documentary first semester program
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
• Research
• Preproduction
• Documentary themes and genres
• Documentary story structure and analysis
• Standard production practices and organization
• Documentary Ethics
• Authorship/Voice in Documentary
Exercises are shot both in and out of class on almost a weekly basis. Each student will also produce and direct a 5-minute documentary short film on a subject of his/her own choosing.
Specialized courses in Editing and Cinematography are the other key components of the program. Students learn to edit on Avid Xpress Media Composer and learn shooting and lighting theory across a range of formats, including Sony XDCAM, Blackmagic and Arri.
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.
