Course Outline

Course Outline:
Documentary Short subject
Eric Hunsaker

Overview: The purpose of this course is to develop and produce a short (7-10 mins) documentary video. We will write, pitch and refine concept treatments, fill crew positions, pre-produce, scout, make shotlists and storyboards.

Class will divide into teams and shoot their projects, then edit and post-produce.

• Must contain at least 1 sit down, well lit, well mic’ed long form interview (total shoot time: minimum 15 min).

• Must contain at least once scene which demonstrates clear coherent collaboration between cameraperson and sound operator (notably working with pistol grip and/or boom pole) working to capture real time action/event/process with enough angles (coverage) for a successful edit allowing for compression of time.

• Must convey a sense of place - Students combine audio and video to create a sequence that conveys a neighborhood, area, or other physical, geographic location germane to the story being told. Emphasis is on filming a variety of angles, wide shots, close ups and detail work. Students look and see space and architecture through the camera's lens and microphone and are sensitized to location, light, environmental sounds and how to encapsulate it all into a short engaging film.

Pitches will be evaluated and refined on based on the criteria of Clarity, Specificity, Originality, and Practicality, as discussed in class





Week 1, Class will:

• Research / Develop project with Instructor / Student meetings.
• Write and revise the short documentary film treatment
• Identify interviewees
• Create production timeline and of course,
->shoot the project





Week 2, Class will:

• Edit, post-produce, screen and critique finished projects


Objectives: Develop and refine concept treatment
Scout, prep and shoot the project
Edit, post and critique the finished videos

Mechanics: Examine the documentary
Deconstruct the process from start to finish
Develop a system that fits budget, time and creative needs

Philosophy: Different styles of documentary storytelling
Relating to audience and on-screen talent
Developing the characters and story

Knowledge: Directing the camera as well as the talent and crew
Leading the crew through an organized shooting day
Knowing/meeting expectations, managing locations

Practice: Telling a story with pictures
Thinking like an editor
Finding your style






Documentary Principles:

"the
creative
treatment
of actuality"


• A documentary is a story, not a reality:


-Every story has a point of view (maybe more than one)

-Reality is a rock. Documentary is the sculpture you carve.

-Something’s happening here- that’s the story.


“There’s an event ….”






“…it affects people”

-main character(s)

-secondary characters

-tertiary characters (experts, observers)

-vox pop





“..it occurs in a location…”

-spiritus mundi

-L3


“..there are observers and commentators..”
-non combatants
-experts


“..and someone who feels the opposite…”
-antogonists
-“haters”



Who, What, When, Where and Why?
+
how it happens, who is affected
=
story








TONE:



VOICE- Who’s telling the story?

1st person- I was there…
3rd person- He was a great man…
Omnicient- In the beginning…

What’s the opposite view?

(Are you trying to be Objective?)





MUSIC- Consider it BEFORE you shoot

PACE- Is the story frenetic or languid?

STYLE- The framing, platform and movement of the camera add POV...





• Story
o Identify ideas with action in them. Find something that is happening which is having specific effects. Is there a counter-action?
o Action is “built-in movement” for your story.
o Central development – Something begins to happen. It may be a single, simple concrete event, a more subtle trend, major development, whatever.
o Impacts – As this central development advances, it begins to affect people, places, and/or institutions in specific ways. The impact of the event is felt – either for good or ill. (ex: someone moving out of an apartment, or implementing a troop surge in Iraq)
o Countermove – As the effects of the development become more apparent and more forceful, those affected by the event may try to slow, stop, deflect, mitigate or enhance them, depending on whether they benefit or are harmed by them.
• Character
o Central / main protagonist(s) – What does this person(s) want? To change a flat tire? To change the world? To roast a better coffee bean? What do they do to work toward achieving their goal? How do they express their want? What is unique about them and their want?
o Secondary, supportive – surround, support, and are in the central character’s orbit, sphere. What role do they play? Wife? Friend? Advisor? Technical expert, etc…
o Experts / observers – are not connected to the actual physical story per se but may comment on the larger theme, question, issue. May have knowledge of your specific story, but – again – are not participants.
o Antagonists / detractors – wish to prevent, hinder, deflect the main character and his/her achieving his/her stated goal/want/desire. Useful in creating contrast between characters.
o General public – vox pop. The “everyman” on the street, able to offer “layman’s” point of view on your story, character. Can range from complete ignorance of the subject matter all the way to supreme expert (“What’s green living?” or “Let me tell you about changing flat tires.”)
• Action – Event Driven
o Event driven story – a wedding, a grand opening, a new job, a strike, a fire, a death, a birth, a yard sale, cooking a meal…these are all examples of events locked into a very specific point in time. Creating a film around an event allows for a great deal of “built-in” storytelling.
o Film’s temporal relationship to the event (old, recent or present time?). Are you at this event filming it or did it take place a year ago? How does proximity / distance from the event affect your telling of the story?
o Reaction to the event (will vary depending on how recent – or not – the event is).
o Cause and effect – as the event unfolds, are you able to show cause and effect? Will it be clear for the audience?




• Location – importance of
o Is the story location-driven? If so, how? If not, why?
• Point of view, objectivity, subjectivity. Framing a shot means taking a point of view. But it is possible to become biased, allowing your film to adopt one point of view over another. Are you clear on your point of view? Is it clear to the audience? Would you prefer telling your story from atop Mount Objectivity? If there are multiple points of view hovering around a given story, can you convey each perspective as impartially as possible and subsequently allow the audience to draw their own conclusions? Will those conclusions be the ones you want them to draw?
• Structure
o The intro.
o The main body of the film
o The outro. / closing
• Editing
o Editing for content
o Editing for conclusiveness and flow
o Editing for pacing
• Other
o History, back story, subplot