Course syllabus

SCREEN 713: ADVANCED DOCUMENTARY DIRECTING (30 points)

Convenor Annie Goldson: a.goldson@auckland.ac.nz

CLASS TIME: 10 - 1 Fridays (with an extension to 2 pm for workshops on designated weeks). The class combines lecture, discussion, demonstrations, and presentations. 

LOCATION: THE BLACK BOX - 206-201E.1.49. The ground floor of the HSB building on Wynyard St. opposite the Fale.

For approximately six sessions, technician Martin Hansen and I will run focused production workshops on Fridays 1-2 pm directly after class. The workshops are optional, but highly recommended especially for students who wish to develop their technical skills further.

CHECKOUT:  Monday - Friday, 10am to 1pm.  A blank gear loan-out form will be provided on Canvas to be filled out. There are strict conditions, so please read the document carefully. Media technician Tim Signal,  t.signal@auckland.ac.nz is in charge.

At least 24 hours e-mail notice is required  for gear loan-outs. Students must be on time as a limited window of 15-30 minutes will be made available before the next scheduled pickup.  Being late may necessitate rescheduling.  A return date/time will be negotiated with the media technician. Please adhere to this return time to ensure smooth functioning of the process.

 

COURSE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This course is structured as a hands-on production class in which students will produce, direct and edit a 9-12 minute documentary. The lecturer will work largely as an “executive producer”, providing guidance and feedback, and setting certain deadlines that students will have to meet. It is assumed that students will have basic skills in production and post-production: there will be some demonstrations in class that will be followed up at the workshops after class on Fridays. If you need further practice students can always check out the equipment in their own time.

Documentary crews tend to be small, from 1-4 people. Students are encouraged to crew for each other. All students work as producer/director and editor of their own documentaries but may wish to work with others as DoP and sound recordists. Students should aim to film their documentaries in 4-5 shooting days, and will spend three to four weeks in the edit.

 

RESOURCES

Weekly readings are assigned, drawing on one principal text (Anderson, Kelly et al). There are further recommended readings that could be useful if you want differing perspectives. All readings are cited in the Reading Lists tab, and available in digital form. From about Week 4, students are required to screen a weekly documentary in their own time which will form the basis to the documentary analysis assignment. Each documentary is also listed in the Reading List tab, and is either digitised or available on DVD, to be screened at the Library. Kanopy, the educational streaming service, has some excellent documentaries if you to watch further inspiring films.

 

ADMISSION AND PREREQUISITES

This is a limited entry course. Students accepted into the BA Hons/Postgrad Dip. in SCREEN PRODUCTION have automatic entry to this course as they will have undertaken SCREEN 701. MFT students, and those outside of the discipline who are interested in applying, need to have some production experience and are required to write a short application. If you are interested, please contact Annie at a.goldson@auckland.ac.nz. 

 

EQUIPMENT

There are a series of BA Hons kits, which are all identical, that will be available to you. These cameras record directly to memory cards, which will be provided. Students are encouraged to edit using Premiere Pro. We recommend that students purchase their own drives for backing up original files.

Loan out is from 10-12 a.m. daily, Arts 1, level 1, Room 131. No exceptions. If you note any malfunctions in equipment, tell Tim Signal or the check-out assistant immediately.

 

ASSESSMENT:

There are five pieces of assessment: three -- the Proposal, Work in Progress and Edit Overview  -- are all steps on the way to students' realization of their fourth and major assignment, the Final Documentary, a 9-12 minute work. The fifth piece of assessment Documentary Analysis is a presentation and essay, both of which offer an analysis of a documentary screening in class. 

 

Week 1: July 28  a) The Documentary idea and b) the production rig

Lecture: 

a) Documentary ideas: Where do they come from? Transforming an idea into a documentary. What style of documentary most closely fits your idea? Break into groups. Discuss your various ideas and options.

b) The ideal documentary rig and ideal crew.  Familiarising yourself with the documentary rig: camera, mikes, lights, tripod.

Discussion of Assignment 1: Documentary Analysis

 

Week 2:  Aug. 4 a) Writing the Proposal and b) Conducting interviews.      

Lecture:  

a) The Proposal, Treatment and Pitch. What are the ingredients that form this preliminary document? The art of pitching. Be prepared to pitch your ideas (2 mins.) on 18th August. Break into groups and discuss progress on your idea: research, visual style, mode and function, drawing on concepts from last week’s reading. Short presentation required at end of discussion.

Discussion of Assignment 2: Full Proposal

b) Building blocks of documentary:  The interview: Framing options, depth of field, variable focal length. Single, double and multiple. The role of the interviewer. Setting up a classic interview.

Annie is away: class will be conducted by filmmaker and PhD candidate: Dan Salmon

 

Week 3: Aug 11  a) Ethics and b) Location Sound Recording

Lecture:  

a) Documentary Ethics: The centrality of ethics to documentary. The University Ethics approval process. Discuss ethical issues that may arise in individual project.

b) Radio with Pictures: The importance of good sound recording: analysing your locations and working with our range of microphones.

Discussion of the pitching process.

 

 Week 4: Aug 18  a) The Crew and b) Visual Coverage        

Lecture:

a) The producer and director prepare. Key roles, technical overview, the vision, relationship with camera and crew crewing roles and crew relationships. Directorial confidence. Discuss your crewing arrangements.

b) The Building blocks of documentary. Visual coverage: sequences, cutaways, observational footage, archive. Coverage and capturing the moment.

Assignment 2: Full proposal due.

The Pitch: All students will pitch their ideas. Pitches should be 2 minutes exactly, with a 5-minute response period for each. Be prepared to give each other feedback.

Annie is away: class will be conducted by filmmaker and PhD candidate: Dan Salmon. 

 

Week 5: Aug 25  a) Directing on location b) Lighting

Lecture:  

a) Directing on location: The ethics of encounter, working with crew and your subjects, and maintaining access. Call sheets, location releases and documentary release forms (aka Consent forms) 

b) Lighting for documentary: Colour temperatures, exterior and interior lighting; high and low contrast. Ideal kits.

Documentary Analysis 1: Control Room - 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

 

Week 6:  Sept 1

A breather: Consolidation in preparation for your production. Revision of all aspects of production: camera, sound, lighting, crew relations, directing.

Discussion of Assignment 3: Work-in-progress presentation

Documentary Analysis 2 - Jiro Dreams of Sushi. 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

 

Week 7:  Sept 22 a) Preparing for the Edit b)  a) From Assemble to Rough cut

Lecture:       

a) Preparation for Post: The importance of the edit. Practical approaches to the edit. Transcriptions, paper edits, logging. Director/editor relationship. 

b) From Assemble to Rough Cut. Editing as script writing, the importance of finding the structure. Approaching the assemble edit. 

Documentary Analysis 3 - Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry. 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

 

Week 8: Sept 29  - The Art of Documentary Editing        

Lecture:  The aesthetics of the edit, pacing, lucidity, relation of image and sound. 

Work-in-progress presentation 

Documentary Analysis 4 - Waltz with Bazhir 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

 

Week 9: Oct 6  a) Refining the edit b) Archives and copyright 

Lecture: Rough cut towards fine cut, narration writing and scratch tracks, working with music and composers, fair use and use of archives. Discussion of advanced editing techniques: using narration, stills, animation, and special effects.

Work-in-progress presentation

Documentary Analysis 5 - How far is Heaven. 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

Discussion of Assignment 4 - Edit Overview

 

Week 10: Oct 13 -  a) Sound Design b) polishing the picture

Lecture:   The fine cut or lock-off. Sound design and preparation for the mix; colour grading, FX and titles, credits. 

Documentary Analysis - The Internet's Own Boy. 1-2 students will present. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.

 

Week 11: Oct 20 -  Distributing your documentary.

Lecture:  Distributing the documentary. Film festivals, online opportunities, cinema releases, streaming. Developing an EPK.    

Edit overview due.

 

Week 12:  Oct 27  - Documentary in the Real World: Developing a career.

Lecture:  The current state of the documentary marketplace in New Zealand and post-University opportunities.

Final Screening (to be scheduled).

Assignment 5: Final documentary  (due: November 10)