How Students Can Use Documentaries to Share Their Perspectives
Storytelling is known to win the hearts of the audiences. When it's done with heart and brain, captivating different sets of people becomes easy. Once they are captivated, you can convey the intended message perfectly. Films, both art and commercial ones, have long been used as a tool to present real-life situations to the viewers and with it, gain attention on certain topics. It has now taken a new shape and documentaries are what are creating the maximum impact.
Students from colleges across the globe use documentaries as the medium of storytelling. They use them to put forward their viewpoints and present untold or lesser-told stories in a way that is powerful enough to get the required attention from viewers. Here is how you can also achieve these goals through documentaries.
1. Finalize a good topic
To start with a documentary, you need to finalize a topic. The topic should resonate with your personal experiences or at a higher level, reflect a prevailing social, cultural, or environmental area that needs serious addressing. On the lighter side, if you are filming a documentary on a light subject like travel, the daily lives of people in some far-off place, etc., you could decide on a catchy topic that touches people emotionally.
Just as you find the topics for your documentary, you might feel that the process is quite similar to academic papers. Yes, there too you have to do deep research to finalize the topic of your essays and other writing tasks. It is not an easy job to manage documentary-making plans and academics together because both are complex. So, in tough times when you wonder ‘Who can do my assignment for me cheap,’ head to EduBirdie. It is a trusted service with expert writers who help college students focus on other key areas of their lives. They deliver plagiarism-free, duly checked in AI tools, and thoroughly edited based on demand.
2. Research and create a storyboard
For the narrative that you want to present in your documentary, do thorough research on the subject. Once your research is ready, work on creating a storyboard. It should clearly lay out the structure, key ideas, and visual elements that you plan to bring in to build coherence in the narrative.
3. Use diverse perspectives
A documentary does not have to be about your viewpoint alone. To add vibrancy and angles to it, conduct interviews with experts and community members. On the side, start collecting archival footage, news pieces, photographs, and other multimedia elements to give depth to the subject.
4. Get well-versed in the technology part
Being tech-savvy when working on a documentary is important. You need to use tools like smartphones, video editing apps, or if possible, high-end cameras. Tech is the thing that helps you in filming and creating professional-looking content. Also learn to use pro tools like Figma, Canva, Filmora, CapCut, Adobe, etc to give pro touches to the content.
5. Make the content relatable and emotional
To appeal to the masses, your storytelling methods should be able to connect with the audience emotionally. For this, use personal anecdotes, interview clips, or real-life examples. This will make your documentary content relatable.
6. Bring up social issues that really matter
Documentaries should not carry a commercial angle. Focus on social topics like mental health, global warming, education inequality, poverty and unemployment, or cultural diversity. These and some other related topics are certain to inspire action and spread awareness.
7. Freely use interactive elements
Every documentary should compel the audience to take action. This is done through compelling call-to-action (CTA) prompts or some other hard-hitting message towards the end of the documentary.
8. Publish, share, promote
Popular platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or social media are the best way to reach a wider audience. If needed and you have a budget, promote it on these platforms. You can even hold college or community events to promote your documentary.
Conclusion
Documentaries were not taken very seriously when art films and other short films were the most popular medium for presenting viewpoints. With the rise of social media and streaming platforms, documentaries have become the number one medium for expressing opinions, bringing forward the best solutions, and creating a mass-level reach. Many students use them to learn the art of storytelling, contribute to social causes, and put themselves forward in a role that intends to present their thoughts to bring changes to society. It could be anything from the lives of underprivileged people to sports and education to offbeat travel. The main idea here for you is to bring changes by way of dynamic ideas with the help of documentaries.
Author's Bio
Scott Witter loves to do film and documentary reviews and present his viewpoints on what was the best part of there or what could have been better. He has created a name for himself in this field and even more in the essay writing field which has a wide fan base. His love for movies on one side and academic writing on the other makes him an incredible writing professional.
