INDEPTH DOCUMENTARY HYBRID WORKSHOP
GOT AN IDEA FOR A DOCUMENTARY? GET IT PRODUCED NOW WITH THIS INTENSIVE HYBRID/IN-PERSON DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
COURSE SUMMARY
This is a detailed documentary production course designed for, and regularly delivered to, broadcasters. This course covers the whole process of documentary production, focussing on the development stages, from finding the right idea, developing and pitching it and then planning out the production.
Using a hybrid delivery structure, mixing online pre-recorded training modules with face to face training, coaching and idea development sessions, wework through what makes long-form story telling a unique craft and skill, the importance of good structure and a well thought out treatment and how to spot a great story and turn it into a fantastic, potentially award winning documentary. Throughout this course delegates will be developing their own documentary idea they bring with them. As a result of these exercises, this course has been responsible for numerous documentary ideas being worked up into detailed proposals and treatments that have gone on to be commissioned, made, and won awards.
GET YOUR DOCUMENTARY FUNDED & MADE
WHO'S IT FOR
They say everyone has a good book inside them. Certainly these days I think it’s fair to say everyone has a potentially powerful, world changing documentary inside them.
This 8 week course is for both aspiring and established documentary makers, journalists looking to move into long form, or anyone with a story that they want to tell with film or video
PREVIOUSLY DELIVERED FOR
BBC, MediaCorp & others.
GET YOUR DOCUMENTARY COMMISSIONED
IN-DEPTH 8 WEEK DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Over 8 weeks, a combination of in-person training and development sessions, combined with online training modules measn you'll get the perfect blend of training and support to develop your documentary idea into a commissionable, potentially award-winning documentary.
The four in-person sessions delivered on Saturdays, verey fortnight for four weeks, will take place at the Frontline Club's headquarters in Paddington, London. We will also stream these sessions live for those unable to attend.
COURSE CONTENT
Jan 11th - DAY ONE - in person, laying out the courseWe start the course with a day long in person session, working through the groups ideas and discussing what is a story. This session is then backed up and built on with a series of pre-recorded modules that the delegate can work through at their own pace, over the next two weeks, before the next in-person session.
Identifying the differences between short form and long form story telling
What makes a good story and what are the right stories for long form story telling
Story, theme, POV, front loading and narrative reveal and story telling using visuals
Narration, IVs and PTCs in documentaries and getting the balance right
Finding the theme and depth in the story
Owning the story and securing access
Film poster tag lines
Elevator pitches
The importance of the pitch
Homework, develop your idea into a pitch
Jan 25th - DAY TWO - second in person session where we all deliver and discuss the pitches we have developed as a result of the work done over the previous 2 weeks training and online modules. We then start looking at how to develope and focus these pitches and work them up into proposals.
Present pitches, class gives feedback
Presenter or lead character. Finding and engaging a good character
Treatment style
The importance of empathy and audience buy in
The proposal, it’s pivotal importance and it’s components
Homework, develop the pitch into a full proposal
Feb 8th - DAY THREE - Third in person session where we share and discuss our proposals as a group and then look at how we can use these to draw up production schedules, crew, budgets, sizzles etc
Present proposals to class and discuss
Making your proposal unique and a must-make, ‘commissioning no-brainer’
Finding a more interesting way of telling a story and applying an interesting treatment to to our proposal
Pitching and dealing with commissioners
Documentary writing, script building, writing and re-writing
The importance of the opening and what role it plays
The structure and narrative reveal
The role of the treatment
Homework write your treatment
Planning, research, online engagement
Thinking about required locations to visualise the story
The HEC test
Breaking the treatment into shooting schedule
New equipment and ways of working to achieve what is needed (iPhone filming, sliders, gimbals, action cameras, fixed rigs etc)
Crewing for a documentary shoot
Breaking the shooting schedule into a budget
Feb - 22nd - DAY FOUR - fourth in person session where we share and discuss our full documentary project paperwork and development.
We have a full pitching session and vote for each idea
We discuss the future production processes and options
Genres and crossovers
Engaging interviewees, interview techniques and getting the to the real truth
Making interviews ‘of the moment’
Chapters, mood breaks and the different shots and sequences needed for long form
Paperwork, VISAs, carnet and legal stiff
Post production work flow, back up and archiving
Re-versioning, cross platform promotion, ‘added value’ content, audience engagement and considerations of this before the shoot
Follow up story telling
What next
PITCH YOUR DOCUMENTARY
IN-DEPTH 8 WEEK DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
At the end of the workshop you can practice pitching your fully developed documentary idea to the group as well as work out where best to take your project.
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE - BOOK NOW!
IN-DEPTH 8 WEEK DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP - £645
Book the full course for £645
SPECIAL FRONTLINE CLUB MEMBERS REDUCED PRICE - BOOK NOW!
£495
IN-DEPTH 8 WEEK DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FOR FRONTLINE CLUB MEMBERS JUST - £495