Mark Monroe, the writer behind the documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man, didn’t set out to become a documentary filmmaker. His path to the world of documentaries was circuitous, starting with a background in journalism inspired by his father, a newspaper man.
After graduating from journalism school, Monroe initially pursued a career in television news. He landed a job at CNN’s Headline News, starting as a video journalist before passing the writer’s test and eventually working his way up to the main CNN newsroom. However, after about four years, Monroe experienced what he calls a “midlife crisis.”
“I was writing articles about tax cuts and the war in Bosnia Herzegovina,” Monroe recalls. “I just felt whether I am the right person to be disseminating this kind of information?” He also found the argumentative nature of the news business challenging, as it didn’t align with his personality.
Seeking a more creative outlet, Monroe left CNN and moved to Los Angeles, where he worked on entertainment magazine shows like Extra. He became what was known in the industry as a “Predator” – a producer, editor, director, and writer all rolled into one. This versatility allowed him to work on biography-style television shows such as Behind the Music and Intimate Portrait.
Mark Monroe
Monroe’s entry into documentary filmmaking came through a connection with editor Paul Crowder. Crowder, who had worked on the acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, invited Monroe to help fix a documentary about the New York Cosmos Soccer Club. This project, titled Once in a Lifetime, was bought by Miramax and screened at the Berlin Film Festival, launching Monroe’s career in documentaries.
The Craft of Documentary Filmmaking
Monroe found that his skills from journalism translated well to documentary work. “You would get a lot of information about one story and my job would be to distill it into five sentences, a beginning, a middle, an end, and a hook. And that’s kind of the same thing that I do now working in documentaries.”
When asked about choosing subjects for documentaries, especially lesser-known ones, Monroe acknowledges that it’s not always easy to predict what will work. “There are a lot of variables to it,” he says. He’s learned that sometimes great stories don’t translate well to film due to factors like the subjects’ on-camera presence or lack of archival footage.
Monroe emphasizes the importance of the “lens” or “frame” through which a story is told, especially for historical documentaries like Idea Man. The process begins with in-depth conversations with key stakeholders. In this case, director Ron Howard and the Henson family. These discussions help shape the specific story they want to tell within the broader context of Jim Henson’s life.
Over the years, Monroe has observed changes in audience expectations for documentaries. “I think it’s become more nuanced and sophisticated in some ways,” he notes. With the proliferation of media platforms and content, there’s now a higher bar for authenticity.
Audiences expect to see not just the triumphs, but also the struggles and complexities of their subjects
This shift coincides with what Monroe calls a “golden moment” for documentaries, with more people watching them than ever before. As a result, there’s more money in the industry and a push for more sophisticated storytelling techniques that rival those used in narrative films.
Crafting Jim Henson: Idea Man
For the Jim Henson documentary, Monroe and the team faced a unique challenge: the lack of introspective interviews from the man himself. This absence became an opportunity for creativity. “We should be driven to think how the storyteller in Jim would approach this,” Monroe wrote in his initial document for the project.
This approach influenced the documentary’s pacing, playfulness, and visual style. The team created a unique set for interviews and incorporated elements like stop-frame animation to showcase Henson’s ideas and work in a dynamic way.
Jim Henson: Idea Man
One distinctive feature is the gradual reveal of the cube set where interviews take place. Monroe explains that this was a deliberate choice to actively engage the audience. “It’s more fun to try to make the audience an active participant of the doc,” he says. “That’s engagement. That’s the age-old, like, who’s that guy? What are they doing? What is going to happen next? Why are they showing me that?”
When it comes to structuring documentaries, Monroe draws on techniques he learned from studying narrative films. He often creates “story maps” that outline the three-act structure, character introductions, and key turning points. This process helps everyone on the team visualize the intended emotional journey for the audience.
“I want to lay that out. I call them story maps, and it’s basically act one, act two, act three,” Monroe explains. “I want to know who and what the order of characters are that’s coming in. I want to know what the act one turn is. I want to know what the low point in act two is. I want to know what the midpoint of the movie is.”
While these maps often evolve during the editing process, they provide a crucial starting point and ensure intentionality in storytelling. Monroe emphasizes, “You write the map so that everyone can get on the same page, so they see it and say ‘Wow, I think this is a movie.’”
The Importance of Entertainment in Documentaries
Despite working on serious topics like political and social justice films, Monroe always keeps entertainment at the forefront. “We have to remember this is entertainment,” he insists. “You got to entertain them. By entertaining, you can get people who may not normally watch that movie.”
Brian Henson in Jim Henson: Idea Man
This philosophy extends to how he approaches documentary openings. Monroe aims to create intrigue and mystery from the start, avoiding straightforward exposition. He also believes in including a lighthearted moment or laugh within the first five to ten minutes to help settle the audience in.
“I’m always trying to figure out a way that you can have a slight chuckle or a laugh or a lighthearted moment in the first five or ten minutes, just to settle everyone in,” Monroe says. “They wanted me to feel good right here and I do. So, I’m ready to keep going.”
Advice for Future Documentarians
For those looking to enter the field of documentary filmmaking, Monroe emphasizes the importance of studying films closely. He shares how he used to break down movies he admired using note cards, analyzing their structure and pacing.
“What I did when I first got to LA is I would get the movies that I liked and I would break them down on note cards,” Monroe reveals. “A film that has a lot of characters. How do you decide which character comes first? I knew enough about the three-act structure that I could tell where act one ended. So, ow many scenes to get act one? What is this soup made of here? How do you do it?”
Monroe’s self-taught approach, developed through watching DVD extras and director commentaries, underscores the value of intentionality in storytelling. His “story map” technique, while not widely published, offers a unique framework for aspiring documentarians to approach their projects with clear intent and structure.
As the documentary landscape continues to evolve, Monroe’s insights provide a valuable perspective on the craft of storytelling in non-fiction film. His journey from CNN news writer to acclaimed documentarian serves as an inspiring example of how diverse experiences can shape a unique and successful career in the world of documentaries.
Monroe concludes with this advice for aspiring documentary filmmakers, “I think that’s key for people starting out, to have intention behind the story they want to tell. Look at the ingredients and try to figure out what’s the best version of this. If all things are equal and you can do anything you want, what’s the way to make this thing way more entertaining?”
This interview has been condensed. Listen to the full audio version here.
