Dear Documentary Filmmakers: I don’t have to like your main subject, but you need to engage me enough to care what happens next.
Viewers don’t necessarily have to like your protagonist (I actively dislike a lot of them…) but s/he has to inspire some emotion or at least have a story that’s intriguing enough to keep an audience watching. This is character fundamentals 101 – as a documentarian, at some point, you became convinced that this subject was worth filming for some reason – most filmmakers don’t select bland, boring protagonists. Over the long process that it often takes to get your film made, don’t get too close to your film and lose sight of that initial spark, and, especially, don’t forget to convey it to the viewers – otherwise, we may fail to connect with your subject the way you did, and we may ultimately give up on your larger story.
what (not) to doc 