process documentary

Individual Assignment.  Choose one favorite film from 60 SECOND DOCS and another from BBC REEL.  Present your picks to the crew, using URLs and time codes to reference two specific examples of each film’s FORMAL ELEMENTS:

  • Photography  (shots • angles • light & shadow • color • lenses & filters)
  • Mise en Scène/Dramatization  (composition • production design: setting, décor, costumes, make-up)
  • Movement  (of the subject • of the camera • created by editing)
  • Editing  (structure • pace • scene transitions)
  • Sound  (dialogue • effects, ambience, atmosphere • music).

Please avoid discussing content and performance.

Group Assignment.  Meet to GENERATE A LIST of 25 possible subjects for your film.  Each item should include the name of a person and a thing they do or make, for example: 

  • Anthony carves pumpkins. 
  • Grandma bakes biscuits.
  • Rick twists wire into bonsai trees. 

Now RANK the possibilities, considering the following:

  • Is the subject cinematic?  Writing poetry is more difficult to visually demonstrate than sculpting.
  • Is the subject close enough for location shoots?
  • Is the activity timely?  A summer blueberry harvest will be difficult to shoot in October.
  • Is the person likely to be charismatic in on-screen interviews? 
  • Are archival photos and footage available?