12.8.13

How To Write Environmental Documentaries

By Nita McKinney


The popularity of environmental documentaries has increased due to people wanting to change nature and make it conducive for human life. The main purpose of these films is to create awareness among people to restore, preserve and keep the life on earth continuous without disruptions. This will ensure generations of species do not become extinct and that Mother Earth is sustained. The intention of the short films is to inspire humans to become activists and custodian of their own environment.

The short films examine in details all the negative effects of a given phenomenon affecting nature and how to counter the problem by changing the lifestyle. When you decide to create a documentary, think of an idea and ensure that it is original and can retain the attention of an audience for more than an hour. Avoid recycling already used ideas, or, rather recreate them in a much better style.

The next move is to find out what your idea intends to accomplish. In as much as the mission is nature, it could have a political inclination. A short film about the impact of nuclear weapons could be created in such away to warn political tensions that can lead to the end of the world. Check out your goals and come up with objectives that will lead to achievement of these goals.

In one way or another most Mother Nature concepts have been addressed. It is important to do a thorough research so that audiences are presented with unique information and done in a spectacular style. Consult widely and link especially with the experts in the field you intend to cover. The specialists are invaluable resources when answering questions pertaining to specific subjects. Have figures and facts to justify your claims.

A proposal to do the film will usually contain the length of the work, the intended audience and the purpose of the show. Whenever you are tackling a given topic, ask yourself what is the new approach you are using that is interesting, different and captivating.

Key stylistic elements that you will need to touch on include the film shooting, editing quality and the script content. Narration quality and the choice of sound track music also play a major role in creation of good work. Find a great voice to narrate.

After a proposal, it is important to write a treatment. Although the proposal generally describes the entire project, a treatment is a written piece that tells the audience what to expect. It is a narrative describing what to be seen and heard and is written in simple language without touching the technical terms like transitions and angles.

Credibility of the production team is also very important when doing your environmental documentaries. Find a crew with a good reputation so that your work becomes easy to market or distribute. People like to buy by basing the work with past projects. Ask yourself how the entire project will be funded. Always accompany your proposal with a budget and a sample reel of the work to be undertaken.




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