Why don’t more documentary films offer solutions to the problems they present? This is something I’ve been thinking about for many years. I think I know why, but would love to explore it with you. Shall we?
Character-driven documentaries typically give us a glimpse into one person’s world. The effects of the problem are apparent, especially as a story filled with harsh truths, struggles, and emotions unfolds. The audience experiences something so intimate and incredible that the problem becomes painfully obvious.
The audience falls in love with those featured in the film. They are moved. It could be they’re moved to tears, laughter, or applause. Or it could be something bigger such as thinking, “That’s wrong. How can I change it?”
What’s typically next for the audience? Credits roll, Q&As conclude, and everyone’s ushered out of the theater. They go home feeling inspired and simultaneously frustrated.
If we’re lucky, our audiences recommend the film to friends so they buy it. The film sees wildly successful distribution, a bunch of people talk about it, and the lessons get incorporated into the education system. Maybe a few years go by and social change actually takes shape. If we’re really lucky.
Is that the best case scenario for a really great film? I sure hope not. Because that means a really, really great film isn’t likely to inspire real change any time soon.* And if that’s the case, then why are we, as documentary filmmakers, toiling so hard?!
How do we — as filmmakers — inspire real, measurable change to the problems we present?
We spend a lot of time with these problems. We show them and the impact they have on our characters. We urge audiences to care about it, too. Through the magic of filmmaking and against all odds, they arrive at the moment we so desperately desire: they’re moved, motivated, and ready to take action!
But we do so little with that energy. We claim we can’t outline specific steps that would facilitate change because it would compromise our artistic integrity. We hide behind the label “unbiased” even though we’ve spent so much intimate time with the subject that it’d be impossible to be such a thing. We find it tough to partner with a nonprofit already fighting the problem because it’s too political or they might not act the way we think they should.
This frustrates me so much.
I feel like it’s wrong of me to share a problem without specific steps to solve it. That’s my mission as a filmmaker: to tell stories that make this world a better place for all of us. I want real, measurable change to take shape as the result of sharing my films.
What about you? Have you seen a film and been so motivated that you took action immediately? Or did you watch a film, shrug your shoulders, and go back to your daily routine? How did either of those things make you feel?
Please tell me. I desperately want to know. Use the comments below to share your experience. It’ll help me so much as a filmmaker.
*Don’t lose heart. There are examples of really great films that have inspired rapid positive change in our society. I’m incredibly grateful for the changes they’ve facilitated, as well as the example they’ve provided. We can talk about those one day soon.
Camden-How to connect the dots of film and the public response does seem daunting. As a museum exhibit director for 15 years I can tell you we struggled with this conundrum between proselytizing and presenting un-biased cold facts in the exhibit copy. We came to the conclusion that it was best to present facts and let the audience make up their own mind. As to the outcomes it was never clear to us how the downstream impact was felt. We could only hope that the public could now make a more informed decision about public policy and vote accordingly. For years I have entertained the notion that our exhibit at the Maryland Science Center on the Chesapeake Bay actually helped preserve the bay in a more viable sate. When I read the news about the loss of the habitat I wonder if it even made an iota of difference?
Dennis, thanks for sharing! For a long time I’ve thought it best to present the facts and let the audience decide what to do.
But I’ve watched so many docs and left the theater frustrated. I wanted the steps for change outlined for me so I could act immediately — at least during the Q&A, you know? I’m so curious about this kind of thing.
My dad has done a lot of work in the Chesapeake Bay area. I know he’d appreciate your work, as do I. Where can I learn more about the loss of habitat you mentioned?