Hello All! Hope all is well wherever you are in the world! Would it be possible to give me a little advice on the best way of going about making a documentary? I have had many ideas but seem to get tangled when I try and develop further. I am new to this but (I'm not sure if this is a common feeling amongst creators) I believe that my idea is unique and important. I fear whenever we feel like that, the idea must already be taken or accomplished by someone with much more experience. Is it possible to stand out? How would I go about this? I was once told by a producer to try and sit down and have as many coffees with companies and distributors. "A whole get to know and get known" idea. (The name for a blog I am writing). I guess I feel my idea has the power to make a difference if seen and viewed by the right people. Thank You For Reading Bhav
Filmmaking / Directing : Documentaries by Bhavnisha Parmar
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Hey Bhav - One piece of insight I can give is, don't be too critical of yourself the first time around. Have an idea? Get out there and start filming. If you need help on format/structure, watch a lot of documentaries and find the common denominator. One of the best pieces of advice I got from a friend was to think of the creative process in three stages: The idea, the production, and the evaluation. The key here is not to get too caught up in "evaluating" when your project is in the idea stage. Produce something, and then evaluate. I hope I have made some sort of sense. Best, Jack
Thanks Jack, that is some really good advice and it totally makes sense. I think we humans are too quick to be critical above anything else. Best Wishes Bhav
I will get my idea rolling and only when I cross a hurdle will I start to judge, thank you again!
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I think you have to stop thinking and worrying about it, just do it, and do it in the best way you can. Focus on the pleasure of making it and using your creativity. Don't let yourself be stopped or distracted by fear that it won't be good enough. Maybe it will be the best in the world and maybe it won't, but one thing is for sure, you'll learn from it, you'll have achieved something, and you'll have begun a journey as a film maker.
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Do the best you can ... good or bad, you will learn from this experience and automatically do it better next time.
I've noticed all the advice here has been of a more mental or emotional nature, so here's some technical advice. Shoot as much B-roll as you possibly can. As a professor I had in college would always say, "There isn't enough B-roll in the world." I've been working for a company that has been producing a documentary for the last 8 years and has accumulated 16 TB of footage. And guess what? We still find ourselves not having the B-roll we'd like every now and again. So, just keep that in mind and if you see ANYTHING that you think could work in your movie as B-roll, pick up the camera and push the button. And don't ever stop that process until your movie is done! :)
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Lucy - Thank you! I think that would be a great idea, I will PM you to arrange something. Brian - Thank you also! Very essential piece of advice that I guess being a newbie did not value enough Jennifer - Your post made me realise that my worries that have manifested are all in fact all created in my own head. And that action is key! Alfredo - Thank you also. Same as Jennifer - I understand that I must take more action and I can only build from there. Thomas - Thank you for the technicalities - I feel that is one thing I lack and where a lot of my doubts are coming from. Would it be possible to PM yourself to ask about more of these details? Thank you for all your comments so far. I really do appreciate it. Bhav
Yes, of course! I'd be happy to help in any way I can! :)