Vice Docs

Editorial tone

Raw, immersive, disrespectful. Vice documentaries throw the viewer into the middle of the action — embedded journalism on steroids. The tone is subjective, often provocative, never neutral. The reporters are visible, become part of the story, take risks. No academic distance, no explanatory voiceover from off-screen — instead on-the-ground commentary, conversations in the moment, real-time reactions. Vice celebrates the edge: drug markets, war zones, underground cultures, tech-dystopian realities. The narrative is chronological (the journey), not thematic (the analysis). Authenticity and courage matter more than high-gloss aesthetics.

What this format covers

• ●Conflict zones and war zones — embedded, up close
• ●Drug trade, cartels, black markets, organized crime
• ●Subcultures, counterculture, underground scenes worldwide
• ●Tech dystopia: surveillance, AI, deepfakes, dark web
• ●Climate change and environmental destruction — directly on-site
• ●LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, social movements in repressive states
• ●Geopolitics from perspectives mainstream media won't show

What this format does NOT want

• ●Conventional TV reportage with explanatory voiceover
• ●Historical documentaries without present-day relevance
• ●Feel-good stories or motivational biographies
• ●Academic or scientific tone
• ●High-gloss nature or wildlife films
• ●Mainstream political coverage (campaigns, party politics)
• ●Longer formats without narrative arc or adventure narrative

Visual expectations

Raw, direct, authentic. Handheld camera is standard — shaky is okay if it proves proximity. Natural light, no elaborate lighting setups. The camera is always close: to faces, to weapons, to substances, to the action. GoPros and hidden cameras for dangerous situations. Smartphone footage is acceptable when the story demands it. No elaborate graphics or animations — if data is shown, then simple and direct. The look is deliberately anti-high-gloss: Vice doesn't want to look like television, but like reality. Music is energetic, often electronic or hip-hop, matching the target audience.

Expected exposé structure

1. Title (provocative, clickable, direct)
2. Logline (1 sentence: Where are you going? What are you risking?)
3. Pitch (short, direct: What's the story and why won't anyone else go there?)
4. Access (How do you get in? Who opens the doors?)
5. Reporter / Host (who goes on camera?)
6. Shoot plan (locations, duration, risks, security concept)
7. Visual style (references from previous Vice productions)
8. Team experience in crisis zones / dangerous environments

Example productions

• The Islamic State (Medyan Dairieh, 2014)
• Cannibal Warlords of Liberia (2012)
• The Toxic World of Tanning (2023)
• North Korea Undercover (Shane Smith, 2008)
• Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier Than Heroin (2016)
• The Rise of Nationalism (2017)
• Bolsonaro's Brazil (2019)
• The Third Industrial Revolution (2018)