Purpose. Which people in my life might make good documentary subjects? Why? What questions do I have about these people? Is there a subculture that I belong to or that I’m interested in that would make an interesting subject for a documentary? Why?

Audience. Who are my viewers? What do they care about? Why should/will subject matter to them? What do I want them to learn about my subject? Do I want my audience to be motivated to action? That is, do I want to inform them? Do I want to persuade them? Or a little of both?

Rhetorical appeals. How will I present the narrative aspects of my documentary? And how will I establish my authority as a filmmaker? Will I use a narrator, and if so, how reliable will that voice be? To what extent will I appeal to my viewers’ emotions? To what extent will I rely on logic to support my interpretations?

Modes & media. Do I want viewers to experience my film primarily through visuals? How might I use audio in relation to visuals? Will I use text in the film? What about sound effects and B-roll?

Elements of the genre. Will I use only footage that I shoot or will I integrate archival/historical footage? Should I use voice-over narration? If so, what will be the role of that narration?

Style. How will I organize my documentary? How will I inform my viewers and tell the story I want to tell? How will I make the transition between the different parts of my documentary?

Design. What types of shots will I want to use? Do I want to focus on close-ups, long-range shots, or midrange shots? How will I frame my subject? For what purpose?

Sources. How many people will I interview for my documentary? Will they all be people I know? Will I need to do additional research for the film? Will I need to consult experts in a particular field?