Michael Moore's Manifesto for Documentary Filmmaking

   Oscar winning Michael Moore tells a 13-point manifesto on how he makes successful documentaries. He gives many helpful tips for documentary making, but also tips that could be useful for any style film. Some of the important tips he gives that could be used for animation films are using laughter to benefit you and making films more personal. 

   "Laughter is a way to alleviate the pain of what you know to be true", as said by Michael Moore and put very well. No matter how sad the overall story is, comedy can lighten the situation and make things seem less serious. Of course, this method of lightening the mood should only be used when you want to brighten the audiences' spirits. If you want their mood to be grim or sad, a joke shouldn't be added. But you can see humour as a mask in many characters in films. A character may have a tragic backstory, but adding comedy to the character's personality will add depth. 

   Another useful tip from Moore is "make your films personal". It's hard to write stories about things you might not understand. Writing things you can relate to will typically show better results. Just as in his documentaries he wouldn't film something supporting an opinion he's against, you shouldn't write about something you dislike. Of course not all characters in a story should share the same opinions, and your characters shouldn't be exactly like you. But with the right touch you can use your past experiences to create a world in which the audience can relate to as well.