Planning ahead, interviewing people multiple times and editing wisely are all crucial steps for perfecting feature-length storytelling
Whilst you may have perfected the art of shooting a piece-to-camera, documentary film-making poses a different challenge as there more considerations to bear in mind.
Matthias Sdun, documentary filmmaker and video coach, gives his nine best tips for making a documentary in this article on IJNet.
Sdun said you should divide your storyline up into chapters, rather than trying to cram too much information in at once.
"Don't try to tell me all important aspects in the exposition of your documentary. Take your time to build up tension," he writes.
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