good research topics for documentary

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Top Documentary Ideas for Filmmaking in 2024 (Research Backed)

If you're struggling to come up with a intersting topic for your next video project, here are the best documentary ideas based on our research.

Learn Filmmaking | By Jeff Collier

Coming up with documentary ideas isn’t simple. You have to consider several factors like budget, time constraints, and film-making experience.

Luckily, there are plenty of thought-provoking topics that are easy to execute.

What’s more, with an excellent documentary, you can even kick-start a potentially profitable project!

Today I’ll give you the inspiration you need so you can come up with original stories.

You can use my documentary samples list to create impactful films that start conversations.

If this sounds good to you, read on to discover some of the most interesting documentary ideas of the year.

You may also be interested to read about documentary photography .

Table of Contents

Documentary Genres List for 2024: An Overview

According to Parrot Analytics, documentaries are the fastest-growing streaming genre.

The  demand for new documentaries  grew by 142% from 2019 to 2021.

Even Netflix increased its database of commissioned documentaries to  479 titles  as of 2021.

Here are some genres that are popular in the documentary film-making industry this 2024.

1. Science Documentary Topics

Did you know that out of all the documentary forms, science documentaries  have the most growth ?

One of the reasons why science documentaries are popular is because they are informative and educational. Yet, at the same time, they’re entertaining to watch!

Science documentaries discuss the little-known facts in our world today. You can cover a huge number of topics in the science genre alone!

Here are a few science documentary ideas to consider.

• The chemical reactions between food
• Technological advancements, eco vehicles, and other innovative gadgets
• Debunking of conspiracy theories
• Human psychology and its effects on decision-making
• Space, solar phenomenons, and mysteries of the universe

2. True Crime Documentaries

True crime documentaries are on the rise. According to  Pew Research Center , over 34% of American adults are listening to true crime podcasts in 2024.

This is because true crime is a riveting topic that can be a source of news and information!

By making a true crime documentary, you can help raise awareness and shed light on real-life events.

True crime includes both light and heavy topics. Here are a few examples.

• Human trafficking in major corporations
• The hidden world of drug addiction
• Missing and cold cases
• The latest online scams
• Elaborate museum heists in history

3. Historical Documentary Shows

History is an excellent documentary topic because you can preserve archival footage as you make your film.

The Library of Congress  says these types of films are the key to understanding our past. Plus, they can influence our future.

All the things around us, no matter how small, have their histories. You’ll be surprised how even the most unassuming things can have a controversial origin!

Here are a few inspirational ideas for your historical documentary.

• Historical fashion trends
• Medieval recipes and concoctions
• Ancient customs in Asia
• The history of toys
• War and its effects on the evolution of society

4. Documentary Topics on Social Issues

The Center for Media  says social issue documentaries are the most impactful toward public engagement. You can choose thought-provoking topics that’ll spark conversations!

For instance, Al Gore’s  The Inconvenient Truth  led to a  50% increase  in the buying of carbon offsets among people who watched the film.

Documentary projects of this type are great because they allow you to tell compelling stories. It’s a good idea to partner with nonprofit organizations to spread the word on your chosen topic.

Below are a few examples of social issues to cover.

• Gender identity and human rights
• Immigration issues among war refugees
• Cancel culture’s effects on free speech
• Negative workplace environments and the increasing burnout cases
• The rise of AI and its effects on modern society

5. Documentaries About Nature

Nature documentaries are about the complex relationships between animals, humans, and the world. There’s some difficulty in getting footage since you can get exposed to  dangerous creatures .

Today, 55% of humans live in urban areas with very little nature. The number will reach  68% by 2050 .

Because of this, there’s little opportunity for people to have first-hand experience of the wild. Fortunately, you can raise awareness of what’s invisible to the population through this topic!

These are some documentaries about nature you might want to try making.

• Air pollution and other environmental pollution
• The secret world of ants, termites, and bees
• Underwater ecosystems and conservation efforts
• A documentary on climate change and natural disasters
• Plant growth time lapses

6. Personal Stories

Last but not least, you may create an excellent documentary about people!

You can make a film about your personal stories. Moreover, you could research a celebrity’s life.

Stories about athletes  are some of the fastest-growing documentaries today.

For personal stories, it’s best to interview all concerned parties and get a truthful account of their experiences.

Here are some examples of topics under this genre.

• A celebrity’s rise to popularity
• Your house redecorating experience
• An inside look at cults and other secretive groups
• A travel documentary about your visit to Cape Town, South Africa
• Your journey to mindfulness

Easy Documentary Ideas for Beginners

Don’t worry if you have no experience creating documentaries. You can make films on certain topics even with a tiny budget!

Here’s a documentary topics list for the newbie film composer.

1. Documentary Ideas for High Schoolers

Are you part of your school’s film club and you need fun documentary ideas? If so, you should think about topics that interest you.

Once you find the right topic, you can make a documentary that’s funny and relatable to classmates. Knowing how to make low-budget films (often with cheap video cameras ) helps as well.

These are some easy documentary topics for students.

• TikTok addiction and its impact on the younger generation
• Fast fashion and greenwashing
• Behind the scenes of the school cafeteria
• The pros and cons of replacing textbooks with tablets
•  A social experiment on the spotlight effect

2. Documentary on Current Events

Documentaries on current events are easy since you have plenty of resources to work with!

As a documentary filmmaker, you must pay attention to the news. If you’re updated on what’s trending, you’ll surely encounter a story that interests you.

Making this type of documentary is an excellent idea since people are searching for your topic in real time!

Here are a few documentary film examples to try.

• The years leading up to the Titan submersible disaster
• Unusual food trends
• Voting experience in America
• How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour boosted the economy
• An in-depth analysis of the Barbie movie

3. Documentary Ideas at Home

You don’t need to leave the comfort of your home to make a documentary. You can film videos in your backyard and still make a high-quality documentary!

These are documentary ideas you can film at home.

• A family documentary on your daily lives
• The challenges of weekly meal prep
• Your vehicle upgrades
• Building a homemade wildlife pond in your backyard
• Your weight loss journey

4. Short Documentary Topics

Time and money are crucial factors in creating a documentary. Due to this, you may want to shorten your production to meet your budget.

Of course, making a short documentary has its challenges. You must find a way to tell a story within a few minutes.

To condense a long sample footage into a five-minute documentary, you can  make a hyper-lapse video  instead. It helps to have a specific topic to discuss.

Here are sample topics for short documentaries.

• Hidden tourist spots in your area
• The life of your local librarian
• An experiment on the wheelchair accessibility of stores
• Your cat’s daily routine
• Poverty rates in your city

Tips for Coming Up With Documentary Ideas

How can you come up with original documentary ideas? Here are some tips that may help you.

Mix and Match Genres

Avoid sticking to one genre. You can combine topics to produce an even more interesting topic!

For example, there’s a treasure trove of historical true crimes to uncover. You may also document the science behind a personal experience.

Let your creativity flow and allow ideas to bounce off of each other.

• 53 Amazing Movies about Photography (Netflix & YouTube)

2. Choose Your Passion

If you pick a topic you love, you become more engaged and committed to the storytelling.

What are you passionate about? Do you have any beliefs you want to share with the world?

Everyone has a documentary inside them. Don’t be shy to unleash these ideas and use them as the basis for your film!

•  50 Famous Documentary Photographers

3. Observe and Reflect

Sometimes the best documentary ideas are right in front of you. You should use your critical thinking skills to uncover a story.

Is there anyone near you with a controversial story? Try to observe your surroundings and reflect on what makes certain things exciting.

4. Stay Updated

Lastly, documentary filmmakers should always pay attention to what’s happening in current times. This is because ideas can pop up from reading books or watching the news.

Doing research is a valuable habit that can help you discover documentary ideas. Moreover, if you stay updated on world news, the ideas will surely come to you!

What are the Key Ideas in a Documentary?

Creating a great documentary is a multifaceted endeavor that goes beyond merely presenting facts or exploring a topic

Here are some key elements of an award-winning documentary:

Storytelling

A great documentary goes beyond facts to tell a compelling story that emotionally engages the audience. The narrative arc, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, sets it apart from mere exposition.

The level of access to subjects, locations, and information is crucial. Unique and close access makes a documentary stand out and hard to replicate.

Character Development

Characters should be real and relatable, adding depth to the story. A good documentary is an intimate study of human experience through strong, evolving characters.

Audience Engagement

Keeping the audience hooked from start to finish is key. Leaving some questions unanswered can maintain interest and make the film more compelling.

Storytelling Mode

Sticking to one mode of storytelling, whether poetic or expository, sets the tone and pace, making it easier for viewers to follow.

Cinematography

High-quality cinematography enhances the film’s artistic value, making it as engaging as any other genre.

Larger Message

A great documentary often has a message that transcends the story, leaving the audience with something to ponder long after the film ends.

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Jeff Collier is an experienced film photographer who enjoys experimenting with modern digital photography equipment, software and apps. He’s also an ex-world champion triathlete and avid cyclist, clocking hundreds of km each week in the beautiful Tweed Valley of northern NSW, Australia.

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Home » Filmmaking » Documentary Filmmaking 101: Effectively Researching Your Topic

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Documentary Filmmaking 101: Effectively Researching Your Topic

Research and documentary filmmaking go hand-in-hand. So what resources can you use to find the most accurate information for your next project

The process of researching a documentary subject can unveil fascinating details in your film’s narrative. Documentary research can develop undiscovered plot lines, help you find new characters, and uncover secrets. An effectively researched documentary can provide a narrative that is captivating and informative.

Below we’ll detail some of the resources you can use to effectively research your own documentary film project.

Image via Andrzej Sowa .

Academic Research Papers

Academic research papers are wonderful tools for documentarians. Chances are that there are academic research papers out there about your topic. A simple Google search or thumbing through references on Wikipedia can uncover many of them.

I like to consider these papers as a launching pad for most documentary projects. They typically provide a wealth of information that will send you down many different avenues of research. And since these papers always contain references, you can also track down plenty of the original sources the author relied on.

Currently, I’m researching a documentary, and a research paper briefly mentioned a newspaper article that I hadn’t heard of. After some searching online, I found the newspaper had been digitized and was easily available. After reading the article, I found a part of the topic that I hadn’t uncovered during two months of previous research. For this reason, I find newspapers extremely valuable documentary research resource. If the paper you’re looking for isn’t digitized, you could always visit the publication’s local library where you can view the slides or microfilm.

Firsthand Accounts

Research interviews can uncover a lot of information about a subject or topic. By simply allotting time to chat with key subjects about a topic, you can uncover valuable information that may not be available online or in books. Accessing this less-than-public information can give your documentary a unique creative edge and further engage your audience in the story.

Archival Footage or Photos

If available, archival footage or photos can provide contextual visual information to your film. For example, the documentary series Wild Wild Country was full of archival footage of the story. This was one of the many reasons the show felt so unique — it was the only way to see this story. This archival footage supported the narrative and, I’m certain, provided many new plot points of discovery during the project’s research phase.

Each documentary topic is different. However, research is an essential aspect of every project. A thoroughly researched documentary will provide a stronger narrative and a much better film than one that simply explores as it goes. Strong research ensures a successful and captivating documentary film.

Cover image via Rawpixel.com .

Looking for more articles on film and video production? Check these out.

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• 7 Reasons You Should Consider Adding Voice Narration to Your Film

Documentary Ideas: How to Get and Develop Them

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: December 6, 2021  - Last updated: June 23, 2023

Categories Creativity , Documentary , Filmmaking , Inspiration , Storytelling

When it comes to documentary ideas, there are seemingly endless possibilities. Whether you want to explore a certain topic in-depth or tell the story of someone or something special, documentaries can be both informative and engaging. Coming up with good ideas is at the heart of documentary production. Here are just a few ideas to get started on your own documentary journey.

The Difference Between Documentary Ideas and Fictional Ideas

The first thing as an aspiring filmmaker is to be clear about what a documentary idea is.

We need to differentiate between documentary ideas and fictional ideas, because documentaries are about the real world, about things that really happened or have happened.

A documentary film is a great way of helping people understand because, somehow, when one is able to see the people involved, it lends a certain immediacy and understanding that is hard to get on the page. Lawrence Wright

Fictional narratives, on the other hand, put you in a fantasy world and sometimes in a fantasy time frame. Tolkien talked about how he imagined The Lord of the Rings in a time period that wasn’t in the real world. It’s completely outside of our sense of time. That’s the nature of time in fiction, but in documentaries, time is a real thing

Things happen not only in terms of a process or a story but also in terms of the duration and a time frame that’s in the real world.

Characters and Ideas for Documentaries

Another difference between documentary film and fictional film ideas is that characters in documentaries are real people.

In contrast, characters in fiction can be constructed completely free from the imagination.

They don’t have to relate to real people at all. Sometimes characters and stories in fiction actually come from real people and real situations, from real things you’ve read in a newspaper or magazine, but they can also be completely made up.

Documentary Ideas Are Based on Facts

One of the differences between a documentary idea and a fictional idea is that a documentary idea can be tested and investigated.

The events that are portrayed in connection with the idea can be verified. This isn’t the case with fiction, at least not necessarily.

You could use a fictional novel or piece of writing. For example, as an allegory. In other words, you want to convey a certain message or feeling through fictional writing or filmmaking.

A documentary film isn’t about allegory, it’s about depicting real events. That’s the essence of the documentary form.

Doing a documentary is about discovering, being open, learning, and following curiosity. Spike Jonze

That representation can be very creative, and probably should be, but it’s about the world of the real. To that end, it’s important to know that the documentary film community, as well as the documentary photography community, has fluctuated over the years between a more didactic and a more instrumental approach to documentary filmmaking and a more theoretical and artistic one.

The British documentary filmmaker John Grierson, for example, had a very precise idea of what a documentary should be, which was very closely linked to education, educational messages, and almost a kind of industrial filmmaking.

The founding father of documentary filmmaking, Flaherty with his Nanook of the North , on the other hand, had a more artistic idea of what a documentary should be.

It’s interesting to note that the first documentary film, which some consider being the origin of the documentary, was a very short film from 1894 called The Sneeze.

It’s literally a few seconds of someone sneezing. The scene was probably reconstructed. Probably the sneeze was played into the camera just for a certain effect, but the concept of the film is based on reality.

Types of Documentary Ideas

Before we get into how to come up with ideas for documentaries, it’s worth taking a moment to think about the different types of documentaries – because they can greatly affect your idea and how you execute it.

Some important types are:

• Portrait documentaries : about a specific person or group of people as the documentary subject.
• Advocacy : a type of campaign film that promotes a specific cause. They’re often shot in essay format. Food, Inc. is a good example.
• Docufiction : where fictional elements and scenes are incorporated into the documentary to strengthen it as a film.
• Docudrama : Here, dramatized reenactments are used to bring a factual account to life.
• Essayistic documentary : Here a particular argument or thesis is the most important factor in the film.
• Historical documentary : In historical documentaries, archival footage is often used to examine a specific event or time period.
• Investigative documentaries : Sometimes investigative documentaries are similar to advocacy films, looking for the truth behind something that the powerful are trying to hide.
• Observational documentaries : This type of documentary relies on a close relationship with the subject of the film to film in an intimate and revealing way. Gray Gardens , War Photographer and Knuckle , for example, are the most famous films of this type.
• Short documentary : typically 5-15 minute films, that have quite a narrow scope in terms of location, time period, or character.
• Feature documentary : usually a 70-minute or more film, with the ambition and feeling of a movie.
• Mockumentaries : this type of films tries to deliberately subvert a certain theme. For example, Spinal Tap , Borat or Best in Show .

How to Discover Ideas for Documentaries

It’s very important to capture ideas along the way.

This means that as a documentary filmmaker or documentary photographer, you should always carry a small notebook with you. Film director Sam Peckinpah would spot any crew member, high or low, on set without a notebook and pen.

While you don’t have to go quite that far, that’s a story to keep in mind to remind yourself to carry a notebook or another way to quickly record your ideas. Of course, that could be a smartphone.

Connect With Your Passions

Three ideas that are closely connected to your passions and curiosities tend to work much better because you’re likely to be more engaged with them than usual. So take some time to think about what really interests you and why.

Sometimes inspiration for documentaries comes from personal life experiences.

Very often they’re related to your own inner beliefs. You feel a passion for a certain way of life or the truth about something important and decide to make a film or photo documentary about that subject. Then you set out to find a story to bring it to life.

Accidental Ideas

Sometimes you discover a great idea for a documentary by accident. That’s how I discovered the story of how the American CIA and their Russian counterparts the GRU collaborated on climate change for several years in the 1990s.

I was in Russia working on another story when someone alerted me to this amazing collaboration. I had to wait 20 years before I could tell the story because a lot of it and a lot of the people were kept secret.

But finally, I was able to make my film The Warning and tell a story that’s very close to my heart.

Ask Good Questions

Some great questions to ask, as part of your documentary idea discovery process are:

• What idea keeps coming back to me?
• What excites me? Why?
• Which cause have I joined or donated to?
• Which image has caused me to pause, and keeps coming back to my mind?
• Who is my hero?
• What makes me upset or angry? Why?
• What fascinates me, and puts me on a journey of learning?

All of these questions, and more, can spark chains of thinking that lead to great documentary ideas. They can also feed into an interview you might do on camera.

Watch Other Documentaries

A good way to come up with ideas for documentaries is to browse short films on the Internet. The best place to discover artistically interesting films is Vimeo. But you can also search YouTube for short documentaries. Or even stock footage, including in free online libraries like archive.org .

Of course, you don’t have to watch through all the films you see, but if you take a quick look at a few, an interesting idea might come to mind.

Make sure to watch documentary series on Netflix and so forth. Stay up to date with what is going on, and being commissioned.

Pay special attention whenever you stumble across a compelling story, and ask yourself what the story idea was.

Related: Best Place to Watch Documentaries

Reading is a very important way to discover ideas. Whether it’s in books, magazine articles, or maybe the daily news. The most important thing is to immediately record an idea that comes to you in your notebook or digital notebook.

Also, try to briefly review the idea and take a moment to figure out and record what you find interesting about it and what’s worth thinking about and developing further.

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Accumulate Good Sources

The Golden Rule is ‘Rubbish in, rubbish out – quality in, quality out’ – in other words, make sure that the sources of your information and inspirations are good ones.

Try to avoid a lot of the crap that you will see published on social media, YouTube, etc and hone in on the people who manifestly know what they are talking about. Look for experience, wit, and wisdom as essential signs that you are in good company.

As you read, watch, and listen – make sure to document your thoughts and reactions. Whether in a simple notebook or in some kind of digital system – including so-called ‘second brain’ systems.

The Value of Outliers in Documentary Ideas

Often the most interesting documentary topics are the outliers. That’s extreme examples of a particular phenomenon or trend.

These outliers work well for documentaries because they make the general point you’re trying to make clearer. You’re not saying that the outlier is typical of the trend, you’re using the outlier to illustrate the trend.

Observe Things Very Closely

Take time to observe and understand a particular society or perhaps a particular human activity. Sometimes this can be very intense and take weeks or months.

In the very first documentary film ever made, Nanook of the North, director Robert Flaherty spent 16 months observing how the Inuit live.

My very first major film, Soldat , was shot over the course of a year.

Also, seek out discussion and debate. Go to lectures, watch documentaries, read. It’s amazing what’ll grab your attention.

Sometimes something happens to you, one of your own experiences, that gives you an idea. I always find that when I’m traveling, on vacation, or in everyday life, I often encounter something that piques my interest or grabs my attention that I can use as the basis for a documentary.

Sometimes good ideas for documentaries come after I’ve been dreaming or thinking about something for years.

Sometimes it just takes time for the ideas and thoughts to solidify in your mind enough to find a form that’s suitable for a documentary film or documentary photo essay.

The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones. John Maynard Keynes

Allow the Ideas to Bounce Off Each Other

Allow ideas and concepts to bounce off each other in your mind and in your mind mapping. The bouncing of different ideas leads to creativity and the development of a new theme or concept that can drive a new documentary project.

The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling

Ideas Are Fluid

One of the most important things you need to know about documentary ideas is that they’re fluid. They aren’t fixed. Unlike a script for a novel or a play, which is fixed the moment you write it down.

Since there’s no script in documentary filmmaking, but the film is created during the shooting and editing, the ideas are much more flexible.

Think of it this way. You have a rough idea of what the film is about, but the theme can be developed and refined, and the structure can change. This can lead to a much stronger story. So don’t be afraid to leave your ideas open and flowing, and to keep changing them.

Related: How to Write a Documentary Script

Conversion of a Documentary Idea Into a Working Hypothesis and Controlling Idea

When you start thinking about an idea, you reshape it into a guiding idea or working hypothesis. The working hypothesis usually comes before the main idea. Very often, the hypothesis is phrased as a “what if” question.

This is because you need to do further research, thinking, and development to turn it into a statement that drives the film and that we can call the main idea.

Brainstorming is a very important part of idea generation and development for documentarians. I’d strongly advise you to try mind mapping in some form as part of your overall process.

This can be done with pen and paper or digitally.

These days I use either iThoughts – for a very quick mind map where a quick visual is important – or TheBrain, which allows you to develop deep ideas and thoughts, as my mind mapping apps.

Ways to Test if Your Documentary Idea Is Strong

Things that make a documentary idea strong include:

• The underlying cause is something you care about and believe deserves to be brought to the attention of others.
• The idea is original.
• The idea is visual.
• The idea is dramatic in nature.
• The idea is inherently moving.
• The idea is inherently educational.
• The idea is inherently surprising.
• The idea is inherently enlightening.

With any story, including documentaries, it’s very important that you figure out where the tension and conflict are. Without tension and conflict, one of the most important conditions for a story to work isn’t present. This is also true for a documentary film or even an essay on documentary photography.

Also, pay attention to where you’ve dramatic and narrative arcs in your work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a short film or a feature-length documentary. The reason for this is that change and transformation are very important mechanisms for keeping viewers engaged with your work. If there’s no change in your film, there’s a good chance that the viewer’s attention won’t be maintained.

The value of pitching cannot be overstated in determining whether or not you have a good idea for a documentary. Even if it’s to develop your documentary idea to the point where you’re ready to make a film about it.

For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate. Margaret Heffernan

You don’t always have to pitch your ideas at a film festival, or to a producer; sometimes friends and family can be very helpful in giving you feedback. Remember that the first time someone has a story is the most interesting; that’s when the mind is first open and fresh to the idea, so make sure you make the most of that opportunity.

A Powerful Argument

Having a powerful argument for your documentary idea is one of the most important things. Good documentary ideas are more than just a view or opinion. They’re based on strong, convincing, and valid arguments.

For a strong argument, the audience doesn’t have to agree with you, but you must at least have a point of view that makes them think.

A persuasive argument should be easy to formulate in one or two sentences.

A persuasive argument should have three main elements.

• A factual, empirical, testable or provable element.
• A second, contrasting, contradictory, oppositional, or counterpoint argument or view.
• A third, solution-based or answer-based or response-based third element.

Be Bold With Your Ideas

Making a documentary film or a documentary photo essay is a very exciting step. But it’s also a very difficult step.

One of the most important things you need to know about documentary filmmaking is that it requires you to constantly face uncertainty. You never know where your next idea or story will come from. The story might come from the most unlikely places. You might’ve to go to the far corner of the world for the story. You may have to spend months or years developing it, researching it, thinking about it. And you never know how it’ll turn out.

The rules of feature film and television production don’t apply to documentaries.

If you want to make a feature film, there’s a well-defined process by which you can make the film. With documentaries, the process isn’t so clearly defined. One of the reasons why the genre is so woefully underfunded in public television.

What Makes a Documentary Idea Work

The best ideas for documentaries have multiple levels of engagement and interest. This means that the idea can be understood on many different levels. The film is about something that’s relevant to the target audience but also has other levels of meaning. It’s not a good idea to make a documentary that’s only about giving information to the audience. Informational films are boring and shallow.

The most effective ideas appeal to viewers on at least three levels.

The first level is the emotional level. The story should be able to appeal to the viewer’s emotions. In a sense, the film should make the viewer feel something.

The second level is the intellectual level. The viewer should be able to appeal to their intellect and think about the issues raised in the documentary. They should be able to think about the subject of the documentary, especially after watching it. The more the viewer thinks about what’s happening in the film and outside the film, the more interesting the film becomes to them.

The third level is the social level. The film should inspire the viewer to think about what they can do in their own situation and in their own world after seeing the film. The film should also inspire them to participate in the world in some way, to make a difference, or to try to make a difference.

It’s very important that the viewer leaves the film feeling changed or inspired in some way to want to change something in their own lives and in their own world.