I used my talents as a documentary filmmaker to shoot a feature film. The Canadian industry should take note.

Cutaways is a personal essay series where Canadian filmmakers tell the story of how their film was made. This TIFF 2024 edition by director Amar Wala focuses on his film Shook.

I remember my first episodic documentary directing gig like it was yesterday. We were filming in Baltimore, following a street photographer through their process in the city. I was sitting in their truck, just asking a couple simple questions, when all of a sudden, they noticed a police helicopter hovering surprisingly close to the street. 

This usually meant something was about to go down, they explained, and sure enough, a moment later, two cop cars zipped by our truck. The photographer stepped on the gas in pursuit, and before I knew it, we had filmed a powerful, kinetic sequence of local residents standing up to police hostility. 

My cameraman, Andrew Sheppard, captured all of it with a level of finesse and control that takes years to develop. And the footage edited into one of the best sequences I've directed to this day. I often wonder what that "scene" would cost had this been a fiction film. The cop cars, the helicopter, the thousands of residents … it's likely that one scene would have been in the millions.     

Making both scripted films and documentaries is common practice for many of our great filmmakers. Scorcese and Herzog have spent their careers shifting back and forth between the forms. Varda did the same. Yet, practically speaking, the Canadian industry prefers that filmmakers pick a lane and stick to it. An attempted transition from documentary to scripted work is often met with disdain or skepticism. Putting it frankly, the Canadian scripted film and TV world undervalues the skill and pure storytelling talent of documentary filmmakers, and costs itself dearly in doing so.

Having just completed my first scripted feature film, Shook, I can say unequivocally that my experience making docs was vital in establishing the film's artistic quality and in my ability to complete our days efficiently. We shot over 20 tight days last summer, with no room for error or reshoots, and if it weren't for my doc background, I would have been in trouble. 

You see, when you make docs, you are almost always walking into a location you've never been to before, with participants or subjects you've never actually met. You have a short window to assess the location and determine the best way to photograph it. You need it to be practical yet beautiful. There's no takes, no second chances, and yet it must cut together as perfectly as a fiction scene would. And if you've done your job well, you shouldn't need voiceover or text, and there should be no trace of you or your camera. Once you learn to do all that, and do it well, scripted work almost feels like a luxury.  

At one point during the production of Shook, a cast member tested positive for COVID, meaning we had to re-cast on the fly and shoot two days' worth of footage in one. Yet we got it done: I knew from my doc experience what was needed to ensure the scene cut together seamlessly and what was simply a flourish that I needed to let go. Docs are built in the edit room, and you get really good at shooting in a way that facilitates a good edit. We doc makers are forced to be practical, efficient and poised. 

Despite often having limited resources and small crews, documentarians have also shot some of the most stunning footage ever put on screen. We learn quickly that creating beautiful images isn't about the camera or lighting, but rather the eye and talent of the DP and director. On Shook, if we were ever running behind on a day, I knew my DP, Peter Hadfield, and I had the ability to strip down to a very basic camera setup if needed, without compromising our image quality. 

The one area where doc doesn't give you much experience is working with actors (though recreations are sometimes used). That was something I was really excited for with Shook; working with experienced, gifted actors was something I hadn't done enough of. The experience was sublime, not only because our cast was incredibly easy to work with, but because spending years following real people telling real stories gives you an ear for honest and natural performance.  

So my advice to producers, showrunners and broadcast execs is this: when searching for new directing talent, look to the doc community. I assure you the skills translate, and you'll find directors you can rely on to deliver both artistically and logistically. And to my fellow documentarians: do not let our industry force you into a box. We are artists after all, and challenging ourselves and playing with form is the job.     

Shook screens at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 5-15.