Documentary Director Research Paper

1021 Words3 Pages

A film director is someone who directs the making and production of a film. They control the visual and artistic aspects of the film. It is their vision that is voiced in the film, they make the screenplay come to life so to say. While at the same time, regulating the crew and actors so that their vision can truly be shown in the film. In terms of a documentary director, it slightly differs. They have all the duties a film director has but in a much less controlled environment. Documentary directors don’t have the luxury of having a script or a storyboard, they aren’t working with experienced actors and usually can’t repeat takes, as documentaries are supposed to capture real life and you can argue that it loses the title of being a documentary …show more content…

A documentary director takes a role in the pre-production, production stage and the editing and post-production stage.
During pre-production, the director is involved in the very earliest stages. They are the ones who present their pitch to a film company in order to get funding for their film. Before they start planning their pitch, they have to start doing some extensive research on the film they are going to make. This involves contacting appropiate sources, finding on filming locations that will fit the story, hiring crew etc. The director also, has to set up a shooting schedule with the production manager which includes providing information for essential paperwork- risk assessment, location and contributor permissions and archive permissions if it’s crucial. They then have to check availability of everyone involved in shoot, locations, crew then create a shooting plan- consider dates, times, travel time, food and transporting equipment. They should aim to shoot in one day depending on the availability of everyone. After, they have made sure that they have prepared themselves enough they …show more content…

This includes preparing to shoot, overseeing make-up and dress, overseeing quality of sound equipment and camera and lighting, being ready to change plans drastically and overcoming problems that arise, emphasize with participants, making sure all the activities and film are logged accurately for the editor. When setting up for an interview, you make sure the subject is to the right or the left or the frame and set up the camera accordingly depending on the position you want the subject to be in. Then you make sure the lighting properly reflects the mood of the subject of your documentary. Documentaries are far less predictable than Hollywood motion-picture films. One of the directors most important roles is when filming, to keep editing in mind and be wary of the editors job when filming. This wastes time and money when filming. The director develops a rough storyboard of the film when finishing filming (almost backwards than a drama director would), then frames the shots so that the film can be ordered and accessed and edited easily. The director is usually narrating the documentary as well. Often, the director is the one asking the questions in the interview and making statements that are relevant to the documentary. They have to make sure they are asking questions properly and clearly and the questions help answer questions in the documentary and are open

Open Document