side.
I find it sometimes helps them relax if they are talking to you, rather than at the camera. This comes across more natural too — but it depends on the context of the video.
#4 —Time to get creative
Now that you have the primary interview shot finished and have used the ‘Narrative Inquiry’ method to ask questions, your video’s basic structure is complete.
Yet, to make the video visually interesting, you can film ‘overlay footage’ to edit overtop of the static main interview shot at relevant points.
This is where you can get creative. I usually set this up by asking the interviewee to go about their task or routine, and I will continuously film and capture moments.
I use my camera on a handheld gimbal and set the frame-rate to 50 Frames per second. This will give the footage an excellent smooth, cinematic movement, with the option to slow the footage down in editing.
#5 — Editing to tell a story
Video editing for storytelling takes time.
There are many factors at play, including shot selection, audio, colour grading, graphics and story arc etc.
Yet to keep it simple, I have found if you keep to the structure of the ‘Narrative Inquiry’ method you can’t go wrong. This will help you create a video with a proper context that the audience can understand and relate to.
For example, opening with the situation, in the beginning, challenges faced, realisations, and finally showing how they are now — what has changed within and around them.
With this basic understanding of how to structure the story, the rest is just a step by step process of adding the relevant interview clips to the timeline.
Then the overlay footage over the top, music, adjusting the interviewees’ audio levels, and colour grading (I recommend Peter Mckinnon’s colour grading presets) and exporting.
Conclusion
I hope you have found these tips useful and they will help to improve your video storytelling skills. I would love to hear how you get on, feel free to leave me a comment and follow me on instagram.
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