Saturday, July 10, 2010
DOCUMENTARY PROJECT PROPOSAL HELPER
DOCUMENTARY PROJECT PROPOSAL HELPER
Adapted from Directing the Documentary by Michael Rabiger
Working title
Director:
Camera:
Sound:
Editor:
Others:
WORKING HYPOTHESIS AND INTERPRETATION.
What are your persuasions about the world you are going to show in your film, the main “statement” that you want to emerge out of the film’s dialectics? Write a hypothesis statement incorporating this wording:
In life, I believe that:
My film will show this in action by exploring (situation):
The main conflict is between:
Ultimately, I want the audience to feel and to understand that:
TOPIC
Write a concise paragraph about:
a) Your film’s subject (person, group, environment, social issue etc.)
b) The necessary background information the audience must have to understand and to be interested in the enclosed world you intend to present. Be sure to show how this information will emerge.
ACTION SEQUENCES
Write a brief paragraph for each intended sequence that shows an activity. (A sequence is usually delineated by being in one location, one chunk of time, or an assembly of materials to show one topic). Incorporate the following:
a) What the activity is and what conflict it evidences
b) A metaphor to explain its sub textual meaning
c) The expected structure of events
d) What the sequence should contribute to the whole film and to the hypothesis
e) What facts the audience must gather from watching it
f) What key, emblematic imagery you hope to capture
MAIN CHARACTERS
Write a brief paragraph about each of your main characters. For each include:
a) Who (name, relationship to others in film and so on)
b) Where (where does this person fit in the scheme of things?)
c) What (what is this character’s role, what makes the character(s) interesting, worthy of special attention and significant? What is this character trying to do or to get at?)
CONFLICT
What is at issue in this film? Consider:
a) Who wants what of whom?
b) What conflicting principles do the characters stand for?
c) Does your film put different principles in opposition (of opinion, of view, of vision and so forth)?
d) How will we see one force finally meet with the other? (The “confrontation”--very important)
e) What range of possible developments do you see emerging from this confrontation?
AUDIENCE BIASES
To make a documentary means not only using conflicting “evidence” to put forward your subject’s dialectics, it also means knowing what stereotypes or expectations carried by your audience your film must deliberately set out to alter.
a) Biases (may be positive or negative)
b) What alternative views, facts or ideas does the audience need to understand
c) What evidence will you show to get the audience to see those different truths
ON-CAMERA INTERVIEWS
For each interview, list:
a) Name, role in life, metaphoric role in film’s dramatic structure
b) Main elements your interview will seek to establish
STRUCTURE
Write a brief paragraph on how you hope to structure your film. When you are doing this, consider:
a) How will you will handle the progression of time in the film
b) How and at what point information important to story development will appear
c) What you intend as the climactic sequence and where this should go
d) How this relates to other sequences in terms of the action rising toward the film’s projected “crisis” or emotional apex and the falling action after it
e) Sequences or interviews you intend to use as parallel storytelling
FORM AND STYLE
Any special considerations in shooting or editing style that might further your film’s content. Here you might comment on narrative lighting, camera handling, type and amount of intercutting, juxtaposition of scenes, parallel storytelling and the like.
RESOULUTION
Write a brief paragraph about how you imagine your film will end and what you would like the ending to accomplish for the audience. Comparing any intended ending with the film’s beginning also exposes what must accomplish as a story to get there. The ending is your last word to the audience and has a disproportionate influence on what the film will mean.
BUDGET
LOGISTICS
Briefly address any obvious problems of feasibility, practicality and so on.
DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Elements:
Working Hypotheses
Lines of Inquiry
Points of View
Dramatic Possibilities
1. Film statement
Formally declares that the producer is making a proposal and suggests a working title. It briefly indicates the length, defines the subject matter and audience. (Short paragraph of two to three lines).
2. Background and need
Briefly reviews information necessary to acquaint the proposal audience to the subject, lets the reader see why the topic is interesting and why such a film is needed. (This could be two to six paragraphs).
3. Approach, form and style
This explains how the producer will carry out the idea. Where is the drama? Where is the conflict? Where are the emotions and character development? This is the section for the producer to indicate structure. This is potentially risky without full-blown research or “casting”. Nonetheless, it is the most important element in explaining how the producer works. This is not the place to indicate huge amounts of research. Research is needed, in fact extensive research might be needed but research is not a film. The producer at this stage is helping the reader visualize the film. (Two to six paragraphs).
4. Shooting schedule
A time-line. This is actually an optional item that may be included when a specific event is impending; however, most funders want to know when production will start and when the film will be completed. (One to two line paragraph).
5. Budget
Budgets at the proposal stage are simple and in outline form. The producer should be familiar with the funding source in order to assure the budget is appropriate for the source.
6. Audience, distribution and marketing
A filmmaker must know her audience before a film can find distribution. This part of the proposal is a little tricky, particularly for personal documentaries and for those filmmakers who primarily make films for themselves. The proposal reader wants to know how the film will get to your defined audience. If the project is commercial, the reader will want to know how funding will be recouped. In some proposals this element is optional. (two to eight paragraphs).
7. Filmmaker’s bio and letters of support
This can and should include key players. Bios should be brief. These can be included as attachments.
8. Additional elements
Attachments that would be helpful in explaining or illustrating any of the above elements.
Production Stages
1. The proposal
2. Script development
The idea and its development
Discussion with sponsors and/or funding agencies
Preliminary research
Writing the proposal
Discussion of proposal
Agreement on budget
Research
Writing the shooting script
Acceptance and modification of the script
3. Preproduction (based on script and cards)
4. Filming
5. Editing
The visual edit based on the revised editing script
Editing sound and laying narration from approved narration script
6. Final lab work or on-line edit
Writing Stages
1. The idea (a few paragraphs)
2. The pitch (one page suitable for oral or written delivery)
3. The proposal (three to ten pages)
4. The shooting script
5. The editing script
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