Documentary Assignment

Video 2 Reading: Please take notes
http://cybercollege.com/tvp063.htm
http://cybercollege.com/tvp063-2.htm
http://cybercollege.com/tvp064.htm


Your documentary project will consist of five separate parts.
1. Treatment
2. Intro/Body/Closing Summary
3. List of interview questions for each type of subject (do not create "yes" or "no" questions
4. Recording B-Roll footage and interviews
5. Editing and Post Production

Documentary Treatment

Please answer the following questions in complete sentences. Email your responses to me.

1. What is your documentary subject?
2. Why did you choose this subject? Why would this be interesting for us to watch(two-three sentences)
3. What do you think your audience can learn from your documentary? Why will it be entertaning (one-two sentences)
4. What type of B-Roll will your video need (four to six examples)
5. How will you make sure you can cover all sides of this subject? Who will you interview and where will you interview them? (two-three sentences)
6. What kind of music will you use?

Intro/Body/Closing Summary

Intro
Write three to four sentences describing topic in great detail . Give crucial information and history as needed. Feel free to use documented statistics.
For example, if you are doing a piece on gas prices then find out how expensive gas has been over the last twenty years. Why the change? What are the factors etc? Do cars get more or less miles per gallon?

Next, list at least five specific examples of of B-Roll you will use. Provide dates, locations, and shot type of the footage.
Will you use any footage from sources other than your own camera? If so, what will they be?

Again, if you are doing Gas prices you might want to show people filling up at the gas station, a shot or two of gas price signs, people driving cars, and money exchanging hands etc.

Body
Narrate or use text to move from one interview to the next. If you do your interviews well, the interviews will tell the story and your narration will be minimal.
For today’s assignment, pretend you have three different examples and interviews for your topic.
What will you cover in this section? What will the audience learn? Please list the people who have interviewed or will interview and also list the B-Roll that will play underneath those interviews.

Closing
What did you conclude from your documentary (using both sides of course)? You aren't trying to prove a point here as this is more of a recap of what we saw in the body of your documentary.
What should the audience know that ties all the information together? What is next for your subject or subjects?
Your closing narration should be at least three to four sentences.

First, read this section on interview techniques here. 
Finally, create a list of 20 questions you will ask five different people in your documentary.