DOCUMENTARY STRUCTURE AND STORYTEELING 3 PART COURSE
THURSDAYS, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29
INSTRUCTOR: ADELE SCHMIDT
Documentary Structure and Storytelling I:
The Essentials of Documentary Storytelling
Sep 15, 2016 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Where: Docs In Progress
8700 1st Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
$95 ($85 WIFV) (to register for this session only)
$225 (to register for the package of three workshops)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Just because documentary filmmaking is about recording actuality, filmmakers still need to pay the same attention to visual storytelling as you would with any fiction film. In this workshop, you will learn more about the tools of screen grammar and sequencing, how to break down a situation into the right shots, and deliver footage that makes sense (and saves you time and money) in the edit room. This workshop is part of a series of three documentary structure-focused workshops which include Documentary Structure and Storytelling II: The Big Picture of Documentary Structure (9/22) and Documentary Structure and Storytelling III: Structure Case Studies (9/29). If you are working on your first documentary, it is recommended you sign up for all three sessions since they build on each other. However, it is also possible to sign up for these sessions a la carte.
Documentary Structure and Storytelling II:
The Big Picture
Sep 22, 2016 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Where: Docs In Progress
8700 1st Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
$95 ($85 WIFV) (to register for this session only)
$225 (to register for the package of three workshops)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
If you were building a house, you would need to have a blueprint which provides a plan of what it will look like and where you need to use different tools. A film is no different. You need to have some idea of the direction of where the story is heading. Breaking down hours of footage of different characters, in different locations and at different times into a workable rough cut is one of the toughest exercises in documentary post-production. For filmmakers in pre-production or production, this session will help you better organize and control your shoots with specific goals to avoid ending up with tons of material that won’t help you tell the story. For filmmakers who are beginning post-production, this session will focus on how to get a handle on your material by defining the thematic progression with tools that are available to every filmmaker. The goal is to help to find your structure and drive your story forward.
Documentary Structure and Storytelling III:
Structure Case Studies
Sep 29, 2016 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Where: Docs In Progress
8700 1st Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
$95 ($85 WIFV) (to register for this session only)
$225 (to register for the package of three workshops)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Analyzing the structure of completed documentary films that are compelling is essential while developing the skill of understanding storytelling and structure in filmmaking. In this session we will analyze the structure of three documentaries (each available on Netflix or for viewing at Docs In Progress) that are very different in style and that have managed to tell outstanding stories by applying effective structure tools.
This will take you from understanding storytelling techniques on a theoretical basis (covered in Session 2 on The Big Picture) to delving into completed films that have handled structure successfully. The analysis of case studies is one more way to help you to apply storytelling and structure strategies while developing your own documentary.