Rachelle Strange is a university graduate from Bradford that climbed her way through the ranks as a runner, slowly making her way up, forging connections to start being able to work in producer and directing roles. Eventually landing her role in documentary filmmaking
“I’ve always been fascinated by non fiction, people, society and the world around us.”
We often get captivated by the worlds of our favourite television shows, ranging from the craziest fantasy series, to your average comfort watch sitcom. However, there’s so many stories we can take from the real world, no matter the scale they can be. From wars and rebellions to someone’s running journey, a documentary can tell any story about the earth as we see fit.
“I remember very clearly at the start of my career as a runner, one day I was asked to go out and find 800 coat hangers for as cheap as possible. Somehow I managed to get them all for free!”
Despite having experience on traditional broadcast, working for ITV as a producer and working on shows like Judge Rinder and Jeremey Kyle. She eventually found an interest in working outside of traditional broadcast television to help create something with more longevity in her career.
“The great thing about documentary work is that it can be done much faster and cheaper than traditional broadcasting shows. You can really hone in on the subject of your documentary, and try to make it the best you possibly can. As documentaries usually don’t have as big an audience as traditional television, it means you can sometimes do more interesting things that are targeted at more niche audiences.”
After the pandemic, Rachelle became a documentary director, working for companies such as UNILAD, spanning from someone trying to run across the United States, to filming a charity which help homeless dogs, or even the world’s biggest McDonald’s Monopoly fan, to how destructive drugs like spice can be on British communities, Rachelle hasn’t been put into a corner when making documentaries. You could argue the documentaries that she worked on at the time helped change public view of UNILAD from just an internet meme page to a genuine media company to be taken seriously in the industry.
“It’s very easy to think that quality can be lowered when you’re not making fiction. People believe that the importance of good cinematography and sound design isn’t important if it’s not a Hollywood blockbuster. No aspiring director should see it in that way. If anything, there can be even more freedom for creative expression in footage especially when looking at recreating stories or collecting B roll to be matched with interviews. I often think it’s easier to find a style and see how it reflects the topic if you have that freedom.”
Passion projects haven’t been neglected by Rachelle either, as she’s now in the works of making a documentary all about a miniature figure exhibition with ex Warhammer TV presenter Louise Sugden.
“This is a world with no scriptwriters, improvisation isn’t looked down upon, it’s encouraged. With a documentary, you’re observing people, you’re putting everything together frame by frame, the people that are guiding your story aren’t trained actors or presenters either. They’re REAL people! You have to make them feel comfortable talking to you when you interview them and they help guide you through each story. No environment is controlled, there’s no sets to help you here, it’s real organic filming and while it can be exciting you have to be prepared to come out of your comfort zone.”
For Rachelle, documentary filming is more than just a career choice, it relies on spontaneity, the raw moments, and the responsibility to shape that into something meaningful. She encourages people to forget about the polished environments of traditional television, but focus on how you can make stories as resonant as possible for people watching.
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