The Empathetic Storyteller, Part Two

As a story consultant who has advised on hundreds of documentary films, one of the biggest problems I see and help solve is what I call the “Save the Day My Way Syndrome”.

This insidious tendency is shared by many well-meaning documentary filmmakers who, in creating socially conscious films aimed at changing the status quo, structure an essay solely from one-sided arguments.

My job? To help them get off their rant with a proven storytelling strategy. Ready?

Back in the day, journalistically-sound PBS style documentaries frequently relied on a “voice of God” narrator to referee between multiple viewpoints, creating a semblance of “fair, objective, and balanced” reporting. This usually guaranteed a wide audience.

These days, as partisan and strong POV films dominate niche audiences, more documentaries suffer from a “preaching to the converted” tone.  The obvious problem with this, which I believe is essentially a failure of empathy, is that these documentaries don’t get seen by those who might benefit from them the most.

So… here’s a great strategy that I learned from PBS producer Jon Else (Eyes on the Prize, The Great Depression, Cadillac Desert). It’s especially effective in social issue films with a strong political POV.  I recommend watching The Control Room as an example of a documentary with a balanced tone.

As you cast your lineup of experts to interview, include at least one credible, appealing and articulate defender of your film’s opposite POV. What will this accomplish?

First it will create conflict, which grips viewers.

Second, including a credible naysayer gives your film instant credibility, enticing viewers who may disagree with you to keep watching.

Third, and most importantly, when you give voice to the doubts and skepticism within your viewers head, you give them the gift of suspending their own beliefs, allowing them to put on hold their “yeah, but’s” long enough to hear your message. With an articulate spokesperson defending their point of view, skeptical viewers will relax, and feel secure enough to entertain opposing ideas. This allows you the opportunity to glide past their defended paradigms with novel ideas about how to “save the day”.

What’s especially cool about this storytelling tactic is that it usually only requires one credible naysayer to seduce your viewer with a “balanced” and empathetic tone.

If you’re interested in learning more strategies for keeping large and diverse audiences glued to the screen, I invite you to check out “Editing The Character Driven Documentary” at https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/.