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EVENT DETAILS |
Learn research & writing processes crucial to story development for a documentary film, from the research process through the edit.
Documentaries often tell stories that unfold in real time, & filmmakers must expect twists & turns along the way. By the time you get to the editing stage, it's too late to figure out what your story is.
This one-day workshop will guide you through the process of developing your story & honing your character arcs, from the research process through to the edit. The aim of this course is to help you navigate the many decisions that go into researching & writing about your story - all while remaining open to the unpredictable. The course will also cover the elements of good treatment & synopsis writing, & explore the art of writing about your story in a way that funders will find clear & compelling.
The instructor for this course is Dara Kell, an award winning documentary filmmaker & story consultant whose films have been broadcast on PBS, TVFrance & Netflix, & screened at festivals worldwide.
PART 1 / Developing your characters
What makes a great character? You will learn how to identify & develop your characters, & how to write up your character arcs for funding proposals even when you are in the early stages of the development phase. We will watch examples of how character is revealed through conflict & look at sample proposals. We will also look at examples of films that had to change course midway, often ending up with better & more surprising films in the process.
PART 2 / Finding & honing your themes
Using examples from a wide range of films, you'll learn how to identify & develop themes & sub-themes during the research process, & how to write about your themes in proposals. We will explore the process of developing your narrative, building conflict & tension, & revealing your themes through different kinds of scenes. We will look at various proposals from different kinds of films to learn some of the strategies filmmakers use to write about their stories when the outcome is unknown.
PART 3 / Story structure
Learn the basics of classic three act structure, as well as different ways to structure films without traditional plots. You will learn how to build out your scene list, & how to write up your story outline in the early phases of your process, while the outcome is still undecided.
PART 4 / The road map
You will learn the basics of how to create a road map to guide you during your research process. We will also explore how the writing process itself can be used to help guide you through some of the difficult choices you must make, as you focus in on the story you really want to tell.
We recommend that students bring ideas for films they want to make. This class is best suited for students who have story outlines or scene lists, as examples for us to work on in class.
This class is part of ClassWork Film Track: Documentary. Take four documentary film classes for $490 (regular price) or $390 (IFP / Media Center members).
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What You Will Learn
How to identify & develop your characters, & how to write up your character arcs for funding proposals even when you are in the early stages of the development phase.
How to identify & develop themes & sub-themes during the research process, & how to write about your themes in proposals.
How to build out your scene list, & how to write up your story outline in the early phases of your process, while the outcome is still undecided.
How to create a road map to guide you during your research process.
About the instructor
DARA KELL
Filmmaker
Dara Kell is an award winning documentary filmmaker. Her films have been broadcast on PBS, TVFrance & Netflix, & screened at festivals worldwide. Her first film Dear Mandela, follows three courageous young South African slum dwellers who lead a social movement to stop mass evictions across the country. The film won multiple awards including Grand Jury Prize at the Brooklyn Film Festival & Best South African Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival. Dear Mandela was the centerpiece of a 3-year, 4 -continent-wide audience engagement project that developed the leadership skills of housing activists in slums in India, Nigeria, Brazil, Haiti, & many other countries. Dara has made short documentaries in Brazil, Azerbaijan, Egypt, & China, & is currently making a documentary about Reverend William Barber & civil disobedience in America. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation & the Corporation of Yaddo.
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