How to Make a Video Guide: Creating Compelling Documentaries

The Bandit Tour was a transformative experience. Volunteering, connecting with people, and documenting it all as Vidyard’s Video Production Manager was incredibly moving. This article focuses on How To Make A Video Guide, specifically documentaries, drawing from my experience creating a mini-documentary about the Bandit Tour for Good. It covers equipment, planning, and the core question: can businesses use documentaries to do good?

What is a Mini-Doc?

A mini-documentary, or “mini-doc,” is a non-fiction video, typically 10 to 30 minutes long, designed to document reality for educational purposes. It’s longer than a typical marketing video but shorter than a feature-length film. Though time-consuming to create and watch, mini-docs offer immense value.

Documentary-style videos differ from typical marketing videos by prioritizing education, inspiration, and transformation. They foster human connection. While corporate documentaries may offer tangential benefits like brand messaging, they resonate most when driven by genuine motives.

The Bandit Tour Mini Documentary

The Bandit Tour, organized annually by Traction on Demand since 2013, involves employees traveling from Vancouver to San Francisco for Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, volunteering for nonprofits like Teen Feed and A Better Life Foundation along the way. I recognized a story of culture, teamwork, and personal transformation – the building blocks of a great brand documentary.

Over seven days, Michael, Laura, and I joined the tour, capturing six hours of footage (including 1.5 hours of interviews) that were edited into an 18-minute film.

Watch the Mini-DocWatch the 18-minute documentary I made about the 2019 Bandit Tour for Good edition.

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Video Guide for Documentaries

Feature-length documentaries often share common elements. They usually begin in the middle of the story, creating a hook before circling back to explain the context. This non-linear approach immediately grabs the viewer’s attention.

The overall documentary structure often follows a classic storytelling arc: conflict, rising action, falling action, and resolution. This framework is evident in documentaries like The Biggest Little Farm, This Changes Everything, Shark Water, and even Disney Nature’s documentaries, which personalize animals to connect with viewers.

1. Pre-Production and Planning: The Foundation

The planning phase constitutes roughly 50% of the documentary production timeline. It’s crucial. Thorough preparation streamlines filming and editing. Knowing the desired shots beforehand accelerates the shooting process and minimizes editing time.

Define the goal. Establish a clear thesis before filming. Even without knowing the complete story, especially for unfolding events, have a guiding purpose.

My direction on the Bandit Tour was minimal. I was asked to capture the experience. Knowing we’d be traveling, I planned to capture stable B-roll footage of the vehicles. Anticipating emotional experiences during volunteer work, I prepared for interviews.

Be mindful of subjects’ requests. The Traction on Demand team requested no nighttime filming during personal time, leading me to film only during the day, with unexpected benefits.

2. Gear Up: Assembling Your Equipment

Familiarity with equipment maximizes focus during filming. There’s nothing worse than missing a great shot while struggling with camera settings.

A lightweight kit is ideal, especially for travel. Cameras are useless if they’re too bulky to carry. I used a DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal, a compact handheld camera, and a higher-quality Sony A7III capable of shooting 4k video. This combination proved sufficient.

Expensive equipment isn’t essential. The difference between footage from mid-range and high-end equipment is often negligible. However, prioritize sound quality. Viewers tolerate grainy footage, but not poor audio.

A Standard Documentary Film Kit:

DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal
Sony A7III
Lenses
Lavalier microphone x 2
Monopod
Headphones
SD cards
Portable hard drive
Extra batteries

Alt text: A comprehensive documentary film kit including camera, lenses, microphone, and accessories.

3. Storytelling Over Gear: Focusing on the Narrative

Prioritize the story over flashy equipment. A lightweight gear kit is advantageous.

As a one-person crew on the Bandit Tour, I needed to make a documentary by myself, precluding heavy equipment setups.

While a RED cinema camera would be ideal for 8K footage, its setup complexity isn’t practical for on-the-fly shooting that requires volume collection over individual perfect shots.

4. Variety is Key: Collecting Diverse Shots

Documentaries are collages of diverse shots. Capture a wide range to provide editing options. Understanding documentary construction informs shot selection. Identifying the need for a strong opener and closer is crucial.

I had backup on the Bandit Tour. Sacha Vanhecke from Traction on Demand filmed a separate documentary about the startups we assisted. We collaborated on B-roll, capturing footage for each other’s projects.

Common Types of Documentary Shots:

Talking Head: Direct-to-camera interviews.
Vlog: Informal, self-shot narration.
A-Roll: Primary footage, often interviews, narrating the core theme.
B-Roll: Contextual footage for transitions and to overlay interviews.

Post-Production Enhancements:

Animations: Animated introductions can compensate for missing footage.
Text Overlays: Titles and subtitles provide context and orientation.

Strategic B-Roll Usage

B-roll complements interviews. Cut to B-roll of the environment or related elements to avoid monotonous talking head segments.

Recognizing the road trip’s importance to the Bandit Tour’s theme, I captured B-roll of vehicles and branding. We used walkie-talkies to coordinate shots, capturing dynamic footage of the convoy.

How to Film a Great Interview

Documentary interviews present a fraction of the overall conversation. Direct conversations by focusing on key documentary aspects. Here are essential interviewing tips:

Choose conversation-friendly settings.
Select emotive interviewees.
Ensure good lighting.
Test audio beforehand.
Embrace off-script moments; the best insights often arise spontaneously.
Minimize note-reading to maintain connection.
Conduct interviews before, during, and after events for diverse perspectives.

My interview with Braden Ford, UX Design Lead from Traction on Demand, stands out. He volunteered on his birthday, creating a unique and impactful experience.

Alt text: Interview with Braden Ford, UX Design Lead at Traction on Demand, about his volunteer experience on his birthday.

5. Daily Footage Management: Offloading and Organizing

Protect your hard-earned footage. I offloaded media cards daily to a laptop with cloud backup to prevent data loss. Organize shots chronologically.

For detailed organization, I arrange footage daily on a video timeline, trimming unusable content and elevating usable content. This pre-selection streamlines subsequent editing phases.

I cluster each day’s footage and group common elements like “driving shots” for easy access.

screenshot showing folder structure for a documentary production

Alt text: Daily footage uploads organized by date for efficient documentary editing.

Alt text: Structured documentary project folder with organized video and audio assets.

6. Post-Production: Weaving the Story Together

Post-production is where the magic happens. Sometimes, you have exceptional footage and a clear vision. Other times, unexpected, inspiring quotes emerge, overlooked during filming.

Post-Production Steps

Revisit pre-production goals. Assess interview subjects and available footage.
First Edit: Trim initial clips, retaining only the best.
Second Edit: Select the best clips and arrange them into a compelling narrative. I reduced the Bandit Tour footage to 34 minutes of interviews at this stage.
Third Edit: Add B-roll to provide context and cover jump cuts. Sand dunes, laughter, and passing cars painted a picture of the story.
Transitions and Titles: Transitions and animated titles provide pacing and establish setting.
Philosophical Ending: Leave viewers with a thought-provoking conclusion. Use an interviewee’s compelling question or reflective clips. I concluded the Bandit Tour documentary with a shot of the team on a beach rock surrounded by the ocean.
Trailer Creation: Design a short, two-minute teaser showcasing the most compelling content. Mimic Hollywood by highlighting excitement without revealing the entire story.

Alt text: A documentary timeline in video editing software showing various clips, audio tracks, and transitions.

7. Sharing Your Story: Documentary Promotion

After investing time and energy, share the documentary. Choose distribution channels based on the target audience and where they’re most likely to find it.

Put Your Videos to Work Create, host, manage, and share your videos.

Brand Documentary Examples

Brand documentaries are becoming increasingly prevalent.

1. Jabil

Jabil empowered its team to explore sustainable packaging’s future, resulting in a documentary.

2. MailChimp

MailChimp created mini-documentaries about small businesses and their passionate founders.

3. Patagonia

Patagonia, known for environmental consciousness, frequently produces documentaries, including one about the stories behind clothing.

4. NETSCOUT

NETSCOUT partnered with Werner Herzog to explore the internet’s history in “Lo and Behold.”

5. Volvo

Volvo documented a father-son team with no farming experience transforming the agriculture industry.

6. Coors Light

Coors Light followed a photographer capturing Peru’s glacier ice walls, a play on its mountain logo (a four-minute mini-documentary).

7. American Express

American Express highlighted the 70 million Americans lacking traditional banking access.

Expert Tips for Documentary-Style Videos

1. Craft Your Narrative

I prefer mid-level planning, somewhere between full scripting and winging it.

For events like the Bandit Tour, scripting is impossible because the event hasn’t happened. The goal is to document reality, not direct it.

I guide interviewees toward answering what I consider the documentary’s big questions. For the Bandit Tour: “What does it mean for a company to give back? How does that empower nonprofits?”

Traction on Demand sends 110 of its 800 employees to Dreamforce annually, dedicating a week to volunteering. I asked people to reflect on this theme, yielding great insights.

2. Build Trust

My team and I joined the Bandit Tour without knowing anyone, starting with zero trust.

Traction on Demand’s request to avoid nighttime filming helped me build relationships off-camera, leading to greater openness and trust during interviews.

3. Stay Sharp

Filming is exhausting. Take breaks to stay alert and capture interesting moments.

4. Be Present

Sometimes, you’re part of the experience. During a moment in a forested area where everyone was told to close their eyes and breathe, I had to capture the shot instead of participating.

5. Audio is King

Prioritize audio quality. Invest in a lavalier microphone that clips to the interviewee’s shirt (decent ones start at $50 on Amazon).

Lavalier mics capture excellent resonance and reduce ambient noise.

6. Capture Reflections

Keep filming after the main event. Capture reflections and experiences to add depth.

7. Avoid ROI Obsession

Avoid documentaries if ROI is the primary focus. What’s the ROI of doing good? Or documenting it? The costs are outweighed by the experience and impact. Worthwhile outcomes don’t always have a dollar value.

8. End on an Expansive Note

The Bandit Tour bus, airstream, and Trans Am are now stored away. Dreamforce is over. The team has returned to daily work. What remains? The knowledge that we can all make time to give back, learning from incredible people and growing closer to others.

I’m grateful for the invitation. I hope others learn about the Bandit Tour and choose to remember it. I hope people are inspired and sign up to become bandits. And if this documentary does anything, I hope it spreads that message.