What a Story Is Not

I teach at a journalism school (at UC Berkeley), and our graduate students use the term “story” about as loosely as many documentary film makers do.

For example, one of my TV news students might say, “I’ve got a great story. It’s about a new trend in social media.” Likewise, I’ve heard many documentary filmmakers say something to the effect of, “I can’t figure out the story,” when what they really mean is, that they can’t figure out their film’s structure.

Screenwriters use the term “story” to mean something very specific. Documentary filmmakers who want to get funding for their films would be wise to adopt this specific use of the term “story”.

For screenwriters, a “story” is not a trend. It is not a profile of a place or person. And the story is not a well-argued thesis.

For screenwriters, and for veteran documentary funders and broadcasters, a story refers to a character (known as the “protagonist”) who on a quest.

A quest can be a goal, a craving, or simply a desire for something. It can be an underlying psychological motive that informs all of their actions, or, in the most well told stories, a desire for something concrete, such as a baby, a victorious election, or a court case win.

To learn more about how to construct a genuine “story” that will attract funders with a riveting character-driven quest, I highly recommend my popular online course, “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” available at https://newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/.