Shooting Coverage Is For Cowards
You’re never going to get everything for your independent documentary. So stop trying.
This post was written by Jeremy Berger.
Modern sensibilities will tell you to cover every angle of your subject in case “anything” happens. Ignoring this will not only save you time and money… it’ll also help you make a better documentarian.
You’re shooting a documentary. You have a major event coming up for a subject who has granted you access to their life/struggles/passions. You have an old camera, an older microphone, and $8. How are you going to cover this event?
You don’t. It’s not why you’re there, believe it or not.
Let’s back up.
We Don’t Want To Miss Anything
As it relates to documentary filmmaking, no modern discussion of coverage can be complete without mentioning the most reviled of television formats: The Reality Show.
The best start would be with MTV’s 1992 The Real World.