When the Syracuse Real Food Co-op agreed to be the subject of my documentary film, I was thrilled. I have always been passionate about sustainability, and eating local, and was very excited to investigate the topic.
However, as I began filming, I quickly realized that I had yet to find the key focus of the film. There are so many broad, sweeping, topics that can be portrayed in a business like the co-op. I quickly had to determine what angle I wanted to take, and what essence I wanted to portray.
At this point in my filming, I have hours worth of b-roll and interviews. I have tons of information at my disposal, and many little slices of life from these many different farmers, doctors, businessmen and organic farming activists. However, I have yet to find one narrative to function as the foundation of my film.
Even through documentary films are based on the lives of the subjects, they still have the same narrative structures as fiction films. They all have a beginning, middle, and end, and encompass compelling characters, rising tension, and conflict that reaches some sort of resolution. In the coming weeks, I need to explore the footage I have captured, and begin to construct this narrative that will carry the film.
Here is an article entitled “The Drama of Real Life,” which details the process of finding a the story in a documentary film.
