Forget the Myth of Low Cost Documentaries Being Low Quality

Documentaries are a fickle group. They can either do great things for your business, or without the proper ingredients, they can crash and burn. If you happen to be among those that believe the myth that low cost documentaries have to produce low quality, then the latter will probably happen. Sacrificing quality is not an option when producing documentaries, no matter what size budget you have.

This is not true. While you may be producing a low budget documentary, you do not have to settle for poor quality. Sure, you are not going to have the budget of Star Wars nor the storyline of Avatar, but there is no reason to capitulate to the myth that low cost documentaries need to be low-quality documentaries. Here are the top four areas in which documentary producers cut corners on quality.

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Lack of interesting photographic technique. Even if the documentary is dealing with a relatively mundane theme, this does not mean that you should be mundane about the photography. Using the same angle, the same pose, or the same zoom level over and over again is a sure way to make your viewers turn it off. Use different shots from action clips to aerial shots with a few close ups thrown in.

Lack of actual photography, and a dependence upon text, charts, or diagrams. The less creative documentaries rely on computer generated aspects to add to their film. While it may be simpler and more affordable to use less actual photography, that is no reason to deny viewers any interesting photography.

Lack of high-quality audio. In our day of low-cost, high-quality technology, you should have very little problem obtaining excellent recording quality. A simple wired microphone placed on the speaker should do the trick. Budget documentaries are famous for having horrible sound quality.

Lack of careful editing. Editing makes the video. If it does not advance the story or thesis in some way, you should not include it. The same thing is true in writing a college paper. As your English teacher probably told you, eliminate irrelevant content and focus on the theme. Documentaries are no different. Everything should be subservient to the primary purpose of the documentary.

Low cost documentaries can turn out to be high-quality documentaries. Simply resist believing the myth that quality can or must suffer.