What

Documentary Ideas Are Suitable For Collaboration

Many documentaries tell stories that speak to the aims and objectives of charities. The most powerful documentaries show how people’s lives are interwoven with historical, cultural and social issues and reflect how we live, think and interact with each other and our world.

Across all the categories of charity and social change programs there are documentary stories. Films that give voice to young people, indigenous stories, educational initiatives and cultural exchange programs, stories from rural Australia and the experiences of refugees adapting to their new home, or inspirational arts programs fit within the objectives of many charitable organisations.

Charities assist unheard stories to be told by supporting documentaries empowering or documenting special initiatives within a community. Documentaries enable all members of society to recognise our diversity and to find connections with each other.

Documentaries bring attention to initiatives being run in the community by charities and non profit organisations. This is especially useful for long term projects aiming to make a difference to a community over a period of time. Sometimes assessing the impact of an initiative can be challenging, but with the aid of a documentary charting the incremental progress of charity over several years, long term change can be visibly apparent.

Success for a charity is project specific and often focuses on a small targeted audience. Documentaries can be aimed at the local audience; they encourage change individually and at community level. Documentaries can resonate deeply with people and show results in visible and measurable outcomes. Usually a documentary that knows its audience will have a profound effect locally and will then also speak to a wider national audience through television and potentially globally. Charities can then maximise their impact by making a difference to both a specific and broad audience.

A small audience demonstrates a profound impact while a broad audience does not necessarily provide the most resonating effect. Often filmmakers find that broadcasters are willing to come on board once the program is made and they see that the film has a positive reception. Broadcasters will pay less for it at this stage than at the concept stage but even a low priced sale to television guarantees an audience for the documentary.

Big ideas are often communicated most effectively through personal stories. Some Australian examples show that putting a human face on the problem of landmines (LANDMINES A LOVE STORY) or HIV/AIDS (MAKE IT REAL) or the devastating effect of teenage depression and suicide (OUR BROTHER JAMES) carries the impact further than just a written report or a specific initiative at a local level. Both these things will have an effect but a documentary can reach out beyond the local community to carry that impact to a broader audience and inspires action. The life for a documentary can extend over a long period of time.

See Case Studies for more details on these titles.