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Video Production: Non-fiction

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This document discusses documentary filmmaking and provides guidance on creating documentaries. It explains that documentaries rely on non-fiction forms and the director's vision shapes the approach. Common documentary styles are reviewed like expository, observational, and personal documentaries. Advice is provided on finding a subject, conducting interviews, shooting b-roll, scripting, and completing a group documentary project. The overall message is that documentaries tell true stories and understanding different approaches helps find an effective style.

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Non-fiction Production
Why Documentary?  Whether we like it or not, we will most likely need to be engaged in some sort of non-fiction production in our careers  What are some program formats that rely on documentary forms?  Just like fiction filmmaking the vision of these is determined by the director, for good or for bad  Retro Training Video  The Archive
Documentary Approaches  What are the primary approaches of each of these modes?  News: Leprechaun in Alabama  Expository Documentary: Ken Burns, History Channel, BTAD Marketing  Observational: High School  Interactive/Cinema Verite: Grey Gardens, Chapter 10  Personal: Super Size Me, Chapter 16  Propaganda: Triumph of the Will, Why We Fight
Corporate Documentary Exercise  Pair up with 1-2 people  Find a documentary style video from one of these companies  Vmgstudio520.com  Trifilm.com  Pyramideproductions.com  4thavemedia.com  Answer the questions that are on the handout  Share your video with the rest of the class
Taking your own approach  Ultimately, it’s about finding your own style and telling the stories that you want to tell  Jacob Hinmon
Where do we start? Know your audience. Know your purpose. Photo by Thomas Hawk, licensed under CC
How should we shoot a documentary?  Figure out how you want to tell the story  Expositional documentary forms are good for trying to give viewers an overall approach to a certain subject  More personal documentaries allow the viewer to extrapolate. Viewers learn about a topic through their experience with the subject
Typical Documentary Workflow  Decide your purpose/focus  Have your subject sign a release form  Interview your subject  Sit down interview vs. working interview  Be sure to remember good interviewing techniques  Shoot B-Roll  Think about what kind of b-roll you can get before you shoot the interview  You want to make a logical connection between an image and the words of the interview  Gather any additional graphics that you might want to use in the edit
B-Roll Exercise  Think of a person that you know. Imagine that you were going to do a documentary on their daily job  What would be your focus?  What questions would you ask them?  Write a list of 5 shots that you would gather for B-Roll  What are the best ways to phrase questions so we get good responses?
Documentary Scripting  On longer documentaries, you will want to use some kind of scripting technique  Usually an assistant will go through the footage and transcribe the interview  The director can then go through the transcription and decide which portion of the interview they want to include in the final edit  Sometimes the documentary will be written out in a two-column script format
Group Project 2: Documentary  For this project you will be working with your group to create a 2-3 minute documentary  All of the shots should be properly lit, exposed, and focused

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Video Production: Non-fiction

  • 2. Why Documentary?  Whether we like it or not, we will most likely need to be engaged in some sort of non-fiction production in our careers  What are some program formats that rely on documentary forms?  Just like fiction filmmaking the vision of these is determined by the director, for good or for bad  Retro Training Video  The Archive
  • 3. Documentary Approaches  What are the primary approaches of each of these modes?  News: Leprechaun in Alabama  Expository Documentary: Ken Burns, History Channel, BTAD Marketing  Observational: High School  Interactive/Cinema Verite: Grey Gardens, Chapter 10  Personal: Super Size Me, Chapter 16  Propaganda: Triumph of the Will, Why We Fight
  • 4. Corporate Documentary Exercise  Pair up with 1-2 people  Find a documentary style video from one of these companies  Vmgstudio520.com  Trifilm.com  Pyramideproductions.com  4thavemedia.com  Answer the questions that are on the handout  Share your video with the rest of the class
  • 5. Taking your own approach  Ultimately, it’s about finding your own style and telling the stories that you want to tell  Jacob Hinmon
  • 6. Where do we start? Know your audience. Know your purpose. Photo by Thomas Hawk, licensed under CC
  • 7. How should we shoot a documentary?  Figure out how you want to tell the story  Expositional documentary forms are good for trying to give viewers an overall approach to a certain subject  More personal documentaries allow the viewer to extrapolate. Viewers learn about a topic through their experience with the subject
  • 8. Typical Documentary Workflow  Decide your purpose/focus  Have your subject sign a release form  Interview your subject  Sit down interview vs. working interview  Be sure to remember good interviewing techniques  Shoot B-Roll  Think about what kind of b-roll you can get before you shoot the interview  You want to make a logical connection between an image and the words of the interview  Gather any additional graphics that you might want to use in the edit
  • 9. B-Roll Exercise  Think of a person that you know. Imagine that you were going to do a documentary on their daily job  What would be your focus?  What questions would you ask them?  Write a list of 5 shots that you would gather for B-Roll  What are the best ways to phrase questions so we get good responses?
  • 10. Documentary Scripting  On longer documentaries, you will want to use some kind of scripting technique  Usually an assistant will go through the footage and transcribe the interview  The director can then go through the transcription and decide which portion of the interview they want to include in the final edit  Sometimes the documentary will be written out in a two-column script format
  • 11. Group Project 2: Documentary  For this project you will be working with your group to create a 2-3 minute documentary  All of the shots should be properly lit, exposed, and focused