How I Direct Docu-Style Commercials
If you’ve ever watched a great ad and felt like you just met a real person, you’ve already felt the power of a docu-style commercial.
The best ones don’t feel like “content.” They feel like a tiny story you wandered into. A glimpse of a real moment, a real voice, a real reason someone cares. That’s the lane I love working in, and it’s the approach I bring to every project as a docu-style commercial director.
This post is a walkthrough of my process, from strategy to shoot days to the edit, and how I shape documentary techniques into story-driven commercials that still perform for brands.
Why docu-style works right now
People are smart. They can sense when a commercial is trying too hard, or when a person on screen is reading a line that doesn’t belong to them. Documentary-style storytelling cuts through that by leaning on what brands already have but sometimes overlook. They can focus on real customers, real athletes, real founders, real communities, in real environments.
A docu-style commercial earns attention by being human first and persuasive second. The irony is that “human first” tends to convert better anyway, because it builds trust instead of demanding it.
Step 1: I start with strategy, before story
I never want a brand film to be a beautiful mystery.
Before we talk cameras and shot lists, we align on what the project needs to do. That means getting clear on four things:
The audience: Who is this for, really? The person with the problem, the person with the taste, the person who makes the purchase, the person who influences the purchase.
The moment: Where will someone encounter this? A paid social scroll has different rules than a landing page, a retail loop, or a YouTube pre-roll.
The goal: Awareness, consideration, conversion, or internal alignment. The edit changes depending on which one matters most.
The promise: One clear belief the viewer should walk away with, stated in plain language.
This strategic foundation becomes a filter for everything that follows. If a scene is beautiful but doesn’t serve the promise, it becomes a “maybe” instead of a “must.”
Step 2: I look for the human thread
Docu-style commercials live or die on one question: what’s the real reason we’re making this?
Sometimes that reason is obvious. We might be following a runner coming back from injury or a climber learning to trust again. The video might focus on a founder building the product they wish existed five years earlier. Other times, the reason is hiding under the surface, and my job is to gently pull it into the light without turning it into a salesy video.
I usually find the human thread by listening for the stakes. The thing that would still matter if the product disappeared for a moment.
When the human thread is clear, the commercial gets simpler. Every scene becomes a key plot point and the viewer feels like they’re discovering and engaging with something instead of being sold to.
Step 3: I build a “documentary container” for the shoot
Documentary energy looks effortless on screen, but it takes planning to make it feel that way.
I design shoots with structure but with enough flexibility for spontaneity to still exist.
That means I plan a narrative arc before the shoot, then I plan coverage that can support it. In this initial planning stage, I aim to think in sequences and scenes, not shots. If the story includes “morning training,” I want the ritual, the environment, the details, the motion, and the emotion of that training scene. If the story includes “community,” I want to find the emotional moments that showcase the emotion of their community.
The goal is to capture life as it happens, while still protecting the brand’s time, budget, and deliverables.
Step 4: Interviews are scenes, not Q&As
Most documentary-style commercials hinge on one voice. Sometimes it’s a founder. Other times, it’s an athlete. Sometimes it’s a customer you instantly believe.
I treat interviews like scenes you can feel, not information you need to extract. That changes everything from the lighting, framing, location, pacing, and the tone of questions.
I also care a lot about pre-interview prep. I’ll often talk with the subject before filming with zero pressure and no cameras present. People relax when they feel seen and often want to be understood, especially when they’re about to take the brave step of sharing their story in a film. Once the camera comes along, they’re more comfortable with me and trust it’s going to be told well.
During the actual interview, I balance the emotional with the factual. If it’s all emotion, you lose the story. If it’s all fact, you lose the meaning.
Step 5: I shoot visuals to support the story, always.
Docu-style commercials still need to look incredible, but the visuals should feel a part of that broader story.
I’m constantly asking: what can we show that proves the story?
In my work, I tend to lean on natural movement and real environments. The outdoors is a cheat code for production value but it only works if the story belongs there. A mountain backdrop without emotional relevance feels like wallpaper but when the mountain backdrop ties to someone’s experience, it’s magical.
Step 6: I protect authenticity in the edit
The edit is where docu-style either becomes a story or becomes a montage.
I build the cut around one central idea that keeps returning in different forms. That core idea can be a line of dialogue, a repeating action, or a thematic contrast. Once the spine is in place, everything else becomes support, not clutter.
Pacing matters a lot here and documentary rhythm is a blend of breath and momentum. If it’s too slow and the edit can drift from its main message. If it’s too fast, it starts to feel like a traditional ad again.
A few examples of my story-driven docu-style commercials
Imagine a trail running brand launching a new shoe. The obvious route is making a video about its features and showcasing foam, grip, weight, tech specs.
The docu-style route starts with a person.
We followed a runner who was making a race in his backyard because he wanted to create a more inclusive running community on the Navajo Reservation. We got an intimate look at his life and the audience, as a result, doesn’t feel sold to.
Now the shoe becomes secondary in the best way. It shows up as part of his mission and the grip matters because the race is technical. The comfort matters because he spends a lot of time on his feet throughout the day as he explores the reservation. The product features resonate with folks because they’re attached to lived experience.
That’s a story-driven commercial: a brand promise carried by a human truth.
What brands and agencies get when they hire a docu-style commercial director
When a project is done well, the brand gets more than a single film.
They get a hero piece that builds trust, plus a library of fun and genuine moments that can be shaped into cutdowns, social versions, and vertical edits without feeling like leftovers. They also get a repeatable process that makes future campaigns smoother, because the story strategy is clear and the production approach is built around it.
This is why I love this work. Docu-style commercials can perform well, but they also add something rare to the marketing world: a sense of reality.
If you’re looking for a docu-style commercial director who can help shape the strategy, find the human thread, and direct a story-driven commercial that feels real on screen, that’s exactly what I do.
Why We Should Work Together…
When I’m not on this website rambling on about filmmaking, I’m actually out there making films. From crafting memorable branded documentaries to capturing stories and products that move people, I’ve got you covered. Need a filmmaker who can scale mountains, brave the surf, or just tell a dang good story? Let’s chat!
In case I haven’t convinced you, here are three reasons why it might be fun to work together…
I believe in stories that stick with you - like campfire smoke on your clothes. The kind that makes you laugh, cry, or immediately want to call your mom.
I’m just as comfortable at 14,000ft as I am in front of a timeline. You get me in the mountains, in the ocean and in the editing room, making sure the magic out there really shines in the final cut.
I’ve filmed in some pretty wild places, but the best stories are the ones that bring people together. It’s those shared moments -big or small - that remind me why I love what I do.
Let’s Connect
Roo is an Emmy nominated commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has directed documentaries for Patagonia in California, produced films for Outside Magazine throughout Europe and Africa, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in South America, and has received notable recognition in the outdoor industry for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.