Tip for Documentary Filmmakers - How to Capture the Passion!

This trick is not for everyone and it's certainly not a standard professional technique, but it has served me well since I began making documentaries as a completely untrained amateur filmmaker in 2004.

What this technique is NOT:

This is not a way to catch your subject off-guard and make them say something incriminating. Do not say, This is off the record but how do you REALLY feel...

You are NOT trying to fool your subject. DO NOT attempt to get them to say anything they would not have agreed to say in a formal interview. If they do say something that would be embarrassing to them or anyone else DO NOT USE IT.

At the very end be sure to inform the subject that the camera was rolling the whole time and that they did a great job. They will usually be very pleased with themselves, as long as you didnt lead them to make any incriminating or derogatory statements.

I have used this technique many times and I have never had anyone feel like I had taken advantage of them when they saw the final video.

Go to www.fitnessvideou.com for more hints, tips and tutorials.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• documentary
• video
• interview
• bodybuilding
• filmmaking
• editing

[spib1971]

I really like the idea of capturing people in their most natural state. This is the essence of story telling, documentaries but what do I do with equally authoritative sources telling me to plan all the action, focus my self and camera in that direction and forget everything else happening around me. How do I meld the two philosophies together?

[mikepulcinella]

@spib1971 I don't agree with those sources. The best answer I can give is the famous quote by Alfred Hitchcock...

"In feature films, the director is God. In documentary, God is the director."

Trust randomness and good fortune.

[007madigan]

impressive :)

[MissProud2be]

Always be there to capture the passion.....amazing....just amazing

[We4UMovProj2161]

I also use this technique with succes. thx

[101angelacarr]

This guy needs to upload his videos to vidcano.com

[henrooo]

good tip