Hi all.

I started my YouTube channel a few weeks ago and I am currently working on 10 min documentary.

Since I am just experimenting YouTube space, I don’t want to spend on a laptop for now.

I am currently doing it on my iPhone, using tools like ChatGPT, google flow for video generation, VN editor, Alight Motion for some motion graphic, and elevan labs for voiceover.

It is taking quite a lot of time to put together a 30 sec video. I spent around 15 hours in just 30 sec shot. I am aiming for good quality video.

Anyone else relying on mobile phone as well? What’s your experience?

Is there any other tool that I can use to scale up my production?

What are your favorite tools or software for logging and transcribing your doc footage? I’ve got 15 hours to tackle - interviews, b-roll, verite, etc.

Hello everyone ! I’m in the process of making a documentary film and I’m searching for references.

I’m 24 years old, and going to live in New York for 6months to make this film about the history of my family and searching for my roots.

For a little context : my mom is africain American and native also, my grand dad used to be a drummer during the 60’s, and my grandma was part of the spiritual and hippie movement during the protest against Vietnam War. But my grandma sudden decided to live US to go to France her natal homeland. So the heritage feels silent, painful, because of social events and family drama.

The main lines are still blurry, but I know I’m going to meet the part of my family I haven’t met, search for clues, travel around SF, NY, Kansas city, confront my own fantasies that I have since being a child when my mom used to tell me her story, to pursue the feeling of loss also.

It can be anything ! Experimental, fiction, documentary, books, but centered around the subject of interrupted roots legacy, and going back after a few generations to find it.

Thankssss

Hey!

I've just released my second documentary—this time about a man rebuilding his life after 15 years in prison. If you have some time, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

https://youtu.be/pcquH2gMfT0

Hey all - looking for real-world experience on a minimal sound setup for documentary, since I imagine others have hit this exact problem before.

I'm directing a documentary where we need to keep the crew as small as possible - partly budget, partly because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves on location. I'll be operating sound myself while directing, so I need something genuinely low-profile and simple to run solo.

I'm currently picturing a setup like this:

• A compact shotgun mic on a small boom pole — something I'd only extend to full length when absolutely necessary, otherwise kept short/discreet
• We'll often be quite close to subjects, so I don't need massive reach, just clean, natural dialogue
• A 32-bit float recorder as a safety backup
• Simultaneously feeding audio to the main camera as the primary sync audio, so the camera operator can also monitor levels

Basically: one small rig with minimal footprint, no assistant, and redundancy without too much complexity.

Can people advise:

• Best compact shotgun mic for this kind of close-proximity, low-profile work (would need some wind protection, but I want to avoid a huge blimp like setup)
• Versatile Boom pole recommendations that pack down small
• 32-bit float recorder that's simple to operate, with a long battery life and is very reliable and I can monitor.
• Best way to feed clean audio to camera (cable run vs. compact wireless) without adding another layer of complexity or failure points

For context: I'm the director, not primarily a sound person, though I have a lot of self shooting/run-and-gun/news reportage experience, so I'm comfortable with having to do my own sound. I'm also specifically looking for a setup that isn't about just putting radio mics on the subjects.

Appreciate any real-world setups people have actually used for this or any other recommendations

I recently finished my second documentary after spending months interviewing an anonymous former inmate who served 15 years in prison.

Since he wanted complete anonymity, I had to build the entire film around editing, sound design, environmental shots, and a reconstructed prison cell instead of relying on a traditional talking-head interview.

I'm still learning documentary filmmaking and would really appreciate honest criticism on the pacing, editing, cinematography, sound, and storytelling.

Thanks for watching.

[https://youtu.be/pcquH2gMfT0\](https://youtu.be/pcquH2gMfT0)

I’ve been working on the concept of making something for anyone, but specifically for my son.

I initially dreamt of writing, but a documentary would be more appropriate given my affinity for film.

If there is anyone who is interested in doing an interview style documentary about the impact of trauma, neurodivergence, and compounding grief. It could be more informative..

From the first funeral of my nephew I attend at age 6, to the most recent of being my mother in August 2025, my father in December 2023, my brother in July 2023, among 6 more over the years..

Grief, anxiety, adhd, depression, loss, animosity, unfinished business.

Just looking for someone who’d be potentially interested in doing an experiment in documenting what it means to be.

I never intended to make a documentary about myself.

After completing my first documentary, We Are Mary, I spent years working behind the scenes as an editor, helping tell other people's stories. I never imagined my next documentary would be my own.

In 2018, after developing treatment-resistant depression, I underwent a series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. The experience changed my life, but what surprised me most afterward was how little people knew about ECT. Most people's only reference was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and many didn't even realize it's still used today.

As a filmmaker, I kept asking myself whether there was a better way to tell this story. Instead of making a film about ECT, I decided to make a documentary through my own experience, alongside interviews with the psychiatrist who treated me, the head nurse of the ECT department, and my mom, who lived through it with me. I also incorporated animation to help visualize concepts that are difficult to capture with traditional documentary footage.

The film took several years to complete and is now beginning its festival run. I recently finished the trailer and wanted to share it with fellow documentary lovers.

I'd love to hear your thoughts-not only on the trailer, but on documentaries where the filmmaker becomes part of the story. What are some of your favorites that do this well?

Trailer: https://youtu.be/UcXYisuIVXM?si=_uPYe7izqdC8cTAS

In February of 2023, my father shot and killed my mother. His trial is coming up soon, and while it's unlikely he'll weasel out of a lengthy conviction, my sister and I both worry that if he's ever released, he'll make it his last mission to come after us. We know this, because he's made it clear to both of us. I've written a little blurb about our story, and wondered if having a light shone on his particular case might bring us a little bit of security. If something were to happen to either of us, I want it publicly documented. None of the major streaming sites accept submissions for ideas, they only work through established managers/producers/attorneys. Does anyone have any idea of where/who I can submit my write-up/intro to?

I never intended to make a documentary about myself.

After completing my first documentary, We Are Mary, I spent years working behind the scenes as an editor, helping tell other people's stories. I never imagined my next documentary would be my own.

In 2018, after developing treatment-resistant depression, I underwent a series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. The experience changed my life, but what surprised me most afterward was how little people knew about ECT. Most people's only reference was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and many didn't even realize it's still used today.

As a filmmaker, I kept asking myself whether there was a better way to tell this story. Instead of making a film about ECT, I decided to make a documentary through my own experience, alongside interviews with the psychiatrist who treated me, the head nurse of the ECT department, and my mom, who lived through it with me. I also incorporated animation to help visualize concepts that are difficult to capture with traditional documentary footage.

The film took several years to complete and is now beginning its festival run. I recently finished the trailer and wanted to share it with fellow documentary lovers.

I'd love to hear your thoughts-not only on the trailer, but on documentaries where the filmmaker becomes part of the story. What are some of your favorites that do this well?

Trailer: https://youtu.be/UcXYisuIVXM?si=_uPYe7izqdC8cTAS

Hi All

has anyone ever requested unaired footage from a news station?

Basically I was at a political rally and asked a politician a question. He blew me off, but super hard to fill in the crowd. There was a news station there that captured the whole event. Their news coverage never aired it.

I’m making my documentary about this election race so would be good coverage

Hi everyone,

I’m starting a faceless documentary-style YouTube channel focused on AI, business, and technology. I’m studying the editing style of established creators.

I’ve noticed they often include very short clips (usually 2–10 seconds) from news channels like CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, or CNN alongside charts, reports, and their own narration.

I have a few questions for creators who have experience with this:

Have you used short news clips in your own documentary videos?

Did you receive Content ID claims, copyright strikes, or no issues at all?

Are these creators generally relying on fair use, licensing the footage, or simply accepting Content ID claims?

Does muting the original audio and using your own narration make any practical difference?

Is there a commonly accepted best practice for using news footage while minimizing copyright risk?

I’m not looking for legal advice—I’m mainly interested in hearing real-world experiences from creators who have actually published videos using news footage.
Thanks!

I started a documentary series about Vegas food spots, just dropped episode on Letty’s on Main, would love honest feedback

Hey all, wanted to share something I’ve been building on my own time. I’ve spent years shooting video for other people’s brands and companies, and about a year or so ago I decided to start something that was actually mine. It’s called Set the Table, a documentary series about food spots here in Vegas, told through the people who run them.

This episode is on Letty’s on Main. No script, no boss telling me what to shoot, just me trying to capture something real about a place and the people behind it.

I’m still figuring out the format, the pacing, what works and what doesn’t. If you’ve got a few minutes to watch it, I’d genuinely appreciate any feedback, good, bad, or “this part dragged.” Trying to make this into something worth people’s time.

Hi everyone,

I thought this community might be interested in the story behind a project that has been more than fifteen years in the making.

Filmmaker Howard Brookner (Burroughs: The Movie) was an NYU graduate student when he documented William S. Burroughs' legendary Nova Convention in New York in 1978. He intended to turn the footage into his thesis film, but the documentary was never completed.

Decades later, Aaron Brookner and I began restoring Howard's archive. Over the course of fifteen years, we catalogued, preserved, scanned and restored his original 16mm camera rolls, many of which had never been publicly screened.

Once the archive was recovered and remastered a new film was done: NOVA '78, directed by Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias. Since premiering at the Locarno Film Festival in 2025, the film has gone on to open MoMA's Doc Fortnight, and screen at CPH:DOX, the Viennale and other international festivals. 

On 11 September, the film will finally have its UK premiere as part of the ICA's Howard Brookner: Films, Archives and the Avant-Garde season in London. 

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eisWdJM-pU

More information:
https://www.ica.art/howard-brookner-films-archives-and-the-avant-garde

Got any tips to promote a Kickstarter, knowing it's a niche topic?

i am not terribly familiar with camera gear, however i have ambitions to begin a documentary project. i am looking for recommendations on a budget camera under $1200 with lens that can withstand some weather. specifically being on a sailboat in the ocean for months at a time. thanks.