The Ten Rules of Personal Documentary Filmmaking - Rule #9

When it comes to making personal docs, you can run but you can't hide.  Whether you choose to be onscreen or not, narrate or not, there's no escaping the fact that you are in it.  This is a high-risk endeavor and not for the faint of heart.  In fact, the success of your film is often directly proportional to your willingness to put your neck squarely on the chopping block.

But if you follow this next rule you can breathe a little easier.  Because...

Rule #9: You're not really you.  You're just a character in a story.

First-person documentaries are no different from other movies in terms of audience expectations.  Some moviegoers seek out films that bust genre conventions or play with the form, but most just want to lose themselves in a good story. 

So, unless you're a pure experimental filmmaker, your task as a director is to stand at a remove, let go of your ego and work through your arc as the story's protagonist or driving force.  The arc may be small or subtle, but it's always there.  Your character begins at point A, and whether you end up at point D, G, P or Z, there's inevitably a movement towards discovery and growth through the course of the film.

It may seem impossibly daunting to maintain that kind of distance and objectivity.  But I think it's actually liberating.  If your focus is on character growth, you'll feel far more free to show yourself behaving badly at times (which, as I've discussed, is usually a good thing).  And hopefully far less inclined to wallow in self-indulgence.