Life is stranger than fiction, or so they say. And even though my day to day existence doesn't contain much fodder for prize winning television, there are many true stories out there that make for riveting viewing. If the term "documentary" makes you yawn, you might need to shed your preconceived notions of picture slideshows. This genre is full of creativity and artistic expression. In fact, I'd say that watching documentaries is one of the best ways to learn the elusive art of storytelling. So before you go to Blockbuster for yet another Hollywood crafted fable, take a few minutes to sit down with real life and learn what truly makes "better TV". If you can make a compelling story from real life events, you can probably make a pretty good fiction story as well. A good example of this can probably be found at your local library. My Flesh & Blood is one of my all time favorites. The filmmaker, Jonathan Karsh, followed the Tom family over the course of a year, and was able to become almost a "fly on the wall", capturing very personal moments. The storyline intrigued me so much, I can't say I focused on much to apply to my own filmmaking, other than that your subjects have to be willing to be open with you. If they're not comfortable with the camera, you're not going to be able to capture the range of emotions which will connect with your audience.
Update: After a little more searching, I was able to locate the trailer Made me want to watch it again. I think the power of a story like this is that it takes you into someone else's life that is vastly different from yours. I guess that's what all good documentaries accomplish, at least in some measure or another.
Here is a question for everyone: What documentary do you think needs to be made?
The first that come to mind for me would be one about bride burning in India, or something about hunger in the US and the different theories about how it could be ended.
Another doc I'd like to see would be a history of war protesters. I suspect some demonstrations have caused real problems for communities. And I want to hear from protestors how they think conflicts should be handled besides war. You always see them making peace signs and stopping traffic, but I never get to hear their proposed solutions.
And I am really into food anthropology, so some history of...sushi (that one is kind of interesting), exotic teas, food traditions within specific geographic areas. All that stuff.
