Documentaries are not just conversational pieces. I repeat. Documentaries are not conversational pieces. Instead they are a highly-regarded work of moving visual art. A documentary is visual storytelling–like all other film genres. They may elicit conversation but they are not conversational pieces unto themselves. Now why am I bringing this obvious point up? Far too often when first-time filmmakers decide to embark on the momentous sojourn that is documentary filmmaking their idea of making a documentary film–independent or a series–is to simply interview folks for a conversation on screen. Now while “talking heads” are a long-running element in producing a documentary it is not done in such a manner to leave documentaries simply as conversational pieces. There’s usually a story that is unraveling in a “talking head” documentary. Documentaries are not place-holders for visual podcasts. Documentaries are not live radio interviews. Documentary is a genre in filmmaking from start to finish. Documentarians are more artists than reporters, more filmmakers than journalists, more storytellers than interviewers. Film directors and their production teams must take on the art of documentary storytelling with every frame of film accounted for in a visual portrait of a given narrative. If the eye as much as the ear of a documentary filmmaker is not the driving force they are not doing documentaries.

Conversational pieces have their place and purpose in our vast world of digital content creation. They can be used in a range of milieus–churches, barbershops, schools, etc. Conversational pieces can be both entertaining and educational. YouTube and other growing platforms provide an endless space for conversational pieces mostly geared with sit-down interviews chiming away on a given subject or theme. Other social media platforms now are leaning in the direction of presenting conversational pieces in a thought-provoking approach, an educational avenue and an entertaining tone. But where conversational pieces fall short in its connection to documentary is the visual component of conveying a story.  Storytelling is an important aspect to producing a film of any genre. In fact, one can argue it is the single aspect to making a film. The ability to convey a story on camera must be a tier above the visual approach of having someone or some people talking in front of the camera. In other words, there’s more to making a documentary than having a conversation on screen. Documentaries are multi-layered works of film art. They encompass the same visual storytelling components in the film medium–cinematography, sound design, colors, moving footage, etc.

One of the best critiques I ever received in my documentary film work was: “Adelin–you explained more than you showed.” This cold slap in the face of a comment, this wake up call of a remark helped me understand fully what this artistic genre entails–ever so subtly and simply. In telling a story on film you must visually portray for viewers what the storyline is, what the problem-solution arc will come to, how the major and minor characters interact, what the denouement looks like. These aspects of storytelling can be talked about on screen but with far less impact and aim. It’ll come off as more of a report lacking the nuance of what a film can deliver. It’ll also come off as a reflective piece for a continuing conversation rather than an empathetic ride audience members want to embark on when they start to watch a documentary. Take Netflix’s latest documentary, Descendant–which I believe is a masterpiece. It has all the superb elements in stellar documentary filmmaking: nuanced, character-driven plot, access, historical data, masterful cinematography, timely cinéma vérité, and the enterprising of a legacy story. Descendant certainly elicits a conversation on the single most powerful narrative in the United States-race. However, the topics addressed, the characters portrayed, the storyline articulated in a visual media form would all be watered down if it was told from a single person narrative or a few people speaking in front of the camera. When the breadth of documentaries are explored and presented it has a far deeper impact on the true intention of documentary directors and producers and even distributors.