Friday, January 25th

Hello,

1. Independent Video Challenge due this Sunday by midnight. It's important these are done by Sunday so the British students will have time to check them out.
   
2. Write a Plan of Action for your role in the documentary project. Describe exactly what your responsibilities are and what you plan to do to get the job done. Include the dates from the handout we reviewed in class detailing when you plan to complete your tasks. You will be assessed on this plan of action and the work that you complete.

The rough cuts of your films are due by the end of next week. The rough cut is exactly what it sounds like- a rough cut. Creating the rough cut is much like creating a rough draft in writing. It's an important step in the process. Your rough cut will be longer than your final film and will be sort of a mess. But it will also be the foundation of your final film. Take your time. This is the best part. You get to take everything you've done and mold it into a cohesive film.

See everyone Monday...

Smile: It's Friday!

Here's a great little profile documentary about a kid in DC who wants to make people smile. As you watch this short film notice some of the ways the film is put together. It's not as simple as it may appear. Pay particular attention to all the sounds, the quality and crispness of the audio, and the subtle music that plays throughout the film. Also, try to pay attention to the pacing or tempo and how the filmmaker uses lots of b-roll footage to tell the story.


I'm still out recovering from the flu. I'll be back Monday. Today, you should complete the following tasks:

1. Continue arranging interviews as needed. Check this CALENDAR for next week as I have set up some interviews myself for a few of the groups. Next week is the last week for interviews.
2. Complete the Pre-Shooting Script Outline. Make sure you send me an invite to your Google Doc page so I can see your outline. Many of the outlines I looked at over the last few days from home are way to general. You need to create this outline like it's your actual documentary. The more thought and time you put into this outline the better off you will be. If you have a creative idea for the structure or something interesting you want to try, it should be represented in this pre-shooting script outline.
3. Once the outline is complete, create a shot list of every shot you think you'll need for this film.  Create a separate list for any archival footage you plan to use.
4. Print out your Pre-Shooting Script Outline and your shot list before the end of class. Make sure everyone's name is on the outline. Staple it all together and hand it in to Ms. Eroraha. 

You will have all of next week to film. However, you must have this pre-shooting script outline and shot list done prior to filming.

Plan for Thursday

I'm out sick today recovering from the flu. It's very important that everyone continues to make progress on their documentaries. Here are the directions for today:

1. Each group member must have a minimum of four notecards created on your group's NoodleTools Page. You can, of course, have more than four. However, everyone will be graded for having at least four notecards completed.
   
   Period 2 & 4: You started the next step in this lesson before break. So today you need to complete the pre-shooting script outline. It's important to understand that this outline will be the basic structure of your eventual film. So you need to put some careful thought and consideration into creating it. Please review the following directions below so you are clear on what you need to do.
   
2. Copy THIS PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT OUTLINE and paste it into your group's shared Google Doc. This is the Google Doc that you have already created and linked to your group's Noodle Tools page.

This Pre-Shooting Script Outline will help you plan out your documentary. In the left column, write out a rough draft of the script. Weave in facts from your research as you write out your rough draft. In the right column, list all the footage you think you'll need. This can anything visual: A-Roll, B-Roll, archival footage, or still images. Please put some effort and thought into this outline as it will be used as your guide when you start filming and will be the basic blueprint for your eventual film.

BLOG POST UPDATE: Everyone must complete ONE blog post by Sunday, January 12th. This is the last post due for this quarter.

Pre-Shooting Script & Shot List

We're starting our pre-shooting scripts for our documentaries in class before the end of this week. Each group needs to copy/paste THIS PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT TEMPLATE into the Google Doc that's connected to their Noodle Tools Page.

Documentary Film Review Due

Note: The deadline for this week's post has been extended. So the post due by tomorrow, December the 16th, can be done by the dates listed below. You may use your documentary film review as your weekly post if you'd like. This is the last weekly post due before winter break. Please put some effort into your review as it will count for a 15 point formative grade.

As we start our documentary project, I think it will be helpful for everyone to watch and analyze a  documentary of their choice. I'm calling this an analysis/review because the assignment is kind of a mix of both. On the one hand, I want you to honestly respond to the documentary you watch and clearly state your opinion (supported with examples from the film, of course). But I also want you to analyze the documentary using the THREE ASPECTS OF FILM in an attempt to understand and evaluate the choices the filmmaker made in creating it.

HERE IS THE SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT. We will discuss this in class tomorrow and Friday to make sure everyone understands it. I'll add some recommendations for documentaries to watch on this post over the next day or two. 

It would be a good idea to use some of the terms from our DOCUMENTARY VOCABULARY LIST in your analysis/review. 

DUE DATE: Per 1- Dec. 18th  //  Per. 2 & 4 - Dec. 19th

Initial Documentary Planning

I'm posting this INITIAL DOCUMENTARY PLANNING FORM for students to use this week in the library. I'll explain it all in class...

Finding a Topic

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

The following quote is a great piece of advice I stumbled upon this afternoon while searching the web for resources for our documentary project:

When choosing your topic, consider not only the subject you'd like to explore, but the people affected by it. Every story needs a main character, someone the audience can follow throughout the movie, someone they can relate to, love or hate, but most importantly, someone they can learn from. Failure to expose the thoughts and emotions of the affected persons within your documentary will leave your movie feeling flat and your message lacking impact.

The most important factor to consider when choosing a topic for your documentary is making sure it's something you're interested in. The path to a great documentary is a bumpy one with unexpected turns and roadblocks. Often the only thing that keeps you trucking down that path is your passion for the topic and your desire to share the experience with the entire world. 

Hopefully, everyone has a few ideas at this point for possible topics for their documentary film project. By the end of our next class everyone needs to settle on a topic and figure out who they are going to work with. After gong through this process a few times in the past I can honestly say that the selection of a topic is probably the most important step in the whole process. Please give this decision some careful consideration as you will be working on this project for the next eight weeks.

Documentary Project

Note: Please make sure you check out the updated class calendar. You have three independent blog posts due in December.



I'm posting links to a few different sites with short documentaries below. One homework assignment you'll have this week is to watch a short film of your choice in the category you are interested in. As you watch the film complete the POV Viewing Guide (I'll hand this out in class this week) and be prepared to discuss your film in class. I'll explain this in greater detail Monday and Tuesday.

• NYT OpDocs

• C-SPAN StudentCam Past Winners

• Indiegogo Click on the Browse button at the top of the page to look through all the different    categories. 

• Profile Documentaries: I don't have a link to a specific site with these types of documentaries.