How to Create a Good Documentary Film - AP English 11



Documentary Project 2012

AP Language 11

A documentary is a video or film that informs viewers abut a topic or issue.

Powerful documentaries:

▪ Present lives of people or subjects with whom an audience may have little in common, knowledge about, or interest in.

▪ Teach about the troubles, joys, pain & circumstances outside limited experiences & provide opportunity to have these reflected back on the viewers’ own lives.

▪ Mirror audience members showing a world that looks like their own in a way that reveals something people didn’t know was there.

Many people think making a documentary is easy; however, making a documentary is NOT as easy as it seems. We viewed clips from several high quality ones during the year for modeling.

“Truths Can Be Revealed”

Steps:

1) Do some research. Even if you know your topic well, you will still need to research for framing ideas, inspiration, coherence, etc. You can use the internet and the library databases to find information. Also, talk to people who know about or are interested in your subject. Once you have a general topic you are interested in, narrow it down. If you are interested in exploring the topic of ‘friends’, figure out the specific interest you have about this topic. Brainstorm ideas & take notes. For example, narrow down a documentary about friends to one about a group of people who seem like a tight-knit group and gather information about them. Perhaps you are fascinated about the pull one’s friends exert. Perhaps you have read an article in Newsweek that friends have more influence on a person than parents, siblings, teachers and other role models. You want to discover if this is indeed true.

2) Interview people. Get interviews from people who have knowledge of or are interested in your topic. If you get a variety of interview that you edit skillfully, you will have a more diverse and interesting piece. Take notes and film interviews. For example, take the friend subject you are working on for your documentary: You’ve decided your topic is ‘The Pull of Friends’. You may want to interview your best friend, a best friend of a parent or other adult, some students that you have noticed are in a group of close friends, a psychologist or counselor, a clip from an interview where David Letterman interviews Drew Barrymore discussing her lack of appropriate friends in her younger years, and the writer of the Newsweek article you read on Skype. Ask all kinds of questions. You will not use all the video you find or shoot because not all will be pertinent to the specific point you are making in your documentary. Much of your video will be wasted seconds of interviewees pausing, making divergent comments, and other unforeseen events. You will edit your interviews into clips that will be in the order that best enhances your documentary.

3) Parts of the documentary.

o Interviews

o Recordings of events as they happen

o Pictures, drawings and/or documents (If you decide to use other people's work in your piece, such as videos, pictures or sound recordings, you must be sure to get permission to use them before you add them to your documentary). Attribute others’ work in the credits.

o Reenactments. Can use actors to read documents or letters or you can film a recreation. Just be sure that it is labeled at the point in the film this occurs.

o Music (must be attributed)

o Voiceovers can be accomplished by you or you may ask someone else to do so.

o No video or music or images (yours or borrowed) used more than 29 seconds (To a viewer, 29 seconds seems long)

o At end of documentary attribute all your sources appropriately and creatively. Be sure to allow enough time for your credits to be read.

This project is NOT a home movie nor a Powerpoint!!!!!

4) Organize all the parts in an order that is interesting and fun, but that will also make sense to the viewers Many documentary film makers deliberately rearrange the chronology of real-life events to make their film more dramatic. The end of the piece might be something that ties the information together in an interesting way, or a great comment from an interview. Remember, the story is what is interesting, not dates or rote facts. Use pathos, ethos, and logos effectively.

5) Show your documentary to someone, like your parents, or a friend. Make sure you ask them to review your film and give you some critique. According to what they tell you, go back to editing and fix what needs to be fixed, even if that means reshooting footage or adding new scenes. After you edit the piece, repeat reviewing process, and if the reviews are positive, distribute your film.

6) Post on YouTube and also bring on a flashdrive on exam day. You have one chance for your world premiere during your exam period.

If you present multiple perspectives, then you will create a fairer, more objective film.

--Adapted from Reading in the Reel World by John Golden

Scroll below for a graphic organizer to help you get started and the rubric that you are required to bring to the exam period.

Use the following chart as a guide for your planning:

| Documentary Film Planning |

|Visual: What will the audience see? |Audio: What will the audience hear? Key |Effect: What do you want your audience to |

| |dialogue? |feel? |

|Example: Blue sky, palm trees, the Beverly|Voiceover: My best friend and I played |That this is an ideal day and time to be |

|Hills Hotel, perfectly blue water, cabanas |hooky from our tour group and instead got |with a best friend |

|and deck chairs lined carefully alongside |some sun at the Beverly Hills Hotel. | |

|with two friends sharing conversation and |Music: soft, light strings | |

|two fancy beverages. |Sounds: water splashes, ice tinkling | |

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Print the following and bring on exam day:

Documentary Rubric:

Name____________________ Youtube address: ______________________

(type web address)

1)_____documentary topic is appropriate & fascinating (10 pts.)

2)_____ topic is investigated from multiple perspectives and is a fair depiction. No one interview, item, narration, part, etc. is longer than 29 seconds and drags the documentary down. The editing is pared down to the essential points. (20 pts.)

3) ______an interesting & appropriate variety of items are included (still images, video, music, narration, interviews, written words) [10 pts.]

4) ______segues and transitions are smooth and synchronized (10 pts.)

5) ______audio is easily heard yet doesn’t overshadow. Effectively integrated with your visuals (10)

6) ______visuals smoothly and effectively synced with audio. Close ups, zooms, fade aways, etc. are used as needed and add to your presentation. (10)

7)_____ Text is in easy to read fonts, sizes, effects and backgrounds. Effective spacing and animation (5)

8)______ Every item you did not create is attributed appropriately (film like) and creatively. They are included in the time limit of documentary but care is taken that audience has time to read them. (20)

9)______The documentary is timed 3 minutes (3rd & 6th periods) exactly. (5)

4 minutes (4th period)

5 minutes (5th period)

______ Final grade (5 additional points taken off without rubric. 5 points also taken off for difficulty getting documentary to view)

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