In general, documentary films educate their audiences.

They share one or more of these goals:

• To document a subject in order to preserve knowledge
• To reveal something about the subject
• To allow the viewer to experience what it's like to be the subject (whether it's someone diving out of
an airplane or a homeless person)
• To advocate on behalf of the subject

The person who coined the term "documentary film" was John Grierson, the same
man who founded the National Film Board of Canada. Grierson said that documentary
films demonstrate "the creative treatment of actuality." That seems simple enough. A
documentary looks at the "real" world through the eyes of a creative filmmaker. It is
non-fiction but expresses the vision of a filmmaker. Grierson believed that
documentaries should educate.

To begin define the following types of documentaries: Expository documentaries, Observational

documentaries, Cinema vérité, Reflexive documentaries, First-person documentaries, Poetic documentaries, TV
Hybrids.
(answers at http://www.onf.ca/enclasse/doclens/php/htmlversion.php?language=e&section=btc&subsection=main&themeid=3&themeid=2 )

"It is extremely important for us to be clear about what we're

trying to say, why we're trying to say it, and then work out a way
to say it. Half of what a documentary is can be more about your
attitude to the subject than the subject itself."

To make a successful documentary, it is very important to prepare thoroughly.

The filmmaker must decide on a topic, clarify ideas and attitudes about the topic, and narrow the focus to a
manageable size.

In the research phase, the filmmaker learns about the topic through reading and interviews, trying to see the
conflicts within the subject that will make it interesting to film. The research also uncovers locations and
potential interview subjects. The filmmaker has to decide on what approach best suits the subject.

Finally, the filmmaker is ready to detail the plan in writing. In many ways, the process is like developing the
thesis of an essay. Making a documentary film means making a lot of decisions. It's tempting to think that you
can go out and take a bunch of footage and figure out what it all means afterwards, but that's not the way film
works. The most flexible, informal-looking, hand-held camera "direct cinema" productions often require the
most careful planning.

Beginning writers are advised to "write about what you know." This is also good advice for documentary
filmmakers. Instead of tackling large, vague subjects, filmmakers generally focus on subjects that are familiar to
them.

Next, filmmakers have to focus on what they want to say about the subject. A good documentary has a
perspective. The filmmaker reveals an idea, exposes a controversy or expresses emotions about the subject. Early
in the process of planning, the filmmaker has to ask, "What do I feel about this subject?"

A documentary should make the audience want to weigh the evidence on the screen and make judgments. The
filmmaker does not have to state his or her point of view directly.

Pre-interviews are particularly important. One, they provide information and opinions from different perspectives
that reveal the conflicts, the contradictions, and the plain facts that are necessary for a documentary.