Developing the Premise for Your Documentary

ABOUT THE LIVE TUTORIAL Documentaries are not just for public television anymore. The popularity of documentaries continues to grow on various platforms with an ever-growing mainstream market. Digital technology has opened up the possibilities for both short and feature-length documentaries to be made less expensively and faster. However, speed and not needing to go broke to make your film, does not make a good documentary. Indeed, one vital element has not changed over the recent years, and that is how to succinctly convey your ideas. Knowing how to hone down your ideas, disseminate research, and targeting interviewees are just a few aspects of developing your documentary’s premise. Good storytelling is the key to a successful documentary. Whether you are profiling a person, investigating a crime, or documenting an event, telling an engaging and thought-provoking story is imperative in order to capture your intended audience. There’s a delicate balance of preparing your premise and ge