Quick Documentary Question

andythefilmer

andythefilmer

Veteran
I am working on a documentary called "Five Percent" right now, about LGBT abuse and views in high school. Most people doubt me as a filmmaker, as I am only 16 years old. In order to prove peoples' mediocre viewpoints wrong, I figure I can ask more experienced filmmakers on this forum. I haven't had extensive documentary training or experience, but I have learned a lot about storytelling over the past few years that I have gotten myself into this. I have read books like "The Shut Up and Shoot" documentary guide (great book), but do any of you think there are any generally overlooked things that I, and others should be made aware of? I have received critique on other work I have done in the past, and that is all being taken into consideration, but at the same time, I don't want to fit the 'perfect mold'. I don't think much of such exists, but in other words, I want to exit my comfort zone, and really produce something awesome.

Also, does anyone have any general storytelling tips? How to flow and transition into different sections of the doc? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Andy Ryan
 
Andy forget about the doubters... It sounds like you are off to a great start at 16... Just go out and do your thing. 1. Shoot... learn from your mistakes... 2. Shoot... learn from your mistakes... and than do it again. That is what we all do Andy... Everyone has a different vision. Just go out and tell your story how you think it should be told. I think your subject is good and right on time. Most doc film makers are passionate and knowledgeable about their subjects, and it is reflected in the film. I think that is an important part of the process. You have 881 posts here and that says a lot about you and your passion. I'm sure you will do a great job with this doc... we all got your back here. Good luck and I look forward to seeing this...
 
if you are interviewing people, dont turn the camera off until the subject has left the room. even if you have put a lav mic on them, keep a shotgun going on another channel. people always say the best stuff after they think the interview is over. and during an interview, try to react with your face, not your voice. instead of saying 'right' or 'yeah' all the time, a big exaggerated nod of your head and what might feel like overly dramatic pointed looks will keep them going. less of YOU to cut out later.
 
Andy,

I am sometimes hard on newer filmmakers, but sounds like you are going about this the right way. Good luck to you man!
 
Tommy K said:
Andy forget about the doubters... It sounds like you are off to a great start at 16... Just go out and do your thing. 1. Shoot... learn from your mistakes... 2. Shoot... learn from your mistakes... and than do it again...
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What he said. Also, one thing that takes some time to learn: slow down. Camera moves need to be half as slow as you think unless you want to give your viewers a headache. The eye/head/brain compensate for quick movements in a way that a person watching a screen can not. To put it another way, when your head is moving your brain filters out the movement. If you are watching a screen, your cortex sees movement but it skips the filtering process since your head is still.

One other tip, study the masters. Errol Morris is my favorite. Rent The Thin Blue Line if you can find it. Check out the Canada Film Board website for a who's who list.

As for story telling tips: write, write, write, then write some more.

Good luck!
 
Andy,

First of all, good luck with your project.

One thing I thought of was getting releases for everyone you talk to. I can easily see someone not liking how they are portrayed afterwards. (I assume you would need a parents' release for minors.) Shooting in a school might be a challenge, too, depending on the school. There is so much fear of negative publicity within the school system that anything controversial is often avoided. Since you'd need administrative permission to shoot on school property, you'd better be prepared when you go talk to them.

Of course, in light of recent events, schools are aware of LGBT abuses and might be quite supportive of your work if it does in a way that promotes acceptance and discourages bullying. Again, being well prepared with a strong plan will probably go along way with convinces them to support your idea. This all depends on the community, too. I know in my state (Texas) there are places where such a topic wouild be off-limits in the school even if relevant.

I like Fahad's simple idea for a plan, but I'm also a writer first.
 
stevedocmaker said:
Camera moves need to be half as slow as you think unless you want to give your viewers a headache. The eye/head/brain compensate for quick movements in a way that a person watching a screen can not. To put it another way, when your head is moving your brain filters out the movement. If you are watching a screen, your cortex sees movement but it skips the filtering process since your head is still.


As my old film school professor told us (in 1975) "Eyes don't pan. They dart."
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zaarc said:
stevedocmaker said:
Camera moves need to be half as slow as you think unless you want to give your viewers a headache. The eye/head/brain compensate for quick movements in a way that a person watching a screen can not. To put it another way, when your head is moving your brain filters out the movement. If you are watching a screen, your cortex sees movement but it skips the filtering process since your head is still.


As my old film school professor told us (in 1975) "Eyes don't pan. They dart."
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Exactly why a cut is usually more effective than a pan. Following a moving character or subject is okay but a pan to get from one viewpoint to another isn't.
 
The school could care less! I even interviewed the principal and he still didn't care even after I told him it wasn't for our TV production class.
 
Good luck Andy. You're off to a good start.

The one piece of advice I can give is be yourself. Too many Doc makers try to be something they aren't and it comes off as being plastic or staged. A Doc should develop a life of it's own after you get it rolling in the right direction. Just follow it with your own personality and mannerisms.
 
A few simple things based on the couple doc shorts I've made so far...

(1) Do as much research as possible BEFORE you start shooting. In your case, this may not be as much of an issue, since you probably will have the opportunity to go back and redo interviews, reshoot locations, etc., but this isn't always possible with docs, and you would be AMAZED how much a lack of beforehand research screws up everything else when you're on a tight schedule (learned this one the hard way).

(2) Hold any shot for ten seconds before you zoom, pan, or try some weird focus artsy thing. You'll thank yourself in editing.

(3) You've read Shut up and Shoot, so you know how important b-roll is. I read that too, and five other books that said the same thing, and I STILL didn't shoot enough b-roll on our first short doc piece. Shoot as much as possible, and then more. Also, go back and shoot most of it AFTER you've got your interviews, so you have footage that connects to what people in your interviews are saying. Shoot the people you interview in other situations doing things too, for cutaways and b-roll that can be used specifically during their interviews.

Once you've got ALL that, shoot more B-roll. Then you might have enough.
 
custerc said:
A few simple things based on the couple doc shorts I've made so far...

(1) Do as much research as possible BEFORE you start shooting. In your case, this may not be as much of an issue, since you probably will have the opportunity to go back and redo interviews, reshoot locations, etc., but this isn't always possible with docs, and you would be AMAZED how much a lack of beforehand research screws up everything else when you're on a tight schedule (learned this one the hard way).

(2) Hold any shot for ten seconds before you zoom, pan, or try some weird focus artsy thing. You'll thank yourself in editing.

(3) You've read Shut up and Shoot, so you know how important b-roll is. I read that too, and five other books that said the same thing, and I STILL didn't shoot enough b-roll on our first short doc piece. Shoot as much as possible, and then more. Also, go back and shoot most of it AFTER you've got your interviews, so you have footage that connects to what people in your interviews are saying. Shoot the people you interview in other situations doing things too, for cutaways and b-roll that can be used specifically during their interviews.

Once you've got ALL that, shoot more B-roll. Then you might have enough.
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All of this is great production advice... You can never have enough b roll material. Planning ahead as much as you can will save you some headaches and reshoots. When we went to Russia last year we had 3 weeks and super tight schedule to get things done. I was constantly asking our driver to stop so I could get b roll shots. We even lugged an old Russian 19" TV set around with us to get some shots of it place around different landmarks. The idea was to put a picture in the TV set in post. Just a spare of the moment idea to get some interesting b roll shots or scene segue material using the TV set. Visually B roll really helps add flavor to your story and can be used to bufffer bad shots lighting etc. as long as you have decent audio to work with.
 
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