Blog_05

Chapter 5: Making a documentary is a complex and multifaceted process that requires a significant amount of research, planning, and preparation. The research phase is particularly critical as it lays the foundation for the entire project and helps you determine the focus, tone, and style of the documentary. Determining the scope of the project is paramount in the beginning. This involves establishing the topic or theme that you want to explore, as well as the scope of the story you want to tell. This can be done through brainstorming, researching existing documentaries on similar topics, and consulting with experts in the field. My scope is slowly coming into view as I continue to research for this project.

Chapter 6: Shaping a documentary project gives your project meaning. It involves defining the structure, focus, and tone of the film. A clearly defined theme or message can convey a more meaningful story. This is something that I am struggling with in this project so far. I know I have several small stories about the topic but not sure how to connect them all together. I am hoping that will all come into focus once I start production in the coming months. Many of my fears lie in not having a full story; leaving the story hanging by a thread that I thought was a story and finding out it is not.

Comments

  1. Kim's MFA BlogFebruary 14, 2023 at 5:41 AM

    Dusty, I share the same fears! My doc continues to evolve in terms of scope and theme. Maybe you can explore the common thread of why each person/family became involved in the first place. What did they hope to gain (beyond money)? What was their ultimate goal? Kind of like in narrative films when a character has a "want" that's more tangible/external and a "need" that's more internal. IDK, just a thought.

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  2. Charles RiggsFebruary 14, 2023 at 12:27 PM

    My pitch for Mariah's Documentary class was definitely hindered a bit by the fact that I don't have a clear scope yet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hjtreadFebruary 20, 2023 at 6:17 PM

    I feel like a lot of my work is me being a collector of stuff first, and figuring out how to put it together. Sometimes this might put me in a tough situation, but it also leads to great discoveries too.

    ReplyDelete

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