Non-fiction film without a script — real events, real people, unscripted situations. Editing and narration carry the story, not performance.
You're on set and have no actors, no script, no marks on the floor. Instead, you're observing real people in real situations — that's documentary. The difference from fiction film lies not just in the absence of fiction, but in the fundamental approach: the story doesn't originate on paper beforehand, but rather while you're shooting and later in the edit.
In practice, this means you need more patience and material. Where a scene might be shot in three takes for a fiction film, with documentary you'll follow along for hours, waiting for the moment when something authentic happens. The camera often stays rolling because you don't know when the decisive look or spontaneous reaction will occur. This requires a different camera technique — more stable, less mobile usually, or conversely: ultra-mobile and reactive, depending on the style. Handheld work is standard here, not an effect.
The narrative builds in the editing. While in fiction film, the cut implements the planned intention, the documentary editor constructs the story from the material — through image sequence, editing rhythm, and often through voice-over or music. This is no less crafted than fiction film, just post-production. Some deliberately call this "montage cinema": meaning arises from the combination of images, not from the images themselves.
Technically, you should also think differently here: longer takes, fewer cuts per minute, wider framing. The audience should have time to grasp the situation and interpret it themselves. Especially in long-term observation (vérité style, see there), you work with minimal intervention — no lighting effects, natural light, sound as raw as possible. This isn't laziness, but method: the more transparent the camera, the more credible the authenticity.
Sometimes you'll also see more structured documentaries, where interviews, archival material, and observation are mixed. Here, sound becomes the track — statements construct the context, while images illustrate or contradict. This is closer to classic documentary craft and requires more precise planning, although no acting still takes place.