How to Change the World with a Documentary

Documentaries are a valuable method to utilize if you want to make a difference in the world.

Not only can they inform people about topics they may know nothing about, they can also serve to spread the word about inequalities or injustices. Box Office Mojo reports that the documentary “Blackfish,” a scathing indictment of Sea World's practices concerning the capture, keeping and treatment of Orcas, grossed more than $2 million in domestic sales. That is a lot of tickets, and a lot of people talking about an issue they may have never known about otherwise. If you want to film a documentary that can have a similar effect on the world, here are some tips and tricks to get you started.

Your Subject

Oftentimes beginning documentarians are drawn to subjects they feel passionately about. However, just because you feel a subject is important doesn't mean it hasn't already been covered by countless other reporters, filmmakers and activists. It's important to choose a subject that is not only worth the effort to capture, but one that hasn't been so widely covered there isn't any more fertile ground to explore. Take for instance Shohei Imamura's 1971 made-for-television documentary “In Search of the Unreturned Soldiers." Released by Icaraus Films to DVD in 2012, Imamura's documentary is about his travels searching for Japanese soldiers who served in World War II but chose to leave the army and live abroad in Southeast Asia. Imamura speaks with soldiers in his documentary but also finds time to juxtapose their interviews with the effect of Japan's military action in the countries they have chosen to live within. Imamura chose a subject he felt passionate about that was also one documentarians had not covered to death, and in the process discovered there was more to document than he had initially considered.

Post Production

Making a worthy documentary takes more than just a camera and a dream. Post-production tools can help determine the form your documentary will take once it hits the big screen. Documentaries often take a break from simply showing their subjects to address the audience with information they may need to understand the general topic. In those cases, use of green screen stock videos allows directors to create these expositional moments elegantly and inexpensively. It's an effect that should not be overused, and you should be honest with your audience. The Guardian reports that the documentary “Hidden Kingdoms” will feature on-screen warnings that green screen effects were used to create dramatized reenactments of natural moments.

Your music choices can have a powerful effect on your film as well. Scoring scenes of horrible destruction with chipper, upbeat music is bound to confuse your audience or seem like you are making light of your subject. Music has a powerful effect on our emotions, and a study by Nature Neuroscience found that the pleasure we take in music can trigger dopamine to release in our brains. Be careful how you score your film, and don't abuse this technique. Audiences often sense when they are being emotionally manipulated.

Don't Lecture

Finally, remember you aren't a professor—you are a documentarian. Your film should inspire audiences, and the quickest way to fail at that is to take a pedagogue tone and speak down to viewers. Remember what it is about your subject that inspired you in the first place, and focus on that. Let the audience make up their own mind, and you'll find you can change the world through the actions others take in response to your work.