The Ten Rules of Personal Documentary Filmmaking - Rule #5

It should be obvious by now that many of these so-called rules could apply to all non-fiction films, not just personal ones.  For instance, even the most sober social issue documentary could be helped enormously by finding moments of unexpected humor.   Well, the same goes for my next rule in spades...

Rule #5: Put your story in context.

What makes your personal story important to people outside your immediate family?  Why would a viewer in France or Japan or South Africa find it relevant to their lives?  Usually it's because it taps into a much larger, more universal human experience.

Even if your film is primarily about your family, what might be the larger themes?  Is there something about the time period or setting it takes place in that could be further explored?  Is there anyone else from outside the main story (experts on the subject, perhaps) that could add more perspective?

With 51 Birch Street, I vividly remember finishing our first rough cut right before the Christmas holiday break.  When we returned, editor Amy Seplin was adamant that while the story of my parents worked pretty well, there was something missing that kept it from being more than just a "nice" story.  So we turned our attention to the earlier years of their marriage, the 50's and 60's in particular, and to the stifling suburban lifestyle that contributed so much to my mother's unhappiness.  It didn't take a huge amount of work to tweak things -- an archival clip or two, some photos, an additional interview.  But the effect was profound.  When 51 Birch Street went into release, critics considered my parents emblematic of a whole era and the film was compared favorably to the novels of Updike, Cheever and Roth. 

So, you don't necessarily have to know the larger context for your story from the get-go.  In fact, there are aspects you'll almost certainly discover in the process of shaping the film.  But it's something you should be mulling from the beginning, since it informs much of what you'll end up shooting.