As a documentary filmmaker, it's your job to tell a
story. Just because it is a documentary, doesn't
mean it has to be boring, or lack any of the
cinematic techniques employed by traditional
narrative filmmakers. So whenever you are
shooting a documentary-style project, look for
ways to tell the story as if it were a scripted
narrative.

Here are five ways in which I go about doing that.
Know the story: during the pre-production phase, I
learn all I can about the story I plan to tell. Whether
it’s a corporate promotional film, or a personal
profile, I get as much information as I can about the
people, places, and events related to the film.

Create a shot list: as much as possible I determine
ahead of time the shots I want to get to tell the
visual story I want to tell. Naturally a big part of
what I plan to shoot will be based on sound bites I
get during the interviews. But the more I know up
front what I will be shooting, the more shots I can
plan ahead of time.

Shoot it like a script: in much of the work I do, I’m
NOT a journalistic filmmaker, capturing events as
they happen, like an ENG news shooter might.

Usually I’m directing the “talent” (i.e. employees,
interview subjects, etc) and doing minimum
production design (even if it’s just rearranging
someone’s office to make it look just right). Where
appropriate and whenever possible I also get good
coverage (e.g. wide, medium and close up shots of
the same “scene”; opposing angle shots; etc.)

Mind the metaphorical: my favorite kind of narrative
storytelling is metaphorical or allegorical imagery
similar to the Nooma examples I gave above. Where
I have the opportunity to shoot narrative scenes
that have no literal connection to the soundbites, but
have the strong emotional resonance.

Music is key: when I get to the editing process, I
put a lot of time into finding the right music. Music
has almost as much influence in eliciting emotional
responses to a film as the visuals do.

filmersways..nl/2016/07/simple-ways-of-making-documentary-more.html?m=1#more