Documentaries are works of art for people to watch, and "good-looking" is the "core" of documentaries. So how can you make it look good? This is what we usually call "storytelling". So where did the story come from? The author believes that stories are made of contradictions. When we select materials or shoot, we first need to look at whether there are any contradictions in the subject matter, whether it can form contradictions, and whether there are contradictions or plot details that have storytelling elements in the creation. In the later editing, the author may wish to use feature film creation techniques such as setting up suspense, character foreshadowing, cross-narrative, and accelerating the pace to strengthen the story creation of the documentary. On the basis of real records, the narrative method of documentary stories is not much different from that of feature films, such as suspense, details, foreshadowing, repetition, climax, etc. This is not only a patent of feature films, but can also be used in documentaries. Generally speaking, the ratings of anti-crime documentaries will be higher than those of ordinary documentaries. For example, "Sword of China" and "Insidious Action" once caused a shock wave in the ratings. The unknown elements in the pictures and stories constitute visual suspense.
There are several different forms of documentary storytelling creation:
1. The visual language directly narrates the story; 2. Story-telling of the pictures; 3. Storytelling and visual coordination ; 4. Interview the story with a microphone and match the corresponding pictures; 5. The narration directly narrates the story
In the creation of documentaries, no matter which of the above creative forms we use, the documentary should not be serious Political papers and philosophical lectures, it should be a work of art for people to appreciate and communicate with. The main value of art is that it looks good. In fact, the documentary we saw today has greatly enhanced the storytelling of the program. Xiangchang documentaries such as "Maomao Complains" and "Companion" not only contain stories and conflicts, but also character conflicts. In the recently selected 4th "China Collection" Documentary Awards, the first prize-winning programs such as "Head of the Caotai Gang", "Simple Life", and "The Story of Ma Mingshan" are all storytelling and visual. Strong work. "Chen Xiaomei Goes to Town", "Paper Sorrow", "Grandma Ruan's Marriage Proposal", etc., which won the China Documentary Award last year, are examples of documentary storytelling.
Details are also an important part of documentary storytelling. The places with details are often the places where the "story" comes out the most. As part of the plot, details are also directly involved in the story. In other words, details are "amplified" small stories. The most impressive thing about documentaries is often the real and touching details. In Japan's international award-winning "Little Ducks", the director captures the smallest and weakest of the wild ducks in the park as they grow and migrate, and captures the audience's heartstrings with two details: First, when the ducks leave the pond one after another. , only the last and smallest one was left unable to fly. It tried to jump over the last stone step several times, but failed every time. It was not discouraged, and jumped again and again... until it jumped more than a dozen times before it finally succeeded. success. During the presentation of this detail, the audience tensed up and their hearts beat as the little duck took off. The second detail is that when the ducks grew up and were about to leave the Royal Park, all the ducklings waved their wings and soared into the sky. Only the smallest duck tried flying again and again. The duckling was not discouraged until the eighth Then he steadily lifted off to join his friends. This detail is the end of the duck story, and also gives the audience a huge spiritual shock and emotional baptism.
However, today, when some creators talk about the storytelling of documentaries, they are afraid of describing their documentaries as feature films. In fact, wouldn’t it be better if we make documentaries as beautiful as feature films? The fundamental difference between documentaries and feature films is not the nature of the story, but the "fiction or non-fiction" of the story itself. If you discard the storytelling because you want to distance yourself from feature films, you are undoubtedly throwing out the baby with the bathwater.