VisualGPS Creative Trends Culture What Brands Can Learn From Documentaries

When it comes to building trust, brands can take visual inspiration from documentaries. Why? Documentaries offer multi‑perspectives, emotional depth and context. Getty Images’ VisualGPS research reveals nearly all of Europeans report encountering misinformation when consuming content, with a majority (54%) overwhelmed by information overload and 64% agreeing that even real‑life stories and testimonials can seem staged and less credible. Enter documentaries. Given consumers’ fatigue of misinformation overload and a desire for truth, documentaries are booming, especially on streaming platforms.  

Global demand for documentaries centred on real events, personal experiences and social realities is expected to grow significantly.¹ Over two thirds (68%) of US/UK marketers have increased production of long‑form creator content in the past 12 months and 70% plan to increase production over next year.² Brands are taking note with Patagonia, Porsche or ON investing in branded documentaries.  

Research shows that documentary as a genre is more likely to inspire people to action. For example, in Europe, 97% of documentary viewers claim to have been affected by a documentary.³  Interestingly, this is starker for younger generations. While middle‑aged audience (35‑54) are the most frequent viewers, younger viewers (16‑24) are three times more likely to feel encouraged to act after watching. Even though they watch less, they feel the impact more deeply.⁴ Recent research from France reveals documentaries fuel casual conversations, especially amongst the 15‑34 age group. 92% of viewers discuss them with others and 81% recommend a documentary to other people.⁵ By taking inspiration from a documentary approach, brands can build greater trust and drive conversation.  

So, which visual approaches from documentaries can you consider in your visual storytelling? Here are three examples that can drive deeper engagement with today’s consumers:

Immersive and factual 
Picture slightly shaky, handheld camera quietly and steadily following people as they are moving through their environment. These are tracking shots, making the viewer feel as if they are walking alongside or behind. By using tracking shots, brands can evoke an immediate intimacy, breaking down the distance between the subject and the audience for a deeper shared experience.

Empathetic and intimate 
Empathetic framing is moving beyond facts and focusing on intimate emotional states. It’s about real people, doing real things and how the camera frames this action is important. Brands can show it by using tight, sometimes, slightly‑off frames, shallow depth of fields or breaking the fourth wall. This will make the story deeply human and relatable and one the audience will root for. 

Cinematic and high‑end 
Going ‘cinematic’ is a powerful way to communicate high‑end value and visual ‘craft’. Picture dramatic sweeping wide‑angles, low‑light luxury shots, stylised still life and slow‑motion of macro details. It is visual storytelling that is all about making every detail feel heroic and important.  

Whether creating shared experience, signalling value or building deep emotional connection, these different visual approaches employed in documentaries can build deeper trust with today’s consumers.   

Sources

[1] Straits Research
[2] Billion Dollar Boy
[3] Huw D. Jones, Documentary Films Audiences in Europe. Findings from the Moving Docs Survey, University of Southampton, July 2020
[4] Huw D. Jones, Documentary Films Audiences in Europe. Findings from the Moving Docs Survey, University of Southampton, July 2020
[5] VBA Xsight pour France Culture