Documentary for the Small ScreenFilm and video have grown to be as significant in our time as books, newspapers and magazines. Documentary film-making is fast becoming as important and useful a skill as the ability to write well. Like writing, it can be learned by anyone. Film and video have grown to be as significant in our time as books, newspapers and magazines. Documentary film-making is fast becoming as important and useful a skill as the ability to write well. Like writing, it can be learned by anyone.Documentary for the small screen is both for those who are new to documentary film-making but want to know how to create productions of a professional standard, as well as for those already working in the medium who wish to improve their skills by taking a closer look at the way they carry out their tasks. It is written in a logical, straightforward way, the first half taking the reader through an analysis of what documentary actually is, to constructing it through developing the story and assembling the appropriate building-blocks. In the second part, the pre-production stages of preparing proposals, costings and outlines, and researching the subject are all carefully examined, as are production planning and the shoot, followed by the post-production stages involved in editing and reviewing the completed film. Paul Kriwaczek is an award winning documentary maker who has a wealth of experience to pass on, having worked for many years at BBC Television where he wrote, directed and produced documentary, drama, music and science programmes. |
Contents
What is a Television Documentary? | 9 |
How do we Start? | 17 |
Telling the Story | 23 |
Copyright | |
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16mm film action actually Alcoy allow angle artistic audience Autoconforming background beginning broadcasting budget camera characters cinema close commentary commissioning contributors cost course crane shot crew cut-aways depends depth of field director dissolve distance documentary film documentary maker documentary technique editing editor effect fiction film and video film-maker film-maker's film's focal length foreground frame high-angle shot hyperfocal distance idea interview kind lens look material means medium close-up microphone mid-shot monaural movement moving narrative particular perhaps person photographer picture pinhole camera possible presenter production real world reality recorded scene screen direction sections sequence shooting shooting ratio sometimes sound recordist speaker speed stage story style suspension of disbelief synchronous talking head tape task television documentary television screen track usually viewer viewer's eye vision visual wide shot words zoom