The documentary film process is compared to a three legged stool. A well-conceived and executed documentary film is dependent upon three basic elements: story, character and access. Story and character are easily justified legs of the stool, but the third leg, access, although an equally important component, may not be as apparent. This in-depth analysis combining special techniques is a no nonsense approach to documentary film making with many "real world" examples to illustrate and illuminate the process, written and conceived by a "real world" award wining documentary film maker.