Documentaries that make a difference

'Tell the truth and get the message across' is Eamonn Mathew's advice for aspiring war and conflict documentary makers. 

Eamonn Matthews is the Managing Director of Quicksilver Media. He's a world famous program maker, and the 2010 BAFTA winner for his work as Executive Producer on the Emmy-nominated documentary Terror in Mumbai.

Students of the University of Westminster were invited to an inspiring lecture with clips from some of the most spoken of documentaries on wars and conflicts worldwide.

The key ingredients

There are four main criteria for a successful documentary, according to Mr. Mathews: Good pictures, engaging characters, transgression and a creative narrative.

‘Good TV needs pictures’, Mr. Mathews says. ‘Pictures that make you think and show real events’.

The element of engaging characters in a documentary is crucial, according to Mr. Mathews. He says: ‘A good documentary makes you feel that you are put in someone else's shoes’.

We see clips from 'Children of the inferno' and 'Orphans of Burma's Cyclone', which both leave a lasting impression thanks to real and unforgettable characters.

We learn that the best documentaries are created through transgression. Mathews believes it’s crucial that documentary journalists go where people don't want to go, and where governments don't want them to be.

 'Secret Iraq' and 'Terror in Mumbai' contain all the ingredients above and the ground breaking narrative of the later, won it a BAFTA award.


Gruesome realities

After seeing the severe suffering of characters in the documentary clips, one wonders how the film makers can keep from stepping in to help.

Eamonn Mathews explains: 'We try not to interfere - we are not aid workers, but if we see something appalling, we will obviously step in'.

He gives an example of when a member of a movie team saved a bleeding victim's life by applying a pressure bandage.

'Documentary journalists often have very robust characters - it goes with the job', Mathews tells us, but he also says that sometimes members of the film crew do request therapy, and then it's always provided. 

One might think the biggest risks in war- and conflict filming involve bombings and cross fire, but we learn that it's car accidents, diseases, de-hydration and kidnapping that stand for the biggest life threatening risks.

It's clear that the makers of these movies have put themselves under extreme danger, but the rewards are world class documentaries that really can make a difference.