Visual Storytelling for Documentaries

Documentaries provide insights into the world around us. They are painstakingly designed, and express the personal vision of the maker while stimulating the viewer to think further, to discuss, and to ask questions. Much like a written or spoken language, the visual language of film is a collection of signs which come together to tell a story. These signs are not just the words we hear spoken by characters, but also the various kinds of shots and storytelling techniques that filmmakers use to captivate their audiences.

This three-session workshop covers best practices in visual storytelling in documentary film from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint, helping students to reshape the thinking process when planning for production. This workshop will take participants a few steps further from what they are accustomed to seeing on television in terms of documentary storytelling, and will challenge them to think about film more broadly in a completely new way.

Whether you have some filmmaking experience and wish to revisit the process or you are a beginner who wants to start off on the right foot, this workshop will help you think more visually about your documentary filmmaking.

NOTE ABOUT EQUIPMENT
Docs In Progress will not be providing cameras or editing stations for this workshop. To do the exercises in the second and third sessions, our preference would be for participants to use an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with iOS 8.1 or later). You will need to install the free Splice editing app. The device should have no less than 1GB free memory on the phone and you will need earphones you can plug into your device.

If you wish to use your own video camera and editing system, please consult with Program Coordinator Ellen Kessel at programs AT docsinprogress DOT org prior to registering.