DIRECTING THE DOCUMENTARY

VID 212

SUMMER 2007

Art Institute of Atlanta

 

Instructor: George King

www.georgeking-assoc.com

 

 

                                  E-mail: gpsking@bellsouth.net

 

 

My office at AIA is in Room 318

Office Hours:  Tues: 12.00pm--2.00pm

[Please make appointment via email—see above]

 

Class Meets:    Mon       6.00pm—9.40pm   Room 442

             Wed      6.00pm—7.50pm   Room 442

 

The essence of directing film and video is in production—it concerns where to put the camera and how to instruct whoever is appearing in front of it.   In documentary work however, the directorÕs focus can shift to post--as many of the strongest docs are unscripted and find their form in the editing room.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

The course explores directing the documentary video--with an emphasis on the analysis of films; and writing, planning, directing, and editing class projects.  The class will examine the director's role, responsibilities, and methods of working in all phases of pre-production, production, and post-production. (4 credits, 6 hours)

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

 

Students will learn:

á      How to identify and evaluate ideas for a documentary video

á      How to ÔscriptÕ and plan the creation of such a video

á      Techniques for shooting.

á      Creating a plan for editing

á      Interviewing, V.O., text and other storytelling techniques.

á      Using music and graphics to enhance the story.

 

TEXTBOOK:

DOCUMENTARY STORYTELLING FOR FILM & VIDEOMAKERS (2nd Edition)

by Sheila Curran Bernard, Focal Press

 

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

DIRECTING THE DOCUMENTARY by Michael Rabiger, 4th edition, Focal Press

DOCUMENTARY—A HISTORY OF NONFICTION FILM by Erik Barnouw, Oxford U Press

WRITING, DIRECTING, & PRODUCING DOCUMENTARY FILMS & VIDEOS by Alan Rosenthal, Southern Illinois University Press.

 

USEFUL WEB SITES:

http://www.documentaryfilms.net/

http://www.documentary.org/

 

SUPPLIES:

The Art Institute will provide: audio/video equipment, computers and software, handouts.

Student provides:  headphones, videotapes, CDs & DVDs

 

GRADE LETTER ASSIGNMENT:

 

A               93-100              Excellent

A-              90-92                Very Good

B+             88-89                Very Good

B               83-87                Good

B-              80-82                Good

C+             78-79                Above Average

C               73-77                Adequate

C-              70-72                Poor

F                69 or less          Fail

 

 

FINAL GRADES ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING:

 

Project Proposal/Treatment

15 points

Production skills (assessed: 8/13)

10 points

Midterm Written Test

10 points

Critique of Documentary film

10 points

Final Written Test

10 points

Post Production skills (assessed: 9/5)

10 points

Completed 3-5 min Documentary

25 points

Attendance, participation, attitude

10 points

 

 

Total:                                                               

 

100 points   (69 points or below = F)

 

 

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

 

A project is late if it is turned in for grading or critique after the deadline.  All the deadlines are THE BEGINNING of class.  An assignment may be handed in up to one week after the deadline—however, it will be downgraded by one grade point (ie. an ÔAÕ becomes a ÔBÕ).  Projects more than one week late will not be graded.

 

REDO:

 

After a project has been submitted on time, critiqued and graded, you have the right to redo that project incorporating improvements to weak areas in the project that are identified by the instructor or in-class critique. When you redo a project you may receive a higher grade.

 

COURSE CALENDAR:

 

Week

Date

Class Subject & Objectives

 

1

 

Mon:   7/9

 

 

 

 

 

Wed:   7/11

 

Intro to course:  Definitions: nonfiction video & documentary. 

Discuss concepts for a 3-5 min documentary video

Evaluating ideas for documentaries.

Student skills assessment.

*Read Ch 1 & 9  [Midterm exam is based on book]

 

View and discuss ÒWhoÕs That Stranger?Ó.

View AIA student work.

Writing a treatment/proposal for a documentary video. 

Assign Proposal

 

2

Mon:   7/16

 

 

Wed:   7/18

View historic documentary films.

Assign critique of documentary film.

 

How to conduct research.  (Research librarian to attend class)

Finalize production teams. 

Clarify roles: Prod, Cam, Editor

Proposals due.

*Read: Ch 2-3

 

 3

Mon:   7/23

 

Wed:   7/25

Shooting documentaries. (Shooting to edit, hand-held, etc.)

 

Planning and scheduling a project—who and what to shootÉ

Moving from treatment to production.

Proposal re-writes due

*Read: Ch 4-5

 

4

Mon:   7/30

 

Wed:   8/1

Shooting part 2: (Unscripted sequences, available light, etc.)

 

View and discuss: Interview-based documentaries [Dogtown & Z-Boys; When We Were Kings; 28 Up]

Assign Midterm Exam

*Read: Ch 6-7

 

5

Mon:   8/6

 

Wed:   8/8

 

Screen and critique raw footage from first shoots in class.

 

View and discuss: VŽritŽ-style films: [Welfare; Tropic of Cancer]

Midterm Exam due

*Read: Ch 8 & 10

 

6

Mon:   8/13

 

 

Wed:   8/5

Review raw footage [Production skills evaluated]

*Read: Ch 11-12

 

View and discuss personal documentaries.

 

7

Mon:   8/20

 

 

Wed:   8/22

Shooting part 3: (B-roll, montage and location audio)

*Read Ch 13-15.

 

 

Assign final exam.

 

8

Mon:   8/27

 

 

 

Wed:   8/29

 

Create assembly/rough cut and review in class

Critique due

*Read Ch 16-17. 

 

Editing: Writing and directing V.O. sessions;

Using music, Graphics and Titles.

 

9

Mon:   9/3

 

Wed:   9/5

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY—NO CLASSES

 

Final project review before grading  [Post Prod skills evaluated]

 [N.B. Fri Sept 7th.  Last day to withdraw from class with a ÒWÓ]

Final Written Exam due

10

Mon:     9/10

 

Final projects due.  Screen and critique in class.

 

 

 

 

 

Expectations:

This course is based around the conception, scripting, planning, shooting, and editing of a 3-5 minute documentary video.  The class will divide into groups of 2-3 students.  Each group is responsible for the completion of one video documentary by the end of the course.  Each group will decide who will fill the following roles: Producer/Director; Camera; Editor; (+ Sound; Lighting; boom operator, grip, etc.).  Group members can perform more than one role, but note that camera and sound cannot be the same person.  Students cannot share key production roles (Prod/Dir, Camera, Editor).

 

I expect the work to display professional, entry-level standards that will effectively showcase your talents for work in the Portfolio Course and beyond.  In order to pass the class, final projects must be of AIA Portfolio entry standard—this means they must be awarded a grade of at least a B-.

 

Classroom Policies:

All cell phones, pagers, and PDAs to be turned OFF before class begins.

 

Absences:

Four absences, for any reason, will result in automatic suspension from the class.  This is Art Institute policy.  Students must appeal suspensions to Registrar and may not be allowed full participation in class until situation is resolved.  A professional attitude is essential for a successful career in video production.  ItÕs not enough to know technique and technology.  Being late for a job results in being fired.  A percentage of your grade will be based on your participation in class in the same way that a professional attitude in the industry will frequently determine if you find work.

 

Note:

á  Instructor may change syllabus at any time and will notify students of any changes.

á  Students are expected to attend ALL class meetings and be prepared to work in class for entire scheduled time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignments:

 

Write Proposal: All students must write a proposal for a documentary video project.  More than one student can write about the same project, but each proposal must be original work written by that student. 

 

Critique:  Students are required to write a (minimum 3 page, double-spaced, 12pt courier font) paper on a documentary film selected from the list we are watching in class. (See list below)

 

Man with a Movie Camera (1929) 80 min, Dziga Vertov

DonÕt Look Back (1967) 96 min,  D.A. Pennebaker

Salesman (1969) 85 min,  Al & David Maysles

Wattstax (1972) 98 min, Mel Stuart

Welfare (1975) 167 min, Frederick Wiseman

Chulas Fronteras (1976) 58 min,  Les Blank

Atomic CafŽ (1982) 92 min,  Jayne Loader & Kevin Rafferty

Koyaanisquatsi (1983) 87 min,  Godfrey Reggio

28 Up (1985)  136 min,  Michael Apted

When We Were Kings (1996) 89 min, Leon Gast

Buena Vista Social Club (1999) 105 min, Wim Wenders

GoinÕ to Chicago (2000) 58 min,  George King

Dogtown & Z-Boys (2001) 91 min  Stacey Peralta

A Dangerous Business (2003) 58 min Lowell Bergman & David Rummel

 

Midterm Exam: Using the course text book, students respond to a series of questions about documentary filmmaking .

 

Final Exam:  Students write a paper (3 page minimum, double-spaced) on the concerns and working methods of a contemporary documentary filmmaker selected from those interviewed at the end of Sheila Curran BernardÕs class text..

 

Produce short documentary film:  Students working in production teams of 2-3 people must complete a 3-5 minute documentary film.  Acceptable roles are: Producer/Director; Camera; Editor

 

NOTE: Production (Aug 13th) and Post Production (Sept 5th) of this project will also be assessed for your grade.

 

Production (camera and audio skills) are evaluated as follows: Image quality (focus, color, exposure, composition, creativity) and Sound quality (audio levels, mic use, ambient sound.)

Post Production (Editing, organizational & storytelling skills) are evaluated as follows: Project organization, shot selection and order, clean edit, timing, and overall effectiveness of story)