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How to Make a Documentary About a Person's Struggle in an Industry

Michael Moore’s "Roger & Me" and Barbara Kopple’s "Harlan County, USA" weren’t widely acclaimed movies because audiences were fascinated by the American motor or mining industries. They were fascinated by the people in the films and the universal struggles they endured. Audiences can relate to fighting for one’s rights and suffering job loss no matter their familiarity with a particular industry. To make your audience care about the subject, focus on the people and the emotional center of their struggles.

Instructions

    • 1

      Pick an interview subject with character. An interviewee that seems particularly undeserving of his struggle or handles the struggle with grace, courage, or insight will make your audience care more about him.

    • 2

      Explain the factors that led to the person’s struggle. If you are interviewing a Chinese worker in a sweatshop, for example, you can describe that person’s decision to work in a sweatshop, the conditions of the sweatshop and any pertinent historical factors that led to the creation of sweatshops. This helps contextualize the person’s struggle.

    • 3

      Show that person experiencing a life-changing event related to her struggle. In "Roger & Me," director Michael Moore followed former GM employees getting evicted from their homes or taking lower-paying, menial jobs as a result of GM moving its plant to Mexico. The more dramatic your storyline, the greater your audience will be affected.

    • 4

      Interview people who hold opposing viewpoints. Whether you want to present them as 'the enemy' is your artistic license, but putting a human face to the opposing side will engage your audience more.

Film Production

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