Need some tips about documentary film characters

[jeremylin]

Hello guys,

I am planning to film a documentary about drug addicts, but since I have no previous experience in documentary filmmaking I am kind of stuck in a position of what should I do next.

I am thinking of contacting and meeting possible characters (doctors, addicts, their family members, friend and etx.) this year, to build a relationship before the production would start.

My main concern is drug addicts, because the production period won't start until next year. So if I get to know these people now, their lives might change drastically from what I would like to cover in my documentary later.

For example drug addict could have stopped using drugs and the abstainer have fallen into the old habits once again.

What would be the best way to work this out?

 

[Alcove Audio]

...their lives might change drastically from what I would like to cover in my documentary later.

For example drug addict could have stopped using drugs and the abstainer have fallen into the old habits once again.

Then those are the stories you tell.

A number of years ago I started worked on a doc about the Chechnya Amputee Football (Soccer) Team. But it didn't finish that way, exactly. Two members of the Chechen Team were asked to join the Russian National Amputee Football Team to play in the Amputee Football World Cup. The two Chechen members, who were injured during in fighting the The First Chechen War, would be playing with former members of the Russian military who had been injured in the same conflict. So the focus of the project changed into the conflict/resolution between the Russian and Chechen members of the team - two of whom became very close.

That's the beauty - and/or horror - of doing docs. If you go in with rigid preconceived notions about what you want to shoot you could miss out on some very cool stories you never expected.

Check out the doc "Beware of Mr. Baker" about drummer Ginger Baker (The Graham Bond Organisation, Cream, Blind Faith, Hawkwind, Public Image Ltd., Atomic Rooster); you can tell the interviews and a few other things did not quite go as planned, to the betterment of the film (like how the film got its title).