Any film can dispassionately present a subject, a person and a place, but you’ll have something much more emotive if you can find an element of uncertainty or danger to run through it as a subtheme. Watch nature programmes to see how they engage their audience by showing what’s at risk: if the lion doesn’t find water soon he will die; if the calf remains sick the herd will leave it behind. Find the conflict and delve deeper – show the audience what to care about.
Find the angle that has the power to surprise you, as a filmmaker: that’s what will hook your viewer too. Generally, this means seeking the human stories behind what you’re shooting. So if you’re visiting a historical monument, find out what the building means to the local people. If you’re filming a local fisherman, ask him questions about his own experiences. You might be surprised by some of the answers – he doesn’t know how to swim, perhaps, or he loves being with the stars every night. These are the details that make an ordinary video into an extraordinary one.
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