This paper is a study of documentary film production with focus on the filmmakers choice and usage of sound equipment. Using professional articles and literature have first of all helped us determine a standard for the conventional use of sound equipment in documentary film. Afterwards, by analyzing our own interviews we’ve received answers on how filmmakers relate to the conventional usage and why they select equipment as they do. Thereafter, we describe a technical method which helps a filmmaker to be able to record sound for documentary film on his/her own, using simple measures without reducing quality. A production in the form of a short documentary film has then been recorded using this method to ascertain what challenges a simplified equipment could bring.