# Investigative Documentary — Format

> Journalism + filmmaking. Following truth across resistance. Often crime, politics, business malfeasance.

## Format basics

- Length: 60-120+ min (often longer for series)
- Investigative journalism methods
- Multiple sources
- Documents, evidence
- Often legal stakes
- Subjects may be hostile

## Structure

```
OPENING (5-10 min)
- The crime / problem
- Stakes established

ACT 1 (10-30 min)
- Setup
- Initial investigation
- Resistance encountered

ACT 2 (30-75 min)
- Following leads
- Multiple sources
- Reveals
- Roadblocks
- Major break

ACT 3 (75-100 min)
- Confrontation
- Truth uncovered
- Consequences

OUTRO (100-110 min)
- Aftermath
- Subjects today
- Larger implications
```

## Famous investigative documentaries

- "The Thin Blue Line" (Errol Morris)
- "Citizenfour" (Laura Poitras)
- "Making a Murderer" (Netflix series)
- "Tiger King" (Netflix series)
- "The Case Against Adnan Syed"
- "Going Clear" (Alex Gibney)
- "Where to Invade Next" (Michael Moore)

## Sample investigative documentary concept

```
TITLE: "The Yemen Coffee Conspiracy"

CONCEPT: Investigation into a multinational corporation's exploitation
of Yemeni coffee farmers and laundering of war-era profits through
legitimate trade channels.

LENGTH: 90 min

STRUCTURE:

OPENING (5 min):
- Quick visual: stacks of coffee bags being loaded onto ships
- Voiceover: "The most expensive coffee in the world comes from
Yemen. And it's being stolen."
- A whistleblower's silhouette: "I know what they did."

ACT 1 (5-25 min):
- The setup: Filmmaker discovers price discrepancy
- Initial research
- Companies involved
- Reaches out to farmers in Yemen
- Long-distance contact via secured channels
- Establishes scope

ACT 2 (25-65 min):
- Travel to Yemen (filmmaker risks)
- Farmer interviews
- Documents obtained from inside company
- Whistleblower fully revealed (with protection)
- Money trail traced
- Company refuses comment
- Other journalists join investigation
- Major reveal: government cooperation suspected

ACT 3 (65-85 min):
- Confrontation: filmmaker tries to interview CEO
- Refused
- Documents go to investigative partners (newspapers)
- Story breaks
- Company response (legal threats)
- Government investigation begins

OUTRO (85-90 min):
- Where things stand today
- The whistleblower's status
- The farmers' status (some helped, situation continues)
- "The story is bigger than this. There are other commodities,
other systems, other crimes hidden in plain sight."
- Final shot: a coffee cup on a desk.
```

## Key principles

### Journalism rigor
- Sources verified
- Documents authenticated
- Claims supported
- Cross-referenced

### Subject safety
- Whistleblowers protected
- Sources confidential when needed
- Filmmaker safety considered

### Legal awareness
- Defamation laws
- Right of reply
- Editorial fairness

### Pacing through investigation
- Building case
- Each clue advances
- Audience invested in pursuit

### Truth over sensationalism
- Report accurately
- Don't manufacture drama
- Trust facts to be compelling

## Sub-types

### Crime investigation
- True crime
- Police work paralleled
- Justice questions

### Political investigation
- Government corruption
- Power abuses
- Accountability journalism

### Corporate investigation
- Business malfeasance
- Worker exploitation
- Environmental harm

### Religious / cult investigation
- Power abuses
- Closed systems
- Survivors' stories

### Historical investigation
- Past crimes uncovered
- Cold case style

## When to use

- Story requires investigation
- Public interest stake
- Sources accessible
- Legal counsel available
- Distribution plan (festival, streaming)

## Common mistakes

- Insufficient sources
- Hidden bias
- Sensationalism
- Subject manipulation
- Endangering sources
- Legal recklessness
- Padding investigation

## Production realities

- Long timelines (years)
- Significant research
- Travel often required
- Legal counsel
- Source protection
- Sometimes physical risk
