FROM CONCEPT TO TRAILER: DEVELOPING THE DOCUMENTARY SUBJECT
Ages 18-29
Fall 2017, Motorhouse and on location
In this intermediate-level documentary filmmaking workshop, fellows will be introduced to the stages of professional documentary development, from concept to initial pitch to research and preliminary interviews, to shooting and editing a trailer. Enrollment for the workshop will be by application, with accepted fellows each bringing to the table something of value to the larger project. This may be experience in nonfiction writing; experience in filmmaking; unique knowledge of a story or unique access to a person, location, or materials, including archives, that are worthy of study. Fellows will consider together what makes a good story, how best to shape it, and to what kind of audience it is likely to appeal. They’ll view and discuss clips from documentaries in a variety of categories--expository, observational, participatory, poetic-- learning what makes the films successful. Fellows will apply to the workshop by submitting their story ideas and establishing what skills and/or materials they have to offer the group. 9 fellows will be admitted; 3 story ideas will be developed; 1 trailer will be shot. While limited class time will demand a selection process, all fellows will be encouraged to develop their individual subjects on their own time, using what they learn during workshop meetings. This workshop meets in a concentrated schedule and includes long days. Fellows must commit to attending every workshop meeting without exception. During workshop hours they'll work collaboratively as a professional development team and film crew to create a polished, professional trailer. The trailer will be shown at a program screening and shared on the program website. The workshop will include a review of camera and audio equipment. Se habla Español. Limited to 9 student fellows.
Annette Porter is a documentary filmmaker and co-founder, with Helen Morell, of Nylon Films, UK. Comfortable with her camera in a corporate boardroom or on a high altitude trail in Chile, she produces, directs, and shoots both stills and moving images.
Jimmy Powell, Jr., an alumnus of the Maryland Institute College of Art, is a freelance videographer and editor. His clients include the NAACP, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and the University of Maryland Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Alec Jordan is a Baltimorean and a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where he was president of the Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company. He plans to develop his creative skills in order to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking.
