A2 - Three-Act Documentary structure

  Documentary structure is often determined by the subject matter of the film, but in general a documentary is made up of the beginning, the middle and the end, sometimes referred to as the "three-act structure." 

The Beginning - Act 1 

The opening of the documentary needs to capture the audience's attention. This is where you set the tone create curiosity in the viewer's mind to make them want to keep watching. You want to set up some kind of conflict, problem or unusual situation that keeps the audience mesmerised to the story wanting to know more.

The Middle - Act 2

The middle is divided into numerous scenes that build on each other to reveal your story. These segments don't necessarily go in chronological order. "Going back in time" is an effective filmmaking technique that can keep the audience guessing. Each scene often has it's own beginning/middle/end. These mini-scenes, patched together, create your story.

The End- Act 2

The ending of the documentary usually brings some kind of resolution to the questions and conflict established at the beginning of the film. It is often helpful when writing your documentary script to consider how the documentary will end before trying to write the beginning and the middle. Traditionally, Act Three is where all the tensions come to a head and the main topic of the documentary is understood and all the information is put across to the audience.

However 

Each documentary will have its own unique style, requiring creativity to figure out the best way to structure the story to make the biggest impact, all documentary structures are adapted depending on the topic and mode of documentary, not every documentary will follow the three act structure.