How To Shoot Yourself! – Practical Documentary Day

New Dates TBC

Full Price:                                       £100.00

Student Price:                              £85.00         (students, Talent Circle & other organisations)

Limited places available. Booking is first come, first served. Places will only be confirmed on receipt of full payment. For payment terms, please click HERE.

TO BOOK – EMAIL info@altofilms.com or phone 07770 794233

Limited places available on this one day fun friendly intensive highly practical workshop on how to come up with an idea, write, produce, direct, shoot and edit a professional quality documentary film – the goal being to start and finish a documentary in a day.

It’s documentary boot-camp!  It’s fast-paced, intensive but really good fun. By the end of the day, all participants will have received intensive training on how to use  professional video camera and sound kit. And also been trained on how to direct sequences and how to interview subjects. And also played a key role in making a professional documentary and everyone will have a credit on a real documentary that is online for the world to see!

The workshop is run by experienced award-winning documentary film-maker Toni Harman who has broadcast documentary and factual credits and her documentary films are currently being distributed internationally.

The films will be shot and edited on broadcast digital video equipment:  an Sony Z1 or Z7 video camera and edited on Final Cut Pro.

Date: Saturday 28th January 2012

Time: 10am – 5pm

Objectives

To provide practical training by award-winning film industry professionals on:

- coming up with an idea, scripting, planning a shoot, interviewing subjects, setting up and operating professional equipment,  shooting interviews and documentary sequences, directing and editing principles.

To equip all students with the technical skills needed which can be used on all future projects made by the students. Technical skills include: operating camera and sound – so what they shoot looks and sounds great. Plus basic edit principles so what they shoot can be edited together.

To equip all students with the creative skills needed for all future projects so they know the best way to tell a factual documentary story.

To provide an understanding of film-time – of working to tight schedules and deadlines so that they understand how long films take to plan, shoot and edit.

To provide all students with the confidence and inspiration to go out and make their own films!

Structure

Brighton Film Workshops is all about teaching through doing. We teach the skills of film-making by making everything we do as practical as possible. We use practical exercises to demonstrate ideas and we actively encourage students to participate fully in all areas of the workshop. From the first hour, students are behind the camera and we always encourage students to ask questions or voice their opinions.

About Workshop Leaders

The workshop is run by experienced workshop leaders, Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford. Toni and Alex are also both industry film professionals who have made award-winning internationally distributed short films, documentaries and a  feature film released by a Hollywood Studio.

Schedule

In the morning, the group will be divided into two film-making unit. Each unit will receive hands-on intensive practical training on how to use the video and sound equipment and also how to direct a documentary.  The units will each be taught how to shoot master interviews, vox-pops, GVs (General views)  and documentary sequences.

Toni then sets the challenge; -each unit  will make a short  3-4 minute documentary that is scripted, shot, edited and finished by the end of the day. The units work together to decide the subject, style, structure, format, content, what each unit is actually going to shoot and who is going to be interviewed.

Toni discusses and allocates the key roles for the shoot so that everyone plays a crucial role within their units; amongst the roles will be director, producer, camera operator, camera assistant, sound recordist etc. Roles can be swapped if necessary.

There’s a short lunch break (lunch is not provided so please bring packed lunch or grab some food from a local cafe).

Then each unit goes out into the world to shoot their documentary!

The crews return to the studio and the rushes are digitised into the Final Cut Pro computer ready to begin the edit.

Each unit will direct the edit of their films (with experienced editor Alex Wakeford operating the Final Cut Pro edit system).

During the edit, we talk through and demonstrate the principles of editing including: how to construct a timeline, how to bring shots onto the timeline, how to do simple picture and sound edits, how to shorten or lengthen shots, how to replace shots, how to write and record voice-over, how to build multiple audio tracks, how to do dissolves and fades, how to use music and archive footage and create simple graphics etc

During the afternoon, we will also discuss how to raise finance for your documentary project including approaching broadcasters, applying for film funds or to crowd-source finance. We will also discuss what to do with your finished film – covering  coming up with a film festival strategy, how to self distribute, how to secure distribution or sell the finished film to broadcasters.

Throughout the day, all participants are encouraged to ask questions to learn as much as possible!

By 5pm, the two films will be finished and screened to the whole group – ready to be uploaded onto Youtube  after the workshop. All participants will be emailed the link to view the films once online.

You don’t need any experience to come on this workshop and all equipment is provided. The aim is to enjoy the film-making challenge and to throw yourself in at the deep end. This workshop is suitable for anyone aged over 16.

Venue: Film Studio, Brighton Media Centre, 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL

Full Price:                                       £100.00

Student Price:                              £85.00         (students, Talent Circle & other organisations)

TO BOOK – EMAIL info@altofilms.com or phone 07770 794233

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PREVIOUS FILMS MADE ON THIS WORKSHOP

And here are the results from the workshop held on Saturday 4th June, 2011.

And here are the results from the workshop held on Sunday 22nd November, 2010.