Filming Prep/Conventions

Guess what… I have my official subject for the extract I will be producing!! 

When brainstorming this idea, I had this individual in mind from the very beginning. They represented exactly what I wanted my documentary to capture, so when I asked them about being apart of it and they said yes, I was ecstatic. 

My subject of interest, Riley Orovitz, is a senior in high school just like me. She’s loved to watch and play sports ever since she was at a young age. She’s found so many ways to outlet her passion during our time at Cypress, whether it’s working our school sports games, running the high school’s athletics social media, and even playing on the flag football team all 4 years. 

In one of my old posts, Documentary Viewings and Research (posted on December 8th, 2023), I had talked about all the documentaries we had viewed in class during the period in time we were studying Documentary as a whole. We also had various lectures with Mrs. Stoklosa where she discuss all different kinds of documentary techniques and conventions, spreading from pre-production to post-production work. 

After reflecting on some of the notes I took during that time, here are some of the things I want to specifically implement into my documentary:

Narrative Format

The entire “voice” of the documentary I want to be told solely through Riley. What I mean is no voice overs, or direct interviews, just Riley’s narrative is present along with natural sounds from the b-roll and maybe music if I feel like the sound element is missing something. I did this for my past documentary that I made and I love how it turned out. In my opinion, it makes the narrative of the documentary feel more genuine and vulnerable. 

Handheld Camera

When shooting b-roll, I want to try and experiment with more dynamic moving shots. This would be done with using the handheld camera technique. However, if I would to use FULL handheld, the shots would be super shaky and not aesthetically pleasing as I haven’t yet developed a stable hand when filming without any sort of support or tripod. So, after doing a little research, I decided I wanted to take this opportunity to experience with some new equipment, a gimble. 

                     

This piece of equipment allows for a camera t be attached at the top and stabilizes the camera itself, allowing you to get those smooth and stable shots without being dormant on a tripod. It allows for the movement that I want. Now, these run VERY expensive. So, I plan on checking one out at BECON, a local news station that allows young creators to check out high-quality equipment to use for their projects. I had checked out all the equipment I used in my past doc from BECON and it was an incredible experience and the high-quality equipment truly brought my doc to a whole new level.

Archived Footage

Since we are only producing a five-minute extract, I plan on producing the first few minutes of what would be my full episode. This includes an opening/intro. Since this would be an episodic series, it would need to be branded to the series, but I also want it to be individualized to the subject being explored each time. With this in mind, I had an idea of making a sort of “montage” with a bunch of old videos and photos Riley has as a little girl playing sports or being involved in sports. Riley had used these in a past project we did (brand project) so I know I would have enough. I just need to make sure with Mrs. Stoklosa that I am allowed to use this “archived footage” in my project as technically it was already filmed.

Selective Editing

Selective editing gets implemented a lot when it comes to documentaries. Not only does it allow you structure your piece exactly how you want, but it’s also inevitable as you are always going to film more than you need. Again, with only having to produce a five-minute extract, I am going to have to be very selective with my editing in order to fit the time limit and make sure the doc stays on track with its purpose.