Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the questions you might have about the methodology, how it works and whether it's a good fit for you. Please ask if you'd like to know more.

In December I was interviewed for the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers. I went through some of the ideas behind The Doc Fix, and how they were used in a David Attenborough documentary, and the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. If you want to join us and see how this approach can work for you, please go here to get a case study that outlines our methods.

https://apply.thedocfix.com/apply-now

All the best - Nigel

What's Different About This Method?

23.05.2020

It's probably worth reading my longer post on my approach, but in essence I teach the ability to have an accurate and intuitive understanding of the structure of stories and the arguments they are making. With control over a story's structure it becomes straightforward to control the meaning of the story and how you want it to impact your audience.

Is It Right For Me?

22.05.2020

One of the most common questions I am asked is if there is a checklist approach to making a story work - and of course there isn’t. But at the same time you should never have to feel unmoored, waiting for instinct to strike and having to go on hunches to get you where you want to be with your film.

How Quickly Can You Apply this Method?

22.05.2020

Like any skill, it takes time and practice to acquire the techniques, but within a few hours of learning these methods, you will start seeing all stories in a new light. From then on it is about practising the techniques in as many ways as you can to refine your ability to understand and recognise the weakness in a story.

What about instinct & the edit 'process'?

22.05.2020

When viewing an edit that isn’t working, and the production is worried (which is when I’m often called in) then it would be dangerous to rely solely on my innate talent as a writer and director to find the solutions to what is on the screens. That can be very elusive, and can be harder to find when the pressure is on.

Does it Work with Any Format or Genre

20.05.2020

It does. My experience with these methods includes history and science documentary, feature documentary in music, art and history as well as sports, entertainment and natural history. There are blog posts (Jack of All Trades, Hard Science ) where I talk about how using these methods has opened me up to working on stories in any genre.