Course syllabus
SEMESTER 2, 2018
30 points
SCREEN 713: ADVANCED DOCUMENTARY DIRECTING
Course Convenor: Annie Goldson: a.goldson@auckland.ac.nz
Course Technician: Martin Hansen
CLASS TIME: 11-2 Mondays (with an extension to 3 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 Mondays 2- 3 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.
Summary of Course Description
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. 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.
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, enroll using Student Services Online and you will receive information on the application process. Or 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 by all students on a weekly basis.
Weekly Class Schedule
Week 1: 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: 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 Week 4. 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.
Week 3: a) Revisiting the Interview and b) Location Sound Recording
Lecture:
a) Interview cont.: The interview 'look', the role of the director/interviewer and drafting question lines.
b) Radio with Pictures: The importance of good sound recording: analysing your locations and working with our range of microphones.
Discussion of the proposal and pitching process.
Week 4: a) Ethics and b) Visual Coverage
Lecture:
a) Documentary Ethics: The centrality of ethics to a documentary. The University Ethics approval process. Discuss ethical issues that may arise in the individual projects.
b) The Building blocks of the 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.
Week 5: a) The Crew b) Lighting
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. 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 . All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 6:
A breather: Consolidation in preparation for your production. Revision of all aspects of production: camera, sound, lighting, crew relations, directing.
Discussion of Ethics (please see documents in the Module).
Discussion of Assignment 3: Work-in-progress presentation
Documentary Analysis 2 - Jiro Dreams of Sushi. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 7: 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. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 8: The Art of Documentary Editing
Lecture: The aesthetics of the edit, pacing, lucidity, relation of image and sound.
Documentary Analysis 4 - Waltz with Bazhir. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 9: 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.
Documentary Analysis 5 - How far is Heaven. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Discussion of Assignment 4 - Edit Overview
Week 10: 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 - Brother Number One. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 11: Distributing your documentary.
Lecture: Distributing the documentary. Film festivals, online opportunities, cinema releases, streaming. Developing an EPK.
Documentary Analysis - The Internet's Own Boy. All students will have been required to watch the documentary.
Week 12: 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
Course summary:
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