Reading Notes: Sheila Curran Bernard 'Documentary Storytelling'

Below are notes from a reading by Sheila Curran Bernard called 'Documentary Storytelling'. The notes explain different story terms which are apparent in successful stories and therefore documentaries. I will keep this in mind throughout the time I spend creating my own documentary.

-A story has compelling characters, rising tension, and conflict that reaches some sort of resolution. It also engages an audience on an emotional and intellectual level, motivating viewers to know what happens next.
-Exposition is the information that grounds you in a story: who, what, where, when, and why. The trick to exposition is to not give too much away too soon and not to withhold information that is necessary.
-Theme is the general underlying subject of a specific story, a recurring idea that often illuminates an aspect of the human condition. Themes may emerge from the questions that initially drove the filmmaker.
-The Arc refers to the way or ways in which the events of the story transforms the character(s). In pursuing a goal, the protagonist learns something about themselves and their place in the world and those lessons change them.
-Plot and character are very important to stories and documentaries and they are what drive the narrative. A character driven film is one in which the action of the film emerges from the wants and needs of the character(s). In a plot-driven film, the characters are  secondary to the events that make up the plot.
-Point of View describes the perspective from which a story is told, for documentaries the filmmaker is the storyteller with their own point of view- they can tell the story in whatever way they choose.
-What the protagonist wants often drives a good story, the protagonist, much like an Arc of the story, has a goal that they want to achieve and there is a journey that they have to pursue to reach this- an audience will feel empathy for the protagonist and go on this journey with them to reach their goal.
-A satisfactory ending is often one that feels both unexpected and inevitable. It must resolve the one story you set out to tell. The ending of a documentary must be factual though, it would be unethical to manipulate facts to create a more emotional and happy ending. However, ending a film in a way that is satisfying does not necessitate wrapping up all loose ends or resolving things in a way that's upbeat and happy.