How do I get good at documentary filmmaking? In particular cinematography.

thanks for sharing, we're all very interested and now very glad we're updated on how you feel.
In fact, you never told us how your feeling?
I hope ur doing well anon

>>3067866

>go to board dedicated to a certain field
>ask to discuss tips on how to improve in that field
>get yelled at

le edge is le showing with le you.

>>3067868
the answer is blindingly obvious. Practice. Theres no special trick, no fucking hack. just do it more.
now are you going to tell us how your day was or what cunt

watch documentaries and take mental notes on good shots and bad shots

make a documentary yourself

smoke weed every day

>>3067852
I think the key to documentaries has nothing to do with technical abilities with the camera, obviously that helps. But some of the best documentaries I've seen are simply interesting topics. Check out this documentary for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWJC_jfC0L0

the guys name is nick boomfield. It's just a camera guy, and him doing sound. His documentaries just have good content and an interesting story, and not afraid to get into the middle of shit.

With that being said, clearly there are different styles of documentaries, each with a different focus. One show to check out on netflix is "Documentary Now". It's a comedy show, that does fake documentaries, but its interesting to see the same crew making vastly different types of docs, and you can clearly see the changes in types of the films too.

What documentary are you trying to emulate?

>>3067852
>My camerawork and storytelling is OK
Don't get too cocky now.

>>3067852

dont listen to /p/ fags they think they're already good at documentary when they have done none.

It all depends on what kind of documentary form you are getting into, looking at Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson documentary.. its more of a Participatory Documentary where the person documenting the subject participates in asking the questions without showing his or her face.

Most documentaries are usually based on its content than visual but of course the visual has to move the story. I did some observational documentaries for my thesis and its not as easy because the process must take years if not months while i only have 4 months to shoot my subject and even that i think its not enough.. with almost 1 terabyte worth of footage (shot on a 5D because im poor). Within those footage only a few of the shots are stitched in for a 5 - 10 minutes documentary short because they drove the story better. The visuals must not be pretty but it has to capture emotions and it has to connect to the audience than yourself because you are there but the audience are not. Your camera need to get rolling to get that perfect timing and moment and you gotta pre-visualize it quickly and get the shot. This is why its always better to have a short simple script of what you need to tell in this documentary.. pre-visualize how you want to shoot it and then just hope the moment happen.

Documentaries are never pure.. im sure many documentaries even observational or cinema verite has some parts that are scripted.. because you cant be there for 5 years shooting and getting that one moment from that person you have been wanting to look for unless your subject is in some sort of situation throughout.

The hardest form of documentary is always catching reality into the frame but to shoot reality would be fucking boring.. Your edits must also a huge part of a documentary apart from content and visual.