Documentary

__**What is a Documentary?**__
1. What are the four goals of a documentary? -To document a subject in order to preserve knowledge -To reveal something about the subject -To allow the viewer to experience what it's like to be the subject (whether it's someone diving out of an airplane or a homeless person) -To advocate on behalf of the subject 2. According to the website what is some of the appeal for the viewer of a documentary? The feel os sharing the lives as the people in the documentary. Shoes places where most people would not be able to experience. 3. Briefly summarize the 6 modes of the documentary. __Expository:__ They address the audience directly to present reality's surface. Often use narrators to guide us and to interpret what we are watching. __Observational Documentaries:__ Style of documentary that did not place narrator between the film's content and the audience. More self explanatory documentary. Subject speaks in their own words, less interpretation. Direct cinema and Cinema verite. __Reflexive Documentaries:__ Acts on the premise that the audience knows that all filmmaking arranges and manipulates the illusion of reality. Exposes filmmaker, his character and opinions, and even the process of filming itself. Often constructed around the making of the documentary itself. __First-person Documentaries:__ Largely video format, most examples have appeared on TV. Filmmaker uses the documentary form to examine his/her own situation. Instrument of self-revelation/self-discovery. __Poetic Documentaries:__ The aim is less to present an argument or idea as to reveal something extraordinary about the world. Camera editing suite are primarily artistic tools. Filmmaker allows the audience to see the world with new eyes, something by rearranging or enhancing what we can normally see, sometimes magnifying our view or editing images in extraordinary rhythms. __TV Hybrids:__ Fictional film/TV directors want to create an illusion of gritty realism, they will often use hand-held camera and unsteady motion of observational cinema. Incorporates re-creations. Often blurred the distinction between "real" footage and staged footage in ways that would not be acceptable to many documentary filmmakers. In editing footage, the producers and directors create "good guy-bad guy" conflicts and phony crisis that come from fictional drama, not from real situations.

__**The ABC's of Documentary Cinema**__
1. How do documentaries "...reflect the attitudes, ideas, interests, even the prejudices of the filmmakers." Filmmakers help us to describe and to analyze documents. 2. Give five examples of types of shots that refer to the size of the subject within a frame. __Long Shot (LS) :__ Taken from some distance from the action. __Medium Shot (MS) :__ Closer to subject. If person, a MS might show them from the waist up. __Medium Close Shot (MCS) :__ Tighten frame. including only the upper torso and head. __Close Ups (CU) :__ Even tighter, framing the head and maybe the shoulders of a person. __Extreme Close-up (XCU) :__ Frames part of the face to capture a strong emotion. 3. What is the difference between a cutaway and a cut-in? __Cutaway:__ Takes the viewer away from the main action. __Cut-in:__ A close-up detail that is inserted in a longer shot. 4. Decribe the relationship between an over-the-shoulder shot and a complementary shot. Over-the-shoulder and complementary shots are both for shifting views from characters. 5. What does the audio term "MOS" mean and where did it originate? MOS means silent. Originated from the German directors in the early days of Hollywood, who said "mit out sound."

__**Preparing to FIlm**__
//"It is extremely important for us to be clear about what we're trying to say, why we're trying to say it, and then work out a way to say it. Half of what a documentary is can be more about your attitude to the subject than the subject itself."// (Michel Grigsby and Nicholas McClintock, "The State We're In." Dox. 6, 6-10)

1. How will your attitude about a subject contribute to the content of the film? Clarify ideas and narrow the focus to a manageable size. 2. Why might it be important for a filmmaker to be clear about what he/she is saying and why he/she is saying it? If the filmmaker is unclear about what he/she is trying to say, the audience would be unclear of what is going on and what the documentary is supposed to say. 3. Why is it effective to show people in action and interacting with each other? It moves the viewers step by step to a resolution or a new understanding. 4. Why is it important for a good documentary to have a clear perspective? The filmmaker will always have a point of view. How it is expressed to the audience is the important point in determining the success of the documentary. It is a matter of balance, sensitivity to the audience, and fairness to the complexities of the subject itself. 5. What kinds of things can a documentary filmmaker do to research a topic? Reading, interviews, uncovering locations, finding potential interview subjects. 6. How can your audience enfluence your approach to your documentary? When a filmmaker knows the age of the audience it is easier for them to imagine the conditions of the audience viewing. It helps the filmmaker clarify the approach. 7. Why must a filmmaker clearly organize his/her approach before filming? Good planning reduces wasted effort, frustration, disagreement and money. //"By creating a plan, the filmmaker organizes his/her general vision, using ideas suggested by research, to formulate a more precise structure for the filming - even a list of sequences to be shot.//" 8. When might a documentary filmmaker use storyboards? For fully scripted films and re-creations. 9. What is a shooting plan? What must be considered in creating a shooting plan? A shooting plan is a plan that describes the sequences as a preliminary guide for shooting. Some filmmakers also explain the purposes of each sequence, or what they will contribute to the development of the film's story.

__**Essentials**__
1. Describe the following jobs with regards to documentary film making: Director, Assistant Director, Production Manager, Camera Operator, Sound Recordist, Gaffer, Best Boy, Grip, Picture Editor, Foley Artist. __Director:__ The filmmaker. Acts as a camera operator and even editor. Traditional directors are the people who comes up with the concept, visualizes the plan, conducts research. and supervises the film. __Assistant Director:__ Assist director to maintain order on the set and make sure actors are present if there are re-creations and dramatizations. The assistant director combines the functions of on-set production manager and script coordinator. The assistant director also writes down the shooting schedule, in collaboration with the director, and insures that various aspects of the production are taken care of, from food to equipment and studio rentals. __Production Manager:__ Draws up the detailed budgets and the shooting schedules and manages them for the duration of the filming. In smaller scale films, the production manager might also fulfill the role of line producer, who coordinates all of the finances and scheduling during the actual shooting. Otherwise, the production manager, line producer and producer keep in touch to make sure that budgets and schedules are followed. __Camera Operator:__ Sets up shots under the director's supervision. Has to work well with the director and understand the purpose of each shot. Highly skilled and intuitive position. __Sound Recordist:__ Does the taping and either operates the boom or directs the boom operator to manoeuvre microphones to capture the sound. Also attends to recording the ambient sounds of the setting. __Gaffer:__ Placing lights for shots. __Best Boy:__ Assists gaffer by positioning cables. __Grip:__ Moves equipment on the shoot. Also builds scaffolds, does other carpentry duties and lays the track for a moveable dolly. __The Picture Editor:__ Reviews all footage, carefully selecting the best shots and builds from the many pieces. The editor creates the rhythm and the movement out of the film, builds the scenes into a complete story, and generally makes the most out of the footage that has been shot. __Foley Artist:__ Sound effects person.

__**Shooting The Documentary**__
1. What is a shooting schedule? The shooting schedule plots out when and where the different pieces of the documentary will be captured. 2. What is the purpose of a pre-interview? Refine questions for the interview. It is important that the interviewer not tip his hand with the actual interview questions, so that the on-camera interview has some elements of spontaneity. 3. How can location contribute to the impact of an interview? The filmmaker also has to decide where to do the interview. It may be in a place that makes the subject comfortable, or one that is significant to the film's content. The filmmaker may actually want to use the location to create a mood for the interview subject - maybe even some tension. 4. What can an interviewer do to avoid having their questions appear in the documentary? The filmmaker may have to ask the subject to repeat and rephrase answers to create workable takes. The interviewer will have to do this naturally and rephrase questions in such a way that the subject remains at ease and spontaneous, even when repeating points. An easy way is to ask the interviewee to rephrase the question at the beginning of his or her answer. 5. What is considered common practice in frameing the interviewee? It is also common practice to frame the interviewee at the third right of the screen for half the interview and at the third left for the other half to create some variety in the final edit. 6. What other shot should a filmaker gather during an interview? The filmmaker must also remember to film the setting of the interview in order to establish the location for the viewer and to plan for cutaways - shots that can be cut into the interview to illustrate what the subject is talking about that can relieve the boredom of talking heads.

__**Putting It All Together**__
1. What is the purpose of the Shot Log? A log is made of the rushes, indicating the reel of film or tape, time in and out of each scene, and a description of the shot, using the abbreviations like "WS (wide shot) of town," "CS (close shot), man's hands holding hoe handle," and so on. Other notes might indicate the emotional quality of the shot or particular usefulness. Having a shot log helps the editor to locate individual shots in the confusion of footage. The notes, sometimes colour-coded or otherwise marked, help to focus the decision-making. 2. What is the benefit of making transcriptions of all the interviews? Many filmmakers make transcriptions of all of the interview material—a time-consuming effort, but useful in the long run. The editor can photocopy the transcript, mark the most effective sections, and cut and paste them into a paper edit of the film. The editor can note shots that will come between interview sections, show where cutaways can replace the talking head, and begin to visualize the use of the rushes to tell the film's story. 3. What is a "problem-solution" structure? The most effective structure might be a narrative treatment that follows a chronology, or a "problem-solution" structure that presents an issue, outlines various approaches or angles on it, then resolves on some kind of answer. The structure must complement the content and engage the viewers' minds and emotions. 4. What is the purpose of the Rough Cut? The rough cut is the first test of the movie. It is the first glimpse of the product that a close circle of viewers get to see and evaluate. The director and editor sit with the test audience to watch their reactions and listen to their comments. 5. Typically, what types of shots are cut from the final product? The entire film may be re-edited, with new shots substituted and whole sequences reordered. Generally, films will be reduced in time, with those shots and sequences that did not contribute to the entire effect eliminated. Sometimes, the director has to lose some favourite sequences because they were not necessary. 6. What are some elements of good and bad narration? Narration may become a part of the final product as well. It may be sparse, simply setting the scene and introducing the topic, or it may reappear throughout the film. Good narration allows the viewer to make decisions for him or herself, but it focuses attention on what is important in the film. Bad narration gets between the viewer and what is on the screen and tells them what they should feel. Well-written narration can help to bridge the gap between scenes, adding to the speed of the transitions.