Normally most documentary film productions take 2-10 years for completion prior to getting into distribution. Distribution entails its own length of time. The time allotted usually consists of many things and challenges that embark a producer, director and production team on the documentary film journey. Such challenges arise in funding, finding the right story, following the right characters to build the film narrative, access to information and materials (photos and archives), and even personal endurance on the part of the production team. Far too often newcomers who venture into the precarious world of documentary film production underestimate and undervalue the time length needed and demanded to put out a well-done, high-quality film with award-winning caliber material and production value. This belief often stems from the nature of producing a documentary film which based on appearance seems rather easy to complete—with the involvement of smaller budgets, a small crew, lower-end production equipment to use, and even basic editing as a prime necessity.

The tendency for being concise in a story—film or written prose—demands itself patience with time. In a scripted narrative storyline for television or narrative film production time management is already established with the booking of talent (actors to play certain roles), securing locations for a given amount of time, and a budget that pays in agreed upon increments. However, documentaries are an entirely different beast. A producer and director must allow a story to unravel itself on their cameras. Research is ongoing to establish the right facts—particularly if it’s an ongoing social issue. Characters must get comfortable with the crew as to not come off as staged in front of the cameras. Traveling may take time for the necessary segments to be added in the documentary film. Budgets may not cover the necessary story angles and graphic design needed—which may put a film on pause. All these aspects that usually arise in documentary film productions greatly impact the length of time in creating and producing such work.

Patience is demanded in every creative endeavor and artistic venture. A creative work cannot be rushed nor limited because of time constraints. No other genre in film makes patience to its fundamental degree a necessity. Hence, the reason very few attempt to venture into the arduous road of documentary film production and why so little monies are there to back documentary film productions. In a world where short-term profit-making endeavors are not only ideals to attain to but a growing requirement for entrepreneurs and industries today patience can indeed be that virtue for the documentary filmmaker and his team. In an industry where short turnaround time in production is essential for the livelihood of a production company to remain working patience is a virtue for documentary film directors and producers. In catering to audiences whose attention span grows fickle by the generation with the advent of technology and the internet and whose choices for mass consumption in entertainment is accessible without any tendency to wait patience is indeed a virtue for the film documentary.

Regardless of the final length of time for a specific film and regardless of what elements and tone the documentary produces the length of time in production is what makes and breaks documentary films. It is what separates the great documentaries from the mediocre ones and the strong documentaries from the weak ones. If shortcuts with time and patience is taken upon a documentary film team—young or old—they can possibly jeopardize the story structure of the film as well as the integrity of the film and its production team. As much as films depend on time allotted set by given budgets and a total run time (TRT) for slotted airtime and schedule for television and film festivals documentaries will still be demanding of its producer and directors—time, patience, and attention. This length of time creates the very fabric that audience members will wear. So it must be done meticulously, delicately and exacting.