Short Documentary
Short Documentary
Length: 8-12 minutes
Format: mp4 uploaded to Vimeo or YouTube as an unlisted link.
Point Value: 65 points divided this way:
Draft 1 (20 points)
Draft 2 (20 points)
Final Draft (25 points)
Twitter and Facebook Pages
Length: At least 20 posts
Format: Twitter and Facebook
Point Value: 10 points
Distribution Plan
Length: 2-3 pages (600 – 900 words)
Format: Word Document
Point Value: 5 points
Length: 8-12 minutes
Format: mp4 uploaded to Vimeo or YouTube as an unlisted link.
Point Value: 65 points divided this way:
Draft 1 (20 points)
Draft 2 (20 points)
Final Draft (25 points)
Twitter and Facebook Pages
Length: At least 20 posts
Format: Twitter and Facebook
Point Value: 10 points
Distribution Plan
Length: 2-3 pages (600 – 900 words)
Format: Word Document
Point Value: 5 points
Short Documentary
How do I select my partner?
It is up to you to decide who you want to work with. Try to find someone with whom you think you can collaborate easily. Make sure you set up some system of communication (texting, Facebook, Slack) and that you check in with each other outside of class.
What is the short documentary about?
Anything you and your partner want as long as you come up with something that meets these criteria:
1. You can film within reasonable driving distance from East Lansing.
2. You have access to your participants and they are available to you more than once in case you need to reshoot interviews, scenes, B-Roll.
3. It is a story that can be told through footage you get during a short period of filming (about 8 weeks).
4. It is a topic narrow enough that it would work as a short documentary instead of a feature.
How is the crew going to be divided?
One member of your team will be the director, main editor, and music supervisor.
The other team member will be the producer, cinematographer, assistant editor, and color correction/sound editor.
Because we’re working under a filmmaking model where everyone’s contribution is valued and collaboration is key, I expect that some of these roles will be porous and that you will converse with your partner and make all important decisions for the short documentary together. However, it is useful for each one of you to have set roles in the production process.
NOTE: You are both responsible for taking behind-the-scenes photos during filming and editing. You will need them for your social media pages.
What sorts of things do we need to include?
Your choices of what to film are up to you. Interviews, narration, B-roll, scenes. All are welcome. I would like you to actually film something, though, as opposed to solely remixing footage others have filmed. Archival footage is welcome, however, as long as it doesn’t comprise the majority of the project.
What equipment will we have access to?
You and your partner will have access to one camera, one tripod, and one shotgun mic, which you will pick up from the Film Lab on the sixth floor of Wells at various times during the course.
What will we use to edit the short documentary?
We will learn to use Adobe Premiere for this assignment. Premiere is available on our Bessey 317 computers and on the Film Lab computers.
Does the short documentary need a soundtrack?
Yes, and it should be made out of Creative Commons music, which you can find here: http://www.freesound.org, http://www.jamendo.com/en, and http://ccmixter.org. You’re also welcome to suggest other Creative Commons music websites and/or to compose your own music.
Does the short documentary need credits?
Yes, and you should also come up with a name for your production company to open the film with.
NOTE: You need to save your footage and documentary on both hard drives your team owns and to update your versions often. Have a version of your Adobe Premiere file in the drive, in your computer, and in a Google drive you create and share with each other for that purpose. They don’t take up a lot of space so make sure to back them up.
It is up to you to decide who you want to work with. Try to find someone with whom you think you can collaborate easily. Make sure you set up some system of communication (texting, Facebook, Slack) and that you check in with each other outside of class.
What is the short documentary about?
Anything you and your partner want as long as you come up with something that meets these criteria:
1. You can film within reasonable driving distance from East Lansing.
2. You have access to your participants and they are available to you more than once in case you need to reshoot interviews, scenes, B-Roll.
3. It is a story that can be told through footage you get during a short period of filming (about 8 weeks).
4. It is a topic narrow enough that it would work as a short documentary instead of a feature.
How is the crew going to be divided?
One member of your team will be the director, main editor, and music supervisor.
- The director makes participants feel comfortable with the process by talking to them while interviews are set up, conducts interviews, and discusses with the participants and producer what B-roll and scenes will be filmed and how they will be filmed.
- The main editor is in charge of going through the footage and putting the story together with the help and feedback of the assistant editor.
- The music supervisor finds music and works on placing it on the scenes that require it.
The other team member will be the producer, cinematographer, assistant editor, and color correction/sound editor.
- The producer contacts all participants and is in charge of scheduling days of shooting and of making sure that the schedule is kept. If the schedule is not kept, the producer is in charge of revising it.
- The producer is in charge of getting all releases signed and keeps in touch with participants outside of filming, sending them thank you messages and updates.
- The cinematographer films most of the footage, making sure to consult with the director and participants for interview setups and longer scenes.
- The color correction and sound editor works on the picture lock version of the film to make sure the color of it is consistent, that the sound levels are constant, and that the sound is clean.
Because we’re working under a filmmaking model where everyone’s contribution is valued and collaboration is key, I expect that some of these roles will be porous and that you will converse with your partner and make all important decisions for the short documentary together. However, it is useful for each one of you to have set roles in the production process.
NOTE: You are both responsible for taking behind-the-scenes photos during filming and editing. You will need them for your social media pages.
What sorts of things do we need to include?
Your choices of what to film are up to you. Interviews, narration, B-roll, scenes. All are welcome. I would like you to actually film something, though, as opposed to solely remixing footage others have filmed. Archival footage is welcome, however, as long as it doesn’t comprise the majority of the project.
What equipment will we have access to?
You and your partner will have access to one camera, one tripod, and one shotgun mic, which you will pick up from the Film Lab on the sixth floor of Wells at various times during the course.
What will we use to edit the short documentary?
We will learn to use Adobe Premiere for this assignment. Premiere is available on our Bessey 317 computers and on the Film Lab computers.
Does the short documentary need a soundtrack?
Yes, and it should be made out of Creative Commons music, which you can find here: http://www.freesound.org, http://www.jamendo.com/en, and http://ccmixter.org. You’re also welcome to suggest other Creative Commons music websites and/or to compose your own music.
Does the short documentary need credits?
Yes, and you should also come up with a name for your production company to open the film with.
NOTE: You need to save your footage and documentary on both hard drives your team owns and to update your versions often. Have a version of your Adobe Premiere file in the drive, in your computer, and in a Google drive you create and share with each other for that purpose. They don’t take up a lot of space so make sure to back them up.
Twitter and Facebook Pages
What is their purpose?
Films tend to have Twitter and Facebook pages in order to get the word out. Creating them helps you begin to make visual and written arguments for the value of what you’ve done.
What will be posted on these pages?
You should take plenty of behind-the-scenes images while filming and editing and post those. You can also post news related to whatever the topic of your documentary is. You can post some version of the same content on Facebook and Twitter. You need at least 20 posts on each page.
Do we need to have likes/followers?
Yes, each page needs at least 30 likes (Facebook) and followers (Twitter).
Films tend to have Twitter and Facebook pages in order to get the word out. Creating them helps you begin to make visual and written arguments for the value of what you’ve done.
What will be posted on these pages?
You should take plenty of behind-the-scenes images while filming and editing and post those. You can also post news related to whatever the topic of your documentary is. You can post some version of the same content on Facebook and Twitter. You need at least 20 posts on each page.
Do we need to have likes/followers?
Yes, each page needs at least 30 likes (Facebook) and followers (Twitter).
Distribution Plan
What does it entail?
You will write a list of at least ten film festivals you aim to submit to and why. You should find documentaries in each of the following categories: student film festivals, submission-fee-free film festivals, Midwest film festivals, and film festivals related to your film’s particular topic. For each festival, provide the link to their website, as well as the next deadline, the cost of submission, and a sentence or so about why you selected that particular festival.
How do we find film festivals?
There are two main film festival websites: Filmfreeway and Withoutabox. You may need to create a filmmaker profile in order to browse festivals.
You will write a list of at least ten film festivals you aim to submit to and why. You should find documentaries in each of the following categories: student film festivals, submission-fee-free film festivals, Midwest film festivals, and film festivals related to your film’s particular topic. For each festival, provide the link to their website, as well as the next deadline, the cost of submission, and a sentence or so about why you selected that particular festival.
How do we find film festivals?
There are two main film festival websites: Filmfreeway and Withoutabox. You may need to create a filmmaker profile in order to browse festivals.
Assignment Delivery
Send the link to your final version of the documentary, your Facebook page, and your Twitter page in the body of an email to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be Short Documentary, followed by your last names, i.e. Mini Documentary Varda Moore. You should attach your releases and the distribution plan to the same email.
Assignment Deadlines
1/31: Short Documentary Planning Presentation #1.
2/7: Short Documentary Planning Presentation #2.
2/8: Begin filming your Short Documentary.
2/14: Workshop of interview question draft.
2/21: In-class critique of one edited section.
3/21: In-class critique of Short Documentary Draft 1.
4/1: In-class critique of Short Documentary Draft 2.
4/23 and 4/25: In-class critique of complete draft of Short Documentary.
4/28: Short Documentary Final Draft, Twitter and Facebook Pages, and Distribution Plan.
2/7: Short Documentary Planning Presentation #2.
2/8: Begin filming your Short Documentary.
2/14: Workshop of interview question draft.
2/21: In-class critique of one edited section.
3/21: In-class critique of Short Documentary Draft 1.
4/1: In-class critique of Short Documentary Draft 2.
4/23 and 4/25: In-class critique of complete draft of Short Documentary.
4/28: Short Documentary Final Draft, Twitter and Facebook Pages, and Distribution Plan.
Questions
If you have questions about the documentary assignment, feel free to email me, stop by my office hours, or make an appointment.