Contents |
The first part of this Documentary Filming guide deals with the history of documentary filmmaking, important film theories and renowned filmmakers. The second part covers the whole filmmaking process, starting with pre-production and ending with all aspects of post-production, marketing activities and distribution.
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1895
The history of documentary filmmaking begins, strictly speaking, with the first films in general. It begins in 1895, when the Lumière brothers held their first screening in Paris.
Most of the early films are documents of everyday life. The camera was fixed on the tripod and the sequence was filmed in one shot only - until the film reel was empty. But in 1896 already, cutting and montage came up as important tools to make films more vivid and exciting.
1900-1918
The first documentary films were produced in 1908. At that time travelogue films were very popular. An example would be the report on Captain Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole (1912) [1].
1917
The Soviet Union soon discovered films as a perfect mean to promote revolutionary thoughts and ideas, especially during the October Revolution [2]. After the October Revolution, the Russian documentary films with artistic features emerged. In 1923, Dsiga Wertow wrote the first manifest on documentary film theory: "Kinooki".
1920s
In 1922, Robert Flaherty filmed the life of an Inuit "Nanook of the North". Flaherty followed and filmed this Inuit during two years in the Arctis. His style was completely different from the Russian school and raised the interest in the western world for lyric films on "primitive" tribes. In 1927, another important documentary movement began in the United Kingdom with John Grierson and The British Documentary Movement. Grierson is often called the "father" of the documentary film.
1930s & 1940s
During the Third Empire, the main role of the German documentary film was that of a propaganda instrument in all different ways. Some examples are: films by Leni Riefenstahl, films like "Olympia" (1938), "Feuertaufe" (1941), British and American films like "Target for tonight (1940) and "Whay we fight". In 1942, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced the category "Best Documentary". The first Oscar went to "Churchill's Island" and was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. After the war, the influence of the industry and the audience grew. Filmmakers had to bend to more and more to the audience's taste and the commercial interests of the industry.
1950s & 1960s
The word "documentary" became more and more imprecise and was rejected by several film groups. New Movements were born, such as the British Free Cinema (United Kingdom), the Direct Cinema (USA) or the Cinéma Vérité (France). During this period, television became more important. A new documentary style was born, combining magazines, features and reportages with documentary reports and films. Documentary films were getting more journalistic, on- and off-commentary came to the fore.
1970s
The late 1960s and early 1970s brought new forms of journalism in the documentary world being at that time especially characterized by a large number of political films. Talking about objectivity meant to include the point of view of the subject/author. Examples: "The Selling of the Pentagon" (Peter Davis, 1971) or the late films by Émile de Antonio. This specific mixture of political engagement, self reflection and personal message could also be found in the early feminist films of the 1970s of Amalie Rothschild or Donna Deitch.
1980s
In the 1980s, the importance of documentary films grew in terms of quantity and quality. This decade offered, more than ever before, numerous festivals focusing on documentaries, new university studies in film history, film theory and production, lots of literature, distribution and funding possibilities. The introduction of the video format was revolutionary. It had not only a very positive influence on the production costs; it also allowed to record image and sound at the same time and to present it right after to an audience. Documentaries of the 1980s were characterized by a special interest for social minorities and groups.
1990s and today
The 1990s were a decade of new style, more subjective forms, both favored by technological innovations such as electronic camcorders and new cutting techniques. At that time, two new documentary forms emerged: docu drama and docu soap. The latter has been developed by BBC in the United Kingdom. Within the last few decades, documentary film has evolved from a boring and educational tool to exciting and interesting movies and series. The future development of the genre documentary film will certainly depend on new technologies as well as the national and international market and audience.
It's up to you to discuss the future of the documentary film here in the discussion section.
Book recommendation
Non-fiction Film. A Critical History. Richard M. Barsam. 1992
Der Dokumentarfilm seit 1960. Wilhelm Roth. 1982.
Click here here for more book recommendations.
From the invention of "film" to the different formats today, documentary film has been influenced by various movements.
Some of them are mentioned below, but please feel free to add more.
The history of documentary filmmaking has been influenced and steered by a long list of filmmakers who brought up one or the other new genre, idea, question or thought which was being absorbed by other filmmakers and thus created a whole new movement of documentary filming.
Some of those filmmakers are listed below:
Jean Rouch, Lumières brothers,Dsiga Wertow, Robert Flaherty, John Grierson, Leni Riefenstahl, Ernest Schoedsack, Merian C. Cooper, Richard Leacock, Frederick Wiseman, Robert Drew.
A documentary film's preproduction period deals with all decisions and arrangements before shooting. Apart from research, this includes among others: deciding on the subject of the documentary; putting together a film team; making a list of the equipment needed; preparing a timetable of shooting; choosing the method and style of shooting. Preproduction can also be the time to finalise funding and distribution.
Once you have decided on a topic, you can start with the research phase which will eventually conclude with a written proposal. During the initial stages, you should gather basic information, get to know the site and potential characters, do background research with the help of the internet, publications or by talking to experts and assemble all human and material resources needed for shooting.
The script or story is at the heart of the creative development process of a project. During the development phase, the producer will be arranging everything necessary to put the project into shape and to raise finance. Such activities include, amongst others, contracting with a financier; the preparation of a draft production budget and schedule; the engagement of other personnel required at development stage (e.g. a location scouter, director etc.) as well as the selection of an author/writer to write synopses, proposals, treatments; and the acquisition of the necessary rights/exclusive access to the underlying material on which the project is to be based.
A production budget is essential to have an overview of estimated costs. It should enclude a production schedule summary, a finance summary and a budget summary. Documentary budgets can vary enormously from unfunded and self-financed productions to big budget international coproductions and series.
Documentary filmmakers usually work in a small film team, consisting of a director, producer, director of photography, gaffer, grip, sound recordist and production manager.
Insurance is dependent on the scale, location, cast, crew and budget of the film production. The most common types of insurance for film and video projects can be broken down as such:
- Public Liability Insurance: Protects the public from accident or damage.
- Employers Liability: Protects your employees from accident or damage.
- Equipment Cover: Covers loss or damage of equipment. Required by hire companies.
- Negative and Videotape Insurance: Covers your master material (on film or tape) during production and post-production.
- Errors & Omission Insurance (E&O): E&O Insurance covers claims against intellectual property (libel, slander, breach of copyright, invasion of privacy, unauthorised use of trademarks, slogans etc.)
- Specialty Insurance: Insurance for special circumstances. Which could cover: livestock or plant hire, stunts work, working oversees, aerial photography, etc. Specialty insurances are not offered by all companies.
Book recommendation: Clearance & Copyright: Everything the Independent Filmmaker Needs to Know by Michael C. Donaldson Treats anything regarding rights, copyrights, public domain, contracts and negotiation, music clearance and rights, fair use of rights and much more.
Production involves the actual shooting on location. The director chooses the camera angles to be used for each shot. The director of photography works with the gaffer or chief lighting person, to select and position lighting instruments, which grips help to rig. The location sound mixer operates the audio recording machine and works with a boom operator. Usually, a shot is filmed more than once to improve on either a technical element or the performance. Once an acceptable take is made, the crew sets up and rehearses the next shot. Even a simple scene might be covered in four different angles, allowing for creative choices in the editing process.
To assemble the necessary equipment (camera, sound, repair & other equipment), learn all you can about the technical requirements of your shoot to make sure that the money spent on equipment is justified.
Source for up-to-date information on everything for digitl production and postproduction: DV Magazine
This last step of production takes place after filming. The post-production involves final cutting, faked photos and image processing. In this stage, the filmmaker puts together the individual takes to form a new entity - the final film which will be later presented to a (festival) audience, on television, video or the internet.
One of the most important persons in the process of postproduction is the editor. The editor's task is to put the rough material in a new dramatic order.
The process of postproduction can generally be divided into several steps:
Title and Acknowledgements
The working title of a documentary film should be changed into the final title as soon as possible. It is important to note that a title is a kind of trademark which distinguishes this film from the other films. So please make sure to find a good title.
If you are not sure where and how to add the title and acknowledgements, here is an example found in Michael Rabinger. Directing the Documentary. p. 492:
Sources:
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6535/Film-Industry-Production-Process-of.html
Michael Rabinger. Dokumentarfilme drehen. p. 492