Learning documentary filmmaking - courses and classes?

P

plnelson

Member
How do people learn documentary filmmaking? I think documentary filmmaking presents many unique challenges compared to other kinds of filmmaking - there are technical and lighting challenges, legal issues, getting permissions to use certain archival or copyrighted footage, how to do (or even get) interviews with reluctant or non-professional subjects, travel and on-location issues, sound issues, editing challenges often mixing content from different sources, etc.

I'd like to find a class or course in this but so far I can't find ANY classes of any description related to filmmaking in eastern Massachusetts where I live that aren't for fulltime or day students (I have a good 9-5 job). The advantage of a class is that you get to develop a project under the eye of an instructor who can critique and offer suggestions, and you get to work with other students, plus you get hands-on experience with professional gear.

So what are other good alternatives? Is there a current up-to-date book or online course that I should consider?

Thanks in advance.
 
If you have the funds and can take a week or two vacation, consider the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, ME. They have a number of good workshops on various aspects of doc filmmaking... And they're (relatively) close to you
 
mcbob said:
If you have the funds and can take a week or two vacation, consider the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, ME. They have a number of good workshops on various aspects of doc filmmaking... And they're (relatively) close to you
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I've considered that but it would require taking a week off from work. I work a contract engineer so business is really good these days (high tech is booming again - yay!) but my hours are all billable, so a lost week of work would cost far more than the workshop fee+travel+room-and-board but of course I'd still have to pay all those, too. So it would be very expensive, which is why I'd rather learn on my own if I can't find a local evening or weekend course. It still seems odd to me that thare aren't courses around here - I feel like I'm overlooking some obvious resource since eastern Massachusetts is such an educationally-rich environment.

I love Rockport, Maine - I used to spend every Columbus Day up there for years.
 
Finn Yarbrough said:
If you can't afford to take any time off work to learn the craft, try night classes at your local community college.
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We have an excellent local community college with lots of evening courses in nursing, veterinary medicine, paralegal skills, and all sorts of business skills. Alas nothing in filmmaking.
 
rob norton said:
Do you have any equipment?
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D800. I'm in the market for a dedicated video camera. My budget is $2K-4K. I'm still researching my options.

I'm a very experienced still photographer with a background in studio and local newspaper work. I have my own studio at home.
 
My advice: watch as many films (fiction and documentaries) as possible and shoot whenever you can... Music concerts, parties...
I've a degree in film and I feel like it's useless for me now working as a documentary filmmaker... What I learned there I could have learnd if I was working in a 9 to 5 job.
Any situation is good to learn how to set up shots, create mood, etc.
 
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Plan to make a few short documentaries that are less than five minutes. Use your friends/family or anyone that is convenient. Or go to a one off event and shoot anything you think looks good. Have the goal of shooting two interviews from complete strangers at the event. These won't be excellent to watch because they'll be up against every other documentary any viewers have ever seen. But they will be excellent to help you move forward. You'll learn what to do better next time but more importantly you'll learn what to never do again.

I would use your D800 instead of buying a dedicated video camera (at first). Use your stills tripod and make every shot static. Capture live moments but also capture shots that you plan to edit together as a sequence.

Don't spend your budget all at once. You need to have reasons for collecting gear. This means adding pieces of equipment because they will help you tell a story rather than looking cool on a built up rig or because it seems like everyone else has it.
I would begin with sound because it is very important. If I were you and serious about beginning I would buy this wireless system: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/553681-REG/Sony_UWP_V1_3032_UWP_V1_Wireless_Lavalier_Microphone.html

This is all you need to get started. The receiver can go straight into your camera and you give the transmitter to whoever you are shooting. Use any cheap pair of headphones to make sure that it's working.

This should be fun. Post results and questions here and we can help.

Rob
 
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