Documentary Filmmaking

AY2014/2015 Semester 2

This practice-based course explores the different genres and practices of the cinematic non-fiction film form. It covers a brief history of the documentary as political propaganda, investigative essay, personal journal, and cinema verite observation, through the study of the work of documentary auteurs. The course seeks to develop in the student the ability to identify, conceptualise and research a topic, negotiate access to characters or events, manage a production through efficient budgeting and scheduling. The students will create a short non-fiction cinematic narrative with coherent artistic vision, intellectual purpose and ethical rigour.