Documentary Video Boot Camp : Syllabus

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MassArt Professional and Continuing Education Documentary Video Boot Camp : Schedule MPFV225 Documentary Video Boot Camp (1.5 credits) , January 7-11, 2013, 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 9:00 4: Rough Cut (9 - 11:45 a.m.) The Documentary Landscape Screen/Critique of Assignment 3 Documenting Process Introductions What is documentary? 10:00 Editing the Documentary Directing the Documentary Exercise 2: Process Case Study: Abattoir Rising Exercise 4: Mini-Documentary w/ Co-Directors Audrey Kali & David Select/Export Assignment 2 1: Conceive (11:30- 12:30 p.m.) Tamés and Editor Carla Pataky Quick Check-In (11:45 a.m.) Lunch (12 - 12:30 p.m.) (Working Lunch) Lunch (12 - 1:00 p.m.) Lunch (12 - 12:30 p.m.) 11:00 Observing People & Environments 12:00 Lunch (12 - 12:30 p.m.) 5: Fine Cut (12:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.) Exercise 5: Editing the Mini-Documentary 2: Pitch (12:30- 1:30 p.m.) Screen/Critique of Assignment 2 Camera Fundamentals 1:00 1: Capture & Plan (1:30-3:30 p.m.) 3: Plan (1:30 - 2:30 p.m.) Interviewing/Lighting/Sound Exercise 1: Observation 2:00 4: Shoot (2:30 - 4:30 p.m.) Exercise 3: Interview Intro to Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro 3:00 5: Screen/Critique Projects (3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.) 2: Screen/Critique of Selected Rushes (3:30-4:30 p.m.) Select/Export Assignment 1 Select/Export Assignment 3 Screening & Critique of Assignment 1 4:00 Review / Q&A Review / Q&A Class ends @ 4:30 p.m. Class ends @ 4:30 p.m. 3: Editing Lab (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Class ends @ 4:30 p.m. Class ends @ 4:30 p.m. 5:00 MassArt gear must be returned to the classroom no later than 5 p.m.
MassArt Professional and Continuing Education Documentary Video Boot Camp : Exercises MPFV225 Documentary Video Boot Camp (1.5 credits) , January 7-11, 2013, 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. During this class you will always working on a highly constrained xed-time basis, so work quickly and diligently and always be back in the classroom at the agreed upon time. e goal of the exercises this week is to be as creative and expressive as you can within the limitations of time and resources. ink lightness, you are sketching, not creating a nished project. Reecting on your process and impulses is as important as shooting, so allow time for that as you are working. Exercise 1: Observation Find a willing human subject, or if you prefer, moving objects in a particular setting (e.g. cars navigating an intersection, people in Evans Park, the Green Line trolley, etc.), to shoot for twenty minutes. Using natural light, gather as many different and expressive shots from a variety of shot types and camera angles (shoot a variety of shots varying not only the x,y but also the z dimension) you can of your subject. Don’t be concerned with recording audio or dialog, don’t interview, only observe. Select your shots carefully, don’t let the camera run and run. Reect on what you’ve shot after each shot and what the next shot should or could be. Produce a mixture of moving and stable tripod shots. Look especially at the lines, shapes, textures, movements, gestures, patterns, you can discover and create while observing with your camera. Make sure you’re back in the classroom at the agreed upon time. When you return to the classroom, Log and transfer your footage and look it over. Choose your ten best shots and cut into a sequence at least one minute, but no longer than two minutes, for screening in class. Do not include audio in the sequence you show in class. Exercise 2: Document a process In this exercise you are to work in small teams to observe a process or a person. Work fast to nd your subject, it’s more important to spend time observing, the actual topic is not critical. It can be a student, someone who works at MassArt, or someone you meet on the street in the area. Always be straightforward when people ask what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. ink in terms of establishing context and covering an activity from more than one camera position. Cut for temporal compression in the camera. Reect on what you choose to frame, and why you think you chose it. Record a series of shots (not too short, but not too long). Select your shots carefully, don’t let the camera run and run. Spend about 30 minutes shooting this exercise. Make sure you’re back in the classroom at the agreed upon time. When you return to the classroom, Log and transfer your footage and look it over. Choose your ten best shots and cut into a rough sequence about two minutes long, for screening in class. Include the ambient sound, but don’t worry too much about making perfect edits, you are making a very rough assembly. Exercise 3: Interviewing a subject In this exercise your challenge is to nd someone on campus or the immediate area who you can informally pre-interview and then conduct an on camera interview. e interview should be informal and conversational. Ask three or four questions (at least one from each member of the group). Take turns with the camera, everyone should do some shooting. When other team members are shooting, watch what they are doing closely. Don’t hesitate to offer suggestions or ask questions as you work. Make sure to shoot B-roll in order to establish your interviewee and/or the context for the interview. Make sure to get an on-camera release including the complete (letter by letter) spelling of the person’s name and any additional information you might consider relevant. By the way, in the real world, you should always get a written release. Exercise 4: Shoot a micro-documentary In this exercise you are to work in small teams to conceive, pitch, plan, and shoot a sequence, or micro-documentary, which should including at least one interview (formal or informal) and some observational footage. e exercise involves four xed-time phases. e idea is to be as creative and expressive as you can within the limitations of time and resources. It’s just as critical to work within the allotted time frames as it is to be creative in the execution of this exercise. Time is of the essence. STEP 1. CONCEIVE 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Over lunch, your group with will come up with an idea and start guring out how to shoot it in the afternoon. Make sure to schedule time with your subject or subjects for shooting in the afternoon, you will be on an ultra tight schedule. STEP 2. PITCH 12:30 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. (10 MINUTES PER GROUP) Each group will pitch their project to the class. Express your idea in one or two short sentences (the elevator pitch), explain what the audience will take away from the piece, explain what resources you need, what are the possible pitfalls, and why you are uniquely qualied to make this documentary.
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Documentary Video Boot Camp : Syllabus

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