Has anyone done/is doing documentary (or film, even) for major worlk? (1 Viewer)

[Trigger189]

Has anyone done/is doing documentary (or film, even) for major work?

?

I would really like to gain insight into how people are approaching this.

I have hardly done anything, my proposal is due on tuesday. My teacher was away for the first 6 weeks, so Ive had very little guidance.

It would be good to talk to a few people and see what everyone is up to.

 

[sugaryblue]

I am not quite sure of what you mean by 'film'. does that mean as the medium 'film' or just a video sort of thing?

because if you are talking about video, then I did that this year, 2003. basically, the way you approach it, think of a concept and fit a storyline around it. then you keep correcting the things that are involved in there until you are satisfied with it. of course, becareful of the time limit. Also, pay attention to dialogue or the quality of sound

 

[Trigger189]

yeah, video i mean. what u said is great, but thats just it, as I said, I havent had much guidance...I dont know what the exact time limit is and the other details like that. we werent even given information on the other mediums so we could make a decision, its been pretty unorganized.

could u tell me a little about your experiences...coz i know the basics like u said, the sound, etc. but it would be cool if i had some insight into where people were at this stage with their projects, when they got around to filming it, how long it took them to finish it, etc.

I have a basic premise. I'm doing a documentary, I'm gonna write an initial essay then script it. I've heard all this ambigious crap flung around...whats the time limit, requirements?

That would be so much help ;D

 

[dopez]

I did a doco this year and here are some things to keep in mind.

1) Film early - last minute jobs r impossible with filming coz u got other ppl u need to bug who will have more important things to do than help u on the week before its due

2) Forget writing an essay - get down to writing a script.

3) Have these things: clips from movies, specialist figures (make em up like the professor of literature from harvard etc), music, an exciting intro, snappy finish, clarity in voice by the speakers, someone to edit who knows what they're doin (or mess around for a while before you start editing your film).

4) Time is 6-8mins.

5) THIS IS CRUCIAL - film stax more than you need because then you have a greater bar for what makes it in. If it doesn't add to a) entertainment value
b) informative /intellectual value
c) reaching a point - like (b)
THEN SCRAP IT

6) Make sure you are doing something with value to the english course and make it explicit in your reflection.

7) SOUND QUALITY IS CRUCIAL - if any blur you refilm.
Let me know if you want more.

 

[Trigger189]

wow, thanks so much, that is a HUGE help!

I'll ask if I need anything more, but thats heaps for the time being. Thanks again!

 

[sugaryblue]

Dopez is so right!

My experience, I basically did a narrative form of video so I guess it's a little different from yours. I did around one and a half hour total of filming, all editted down to about 7 and 1/2 minutes. Basically, when I was filming mine, I did a lot of repeated takes to get the ideal shots.

I see where you are going writing an essay and a script. Just to make sure, are you doing this because you want to do a voice-over, something like they do on TV when they have a narrator? I think it would be great if you do both the essay and the script. Or write an essay first and edit it into a script. but like Dopey said, always finalised it as a script.

Some other points to consider is that
1) What sorts of video camera are you using, a digital or an analogue one? If you are using an analogue one, make sure you have the right cable that allows you to convert the footage back to digital in order to edit on computer.

2) Make sure you have a good editing software. In this case, you are looking at either Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. I have used both for mine because of different problems. I think that Final Cut Pro is easy to use for editing the video part of the footage but because I was working on an imac, the sound track didn't go very well. So I actually tranfered my timeline to Adobe Premiere. Adobe is also great but i didn't use it initially because the transitions are harder to do than Final Cut Pro.

3) Since you are doing a documentary, then I guess you would have to pay extra attention at the sound. that's because they have said in the 2002 marking guidelines that, some candidates have poor sound. This detracted the overall product. Use a good mic or maybe, even try a synchronised sound like they do on TV (that means that you ask your actors to go to a voice room to re-do all the sound accordingly). Make sure that the sound for different parts of your video is even.

i think they have the syllabus on the board of studies site.

also check this site out for some filming handy hints (although it mainly targets at people making short films)

www.exposure.co.uk

Just to let you know that, we are always here to help

 

[Trigger189]

thanks so much guys, you've really helped me out a lot!