: Modern projects often employ an Impact Producer to ensure the film drives social or policy change.

: Whether it's the "photogenic" aspect of a subject or a specific treatment of space-time, the film must add something to its representation that distinguishes it from a simple photograph or record. Steps for Development

The entertainment industry documentary has become the definitive historical record of our time. In 50 years, when scholars want to understand why Hollywood collapsed (or reinvented itself), they won't watch the Oscar-winning dramas. They will watch the raw, unpolished, often heartbreaking documentaries about the set assistants, the child actors, the coke-fueled producers, and the writers who went on strike.