Careers in Documentary Film Making

Documentary film can be defined as a visual expression that attempts to portray reality on a small or big screen. A documentary is a piece of art, which is not merely meant for entertainment, but also for conveying important messages to the masses. In short, it is a medium to communicate a message through visuals in a well-knitted real story. It enfolds the three tasks of filming, editing, and providing script for the documentary. Though it is teamwork, but one has to be thorough about the aforementioned three aspects of documentary film making, to excel in this field. He/She has to be clear about the script, must know how the entire film should be edited and, of course, should possess sound knowledge of camera angles and shots. Documentary film making requires a perfect blend of creativity, reality, and technicality. Hunt for a location, good artists, technical personnel, availability of equipments, and permission to shoot fall under the purview of a documentary filmmaker. He/She needs to organize and co-ordinate with skilled individuals. A clear picture of the outcome/final product should be in the mind of a documentary filmmaker. It is among the most challenging and promising career options for the Gen-next. A successful documentary filmmaker needs to be a visionary, who possesses the quality of creative interpretation of reality.

Course Details
Documentary filmmaking is a technical job, apart it consists some elements of creativity. One has to be innovative and hence, requires specialized training. A number of courses are conducted to train aspiring documentary filmmakers. One can opt to step into the field of documentary film making either immediately after completing 10+2 or wait till graduation. Numerous degree/diploma and certificate programs are offered in this field to become cinematographers, editors, producers, and writers. The duration and mode of teaching vary from institute to institute. These courses provide various nuances of documentary film making, like introduction to films, visual communication, explaining visual grammar, and framing and usage of BG symbolism in the visual media. They also impart knowledge about sound recordings, camera work, setting and interview recordings, an insight on the post-production processes in terms of different structures, and styles and formats of documentaries. Further, institutes like Massco Media offer a Master’s course in Documentary Production. Numerous prestigious universities in foreign countries also conduct basic as well as higher level studies in documentary film making.

Career Prospects
Bright career opportunities wait for documentary film makers. They can work with several NGOs in order to help them in conveying their thoughts and ideas to the masses, at large, or they can work independently and earn name, fame, and money. This field can even bring international prominence to those, who provide unique treatment to the concept. One can work with various television channels, like CNN-IBN, National Geographic channel, Discovery, and History channel, which showcase documentaries to make the masses familiar about reality.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
In India, one would be able to find very few institutions that offer training in documentary filmmaking. Nevertheless, these institutes provide detailed knowledge about documentary filmmaking. Few of such reputed institutions in India are: Amrita School of Arts & Sciences, Kochi; Editworks School of Mass Communication, Noida; Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida; Anhad Institute of Media Studies, Srinagar; and Amity School of Journalism and Communication, New Delhi.

Remuneration
No fixed per month salary can be expected in the field of documentary film making. A person generates income on the basis of his/her projects. An experienced, technically sound, and innovative person earns more compared to a beginner.