Documentary Film
Programs
Year Program: September 6, 2013 - May 24, 2014
Fall Semester Program 2013: September 6 - December 21, 2013
Fall Semester Program 2013: September 6 - December 21, 2013
Documentary Filmmaking: Theory - Analysis - Practice
Documentary film is a powerful tool to communicate truths about the world we live in, the people we live with and the forces that mediate both of the above. Documentaries have great potential to inspire action and generate awareness. For the creatively vigilant, the discipline offers an immensely rewarding vocation. Now with the tools of the trade financially accessible to all, documentary production is limited only by the reservoir of ideas and story telling skills one has at his or her disposal.
The Documentary Production Program at Prague Film School emphasizes storytelling. Through intensive practical and theoretical work, each student at PFS will develop his/her voice as a documentary storyteller and learn the techniques to grab the audience and take them on an emotional journey.
The Documentary Production Program at Prague Film School emphasizes storytelling. Through intensive practical and theoretical work, each student at PFS will develop his/her voice as a documentary storyteller and learn the techniques to grab the audience and take them on an emotional journey.
First Semester
In the first semester Documentary Production course, students complete numerous shooting assignments designed to develop critical skills in documentary film language, camera technique and editing. Lectures, demonstrations, screenings, and analytical exercises provide the foundation for the fieldwork.
Topics covered include:
- Documentary camera and coverage techniques
- Interviewing techniques
- Documentary themes and genres
- Documentary story structure and analysis
- Standard production practices and organization
- Documentary Ethics
- Authorship/Voice in Documentary
Students crew on each others’ assignments, gaining extensive practice in directing, producing, shooting, and recording sound. Rigorous critiques are a vital component of the course. In addition to these exercises, each student will produce and direct a 7-minute documentary short film on a subject of his/her own choosing, and crew on his/her classmates’ projects.
Specialized courses in Editing and Cinematography are the other key components of the program. Students learn to edit on Avid Xpress HD, and learn shooting and lighting theory across a range of formats, including 16mm film and REDcam. By studying and practicing narrative as well as documentary shooting techniques, students gain an advanced fluency in the language of film.
Supplementing the practical component of the course, the documentary program will draw upon a rich pool of international and historical documentaries crossing themes and genres providing the student with a varied palette of documentary styles, techniques and approaches they can apply to their own work.
Topics covered include:
- Documentary camera and coverage techniques
- Interviewing techniques
- Documentary themes and genres
- Documentary story structure and analysis
- Standard production practices and organization
- Documentary Ethics
- Authorship/Voice in Documentary
Students crew on each others’ assignments, gaining extensive practice in directing, producing, shooting, and recording sound. Rigorous critiques are a vital component of the course. In addition to these exercises, each student will produce and direct a 7-minute documentary short film on a subject of his/her own choosing, and crew on his/her classmates’ projects.
Specialized courses in Editing and Cinematography are the other key components of the program. Students learn to edit on Avid Xpress HD, and learn shooting and lighting theory across a range of formats, including 16mm film and REDcam. By studying and practicing narrative as well as documentary shooting techniques, students gain an advanced fluency in the language of film.
Supplementing the practical component of the course, the documentary program will draw upon a rich pool of international and historical documentaries crossing themes and genres providing the student with a varied palette of documentary styles, techniques and approaches they can apply to their own work.
Second Semester
In Advanced Documentary Production, we focus on in-depth development and pre-production of the diploma film. Students complete weekly assignments for instructor and peer review, and learn to write a compelling Proposal & Treatment. Each student produces and directs his/her diploma film -- a 15-minute documentary -- and crews on classmates’ projects. Through extensive brainstorming and pitching sessions, students also leave the course armed with a portfolio of critiqued project ideas to further develop and make a reality after completion of the program.
This course is complemented by the Documentary Workshop, a practical course in which students further develop their technical skills through weekly shooting and editing exercises. Topics covered may include: Advanced Interview Techniques, Documentary Reenactments, Archival Research, Writing Narration, Music for Documentary, and various Cinema Vérité-style shooting scenarios.
This course is complemented by the Documentary Workshop, a practical course in which students further develop their technical skills through weekly shooting and editing exercises. Topics covered may include: Advanced Interview Techniques, Documentary Reenactments, Archival Research, Writing Narration, Music for Documentary, and various Cinema Vérité-style shooting scenarios.
