Ken Burns On Writing Doc Scripts

Why are documentary scripts important?  What are some key things to keep in mind when writing them?
The key tip I learned was to use the narrative elements at your disposal. Documentaries for the most part are written and it revolves around a written story, it inherits direct cinema, and written narration is the backbone of leading/carrying your documentary. The second key tip I learned about is to use different narrative points of view. Ken says "a combination of the two narratives creates something that's fuller and richer and more dimensional." This gives a lot of tension and reconciliation. The third key element of documentary scripts I read/learnt about is words are not set in stone. The writer's job is to just write the scene, so inevitably the process of working on a script is cutting/toning it down. Scripts normally undergo many drafts during the editing process. Some key things to keep in mind when writing a doc script are these tips because they're very much essential to writing the perfect script for your documentary if you want it sound natural and not forced or too long. 

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