The power of documentary filmmaking

Dec 20, 2016 documentaries have the power to educate. Documentary has been described as a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries. Why documentaries still have the power to change the world world. Aug 09, 2018 in ken burnss masterclass, the documentary filmmaker teaches his techniques for distilling complex truths into captivating stories like the vietnam war and brooklyn bridge. The creative impact award aims to honour those filmmakers whose documentaries bring burning issues to our attention. At a recent film screening of our new documentary film ocean cities, about connecting cities and marine environments, the panel discussion and questions that followed demonstrated clearly the value of these kinds of films. The power and potential of performative documentary film by. I really thank him for his time and generosity to share his knowledge and experience with me who is dreaming to produce my first documentary film. The power of documentary filmmaking globally recruit. Movies have the power to create a shared narrative experience and to shape memories and worldviews. Jul 06, 2018 at a recent film screening of our new documentary film ocean cities, about connecting cities and marine environments, the panel discussion and questions that followed demonstrated clearly the value of these kinds of films. A visceral and vicious depiction of the evil that powerhungry men do by koraljka suton theres an old rule among directors that you see a film in its totality about four. Your life experiences, personal goals, and early films are all fodder for your career as filmmaker.

How the decades best documentaries chart radical changes. Nov 19, 2014 susan sarandon on the power of documentaries. A joyful noise, the musician speaks of the limitations of earthly creation and the creative power that comes from outer space. Documentary filmmakers are lurking in murky waters when it comes to ethical challenges. Documentary proposal template documentary filmmaking. Also called stock footage, this is film or video that can be used in other film productions. So lets look at five of the best video camera options for shooting video in documentary filmmaking. Training tomorrows lawyers through the power of documentary filmmaking.

Documentary filmmaking high school journalism institute. Powers war has taken nearly three years of extensive research and production to compete. They are aware that boundaries need to be set and that there should not be an abuse of power, yet there arent any clear solutions to ethical challenges. Documentaries were once treated as cinematic spinach films that were good for you but now, nonfiction filmmakers have transformed a. This era of documentary filmmaking has been partly defined by the emergence of playful chimeras, but in many ways, such works are throwbacks. So you can imagine my excitement when i came across the power of film on amazon in august. Rapid response to covid19 puts the power of innovation to the test. A documentary film is a nonfictional, motion picture intended to document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record. In this episode, abed makes a documentary about changnesia in order to receive a grant, with jeff attempting to prove chang is faking his disease. At the heart of documentary production is the relationship between filmmaker and subjectsnot often an equal balance of power. Power s war has taken nearly three years of extensive research and production to compete. Documentary filmmaking equipment list digital filmmaker. Aug 15, 2019 one thing every aspiring documentary filmmaker absolutely needs is a high quality camera. Hearing, watching, touching, smelling and tasting are the only doorways to the outer world.

River of power completes nearly 50 years of bpa documentary filmmaking. To hear from the filmmakers, to meet their characters, illuminates our world in a way that only documentary filmmaking can. How to deal with ethical challenges in documentary filmmaking. I anxiously waited for subsequent films and lectures but none were ever made. Specifically, we need to recon this essay grew from numerous sources of encouragement and stimulation. Where all these intersect is at the core subject of this book. It affirms, among other things, the principle of informed consent for subjects, inflected to acknowledge that documentary filmmaking is more of an artistic practice than a. Ken burns teaches documentary filmmaking masterclass. Advanced documentary filmmaking is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the nbc sitcom community, which originally aired on march 14, 20. Cameron is currently working on developing a series based around the power shootout as well as a follow up western history documentary film. A new era in film history began in this decade with the industrywide movement towards sound into film, creating new genres such as action, musicals, documentaries, social statement films, comedies, westerns, and horror movies, with stars such as laurence olivier, shirley temple, and director john ford rising to rapid fame.

Films can have an impact far greater than first imagined. Your world, your story this course explores the power of the moving image and helps students harness smart devices to produce their own short films. Documentaries matter because a successful story has the power to allow others. Sabrina chammas, an undergraduate in the communication studies program at northeastern university, wants to use this power of documentary filmmaking to encourage the viewer to get off the couch and act. The power of music ken burns teaches documentary filmmaking. Some of the comments reflected a sense of being inspired by what other cities were doing thats a great idea, we continue reading ocean cities.

Addressing the need to make documentary filmmaking a viable career, she said you dont get paid for this part, but you need. It is a type of film that is based on the real world and real people. The episode was written by hunter covington, and directed by jay chandrasekhar. Lighting, music, and sounds have the power to evoke emotion and completely change how a film feels, so use them wisely. Documentary films are an indepth and informative resource which are a perfect platform to create dialogue. San antonio four thank the power of filmmaking at glaad. Most people not involved in filmmaking are not entirely aware of the power of the camera and editing to structure events in ways they would never expect. Directed by keith fulton and louis pepe, this documentary tells the story of. Susan sarandon on the power of documentaries indiewire. Addressing the need to make documentary filmmaking a viable career.

Training tomorrows lawyers through the power of documentary. Documentary filmmaking as catalyst for change cara lee birch may 12, 2014 like the eminent voices of the past now woven into the citys fabric sinclair, algren, wright, brooks and terkel, among othersthey take an intimate, informed and impassioned approach to social justice issues. Dec, 2012 training tomorrows lawyers through the power of documentary filmmaking for penn law s regina austin, video is a powerful tool for legal advocacy. They serve as powerful tools that bring important topics to the table in a captivating way that also sparks.

Although cinema is sometimes a vehicle for escapism, allowing us to put on the. Over the past few years, these movements have all been impacted by powerful documentary films. Help your filmmaking skills flourish with a multimedia education. For penn laws regina austin, video is a powerful tool for legal advocacy. Starting at a picnic by the lakeside in chicago, this famous film transports us to the outer edges of the universe. River of power 1987 bonneville power administration. Take the mystery out of documentary filmmaking process with this 7day crash course. The uk house of commons culture, media and sport committee in a 2002 report on the british film industry stated, of the 23 million people who visited the uk in 2001 spending approximately. I learned more about film, filmmaking and life in general from these lectures which run concurrently with the film then i have from any book or film course.

When i was at school getting into documentary, i dreamed up a project for senior year, where i went to israel and palestine to work on a documentary project. Knowledge comes in different ways through our five senses. This is a documentary highlighting the impact advertisements have on societal opinions. For example, clarks study noted that fujifilms provia 100 film produced a resolution around 7 mp while fujifilms velvia 50 produced a resolution around 16 mp. This film, made in 1987, is a grand sweep of bpas history, using bpas own vintage footage as well as period newsreels and new footage.

Dec 15, 2016 documentary, nonfiction, factual, reality, news shooting there are many ways of describing it, but the art of making a documentary video requires essentially the same film making equipment tools across the board, no matter what you call it. But theres definitely a lot more that goes into the filmmaking process, aside from an artistic eye and technical knowhow. They serve as powerful tools that bring important topics to the table in a captivating way that also sparks conversation, and sometimes even social movements. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. Creativity, hard work, and inspiration are all key components of a successful career as a documentary filmmaker, but having the right skills is important as well. It is a type of film that is based on the real world and real people, depicting things as they are or telling about historical events in a supposedly truthful or objective manner. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. I can without a doubt say that the course is just giving me a university degree in documentary filmmaking in addition to the experiences shared by adam. With a critical need for equipment that can help protect frontline healthcare workers, the penn community has come together to help fabricate 20,000 face shields by mid. Raising a question when i ask the students in my film classes at the university if they can define or at least somehow describe what makes a film a documentary, they usually come up with answers like this. Cinematography, documentary, filmmaking, interview, screenwriting, screenwriting 101 sweet smell of success. Were an international team based in scotland and we work with clients all over the world. Stock footage is often images of cities and landmarks, historical events of importance or images of the natural landscape and wildlife.

It screened at the national gallery of art in washington dc and the film forum in new york city. We create innovative outreach campaigns for your films, grounded in our own background in documentary filmmaking. Form and style documentary techniques the partridge nest. Those devices will function as a powerful extension of our minds as we explore the question, what makes film so powerful and how can we tell our own stories. An extraordinary documentary about the art of sun ra the. An ethical code of documentary practice allows us to address the imbalance of power that often arises between filmmakers and both their subjects and their audience. Documentary, nonfiction, factual, reality, news shooting there are many ways of describing it, but the art of making a documentary video requires essentially the same film making equipment tools across the board, no matter what you call it. Best cameras for documentary filmmaking 2019 top 5. Kristen collaborated with legendary filmmaker, albert maysles and tanja meding on sally gross the pleasure of stillness, a documentary about dancer and choreographer, sally gross. Sep 23, 2014 documentary filmmakers are lurking in murky waters when it comes to ethical challenges. In this film class, youll learn storytelling, cinematography, location scouting, selffinancing, documentary interview techniques, and how to bring your ideas to life. Whilst films are predominately created for entertainment purposes, it would be a mistake to reject their worldchanging potential.

This course explores the power of the moving image and helps students harness smart devices to produce their own short films. I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite filmmaking quotes from some of the masters of the medium. The power filmmaking kit is a comprehensive, multimedia book and dvd package that empowers you to produce your own hollywoodquality movie. Documentary filmmaking as catalyst for change cara lee birch may 12, 2014 like the eminent voices of the past now woven into the citys fabric sinclair, algren, wright, brooks and terkel, among othersthey take an intimate, informed and impassioned approach to. Documentary has been described as a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear. Documentary filmmaking in the himalayas penn today. In ken burnss masterclass, the documentary filmmaker teaches his techniques for distilling complex truths into captivating stories like the vietnam war and brooklyn bridge.

Jan 19, 2017 i was getting bored with sets and hierarchies, and fell in with the documentary community. But first, some questions on the particular property of documentary film. The power and potential of performative documentary film by john arthur little a thesis essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of fine arts in science and natural history filmmaking montana state university bozeman, montana april 2007. Suber indirectly reveals why the first 100 years since the birth of cinema were only the tip of the iceberg and that we are only now beginning to tap into the subliminal and sublime ways in which film affects us. Ken shares why hes teaching his masterclass, what youll learn, and encourages you to break free from the rules of conventional filmmaking. This film, made in 1987, is a grand sweep of bpas history, using bpas own vintage footage as. It is a given that films have the capacity to influence people and lead them to new. Clarks analysis of standard 35mm film showcased that depending on the type of film used, the resolution fell between 4 and 16 million pixels. British film director beeban kidron invokes iconic film scenes from miracle in milan to boyz n the hood as she shows how her group filmclub shares great films with kids. I also believe deeply in the power of documentary storytelling as a means to share glimpses into lives vastly different from the viewers, to foster empathy, to engage, and to. When the legendary director werner herzog was 19, he stole a camera and made his first movie. As a closing note, the nea is invested in this conversation because the documentary format, like any other form of art, has the power to enhance the value of individuals and communities, connect us to each other and to something greater than ourselves, and empower. One of my favorite films from the past year is a short work from native american filmmaker sky hopinka, dislocation blues.

Sep 16, 20 should documentary filmmakers expect to really speak to power. Its a way to tell clients stories, place complicated issues quickly in context, and put faces and names to issues that may not see the light of day in more traditional media outlets. And while many documentarians will tell you that the camera itself does not make the story, it can be helpful to have one of the better tools for the job. Powers of ten takes us on an adventure in magnitudes. It was the antidote to all i didnt like about fiction filmmaking. Below, weve listed the most important tools, as well as some basic guidelines, that youll need for your documentary filmmaking journey. San antonio four thank the power of filmmaking at glaad awards. The power of documentary film blog doha film institute. It touches on a specific example of the influence ads have had. Documenatry filmmaking ppt free download as powerpoint presentation. Top 50 filmmaking quotes to inspire indie film hustle.

Documentary makers commit years of their lives in an effort to bring us these vital and often complex stories and in doing so they make the issues. Documentary films are an in depth and informative resource which are a perfect platform to. Documenatry filmmaking ppt documentary film leisure. She hopes that her work could one day be featured in big film festivals like sundance and cannes. Why documentaries have the power to change the world. Time and time again, cinema is mindlessly dismissed as escapism. Ken burns teaches documentary filmmaking official trailer. Documentary filmmaking in the himalayas supported by national geographic and other grants, seniors alina peng and charles zhang traveled to bhutan to discover how villagers are coping with the effects of water scarcity and climate change. Why documentaries matter now more than ever guest column.

The direct economic impact of film is clear, but the effect to the wider economy is also significant. Anyone who has ever listen to the ifh podcasts knows that i start off every episode with a filmmaking quote. Documentary makers commit years of their lives in an effort to bring us these vital and often complex stories and in. Why documentaries have the power to change the world one. As a closing note, the nea is invested in this conversation because the documentary format, like any other form of art, has the power to enhance the value of individuals and communities, connect us to each other and to something greater than ourselves, and empower creativity and innovation in our society and economy. Documentary filmmaking tips be on air media schools. Should documentary filmmakers expect to really speak to power.