Mini Documentary
Best for: Documentaries, interviews, local stories
The hook
- Say
- This man has fixed bikes for free for ten years.
The first 3 seconds
- 0.0sB-roll of the person at work. Voiceover: “This man has fixed bikes for free for ten years.”
- 1.5sClose-ups of their hands and face.
- 2.5sThe question hangs there: why?
- 3.0sThe viewer wants the story.
Why it works
A documentary cold open introduces a person, a place and a question in one sentence.
What you need
- Someone or something with a story
- B-roll: extra footage of them, their hands, their place
- A voiceover script
Step by step
Plan
- Find someone or something near you with a story: a local shop, a hobby, a place.
- Ask permission to film, and to post.
Film
- Film lots of B-roll: hands, faces, the place, small details.
- Record a short interview, then your voiceover.
Edit
- Open with one surprising fact over the B-roll.
- End with a line that sticks.
Use it in your niche
- LocalThis café has served the same soup for 40 years.
- SportThis 70-year-old skates every single morning.
- CraftThis woman builds guitars by hand in her garage.
Pro tips
- The first sentence should have a person, a place and a surprise.
- Let the person tell the story in their own words.
Avoid
- Filming people without permission.
- A slow start. Open with the most surprising fact.
